The Biden administration is calling on Israel to scale down its bombing campaign against targets in Gaza, calling its strikes 'indiscriminate'. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has visited Israel, reaffirming the US' support. The Defence Secretary did however stress that Israel must change its strategy to retain global support. US sources say they are hopeful of a two-state solution in Gaza, headed by the Palestinian authority. Israeli leadership have rejected the idea of a two-state solution.

The recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea has resulted in oil prices spiking, according to CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski. “You have seen some terrorist activity in the Red Sea when it comes to the attacks on shipping in that area,” Mr Piotrowski told Sky News Australia. He said oil prices spiked up to three per cent overnight as a result. “They’re up by about a per cent now so they’ve come off the boil a little bit.” Presented by CommSec.

A bushfire emergency is unfolding in Narrabri, NSW with locals being urged to seek shelter. The blaze at Duck Creek south of Narrabri was upgraded to emergency level on Monday. It has so far burnt through more than 80,000 hectares. Properties are now under threat as the blaze continues to spread. Locals in Bohena Creek, Baan Baa, Willala and Goolhi are being told to seek shelter.

85-year-old man missing in Far North Queensland flooding, emergency bushfire warning for Narrabri, additional Australian troops to be sent to the Middle East, Labor MPs denounce Israel in an open letter, BP pauses Red Sea operations due to pirates, Catholic Church to allow LGBT blessings. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

GT Communications Gemma Tognini says Labor acts like it hasn’t realised it is “actually in government” and is accountable. Ms Tognini told Sky News host Chris Kenny it’s like they are still at university “playing with other people’s money”. “If this government prospers, then Australia will prosper. “What we are seeing is a government that doesn’t yet know how to lead. “That doesn’t yet know how to have adult conversations.”

The Australian’s Media Writer Sophie Elsworth says ABC radio presenter Patricia Karvelas’ ratings have “absolutely plummeted” and she should focus on the ratings instead of attacking others. “Since she took over from Fran Kelly two years ago, the ratings have absolutely plummeted, they’ve fallen 34 per cent – to about 250,000 listeners, now this is in dire straits,” Ms Elsworth told Sky News host Chris Kenny. “I’ve spoken to people within the radio arm that have told me this is a problem, their radio stations across all their networks are in freefall when it comes to ratings and oddly enough, I was just reporting the facts – and Patricia Karvelas has been on Twitter today, on that platform she declared she was leaving. “Tweeting about me, she’s been posting things on Instagram that this is a hatchet job … it’s all nonsense really. “She probably should focus on the ratings and how they’re falling – I’ve obviously hit a raw nerve – I’m just dealing in facts.”

GT Communications Gemma Tognini says Labor have made various problems to the Australian people which have since been “broken”. Ms Tognini told Sky News host Chris Kenny that there is “no hope of them being fulfilled”. “The tragedy here is that Australia has the opportunity to learn from other parts of the world. “It’s not about the politics of absolutism, which is I think what we’re seeing here. “When that reckoning hits, like a freight train in the middle of the night, there’s not going to be anyone else to push the blame to.”

Sky News host Caroline Di Russo says there has never been an “agnostic conversation” about Australia’s future energy plan. Ms Di Russo told Sky News host Chris Kenny that the conversation we’ve always had is that the “sun if free”. “Without any conversation around anything else. “And eventually that there is going to come up and bite this country in the backside. “It is going to be a huge issue going forward.”

CIS Energy Program Director Aidan Morrison has criticised the Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System Plan, claiming it doesn’t include “all the costs” needed for a guide on building a low-cost energy grid. The Integrated System Plan provides an integrated roadmap for the efficient development of the National Electricity Market over the next 20 years and beyond. Mr Morrison noted the plan does not include Snowy Hydro 2.0 or any of the transmission plans which state governments have already committed to which aren’t built yet. “All those things should be up for grabs to see whether they're actually the best plan and I think there's great evidence that they're not actually part of the best plan anymore,” he told Sky News host Chris Kenny. “But the integrated system plan doesn't try to adjust those or actually see whether there's a better way to do this at all and it certainly has to consider something like nuclear energy.”

Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge breaks down Australia's “very small, ageing Navy”. Mr Shoebridge discussed the US’ request for a warship from the Australian Navy to be sent to the Red Sea to fight against Houthi rebels. “Under the Albanese government and the current defence department leadership, Australia won’t get a single new warship for ten years until 2033,” he told Sky News Australia. “The cupboard’s pretty bare. “The other reason apparently is that the government haven’t had a National Security Committee of Cabinet meeting scheduled and you’d think that was an easy problem for them to solve.”

Cairns Mayor Terry James says the rain was predicted to continue moving over Queensland but seemed to stop and rain “double” the amount which was thought to occur. “The rain has finally stopped today and tomorrow we’ll be able to get in there and assess the damage,” Mr James told Sky News contributor Steve Price. “At the moment we don’t know what we don’t know. “The rain – it just got over land and stopped still and just kept raining and raining, and no one predicted that. “We ended up with double the amount of rain that was predicted.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond says Labor has seen a rebound in the last Newspoll for the year after a “pretty ordinary” couple of months. “The Labor government seems to have received a last minute rebound of support in the final Newspoll of the year,” Mr Bond said. “Their primary vote lifting two points to 33 per cent – the Coalition’s fallen to 36 and on the two-party preferred Labor is now leading 52-48. “Surprised to see a little bit of a rebound after a pretty ordinary couple of months.” Mr Bond was joined by Sky News host James Morrow to discuss the vote lifting for the Labor Party.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says the “working poor” among us in Australia has “skyrocketed”. Mr Canavan told Sky News host Caleb Bond that there are very significant things in the federal Labor government’s control that they have “totally botched”. “The most prime example of that is the immigration intake. “This government just opened the flood gates. “They don’t have enough houses or infrastructure to keep pace with this level of migration growth.”

The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan slams the Albanese government for trying to have it “both ways” in its solidarity with Islamist demonstrators South Western Sydney and standing side-by-side with Israel. “It’s kind of pathetic really, we make these fabulously emotional speeches about how we stand with Israel forever, and then we criticize them when they try to defend themselves and we take no serious action of solidarity with them whatsoever,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News contributor Steve Price. “So all sorts of social democratic and centre-left leaders went to express solidarity with Israel after the most barbaric terrorist attacks we’ve witnessed in the modern era. “You can’t have it both ways, you can’t stand side-by-side with the Islamist demonstrators in South Western Sydney and stand side-by-side with Israel at the same time. “You can’t say as the Prime Minister does, Hamas must be dismantled and must never again have any role in the future of Gaza and then say to the Israelis but you cannot take any military action to achieve that end.”

Queensland Labor MP Michael Healy says the “big issue” in the state now is getting aid to communities who have been affected by the severe flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Mr Healy sat with Sky News Australia to give the latest updates on the situation in Far North Queensland. “So the immediate communities in Cairns, our northern beaches, have suffered significantly,” he said. “We’ve got about 300 people in various shelters throughout the city. “So Machans Beach, Holloways, right up to Port Douglas; there’s a lot of damage in Port Douglas – road infrastructure.”

Queensland Labor MP Michael Healy says tourism is a “fundamental” part of the state’s economy. Mr Healy sat with Sky News Australia to give the latest updates on the situation in Far North Queensland following ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper wreaking havoc in the region. “The Cairns region itself is a significant tourism destination; we get over 2 million domestic tourists, and internationally, we get 800,000 – nearly a million prior to COVID,” he said. “As a resident, I’ve spent 30 years in the tourism industry up here myself, I’ve spoken to the Treasurer, I’ve spoken to the Premier about this. “Our expectation is that there will be packages made available, not just to the tourism operators but also to other commercial operators.”

Redbridge Group Director Simon Welsh says the government has been “absent” in helping Australians with cost-of-living. Mr Welsh told Sky News Australia that progressive parties are finding it “very difficult” to reach blue collar workers. “Because they’re not offering them a progressive economic solution to their problems. “They want it, they want big economic reform. “Progressive political parties around the world are struggling with the same thing.”

Liberal Senator Alex Antic says the Voice was Australia’s “Brexit moment”. The Indigenous Voice was emphatically rejected in October by a majority of voters in every state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory. “It would be hard to go past the Voice, I think, for the best in the sense that it was the moment I think … mainstream Australia realised that it wasn’t alone,” Mr Antic told Sky News host Cory Bernardi. “It felt like everybody was for it except that nobody actually was. “It was, I think, ultimately our Brexit moment and from that point onwards, I think, mainstream Aussies now know that … it wasn’t racist to vote ‘no’.”

Cairns Mayor Terry James has provided an update on the town’s processed water supply after debris blocked the intake to the Crystal Cascades treatment plant. The town was left with only 30 hours of processed water available after devastating flooding brought on by Cyclone Jasper. Mr James revealed that “thankfully” the intake was unblocked on Monday as water was sent to critical infrastructure. “That’s the two hospitals in town, so they have got their water now because we had about 200 renal patients it would have affected greatly,” he told Sky News Australia. Residents are still advised to only use water for emergency purposes. Large parts of the region around Cairns were lashed with more than 300mm of rain over the past 24 hours.

AI Group Chief Executive Innes Willox says Australia thinks of its defence industry as a “silo” separate from the rest of industry after a new report suggested Australia needs to rethink defence to maximise participation. Australia’s defence industry will see a boost from the signing of AUKUS legislation in the US. “What we haven’t done properly to develop that speed and that surge capability – to build things when we really need it – is to really embed defence industry into our national industrial base,” Mr Willox told Sky News Australia. “We think of it now too much as a silo – defence industry is separate from the rest of industry. “We looked at France, Israel, the UK, Canada and Sweden, and they all do it in different ways, but the one key thread is that their defence industry is part of their national industrial base. “That’s how we need to think of things.”