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Bye.
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On 2GB Sydney and network stations across Australia, this is Mornings with Mark Levy.
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A very good morning to you on this Wednesday, the 29th of July. I'm Mark Levy. Welcome to Mornings as we broadcast in Sydney, Canberra and across Australia on the 2GB app. Coming up on the show today, Pauline Hanson's plan for the first 100 days under a one-nation government. Liberal leader Angus Taylor's name drawn into an ICAC inquiry. The Prime Minister still deflecting questions over a controversial dinner at Point Piper. While in sport, New South Wales coach Laurie Daly, the reports are that he's going to pull the pin after winning the Origin Series.
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But he's responded to those reports this morning on his own radio show. Quick look at Sydney's weather. Careabout, a free independent matching service connecting you with compatible aged care support. Call 131300. We're in for a mostly sunny day with a top of 18 in the city the same out west. While in Canberra for our 2CC listeners, a shower or two for the nation's capital reaching a high of just 11 degrees. And we've had these dramas on Sydney's roads with the closure of the M5 tunnel because of a fan issue.
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Issues and safety issues with a fan inside the tunnel. So they're hoping to have it reopened this afternoon. That's the message we're getting from the motorway operators, Transurban. So we'll keep you up to date on any developments with that. As always, love to hear from you this morning. The number to call, 131873. You can email me at 2GB.com. And the text line's up and running, 0460 873 873. Well, there's no shortage of drama across the political spectrum at the moment, and Dennis Shanahan from the Australian newspaper will join us in the second hour of the program.
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We've got the Liberal Party under the spotlight over a donation scandal.
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What else have we got going on? We've got Angus Taylor's name, of course, being drawn into it after claims emerged at the Independent Commission Against Corruption that he agreed to bankroll a conservative religious faction within the New South Wales Liberals. No suggestion that Mr Taylor's done anything wrong. More on that shortly. We've got Anthony Albanese ducking and weaving questions about his dinner with the son of a billionaire who was pursued by the tax office for $273 million in unpaid taxes.
02:28
There are calls for the PM to honour his election pledge for transparency and to open his diary to public scrutiny. While in Victoria, the newly elected leader and Premier Ben Carroll, he was quick to declare yesterday he's not Daniel Andrews or Jacinta Allen. But as all the political commentators down there are pointing out, mud sticks given he also served on their front bench. So Jess Wilson in the box seat leading up to the state election coming up later this year. But the elephant in the room is no doubt One Nation.
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Pauline Hanson has spooked the major parties. It was all the talk on the floor and on the sidelines of the National Labor Conference in Adelaide over the weekend. The Liberals and Nationals are all over the place when answering simple questions about the rise of One Nation. Angus Taylor originally said, my door is open and you can lead a horse to water but you can't make a drink when referring to a potential meeting with Senator Hanson. He's since ruled out any deals with One Nation, labelling the minor party unfit to govern.
03:31
Well, I'll let you be the judge of that this morning, folks, because Pauline Hanson has outlined her agenda for the first 100 days under a One Nation government post the 2028 election. That's if One Nation wins. The Senator appeared on Paul Murray's show last night on News 24, and it's the first time she's put forward some sort of plan.
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Having said that, we still don't know who their leader is in Victoria leading up to the state election, nor do we have the names of the candidates that they'll be running in Victoria and New South Wales and the federal elections. Now, let me run you through her agenda for the first 100 days. Samantha Maiden has gone through it in chapter and verse today for news.com.au. As Samantha writes, Pauline Hanson has revealed her shock first acts as PM if elected. including giving every self-funded retiree in Australia a healthcare card, offering cut-price medicine and free GP visits.
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Appearing on the Please Explain special, the One Nation leader railed against government spending before unveiling a big idea that could cost taxpayers billions. Senator Hanson said, So, self-funded retirees, you've worked hard, you get nothing back. Even getting a healthcare card. I think that if you've reached the age of retirement, you should be given the same benefits of having that healthcare card at least. The coveted cards offer seniors huge discounts. Currently an income test applies of $100,000 for singles and $160,000 for self-funded retirees.
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Now, in this special last night on Paul's program, Paul invited viewers and people in the room and those on Zoom to ask Senator Hansen a range of questions.
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And I'll run you through them, but the first one that I wanted to touch on just off the back of our conversation about it yesterday is 18C.
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And the fact that the federal court found that Pauline Hanson racially discriminated against Green Senator Maureen Faruqi when she said, and again, excuse the language, piss off back to Pakistan.
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The appeal was then dismissed by the full bench of the federal court. And the question was asked of Pauline Hanson, will you take this fight all the way to the high court? And she said yes.
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despite the fact that there will be a massive legal bill that will come with this fight going to the High Court.
05:51
Now, on immigration, which is another big issue that we've certainly discussed on this program at length, the One Nation leader revealed her first act, if she was able to form government, would be to reduce our immigration number to 130,000 people. And she made the point you've still got to allow those into the country because a lot of businesses and doctors and nurses that we need, you fill those positions by all means.
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Net zero and cost of living. Senator Hanson said the cost of living was a huge issue and the net zero targets will go if she could form government.
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On the issue of childcare, one parent asked what support One Nation would offer regarding childcare costs.
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Senator Hanson quickly replied, I'd like a full investigation into childcare.
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It's costing the taxpayers $16 billion a year and something's out of control there. There's a lot of money spent in childcare, so that's where I'd like an investigation into it.
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NDIS, another major issue facing the government coffers. Senator Hanson said the National Disability Insurance Scheme also needed a major overhaul. It's costing $52 billion at the moment. If it keeps going by 2032, it would be $100 billion.
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Welcome to country. One voter asked Pauline if she would end welcome to country and acknowledgement of country practices in daycares, kindergartens, primary schools and junior sporting events. Senator Hanson said she and other colleagues turned her back on it in the Senate. That's how I feel about it. You can't stop people if businesses want to do it. All right, but in government departments, I wouldn't have a welcome to country on the bottom of their literature or their sheets of paper they put out on all the government websites. So we certainly all know where she stands on welcome and acknowledgement of countries.
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Permanent resident. Senator Hanson was put on the spot regarding one man's parents who were permanent residents, including his dad, who worked at the BHP Steelworks in Port Kembla. The man said he made sure that his sons became Australian citizens in this beautiful country.
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One question, my parents are 89 and they're not citizens of this beautiful country. Do they lose their benefits if they're not citizens at the age of 89?
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Senator Hanson said that was never a One Nation policy. No way, she said. They're permanent residents in Australia. They've been paying the taxes all these years. I don't believe in taking away their benefits at 89 years of age.
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So what do you think, folks? Is Pauline Hanson on a winner if that's the agenda for the first 100 days of a One Nation government or is the jury still out? 131873 to have your say. You can email me at 2GB.com or you can shoot through a text, 0460 873873.
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Now, look, in my opinion, whether she's calling for audits into runaway spending in the NDIS and childcare or refusing to apologise for who she rubs shoulders with, I think her appeal boils down to one quality.
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And that one quality is this.
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Authenticity.
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Whenever I hear Senator Hanson speak, I find it refreshing because we live in an era of sanitised, media-trained politicians who run from every controversy.
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Voters respect someone who says what they think and someone who stands their ground.
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Now, the major parties can mock her ideas or dismiss her supporters, but they do so at their own peril.
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By putting practical relief, common sense reform and ordinary Australians ahead of their political futures, Pauline Hanson isn't just capturing the mood of a frustrated nation. I think she's starting to offer a compelling alternative. And let's face it, the political establishment can no longer ignore it.
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Admittedly, we need to know who the candidates are.
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And I have a feeling that's where it may, may run into some brick walls. They all need to be on the same page. It can't be left up to Pauline Hanson, Barnaby Joyce and Pauline's Chief of Staff, James Ashby. So when we start learning who their candidates are, we're only, what, three months out from a Victorian state election. We don't know who any of the candidates are. So hopefully we'll start learning more and more about that over the coming weeks. But if you watched it last night or you have heard that for the first time on what she's outlined for the first 100 days, let me know what you think.
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131873, the number.
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In the meantime, I mentioned the pressure that's growing on the Prime Minister to come clean on this dinner at the multi-million dollar mansion at Point Piper.
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Now, Anthony Albanese can keep deflecting the questions, hoping the news cycle will move on, but it won't.
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Australians, the people he purports to represent, want answers.
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Now, Albo made that promise to be open and honest.
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So it's time to practice what he preaches or hand the reins to someone else.
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As Matthew Vence reports today in The Telegraph, the Prime Minister is facing calls to honour his election pledge for transparency and open his diary to public scrutiny in the same way Premier Chris Minns does after he refused to give details of his private Point Piper dinner with billionaire donors.
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And a deal Labor struck with the Liberals on donation funding means that details of how much cash was pledged to Labor at the dinner will not be made public until April of next year.
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One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson's Chief of Staff, James Ashby, said the Prime Minister had promised honesty and transparency when he was elected, but instead was keeping his diary as big a secret as the Epstein files and would not give a straight answer on who he had dinner with. If he won't tell the truth about something so simple, why should Australians believe anything else he says?
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And there he was again yesterday saying, I attend lots of dinners, lots of places. I don't talk about private dinners. Mate, you're the Prime Minister of the country.
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And when there are serious questions about your association at the home of the son of a billionaire who was pursued by the tax office for $273 million in unpaid taxes, and there's question marks over your association with his family and a potential donation between anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million, you've got to front up and answer the questions.
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The Australian people deserve answers and the longer the Prime Minister stands there and tries to deflect the serious questions being put to him, the worse he looks.
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What's the old saying? The cover-up's worse than the crime? If the Prime Minister's got nothing to hide, why won't he come clean on this controversial dinner that he should never have attended in the first place?
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If he won't own it, I'm sure there's someone in his office who will end up copping the blame because there's no way one of his advisers didn't warn of Felix Lee's father and his shortcomings with the tax office.
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You can have your say on that this morning on 131873.
12:37
Look, the other story that's captured my attention over the last two days is this ICAC inquiry into the donation scandal involving the Liberals.
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Dylan Whitelaw, a one-time New South Wales Reformers member and former Catholic School's New South Wales staffer, he'll be back in the witness box this morning on day three of the hearings.
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I thought it was quite telling yesterday at the start of his evidence that Mr Whitelaw was told by Counsel Assisting the Inquiry, Juliet Curtis, to, quote, think carefully about his evidence.
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That was in response to Mr Whitelaw almost immediately offering up to the Commission that it was a great shock to learn from the ICAC opening address that money was going from Catholic Schools New South Wales, where he'd worked, to the lobbying group Beckington, where he also worked.
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Now, there's a common theme already.
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The witnesses, both Mr O'Hara and Mr Whitelaw, continuing to say, I don't recall.
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Well, Angus Taylor's name has been dragged into it as well. The opposition leader has been dragged into the branch stacking scandal with the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing. He pledged a $15,000 cash injection and a $3,000 a month payment to Liberal Party conservatives who were trying to take over left-wing branches through stealth.
13:56
The bombshell allegations came from a text message sent among members of the so-called Reformers Conservatives Group, which was sent days after the right-wing power broker and Catholic School's New South Wales boss, Dallas McInerney, said he wanted to shake down Mr Taylor for $10,000.
14:13
Now, again, there's no suggestion that the opposition leader has done anything wrong, but his name's certainly been dragged into it.
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So the evidence continues, and as I said yesterday, in my experience with covering and watching these ICAC inquiries, they get worse before they go away.
14:31
So I'm sure we'll be talking more about it over the coming weeks. And on that eight-week timeframe, I have a feeling it's going to go a lot longer than that. So we'll wait and see what happens there. From federal politics, we'll all be keeping an eye on these inflation numbers that are out at 11.30 this morning.
14:47
Some comments yesterday by the RBA boss, Michelle Bullock, declaring that delaying interest rate hikes will only make things worse. So it looks like there's some more mortgage pain on the way. There's also some more pain on the way at the Bowser because from Sunday, Labor's $2.95 billion fuel excise relief is set to end.
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Anthony Albanese has stuck to the government's timeline of the cut lifting in August, even as some of his MPs demand cheaper fuel should continue or be reconsidered each month.
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Well, we've got a government at the moment saying that they're doing everything they can to help with the cost of living crisis. Well, here's another opportunity to help, but they're refusing to do so.
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So that's what's happening there.
15:32
I'll share with you the comments from a prominent Australian entrepreneur who says the nation's have-a-go spirit is being stifled by soaring costs, high taxes and red tape. In a stark warning about the country's deteriorating small business climate, Sarah Perillo has the story today in The Telegraph, and it's off the back of those insolvency numbers which prove that it's nearly impossible to run a successful business in this country anymore, and especially off the back of the changes in the budget earlier this year.
16:02
I'm going to have a bit to say about this idea of a town hall square this morning because I've been reading all of the stories and you have as well. I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that Clovermore is intent on wasting $150 million on a square for people to sit in and walk through at a time when we are trying to build, build, build in this country, but all Clovermore wants to do is take a wrecking ball to the buildings around town hall.
16:28
So we'll have a closer look at that for you. I'll check in with Josh Hanrahan, the crime reporter for The Telegraph, because there has been a major safe house and, well, a major seizure of grenades, automatic rifles and enough ammunition to service a small army in Sydney's western Glenfield. Task Force Falcon is responsible for this.
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They were simply going about their duties for a routine firearm prohibition order.
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But what was revealed was the high-powered violence in which underworld gangs are now willing to engage. So we'll talk more to Josh about all of that this morning.
17:05
Some revealing numbers from the Bureau of Statistics when it comes to couples getting divorced and couples getting married.
17:12
There were even more divorces in the last 12 months, 49,158. That's up on the previous year. And the number of marriages slipped slightly to 118,804.
17:24
So that's what's happening there. And look, I know we're only a couple of days into these cargo plans landing and taking off from the new Western Sydney Airport.
17:33
What's it been like, folks, if you're living out in those suburbs in the flight path?
17:39
Have you noticed it?
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Were you preparing yourself for it? There's some comments today from the Ludnum Progress Association. They don't seem phased by it, but it's always going to be the way. There will be complaints, but obviously it's an important part of our future, this Western Sydney Airport. So more and more Sydneysiders coming to terms with the additional noise from these cargo planes. Now we turn to sport. I want to make a big song and dance this morning and we'll do it in the final hour about the performances of our Commonwealth Games athletes. Gee, they've been good. Another nine gold medals this morning.
18:12
The Dolphins have continued their domination in the pool. Flynn Southam winning the 100 freestyle. Jenna Forrester, the 200 individual medley. Lani Pallister in the 800, the mixed four by 100 medley relay. And Kiralee Hayes touched the wall first in the 50 freestyle S13 event. So congratulations to our swimmers. While on the track, the big story of the day is Lachlan Kennedy, who became Australia's fastest man in the 100 metres. He claimed a silver medal, but she was good. Kai Robinson stormed away to win the 10,000 metres.
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Eleanor Patterson, the high jump. And we've also done well in gymnastics. Jess Moore, Jesse Moore winning gold in the parallel bars and Brianna Scott claiming victory on the balance beam. So we're on top of the medal tally, 35 gold, 18 silver and 27 bronze. That's a total of 80 medals. Stop the fight. Unbelievable. I'll share with you what Laurie Daly's had to say on the Big Sports Breakfast this morning about a story...
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that features in the News Corp papers.
19:11
Ironically, Peter Bedell is the man who's reporting it, and Pete was certainly giving Loz a bit of stick throughout the Origin series. He's based in Queensland, Pete. But Pete is reporting that Laurie Daly has quit as New South Wales coach him at a health scare. Well, Laurie's been on the radio this morning to say, look, his health's fine and he'll be making an announcement on his coaching future when he feels the time is right. So I'll play you what Laurie's had to say this morning. Adam Dewey, he'll front the media as well in about five minutes, I'm told, with Benji Marshall, who he has named in the halves for the West Tigers, Adam.
19:45
So it looks like they've patched things up. But what does the future hold?
19:49
and what caused the enormous blow-up. So I'm sure those questions will be put to Adam in the next five minutes. Team News, Dylan Edwards. He's sidelined with a shoulder injury for the Panthers. Good news for the Knights. Caelan Pong is back this weekend from a quad injury. The Wallabies are preparing for hot and humid conditions when they face Japan in Osaka next week. They're talking about temperatures of 36 degrees and humidity of 68%.
20:12
And gee, there's been an angry response to FIFA's announcement that the global football body is chasing private investment to fund its major competitions, including the FIFA World Cup. So that's another story that's bubbling away internationally as well. So there's plenty for us to talk about this morning. If you've got an opinion to share a story to tell something to report, The number to call 131873. You can email me at 2GB.com or you can shoot through a text on 0460 873 873. You're with Mark Levy as we broadcast on 2GB in Sydney through the 2GB app and via network stations right across Australia.
20:51
Yeah, let's get straight to your feedback and I'll share with you after the break some of the answers that Pauline Hansard offered up last night on Paul Murray's program because a lot of people are saying, well, what's your policy? What are you going to do in your first 100 days if you were to win government? Well... She outlined that last night, so we'll play some of that for you. In the meantime, Ernie says, Morning, Mark. I miss yesterday's show, but I have a note. Thank you. Referencing, of course, Ray's famous sign-off for all those years.
21:21
But, Mark, can you please not let up on the police chaplain issue? This is a disgrace.
21:27
The PAC is not far from your studio and has had the same Padre for 30-odd years. Each weekend he drops in, chats to staff, drops in cakes and he's genuine in his care. Two weeks ago he was in tears that the police chaplaincy was becoming unworkable due to bureaucracy and back deals. Well, Bernie, just on that, I had quite a bit to say about it yesterday. You know, the hardworking men and women of the New South Wales Police Force, they deserve more support, not less.
21:58
And these chaplains play a very important role, whether it be somebody to talk to, whether it be a smiling face at the end of a really, really tough shift.
22:09
I don't know who's made the decision, but it needs to be overturned.
22:13
You know, the hierarchy of the New South Wales Police, and I think Mal Lanyon's a terrific fella, but Commissioner, the buck stops with you. Overturn this decision, reinstate the full-time police chaplains and give your rank-and-file officers the support that they desperately need.
22:29
There is so much anger that is coming through, and I've heard from a number of police officers, past and present. I've also heard from some of the chaplains themselves. They cannot believe it.
22:40
We've got to do better than that. And if the commissioner won't overturn the decision, well, the police minister should step in here, Yasmin Catley. You know, Yasmin's been on this program and talks about, you know, supporting police. Well, if we want to support the police, we've got to ensure the police chaplains are still there full time.
22:57
They wouldn't be earning hundreds of thousands of dollars like some of the bureaucrats.
23:01
Surely we can find the money...
23:04
And we can find the room to continue to support the idea of full-time chaplains within the New South Wales Police. Thank you, Ernie, for reaching out. Morning, Mark. Mitch here. I can't stand the petty, childish, arrogant Angus Taylor not wanting to work with Pauline. Honestly, Mark, I will not vote for Liberal this year. I will give all my votes in every box to One Nation and not fit the government. Hello, former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby works for One Nation.
23:30
Mark, the new airport, I'm in Silverdale and took my dog to the bathroom before work at 10 past two this morning and looked up to the sky and saw a lone plane taking off. I could hear it, obviously, but I didn't mind it, actually. It was pretty cool to watch. Thank you, Dave.
23:43
And Dan on the Central Coast, Mark, I'm not made of money, but I'll help pay for Pauline to take this 18C rubbish to the High Court. I back her on most other issues as well. Well, Dan, again, we spoke in chapter and verse yesterday, and when you hear the words, you know, pee off back to Pakistan, you automatically think, oh, geez, that's...
24:02
It's probably not something I would say, right? But when you put some context around why she said it and why she posted it on social media, it was not an attack on Senator Faruqi's religion or race, right? When Senator Faruqi, in the hours after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, goes on to attack Her Majesty as being, you know, in charge of a racist empire and all these different things, I think people are well within their rights to have a crack back at Senator Faruqi. One, for the insensitive nature of her post on social media, but two, for suggesting that, well, if you don't like it, Senator Faruqi, We are a country of the Commonwealth.
24:44
So our head of state is the Queen, or in 2026, His Majesty, the King.
24:49
But instead, Pauline Hanson has been found to have racially discriminated against Marine Faruqi. I'm sorry, I refuse to accept that.
24:57
And if that's the reason why the 18C definition in the Racial Discrimination Act is the reason why the full bench of the federal court found in favour of Senator Faruqi, well, we need to have a closer look at 18C.
25:11
Senator James Patterson, the Liberal Senator, was on the show yesterday and he agrees that the threshold is too low.
25:19
So I fully support Pauline Hanson taking this to the High Court.
25:23
I just hope she's got the money to be able to afford it because it's going to cost her millions and millions of dollars. Anyway, we'll take a break at 28 to 10. More of your feedback after this. Mark Levy in the morning.
25:34
Nice to have you with us for a Wednesday morning, this hump day Wednesday, 131873, the number two ring. Just on this closer of the M5 East tunnel, they're saying that it's potentially going to be fixed, this fan, and the tunnel reopened this afternoon.
25:51
Do we have any engineers listening? Like, what, 12 hours to repair a fan in a tunnel, really?
25:58
Maybe I'm being harsh.
26:00
Anyway.
26:02
There was a – I used the M5 tunnel the other week and I was coming down to wards to use it and it was all closed off and I thought, why is it all closed off? Anyway, I rang Will Bottom, who's our traffic man here in Sydney on the morning show, and I said, well, what's going on with the tunnel? Because he's got all of the information at his disposal and he said, oh, there's a fire inside. And I thought, okay, fair enough. For safety issues, you've got to close the tunnel.
26:26
And then by the time I got into work, I was doing the footy that night, I realised it was one of those little motorbikes, those little mopeds, and I thought, a little moped on fire closes the whole tunnel for hours?
26:38
Now, again, I fully appreciate that, you know, for safety reasons, they've got to close it, and I'm not having a crack at any of that, right?
26:47
I just sometimes think we need to put things into perspective and I don't know the inner workings of how the tunnel system works, which is again why I'm relying on the assistance of engineers out there.
26:58
Does it really take 12 hours to either remove a fan or replace it inside the M5 tunnel, given that it's a major, major road during peak hour?
27:09
There's a part of it that thinks to myself, come on, we can do better than that. But again, I'm not an engineer, so we'll wait and see what happens. I'm sure there'll be an explanation at some point today.
27:19
Geez, there's some terrible news coming out of Japan. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's southern prefecture overnight, killing at least three people in damaging buildings, including a shopping mall where many people were feared trapped after an explosion. Local authorities said that rescuers working at the scene overnight had taken eight people out of the shopping centre where the blast occurred following the quake. Of those eight, two women in their 20s were confirmed dead, while one other person was reported to be in a cardio arrest.
27:51
So CPR was obviously being undertaken. Five others were injured, but officials said their condition was not life-threatening. So a major earthquake hitting Japan's southern prefecture overnight, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake.
28:09
And we've got some more problems on the roads, this time down south. The Princess Highway is closed in both directions south of Batemans Bay due to a crash near Mulbrooks Road. Light vehicles are diverting via Bruley Road, George Bash Drive and Tomakin Road. This diversion is not suitable for B-doubles. Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution. So that news coming through from the Transport Management Centre. 131873, the number, 2GB.com. Click onto the feedback icon.
28:40
Just on Pauline Hanson, the first 100 days if she was to win government. This is the question and the answer.
28:46
Pauline, if your party were elected to government, what are the top five actions you would take in your first 100 days in office?
28:55
Right. OK. Well, I think that one that I've been very consistent with for the past 30 years is immigration. We have too many people coming into the country, cut back on the immigration. I'm selecting to figure around about 130,000 people. You've still got to allow those into the country because a lot of businesses and doctors and nurses that we need, you fill those positions by all means, but cut back on immigration will actually address the housing issue that we have.
29:22
Cost of living is another one. Government overspend. It's not about the war in the Middle East and what has happened is government has been wasting and spending too much money which created the inflation which has driven cost of living. So therefore, we addressed government spending. It needs to be cut right back. The wasteful spending, I'd have a good look at that.
29:45
I think the other one is get rid of the climate change department, get rid of all that net-zero rubbish, get out of the Paris Agreement. Once you do that, you're going to reduce the cost of living and cost of electricity price as well. So, therefore, once you do that, industries, manufacturing, small business will thrive from it. The average household will also thrive because they're not paying the high electricity costs. Farming sector, irrigators, everyone like that.
30:12
A country that is going to be productive has to have cheap energy. We've known that for over 100 years. That's where we need to drive that as well.
30:23
I'd like to get rid of the red, green and black tape and the blue tape of international agreements that are holding us back with our sovereignty as a nation and meaning that You know, to get a mine up or anything happening in Australia, it's about nine plus years.
30:43
If you want to do a construction and go into business, you're looking at four years.
30:47
It's just the timeframe. It's just ridiculous. Investment in Australia has dropped right back. We're one of the worst countries in the OECD world with investment. So these are all things that needs to be done basically immediately to get productivity up in the country.
31:05
Yeah, Pauline Hanson on News 24 last night on Paul Murray's programs. And I want to credit all of the people that asked questions of Pauline. The questions were fantastic. And I stayed up to watch it last night and then ripped a bit of the audio off this morning to play on the program of some of the questions that were put to Pauline. So we'll share some of them throughout the morning. But, you know, a lot of those issues are tick, tick, tick, tick, tick for me.
31:29
And it's quite extraordinary that when you look at opinion polls, we don't have candidates for One Nation, yet they're rivalling Labor when it comes to the state election in Victoria, when it comes to the federal polls. So the challenge ahead for One Nation, and Pauline spoke about it last night, is obviously announcing their candidates, and she's pretty confident that there won't be any controversy around their candidates, as we have seen in the past in the run-up to previous elections. But that's going to be the challenge, to introduce us to the candidates and then get the candidates out there promoting and prosecuting their policy strongly, firmly and confidently like Pauline Hanson did last night.
32:08
If they can do that, of course there's a chance they can win the next election and of course there's a chance they can form government. 131873, the number, it's 18 to 10.
32:18
Michael writes on the text line, an epic answer.
32:20
Thank you, Mark, for playing at Pauline last night. That two minute reply, absolutely magnificent policy statement. Sarah says, Mark, I watched Pauline last night. Isn't it refreshing to hear a politician being so authentic and speak from the heart? Her policies ticked all my boxes. She has my vote. Well, I think the major parties and the major, well, the opposition leader and the prime minister could learn a thing or two. You know, you put Anthony Albanese alongside Pauline Hanson, right? You watch all of those questions that we'll put to the One Nation leader. There was no pregnant pause to think about an answer.
32:53
There was no, you know, spin. It was just bang. That's what I think. That's my answer. If you don't like it, well, bad luck.
32:59
As for the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister, did you attend a dinner with the son of a bloke, a billionaire, who was in the crosshairs of the tax department? Oh, well, I attend all sorts of dinners with all sorts of people. Can't answer a straight question.
33:18
And the major parties wonder why voters across Australia have just had enough. 131873, the number. Now, just on Pauline Hanson potentially taking her racial discrimination appeal all the way to the High Court, or her case anyway, she was asked about that last night. Here was a response. Are you ready to be able to pay what is being asked of you here?
33:41
Paul, yes, it is.
33:45
I have to.
33:47
There's a lot riding on this. It's not just about Pauline Hanson. It's about how we move forward as a nation to be able to have the ability to express ourselves and say what we feel that we need to express. The Governor and under Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison had the opportunity to get rid of 18C. 18C is where anyone can take you if they feel offended, harassed, intimidated or insulted. So anyone can feel offended. You know, whatever you do. It's just a ridiculous piece of law legislation.
34:19
So if I win this case, that will be thrown out.
34:22
And you know you don't go out there to easily offence someone. If any offence is gonna cause violence, I'm totally opposed to that.
34:32
We have a right to have an opinion. They're shutting us down an opinion because you might offend someone. You know, it's just ridiculous. So it's a battle, it's a fight that I'm going to have to have. I am talking to my lawyers now at the moment of going to the, putting an appeal to the High Court. I'm not gonna drop it, I'm not walking away from this. I've been a fighter and it's not about Pauline Hanson, it's about the Australian people for us to have a voice.
34:59
Now, the One Nation leader is reportedly consulting with Brett Walker SC, a top constitutional law expert, and Perry Hertzfeld SC. So we'll wait and see what happens there, but I think there's a lot of support for Pauline Hanson to take the case to the High Court. Ray's in camera. Good morning, Ray.
35:17
Hi, Ray. First-time caller, long-time listener. I am on Bluetooth, so don't worry, I'm just driving. Two things, or three things, two things. You need the approval of the High Court. It's not an automatic right to appeal, but hopefully she gets that approval. Secondly, when the minister deports someone, he says, or she says, I'm deporting you back to the country from where you came. Is that racist? Nope. Is that racist? Nope. You know, that's how ridiculous it is.
35:46
Yeah.
35:46
Just think about it. I'm deporting you to the country from where you came. Under 18, see, that person can then say, that's racist, I'm offended, I'm hurt, and I claim damages.
35:59
Ray, there was only one wrong thing you said in all of that.
36:03
What's that? You called me Ray. It's Mark Levy, mate, but that's okay. It's Mark.
36:08
That's all right, buddy. No worries in the world. But thank you for calling through. It sounds like you understand the law and case is going to the High Court a little better than I do. So, look, I don't think there'd be anything stopping the High Court from accepting the case. So we'll wait and see what happens, especially if Pauline Hanson is consulting with two learned people.
36:31
legal experts in Brett Walker SC and Perry Hertzfeld SC. So we'll wait and see what happens there. But Ray, thank you for calling through. And there's a lot of people on the text line saying, Mark, fair dinkum. We sometimes are offended by the most monotonous things.
36:47
And if Senator Maureen Faruqi felt offended by that, given what she posted in the first place, well, she needs to toughen up a little bit in terms of some of the criticism that comes her way, given the decisions that are made and the policy platforms that are taken by the Greens. So it's going to cost a bit of money, but obviously there's some very wealthy people supporting Pauline Hanson. So by the sounds of things, if it's approved, they'll be taking it all the way to the High Court. Nine to ten.
37:15
Yeah, welcome back. Six minutes to ten.
37:17
Now, a young man has been killed in a stabbing attack on the Central Coast. The incident happened on Mann Street at Gosford at about 7.30 last night with emergency services told the 22-year-old victim had been stabbed multiple times. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. A short time later, police were notified the man had died in hospital. He's yet to be formally identified. A heavy police presence could be seen in the vicinity and there will be a press conference from police at 10.45 this morning. We'll hear from Daryl Jobson, Brisbane Water Police District Commander and Superintendent.
37:50
So more on that later this morning. And Julia says, Mark, I saw Neil Mitchell from 3AW on a current affair last night regarding Labor's leadership change in Victoria, calling out the sanitised version that politicians present and why Pauline Hanson's authenticity resonates. With Pauline Hanson, what we see is what we get. She doesn't flip-flop and she's not a pole chameleon like Toto's dog walker who tries to be all things in the moment. Julia, thank you very much. And yes, I saw my colleague Neil Mitchell last night and he's certainly been all over the problems in Victoria for decades.
38:24
Finally a change, but will anything change? Nope. I think the only change and the change that is needed in Victoria is a change of government. Four and a half to ten.
38:34
Live hand grenades found in Sydney. We'll get all of the details from Josh Hanrahan in the next hour of the program. And these renewable companies have proposed that governments create a royalty-style system to mandate payments to communities hosting wind and solar projects, admitting the sector lacks support in many of the places it wants to build. News is next.
39:03
Across Australia, this is Mornings with Mark Levy.
39:08
Welcome back to the second hour of the program on this Wednesday morning. Nice to have you with us and thank you to all the people that weighed in in our changeover between the various programs. I popped in to see Ben Fordham and he asked me about the favourite cheese and I said that Mersey Valley would be top of my list and oh, the board's gone into meltdown. Mersey Valley, yes, yes, yes. I love cheese. Yes.
39:31
How good's cheese?
39:33
If there was one last remaining meal for me on this planet, this is going to sound really, really boring. I'd have a cheese and tomato sandwich. White bread, cheese and tomato sandwich. There is nothing better.
39:45
And it's got to be fresh. Remember when you go to school and mum and dad would pack your lunch and you'd open it up at lunchtime, hot day and... There it was, the disgusting soggy cheese and tomato sandwich. You know the other one that was always in my lunchbox? Devon and tomato sauce. Is that still a thing, Devon and tomato sauce?
40:05
Jeez, it was pretty good back then. But, yeah, just cheese and tomato. Obviously not Mersey, but you can't have Mersey Valley and tomato, but just a nice bit of cheese. And this is another controversial statement about cheese. Is there really anything wrong with plastic cheese?
40:21
You know, the one that comes in the plastic and you unwrap it and there it is. See, I've still got some of that in the fridge. That gets a run from time to time. Anyway, all the big issues here on 2GB.
40:32
I hope someone from the sales department downstairs has heard what Ben and I have been saying about Mersey Valley. If they're not on board sponsoring our various programs or at least sending some in for us, I'll be very, very disappointed.
40:50
Oh, Usman Khawaja. Usman Khawaja.
40:55
He's caused a stir. So Larissa Waters, the Greens leader, off the back of Maureen Faruqi's federal court ruling that upheld the original finding that Pauline Hanson racially discriminated against Senator Faruqi. Larissa Waters posted on, by the looks of things X or Instagram, this is a victory for justice. Hate speech is not free speech.
41:18
Well, Usman Khawaja has posted this.
41:21
From the woman that brought you piss off back to Pakistan, there is no such thing as a good Muslim and swamped by Asians, the law has spoken. To all those that support Hanson, let it be clear you support racism. Someone had to say it. And then there's the emoji with someone doing a salute. Usman Khawaja.
41:45
I said it about him a number of years ago and I'll say it again. Usman, stick to what you're good at, mate, and that's playing cricket.
41:58
Now, the Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume has deflected questions about the mention of opposition leader Angus Taylor in the New South Wales ICAC inquiry. Taylor's name came up in the hearings. A part of claims he agreed to pay thousands of dollars in support to the conservative sub-faction of the New South Wales Liberal Party at the centre of the inquiry.
42:19
Senator Hume was on News 24 and was asked if Taylor had anything to explain about his mention in the hearings. He's not accused of any wrongdoing. And a spokesman from his office said that Taylor had not been approached by ICAC. Hume said as much this morning.
42:36
On the telly, she said he hasn't been approached. I think his name has been mentioned in pasting, that's all. I think it's most important here that we allow the Commission, the inquiry, to undertake its role free of political interference and free of commentary. And that's exactly what I intend to do. And look, as I said off the top of the show, there's no suggestion that Angus Taylor has done anything wrong here.
42:57
He was simply asked for money to support this reformers mob, and that's exactly what he did. So we'll wait and see what evidence has provided for Mr Whitelaw today off the back of his less than impressive performance yesterday before the commission. Look, we've also heard from Adam Dewey this morning, and I know this is not a sports show, but it's a big story in sport. Adam Dewey spitting the dummy last week and walking away from the West Tigers and refusing to play on the weekend. Well, he's spoken to the media for the first time alongside coach Benji Marshall. Here's a little of what he had to say on his relationship with Benji.
43:30
I just said it was just a build-up of a lot of things. I don't want to go into depth about the ins and outs of how last week went. As I've said, there was some miscommunication along the way that I saw. And then in speaking to Benji post-game...
43:47
That could have all been sorted and I took accountability for that. Did I have some tough and honest conversation with Benji about what I saw at the club and me and my position at the club? Yeah, of course I did. We both love the club. We both want the club to go in the right direction and conflict happens. Any high-level organisation, two people that love the club and I'm stubborn at times but...
44:13
Conflict is good. Did I want it to blow up and bring him into this and me into this and some of my teammates into this? No, that wasn't my intention from that. And I really am apologetic to the fans for that.
44:26
Well, you might say, Adam, that conflict is good, but when it results on you walking out on your teammates and leaving the club to be thumped by 50 points on the weekend, it ain't good, mate. It ain't good. Apparently, he's also launched some sort of protection for his manager, Isaac Moses.
44:42
Yeah.
44:42
I think, yeah, there's two things like that. One thing I do want to do is protect Isaac Moses in this, my agent.
44:49
He's been brought into this and with the whole Lockie Gavin situation and thinking we've got this big master plan behind this. That's not his intention at all. Isaac wanted me to be out there on Saturday with the team. He was begging me to play and I just put this stubborn head on that I have at times and put this ego on that I have at times and just couldn't get myself in the right headspace to play.
45:13
That's the reality of it.
45:15
Isaac's got nothing to do behind this. He's fully supportive of me, of Benj, of the club. He knows my love for the club and in terms of my future, I'm here for the next three years. I've never walked away from a contract in my life.
45:29
My love for the club is evident. It's how I've been over the past six years here. My love for Benj, my love for this jersey has grown stronger now. I said from signing in 2020 that I want to bring this club success and my stance for that hasn't changed.
45:44
Well, what I would say in response to that to Adam Dewey, and I really like Adam Dewey. Every time I've met Adam, he's very respectful. And any time I see him, I say g'day. But what I would say to Adam Dewey is this. You're lucky the club's welcoming you back.
45:58
Because if I carried on the way you carried on, Adam, to my boss, the boss is well within his rights to say, see you later.
46:07
When you're told to do something, whether you like it or not, you suck it up and you do your job.
46:13
No individual is bigger than a rugby league club.
46:18
In the meantime, what about this? Australia's top renewables companies are proposing that governments create a royalty-style system to mandate payments to communities hosting wind and solar projects. They're also admitting they lack support in many of the places they want to build. What a shock.
46:35
Renewables companies lacking support in communities where they're ripping up prime agricultural land to install wind turbines and solar panels and now they want to effectively bribe these communities to win them over. The Australian Financial Review has the story today. It says this... The Clean Energy Council plan of the renewable resources payment is designed to help tackle pushback against energy projects in regional areas, which is contributing to delays in the Albanese government's efforts to transition the grid to mostly green power.
47:07
Some companies have struck deals with local councils and communities to fund infrastructure such as pools and roads which some states require but there are no uniform national rules that mandate local financial benefits for hosting renewables. Under the proposal, which is endorsed by the biggest renewables companies, local councils would be guaranteed a fee for every megawatt hour of renewable electricity generated over the life of a project.
47:36
CEC Chief Executive Jackie Trad, the former Queensland politician, said gaining support from regional communities was the biggest challenge facing the industry. Well, all I'll say to these renewables companies is good luck.
47:49
I'd also say this, when an industry starts openly discussing how to buy a social licence with mandatory community payouts, you know it's in deep trouble.
48:00
Regional Australians aren't holding out for a bigger bribe, a patch on a local road or an upgraded swimming pool. They're cynical because they've spent years watching the promises of green transition clash violently with reality.
48:13
They were promised cheap, abundant power. Instead, households and businesses across the nation have been hit with punishing record high electricity bills.
48:22
All the while, they've been told the weather dependents set up replacing our legacy grid as the cheapest form of energy.
48:30
Even the establishment is finding that narrative harder to defend. The CSIRO now admits the cheaper renewable slogan is false.
48:38
Here's the problem. The vulnerability of intermittent generation hasn't changed with technology. Solar panels are useless when the sun isn't shining and these massive wind turbines sit idle when the breeze drops.
48:51
Expecting a modern industrial economy, now accelerated by these data centres, to run reliably on intermittent weather is a gamble Australian consumers are already paying for through their power bills.
49:04
Think about the enormous amount of natural resources available to us in this country. We shouldn't be paying amongst the highest power prices in the world. They should be the cheapest.
49:14
Plastering regional landscapes with industrial-scale infrastructure and handing out royalty checks to local councils won't fix the fundamental physics of this transition to renewables.
49:25
Air Trunk Executive Sabu Whitelaw is right. Local communities see these handouts for what they are and attempt to buy us out.
49:33
Australians aren't going to cop it, especially those in the bush.
49:37
True energy security requires reliable, heavy-duty baseload power that operates 24-7 regardless of the weather.
49:45
The bubble around the green transition, I think, has burst. Regional Australia knows it, power bills prove it, and no amount of mandatory corporate payouts is going to hide it. It's time to stop paying top dollar for intermittent power. Let's start reinvesting in real energy reliability.
50:04
Regional Australia doesn't want to pay off. It wants power that works, prices that make sense and an energy policy grounded in reality, not ideological fantasy. The sooner Canberra accepts that simple truth, the better off the whole country will be. 18 past 10.
50:20
21 past 10. Well, I thought we'd check in with a man who knows more about politics in this country than most. I speak, of course, of Dennis Shanahan from The Australian. He's the national editor and you hear him every Saturday morning on the program with Luke Grant. I'm a big fan of his work and I listen to his segment every week. There's so much happening at the moment. As I touched on off the top of the show, we've got the New South Wales Liberal Party under the spotlight over a donation scandal.
50:47
Angus Taylor's name's been drawn into that. No suggestion he's done anything wrong. Anthony Albanese, ducking and weaving questions about his dinner at Point Piper, calls for the Prime Minister to honour his election pledge for transparency and open his diary. We've got Ben Carroll, the newly appointed Victorian Labor leader and Premier. He's declared he's not Daniel Andrews or Jacinta Allen. And then there's the elephant in the room, One Nation, the rise and rise of One Nation. Pauline Hanson last night outlining what she would do in her first 100 days if she was to win government, even though we don't know who any of the candidates are.
51:20
Dennis Shanahan, I've got him on the line with me right now. Dennis, good morning to you, sir.
51:25
G'day, Mark. Lovely to catch up, mate. And again, I'm a big fan of your work and thank you for joining us on the program this morning. One Nation's what everyone wants to talk about at the moment. And you've been around politics longer than most. Is the bubble going to burst for One Nation or can they continue this momentum given we don't know who their candidates are? And they still are rising in the polls, not only in the lead up to a federal election, but a state election as well. What's your take on the rise and rise of Pauline Hanson and One Nation at the moment?
51:56
Well, Mark, I think rather than the balloon bursting, we're more likely to see a deflation. I think that what the polls are showing is real. There is obviously elevated levels of support for One Nation around the country.
52:12
It's not as high in Victoria as it was elsewhere, particularly because we've got an election coming up there soon. But look, I think that what we're likely to see, and some of the polls are starting to indicate this, is that One Nation had a ceiling of around 31%, 30%.
52:31
I think that over time that could deflate. It'll drop, but it won't drop to where it was. It won't go down to 6% or 8%. It's much more likely that the basement or the floor for One Nation will sit at around 10% to 12%, about the same as the Greens. And I think that that is still a very potent level of support for One Nation going into any election, particularly the federal election.
53:00
So I think that because over time, and we're seeing this in Victoria, as you pointed out, Mark, They don't have many candidates.
53:09
And it's all very well for Pauline Hanson. She's very good on her message. You know, we're going to cut immigration in the first 100 days. We'll cut immigration. We'll do away with a welcome to country ceremony. We'll slash the NDIS. That's all very good. It resonates. They're her constant messages. But the point is, when it comes to actually electing someone who's going to be in government, people apply a much harder sort of assessment than just, oh, I like the sound of that.
53:40
And we've seen that happen previously. We saw it happen in the last federal election where Peter Dutton failed to put up policies that people really wanted, and a dislike for the Labor Party didn't really help him. So I think what we'll see is continuing... attempt to link the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation as one group. The Prime Minister is doing this as a strategy.
54:04
But I think that while that will hurt the Liberal National Coalition, there's also a danger there that Labor, and they can see it, Wayne Swan saw it at the Labor Conference, One Nation is a danger in Labor seats as well. particularly if there are preference swaps, which there will be, between Liberals, Nationals and One Nation. Now, that's a big... Different issue to forming a so-called coalition, but it really does point to, I think, continuing strength of support for One Nation, perhaps not as high as it's going now, but it will not disappear.
54:43
It will not go back to nothing. Anyone who thinks that's dreamy, and I think that what we'll see, we've seen a real shift in the political landscape, unlike, I think, what we've seen for decades.
54:55
I'd love to know your thoughts on the rise and rise and the popularity of Pauline Hanson while we're talking about all of this, because I said off the top of the show, and I heard Neil Mitchell say this on A Current Affair last night. He said, you know, we've got these sanitised politicians these days, these highly trained politicians who run from controversy, I think voters respect someone who says what they think and stands their ground on what they think and offers up a direct answer. And I put her appeal at the moment down to one quality, and that's authenticity.
55:27
And as you rightly point out, Dennis, and I had one of her senators on this program a couple of months ago who fell apart when I challenged him on one of their policies. It can't be left up to Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce and to a lesser extent James Ashby to get out there and push their policy agenda in the lead-up to state and federal elections. She needs everybody on the same page and all rowing in the right direction. If she can't do that, well, it's all going to subside, isn't it?
55:53
Well, that's right. That is the essential problem. And you're right. Pauline Hanson has been a great politician. She's been there for 30 years. I mean, this is the interesting thing, of course. She says she's an anti-politician. She's been there for 30 years. I was there when she was elected. I watched her first speech. And what she has done is stuck to...
56:14
that whole common agenda, and what she does is she says, I'm a fighter. So the more people criticise her, the more people denigrate her, the more support she gets. And I think even this latest example... of her losing an appeal on a racial discrimination claim.
56:36
And she says, I'm not going to give up on this. I'm going to the high court. Well, she's got friends with deep pockets. She can afford to do that. And while she's doing that, she's appearing to be, as you say, Mark, authentic and a fighter. And that will continue to give her personal support. The party's another problem.
56:54
Let me lean on your experience here, Dennis, having covered many election campaign at a federal level. I'd love your take on state politics as well because, you know, we've got a state election coming up in Victoria in a few months' time. We've got a new Premier in Ben Carroll. The whole thing's a mess down there. I'm the People's Republic of Victoria, as we call it. Jess Wilson certainly doing a good job to position herself to take over as Premier and to install a coalition government. But I wanted to ask you about the New South Wales state election. We have a predominantly New South Wales audience today.
57:28
What would happen in the New South Wales state election, given that it's in March next year, 18 months ahead of the federal election, and it's optional preferential? So one in a box is a legitimate vote as opposed to full preferential at the federal level. Do you have a thought on that?
57:43
I think that optional preferential has a huge impact on results. This is something that One Nation can benefit from enormously.
57:53
And in New South Wales, I used to report on New South Wales politics for the Sydney Morning Herald. I covered a lot of elections there. And what you actually see is that people do use that optional preferential. And for people saying One Nation, one, that's it. They don't have to go anywhere else. They can also do it for Liberal and Labor and so on so that preferences become far less important and that primary vote becomes the most important. And what we've seen from Chris Minns so far, unlike some of the federal leaders, he's actually gone out there and recognised that One Nation is a real threat to Labor seats and And I know in the Hunter, they are particularly concerned because One Nation almost won the Hunter two elections ago federally.
58:43
They almost won the Hunter and in the end, One Nation preferences saved the Labor Party federally. This could happen at the state level and you can have all of these working class, you know, traditional Labor areas involved. saying, no, I like what Pauline Hanson is saying, despite she hasn't got too many candidates yet, but they just have to put the one. And I think this is a crucial move. And I'm a great believer in preferences and preferential voting.
59:18
I think they give you a much better democratic result. And what we could see is a real impact. on One Nation's vote just because of the style of voting in New South Wales.
59:30
Fascinating, isn't it? Dennis, one last one. While we're in New South Wales, we've got this ICAC inquiry. And I said yesterday on the program that it took the Labor Party, what a decade, to rid itself of the ghost of Eddie Obeid. We've now got these serious allegations involving the New South Wales Liberals. Angus Taylor's name was mentioned yesterday. There's no suggestion the opposition leader has done anything wrong. I made the point to Kelly Sloan, who's inherited this mess, the New South Wales opposition leader, that she's going to struggle over the next eight, however many weeks, to wrestle back the news cycle when it's all going to be fixed on ICAC, which is going to make it extremely difficult for the coalition in New South Wales to make any real noise in the lead up to a state election.
60:14
Do you agree?
60:15
Absolutely. And the other problem they have is when it comes to pre-selections. You know, we've seen a minister step aside because he was... It was not suggesting he'd done anything wrong, but because he had to give evidence, he stepped aside. Now, does that create a precedent where all the other ministers who get named then say, oh, no, I have to step aside while I give evidence? This is incredibly sort of chaos-causing. And what we've seen in the past, we know, and I was there when ICAC began... We have seen that ICAC has a great ability to destroy political careers.
60:50
Nick Greiner, the man who created ICAC, was destroyed by ICAC and later vindicated by the Court of Appeal. These are things that can happen. We've seen Barry O'Farrell.
61:02
Gladys Berejiklian, the whole Obeid area. What we've seen is people drawn into ICAC and it becomes a whirlpool, very difficult to get out of. And while there's no suggestion that Angus Taylor has done anything wrong, once your name gets brought up in ICAC, it's always a distraction and that'll be a real problem for the state Liberal Party and could be a problem for the federal Liberal Party as well.
61:29
You are a superstar, Dennis Shanahan. Thank you very much for your expertise and your thoughts on all of this. I thought, who better to talk to this morning than you, mate? Look forward to reading all your stories and opinion pieces in the Australian newspaper. Thanks again for joining us.
61:41
Thanks, Mark. You're too kind.
61:42
Good on you, mate. There he is, Dennis Shanahan, National Editor at The Australian. Isn't he good?
61:47
So some really interesting points in particular around the New South Wales state election, but also some comments around One Nation. Let us know your thoughts. 131873. You can email me at 2GB.com and you can text me 0460 873873. And on the way to the break, don't forget we are giving away a BMW. Yes, a BMW. BMW iX1, the all-electric SUV. It's valued at over $90,000. All you need to do is email your good news to us, drivingjoyat2gb.com.
62:19
And I've been reading through a few over the last couple of days. Jeez, they're good. Keep them coming. We obviously read out a good news story every day. We announce a winner at the end of the week, and that winner goes into the chance to win the Brand new BMW, valued at over $90,000, all thanks to 2GB and Parramatta BMW, your destination for driving joy. And yes, I have a commercial agreement with Parramatta BMW. We'll take a break. Back with plenty more on 2GB Mornings.
62:46
Paul's listening at Paddo at 23 to 11. Mark, there are two commentators I would drop anything to listening to on 2GB, everything to listen to on 2GB. Dennis is one. Leif Van Onselen is the other. So good at deciphering politics from Paul at Paddo. Thank you, Paul. Yeah, they're both well credentialed. But Dennis Shanahan is somebody who's covered politics for decades. He's probably the perfect person to seek their counsel on and advice in relation to what the lead up to the next state and federal elections are looking like.
63:17
Now, we touched on with Dennis the fact that Angus Taylor's name has been dragged into this ICAC inquiry. And again, there's no suggestion that he's done anything wrong.
63:28
He was asked about it this morning at a press conference, the opposition leader. Here's his very short reply.
63:34
As I said, I'm not going to give a running commentary on all of this. I'm not a party for the proceedings, but no payment was made.
63:42
All right, so he says no payment was made. So the ICAC inquiry continues with Dylan Whitelaw back in the witness box today. So we'll certainly keep an eye on that with Michael and Clinton this afternoon as well.
63:58
Now, on to the proposed Town Hall Square.
64:03
Jeez, I maintain this is just another dumb idea from the Lord Mayor Clovermore, especially when you factor in it's going to cost $150 million. Yes, $150 million.
64:16
But you see, that's become the theme of her time on the City of Sydney Council.
64:20
We've obviously been following the story. It makes absolutely no sense. At a time when Sydney is trapped in a housing crisis and the small business owners across this city are fighting to keep their doors open, how could anyone on council, including the Lord Mayor, float this idea, let alone support it?
64:38
It's a waste of time and it's a colossal waste of money.
64:43
It begs the question, what is actually in this for Clovermore?
64:47
Is this town hall square about serving the ratepayers of Sydney or is it simply a legacy building exercise for a politician who has stayed beyond her used by date? I cannot wrap my head around it, ladies and gentlemen. Why would the Lord Mayor want to make room in the middle of the CBD by knocking down existing buildings?
65:06
All the while, there's plenty of room at Martin Place or even Hyde Park.
65:11
Just think about the absurdity of the logic from Clover Moore and her disciples on the City of Sydney Council. So we've got Australia at the moment, not only New South Wales, Australia currently in a desperate race to build, build, build. We're scrambling for every square metre of usable space. Yet the City of Sydney's grand strategy is to swing the wrecking ball through usable inner-city buildings so tourists have another open plaza to sit in and walk through. It's madness.
65:38
Imagine where the $150 million could be better spent.
65:42
Take the story of Nick Vanoss today in The Telegraph, and Peter Jenkins has been all over this. Well done, Pete. Now, Nick's the owner of the Deli Erskineville, and Kelly Thomas, who's the owner of the floral decorator next door. For a decade, a decade, these small business operators, paying rent directly into the City of Sydney council coffers, have been battling a leaking facade, ruined stock, and crumbling shared bathrooms.
66:06
Water has literally poured through light fittings, destroying the floral arrangements.
66:12
Yet after years of band-aid fixes, the council abruptly cancelled the scheduled repairs just five days before the work was due to start, leaving both tenants in limbo. As Councillor Yvonne Weldon points out, it's appalling that the council is pouring $150 million into a shiny new square while leaving long-standing local traders to deal with unfit, unsafe conditions.
66:36
Now, I agree with Miss Thomas, who says perhaps the Lord Mayor should step out of the Town Hall, travel down to Erskineville and use those cracked, neglected bathrooms herself before preaching about her vision for Sydney's future.
66:48
Now, I was only thinking about it this morning, 150 million bucks, right? Imagine where else that could be spent. Yes, by all means, maintain and repair council-owned properties.
66:58
What about some support for small businesses that are the lifeblood of the CBD?
67:03
Beyond property repairs, look at the streets of the city itself. Every night, dozens of vulnerable people sleep rough in doorways and under awnings just minutes from the town hall. Imagine the impact $150 million could have.
67:15
Why not invest some of it into homeless shelters, supportive housing and direct intervention services to get homeless Sydneysiders off our footpaths and under a safe roof?
67:26
Instead, the City of Sydney Council prioritises clearing out buildings to build a concrete square, spending tens of millions of dollars to create open space while ignoring the human misery that's happening around them.
67:38
Do you agree with me, folks, or not? How would you invest the $150 million?
67:43
It's important for you to voice your opinion because this is going to happen unless more and more people call it out.
67:49
Jump on the line and have your say. You can email me, you can text me as well.
67:53
Clovermore's long reign as Lord Mayor has become increasingly defined by a disconnect from the day-to-day realities facing everyday residents and business owners. Sydney does not need a $150 million town hall square. It needs functional infrastructure, supported small businesses and real solutions for housing and homelessness.
68:14
Clovermore has a track record of bad ideas. This proposed square is among the worst. The sooner she steps aside and retires as Lord Mayor, the better off we'll all be. And we might even get this city going again.
68:31
And on the way to the break, I'd leave you with this. That wrecking ball shouldn't be swinging through our buildings. It should be swinging through this absurd proposal.
68:39
So what would you do with $150 million? Let's have a chat about it this morning at 16 to 11.
68:45
Yeah, a lot of feedback coming through on the Town Hall Square. Mark, it's Jodie from St Clare. Love the show. Clover has always treated the City of Sydney as her own little playground. She does as she chooses and only as she likes. Stuff the public, stuff where she gets the money from, it's her own little playground and she's making sure she enjoys it.
69:04
Roslyn writes, the last thing we need is a pathetic protest patio in the middle of the CBD. Thank you, Roslyn. Surely $150 million is a good deal for Clovermore to retire from politics and the rest of us never having to deal with her ever again from John at Summerhill. Clover will suggest it be called Clovermore Plaza. That's what she wants. And, Mark, I guarantee you if Clovermore says it's going to cost $150 million, it'll be close to a billion dollars. Nothing that woman says is anywhere near the truth.
69:32
Well, she's had a monopoly on the city of Sydney, hasn't she? And you talk to anybody who tries to operate a business or do anything in the CBD and they just shrug their shoulders and say, Clovermore, say no more.
69:47
Well, what about this discovery from police? This alarming discovery in the southwest of the city has put the escalating reach of gang violence back in the spotlight. What started as a routine firearm search of the Glenfield home turned into a major counter-terrorism operation when police uncovered a military-grade arsenal. We're talking semi-automatic assault rifles, 1,000 rounds of ammunition, commercial quantities of cocaine and ice, and live hand grenades. Now, police allege the suburban safe house is linked to the coconut cartel.
70:20
This highlights the ongoing dangerous escalation in organised crime tactics. Two 26-year-olds are now in custody. And it's alarming to read that the anti-gang super squad is credited with nearly 700 arrests since launching amidst turf wars between rival syndicates. I thought we'd check in with a bloke who's been all over this, the chief reporter for The Daily Telegraph, Josh Hanrahan. He's on the line with me now. Josh, good morning to you.
70:45
Hi, Mark. How are you going?
70:46
Mate, I'm really well. Jeez, when you start hearing about live hand grenades in suburban Sydney, it's not only concerning, it's bloody frightening, mate.
70:56
Oh, it's terrifying, isn't it? Unfortunately, it's actually... I know we've had six live grenades seized yesterday in addition to what you called an arsenal, which is really the best way to describe it. I mean, these weapons look like something you'd give to a small army. But there's actually been a bit of an increase in the use of explosives in Sydney's underworld in recent months. We've seen a number of homemade explosive devices thrown at houses. Thankfully, nothing serious has happened. But... You know, you just worry what could come.
71:26
But thankfully, as you've said, the police have gone the front foot here and taken these off the streets before they could be used, which is something we should all be thankful for.
71:34
So just run us through, Josh, how this has all happened. So the police have gone along just for what a routine inspection or some sort of visit to this property. And then that's when they discovered all of these weapons and ammunition. Is that how it how it happened?
71:46
Yeah, exactly, Mark. Essentially, they're making their own luck, really. They're going out and they know the targets that they want to keep close attention on. They've carried out what they call a firearms prohibition order search yesterday, I understand, at this home.
72:01
They do that, I don't know how many times a day, and almost never do they find an arsenal of weapons inside. But that's why they do it, because you never know what could be behind the door. And inside, they've allegedly found eight firearms. Three of them, I think, were semi-automatic rifles capable of spraying God knows how many bullets per second, six live grenades, a pistol, millions of dollars worth of drugs, allegedly, and a bit of cash on the side. So... I think what it kind of goes to show is that when, I guess probably I started covering Sydney's game war about five years ago, those who were involved, you know, it was typically, it was still a bit old school.
72:37
You'd have one shooter using a pistol, getting out of a car, and there'd be another getaway driver. Well, if you look at what they've found here and what we've seen already this year, you can only deduce that they're essentially... going to use military-style weapons now in carrying out their gang war. Yeah, it's awful.
72:54
The other thing, Josh, that really concerns me, and I know a lot of the listeners write to me, including former police officers, is the small amounts of money that these so-called gang members are going out there to commit these crimes. You know, we're not talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars to go and shoot up properties and do different things. We're talking about, what, $1,000, $2,000, $3,000? So...
73:17
Gone are the days of this being a lucrative game. I mean, these younger people in particular are going out there and committing these crimes off the back of some fairly small payments from these organisations like the Coconut Cartel.
73:31
I think that's the thing that just keeps senior cops, you know, experienced cops who've seen gangsters come and go over the decades scratching their head at the minute is...
73:39
the inexperience of the people that have been caught up in this. They're teenagers, some of them, you know, 13, 14, 15, who have been given these high-powered weapons, not necessarily... aware of who they're meant to be targeting, but given a rough idea. And that's why we've seen so many mistaken identities, shootings, wrong properties, even wrong people shot at in recent months. It's really, I think I've said the word terrifying about four times here, but that's where we're at at the minute on Sydney streets.
74:10
And thankfully, as we said, thankfully the police got these weapons.
74:14
off the streets before they could be used.
74:15
Yeah, it makes you wonder what else is out there. Hey, before you go, Josh, you've got a bit of mail on a potential police reshuffle that's coming up in the next few weeks. What's this going to look like? What are you hearing?
74:26
Yeah, this is going to be one of the biggest reshuffles in the senior ranks of the cops that we've seen in some time.
74:33
We're expecting there should be an announcement on the latest Deputy Commissioner, the first appointment of Mal Lanyon's tenure in the coming probably two weeks, I think now.
74:43
Cabinet sits next week and there should be a decision made then is the expectation. And that'll kind of be the first domino to fall in what will then be a run of about five Assistant Commissioner jobs potentially in the next few months.
74:56
that we'll need to see people appointed to. So we're potentially looking at upwards of half a dozen new faces in the senior ranks of New South Wales Police. So it's a bit of a refreshing of the organisation, which is probably exciting under the new Commissioner.
75:10
Yeah, they'll all be jockeying for positions and a much bigger profile within the New South Wales Police Force. Well done, Josh. Nice to chat, mate. We'll catch up soon.
75:18
Thanks, Mark. Talk soon.
75:19
Well done, buddy. There he is, Daily Telegraph Chief Reporter Josh Hanrahan. Both Josh and Mark Morrie at the telly. Jeez, they're all over these gangland wars. I don't know how they keep up because it's interesting, isn't it? I remember growing up, if there was a shooting, it would be front-page news and it'd leave the news bulletins at 6 o'clock and you'd think, oh, my goodness, there's been a shooting in the suburbs. Now it ends up, you know, buried in the news bulletin as if, oh, well, another shooting, we move on.
75:46
But when you start hearing about 1,000 rounds of ammunition, semi-automatic assault rifles, live hand grenades found in the suburban safe house linked to the Coconut Cartel, that's when you certainly start to wake up and think, well, we need to support our cops and we need to throw as many resources at them as possible. I was reading a story today about Dave Hudson in what they're doing in response and in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
76:14
the Police Armed Response Command, a $94.3 million rapid response unit set up in the wake of the massacre. So, look, the police are trying to do whatever they can to catch these criminals, to catch these gang members. The sad reality, though, is that a lot of these gang leaders have based themselves overseas.
76:34
And that's the challenge in the police officers I speak to.
76:39
How do you stop crimes being committed on our streets when they're being orchestrated by these lowlifes overseas? Five to 11.
76:47
I've got everyone stirred up about Clovermore. Thank you for all the messages you're sending through. There are a few here that I can't read out on air, but thank you very much.
76:57
I've had a great chuckle reading them during the commercial break. Michael's a resident of Erskineville. He says, Mark, I live in Erko and all Clover has done here is to put brass plaques to a cell for opening a bunch of plants and cycleways no one uses. Total waste of space.
77:13
Yeah. Anyway, she keeps being elected Lord Mayor and on to council. Anyway, that's what's happening there. I just, I cannot believe that...
77:25
those on council would support it. I cannot believe that they're going to push on with this. Incredible. Just on the way to the news at 11 o'clock, the Harbour Tunnel is closed southbound due to an overheight of truck or vehicle, blocking access at North Sydney. So Steve Carline will keep an eye on that for us. Harbour Tunnel closed southbound due to an overheight truck, blocking access at North Sydney. We've got a break for some news. We'll come back with the final hour of 2GB Mornings.
77:57
This is Mornings with Mark Levy right across Australia.
78:02
Welcome back. Final hour of the program. Nice to have your company. 131873, the number. It's been another busy one. I feel like I'm saying that every day. It's another busy show. There's so much happening around the place. We'll be keeping an eye on the ICAC inquiry. Mr Whitelaw back in the witness box. I'm just having a look here at... some of the reporting and some of the evidence that's been given this morning. Jessica McSweeney in the Herald writing that Whitelaw has told the Commission that Liberal Operatives Jeremy Greenwood and Christian Ellis claim to have photographs showing then MP and factional opponent David Elliott having an extramarital affair.
78:38
Mr Whitelaw said the allegations around Mr Elliott and the affair was something that Mr Greenwood and Mr Ellis kept very, very secretive.
78:47
They wouldn't tell me much about it at all, apart from the fact that, you know, they were aware that this was happening and they had photographs of it. but I wasn't aware of the specific detail. Whitelaw said he was aware that Greenwood and Ellis wanted to damage Elliot's political career, but rather than that being at the direction of fugitive property developer Jean Nassif, Whitelaw believed it to be standard political factional warfare.
79:12
So there'll be more and more to come out about it, and I'm sure David Elliott will have his right of reply, given what has been put to the Commission. But it's been very juicy, and there's a lot of it coming out, all of these allegations that you've heard plenty about.
79:28
over recent months if not years. 131873, the number to have your say this morning. In the meantime, South Australian authorities say it is very, very likely the H5 strain of bird flu is spreading locally in what would represent the first known cases of local transmission of the virus.
79:46
The state of SA has identified 11 more suspected cases of H5 bird flu, seven of which are in South Australia's southeast and four on Kangaroo Island. So that's what's happening there. We've touched on the brilliant work by police in relation to that seizure of the weapons and everything else. We are expecting to hear from them at some point today.
80:10
There's a few other stories which we'll get to in just a moment, and I wanted to make mention of something I've been invited to and something that's missing from the invitations. More on that in just a moment. In the meantime, the Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, was on the Today Show this morning and was asked for his thoughts on the government's announcement of a $4 million pre-feasibility study to investigate building this new oil refinery in Western Australia. Now, many have been critical of the announcement saying that it's not a genuine effort to strengthen the country's energy security.
80:43
I'm of the view that, you know, it's all well and good to spend $4 million on a feasibility study. But when it comes to the decision and signing on the dotted line to build the actual oil refinery, are they going to allow their teal and green mates to approve this?
80:59
Well, Matt Canavan weighed in this morning on the Today Show. Here's a little of what he had to say.
81:04
Well, I don't see how you can say you're pursuing net zero if you want to build oil refineries. I think net zero has been a massive handbrake on our economy. It stopped us from using our natural resources like our oil, like our coal, like our gas to lower energy prices and the cost of living for Australians. And effectively, yesterday's announcement is an admission of defeat, an admission of failure from this government, that their net zero policies have failed, and we've got to get back to the era of using our natural resources again. The question for the Australian people now will be, well, who do you trust to do that, to develop our country?
81:35
And I don't believe you can trust the Labor Party, who are tied to the Greens. They're an effectively coalition. with the Greens and the Teals, like Allegra, who don't want to see any of this stuff built. And so they won't do any of it. And all I've announced yesterday is a feasibility study with an Indian company. I know there are many Australian companies who want to build oil refineries. And the question has to be asked is, why isn't the government partnering with them as well to get these things built? Because we desperately need oil security in this country. We desperately need to use our energy resources again.
82:03
Yeah, Matt Canavan, and I agree with him, the Nationals leader. That was him on the Today Show this morning. I just had a look at the text line. Jason says, Mark, seriously, how do we still get overheight trucks in the tunnel? Is Steve Carline there? Chris, can we have a quick chat to Steve if he's there? I'll find out what the situation is with this overheight truck that's affecting people heading into the tunnel from the North Sydney side of things. If we can get to Steve, we will. I think we've got him right now. Steve, this is still causing some problems, is it, mate?
82:31
Mate, all sorts of dramas. We've had an ugly day on the roads, Mark. And, yeah, the M5, it's just been out of line for, well, since about early this morning, about 4 o'clock this morning, I think, was when the dramas started.
82:46
What about the over-height truck into the Sydney Harbour Tunnel? Is that still causing problems too?
82:50
Well, it is for the driver. They've backed the truck itself back. It's sitting in the slip lane there discussing whether it is actually over-height. All of the sensors have been firing. Looks at this stage that the southbound lanes have reopened. They're getting through, but with the M5, the Harbour Tunnel, also down around the Appet area, Wilton Road being closed. It's just been an ugly day all around on the roads, Mark.
83:16
Nightmare. Good on you, mate. Thank you. That's Steve Carline looking after things while Will's off Crook at the moment. So Steve Carline will keep you up to date over the next 45 minutes before we go off air as well. 131873 is that number to ring.
83:32
Now, look, I'm extremely proud of my support for the Jewish community. Some people have jumped to the conclusion that the only reason I've been supportive of the Jewish community is because of my surname, which is Levy. They think I'm Jewish, but no, I'm not.
83:46
I've spoken regularly to the likes of Alex Rivchin from the Executive Council of the Australian Jewry, David Ossip, the President of the Jewish Board of Deputies. I was always also embraced by several rabbis when I went down to Bondi Beach to the memorial to to lay some flowers on behalf of you, our 2GB listeners, in the wake of the massacre. It was a morning that I'll never forget.
84:08
In the months since the massacre, it's clear nothing has changed. Anti-Semitism is still rife in our society and the Albanese government is refusing to act on it. Labor is instead hiding behind this Royal Commission. Mind you, it's a Royal Commission that the PM himself originally refused.
84:24
Now, I've received so many emails and messages from the Jewish community to thank me for my unwavering support. I've replied to each and every one of them saying any responsible broadcaster in my position will do the same because no one, and I mean no one, should be targeted for simply practising their religion in this country. In recent weeks, I've also received two invitations to attend events hosted by senior members of the Jewish community. One of them is to express gratitude, a simple thank you to, I guess you'd call them allies, who have stood by them during the relentless surge of anti-Semitism following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
85:03
Now, I'll admit I was honoured to receive an invitation, but there was an important detail missing.
85:10
Next to the word venue, it said TBA.
85:14
And I thought to myself, that's strange.
85:16
And it didn't take long before I tweaked.
85:20
Now, there's a reason the venue hasn't been identified.
85:23
That's because of security threats attached to an address or a venue in the invitation. Now, again, I'm not Jewish. I've never had to look over my shoulder while walking into a place of worship, nor have I had to check a room for exits before sitting down to dinner.
85:40
I could never claim to understand the daily grinding weight of the hatred that Australian Jews have endured over the past few years.
85:47
But holding that invitation, looking at the letters TBA next to the venue, it offered a chilling window into their reality.
85:56
Just think about what that blank line represents or the three letters TBA.
86:02
It means that in modern Australia, a community cannot gather to say thank you without taking the same operational security precautions as a high risk government operation.
86:13
It means that the organisers need to assume that if their location is known in advance, they'll be targeted, harassed or worse.
86:22
Are we really going to accept this as the baseline for life in a free, law-abiding democracy?
86:28
And when did secrecy become the tax on Jewish life in Australia?
86:33
You see, we pride ourselves on a multicultural society built on a mutual respect and the rule of law.
86:40
Yet right now, Jewish Australians are being forced to live like this.
86:44
This isn't a minor inconvenience, it's a failure of public safety.
86:49
The persistence of anti-Semitism in our streets, on our campuses, and online is a stain on our national character.
86:57
Silence is no longer enough.
86:59
It's time for the broader public, those of us outside the Jewish community, to say loudly and to say clearly, enough.
87:07
We need to call out anti-Semitism wherever it rears its head, whether it's veiled as political commentary or blared through a megaphone.
87:16
If a community in Australia cannot safely put an address on a thank you note, then none of us are living in the free society we claim to be.
87:24
It's time to stand up, speak out and take the target off their back.
87:32
And for the record, I will be attending those events wherever they end up being held.
87:38
And as long as I have this microphone and this platform, I won't stop speaking up until those three letters, TBA, are no longer needed for Jewish Australians to live in peace. It's 17 past 11.
87:51
Good morning, Mark. Can you tell me when Anthony Albanese is going to face the Royal Commission and have to tell the truth for a change? Yeah, Shane, that won't be happening. Susan, morning, Mark. It's just disgusting that it's like this now in Australia for Jewish Australians. It's embarrassing and has to stop. You do an excellent job in calling it out. Thank you, Susan.
88:09
Nick writes, Mark, thank you very much. You're an absolute legend, as is your station. Thank you for standing up for our community in Australia. You were saying what needed to be sent. Mind you, I'm a Christian, from Nick. Thank you, Nick, and there's more and more coming through. Well, when I received it, I just thought, you know what, I could probably ignore this, but it just goes to show what lengths the Jewish community has to go to at the moment to protect themselves and how anyone could live their lives like that in a so-called free country like ours.
88:44
It's the reason why it just infuriates me.
88:47
No one deserves to live like that, no one.
88:50
But sadly, that's how Jewish Australians have been forced to live since October 7 of 2023. 131873, the number. Now, just while we're on this topic, a Sydney judge said he's never seen such an influx of alleged anti-Semitic offences while setting a hearing date for a mother accused of making a comment about effing Jews at a junior netball game. 43-year-old Jodie Sarcella, is accused of making the disgraceful comment while watching an under-12s game in the eastern suburbs in May.
89:23
Yesterday, police applied to suppress the names of a dozen witnesses, citing fears they could be targeted or doxed for giving evidence.
89:31
During the hearing, Judge Michael Barco remarked it was common knowledge that Jewish people had put up with the word SHIT for hundreds of thousands of years. The accused solicitors responded with, so have the Catholics.
89:47
Judge Barco argued anti-Semitism was in the current climate different to other forms of bigotry, pointing to a surge in related cases before the court since the conflict involving Israel and Palestine.
89:59
The judge will hand down his decision on the suppression order on Thursday tomorrow. Miss Garcella will not be required to attend until her two-day hearing starts on December 18. So some strong words from a member of the bench, Judge Barco. Well done.
90:19
4131873, the number, 2GB.com. Click onto the feedback icon if you would like to join us. Now, just on... We'll come back to the ICAC in just a moment because I made mention of the fact yesterday that Peggy Dwyer, councillor assisting the inquiry, is just brilliant. And I note that Bevan Shields in the Herald today has gone for a bit of a look into her decorated career. And I wasn't aware of this, but she was an associate to the former High Court Judge Michael Kirby. So we'll share some more details on Peggy Dwyer, who delivered one of the most brilliant opening addresses you've ever seen and ever heard.
90:56
So we'll talk more about that and I'll dig up Bevan Shields' piece and share some of that with you in just a moment because she's doing a remarkable job, ably supported by some of her colleagues and all of the relevant questions are being asked of those giving evidence and it's a masterclass. If you've ever wanted to see how a barrister backs someone into a corner with the evidence that they put to that particular person, jump onto the ICAC website and have a look. Unbelievable. It's incredible.
91:27
I've actually learned a thing or two watching it and thinking about how I'm going to interview some politicians into the future.
91:34
Sensational. So we'll share some of that for you in just a moment. In the meantime, time goes by so quickly, and before you know it, taking care of your personal affairs is the last thing on your mind, but it shouldn't be. The importance of having a will in place means your personal wishes are taken care of. Brydon's Lawyers has an expert team of estate lawyers who will help and guide you through the process of preparing your will. All you need to do is get the ball rolling and make an appointment today. Call Brydon's Lawyers on 1800 848 848 or visit brydons.com.au. Brydon's Lawyers need expert will advice.
92:05
That's what they do. Terms and conditions apply. Call 1800 848 848 or go to the website brydons.com.au.
92:23
Well, the Australian athletes, they are absolutely flying at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. They've won 35 gold medals, 18 silver medals, 27 bronze medals for a total of 80.
92:37
And they're streets ahead of their nearest rivals, Canada, England, Scotland, Nigeria. They are doing a sensational job. We're enormously proud of them. And I will say this, I've got the TVs on in the office and it's very distracting when I'm sitting there preparing for the show. I'm just glued to Channel 7 watching all of these finals, in particular in the swimming and on the track. And front and centre of the coverage for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2026 is Emma Friedman, who I will say, I remember meeting Emma firstly when I was working at Sky Racing and she was out doing work experience in TV and in racing.
93:13
She comes from a very famous racing family. And, gee, she's turned into a sensational broadcaster. She should be enormously proud of herself, and I've got her on the line. Emma, good morning to you.
93:23
Oh, Mark, that is very kind. Thank you so much. We're really enjoying everything that the Commonwealth Games are bringing Australians, particularly those gold medals. It is just domination at the moment. We're on track from the most successful ever spell in the pool, but gymnasts have just knocked it out of the park. The track, I mean, we spoke about it pre-game, I think, as a general sporting population, that this was going to be a new era of track and field athletes taking to the world stage.
93:56
And they are delivering it as well. It's just a dream come true for us. everyone who's taking in everything that the Comm Games have to offer.
94:03
You know, Emma, the thing I was thinking this morning while I was watching some of the finals, and I thought that, and I've been lucky enough to cover a few Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games in the past, and I'm sure you'll agree with this, there's a lot of crap going on in the world at the moment, and there's nothing better to lift our spirits than watching these remarkable Australian athletes flying the flag, wearing the green and gold and doing us so proud at a Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It's sensational, isn't it?
94:31
I couldn't agree with you more. It's good to laugh, but it's also good to watch young people in particular who work so hard and are finally achieving their goals on a world stage. And the ratings are proving that as well. I know there was commentary prior to the start of the Games that they might have lost their gloss and that we're in a condensed program. It's not what we're seeing from the numbers. People are loving it, particularly, you know, early this morning when we meddle in both the men's and the women's 100, Lockie Kennedy and Tory Lewis with new Australian records in the driving rain in Glasgow.
95:07
Like, what a story to wake up to and I guess to really revel in as well. We are now a true sprinting nation and the stats tell us that as well in terms of our men's and women's programs. There's only a couple of nations ahead of us and they're the big guns like the US and Jamaica.
95:26
What about this Lachlan Kennedy? I don't know, Emma, whether you've spoken to Bruce McEvaney. We all know that Bruce loves his track and field. He loves commentating on some of these Australian performances. Lachlan Kennedy, to use one of Bruce's, what a special performance this morning.
95:41
It was near perfect, wasn't it? It was incredible. And he just got pipped on the line and Bruce's call thought that he might have just gotten there, but it wasn't the case. The reaction from Tamsin Manu, though, was really special when she saw that Lockie had, you know, broken 10 seconds, but again smashed that Australian record a 9.85. Like, this is a kid on debut at the Con Games. He's never been to an Olympic Games. We've got Olympic Games coming up in Brisbane, obviously in six years' time, where he's going to be hit at his athletic peak.
96:17
This is exciting for him to win silver in 100 at a Comm Games, but can you imagine what he can do going forward? The way he runs, Mark, and I'm no expert in dissecting the technical aspects of a 100-meter run, but you can tell he's so in control the way that his head does not move. He is technically near perfect.
96:40
What about big Eddie Nikitia as well? Yes. It's been a joy to watch over the last couple of days.
96:45
Oh, sensational. It's just, it's so joyful to watch. In the pool, just Jenna Forrester, she continued her stellar campaign, winning the 200 IM, young Flynn Southam dethroned Kyle Chalmers in the 100 freestyle. Just before you go though, Emma, I mean, what's still to come? What, What are you looking forward to seeing? Because there's so many standouts, and I know having covered the games, it's hard to keep up with what's going on at the moment, but can you pinpoint a couple of things you're looking forward to?
97:13
Arguably, the story of the game starts tonight, Mark, and it's a young fella called Cam Myers, and he is a mile-running superstar. He recently won the Prefontaine Mile, the Bowerman Mile at the Eugene meet at the Diamond League, and it's just amazing. He's poetry in motion. He is an absolute joy to watch. Ahead in time, he could possibly break that world record that was recently broken only a week or so ago. But he's another young gun as well from Canberra who I think tonight Australians are going to fall in love with in the heat and then going forward.
97:49
into the semis and the final. He's a young gun on the rise. And you think that watching Lockie Kennedy makes that 100 look easy. Watch Cam Myers run the mile.
97:58
Fantastic. Hey, Emma, I know it's involving late nights, early mornings, and there's a lot of research that needs to be done, but your coverage has been outstanding. Congratulations to you and the team, and we'll be watching from 7 o'clock tonight to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Thanks for joining us, Emma. We'll let you get back to it.
98:16
Thanks, Mark. Appreciate it.
98:17
Chat to you soon. Emma Friedman. She's a star. So Channel 7's the place to see it all at the moment. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games continues 7 o'clock tonight live, free and exclusively on 7 and 7 Plus Sports. Stream every moment live and on demand on 7 Plus, the only place to see it all. I mean, Diamond's taking on South Africa tomorrow morning. We've got Sam Short in the 1,500 metres freestyle. I'm tipping he'll win gold there. He might even win the 200 freestyle as well. We've got women's heptathlon. You know what else I've loved watching? The lawn bowls.
98:48
How good is lawn bowls on the telly?
98:51
I know my local bowling club down at Tarram Point have been glued to it as well. Emma mentioned Cam Myers. The three-on-three basketball is always terrific to watch. I think Aussies play Scotland in the semifinals. So, look, I love my sport. You all know that in and amongst all of the politics, news and current affairs. So if you get a chance when you wake up in the morning or tonight as you're getting ready to go to bed, turn the telly on and watch some Commonwealth Games action and support our Aussie athletes. as they do us enormously proud in Glasgow. Channel 7, the place to watch it all unfold.
99:22
131873, the number 2GB.com. Click onto the feedback icon and John at Bondi agrees. Great rap, Levy. Emma is brilliant. Yeah, she is. And I still remember she comes from a famous family, the Freedmans, who train so many great racehorses. And I was at Royal Ramwick working with Sky Channel with... the likes of Graham McNeice and Chris Kearns, John Tapp, all the different people that were out there. I worked with Emma's uncle as well, Richard Friedman. And Emma came along for some work experience and she was so respectful.
99:53
And I just remember she just looked at all the lights and the cameras and thought, this is for me. And you look at her now.
99:59
She's a world-class presenter and broadcaster and she should be enormously proud of her. And I haven't spoken to Richard for a while, but I'm tipping he'd be enormously proud of her as well. So Channel 7, the place to watch the Commonwealth Games. 28 to midday, a break back with more.
100:13
Cam writes to me, Mark, that was quick. Your local bowls club, Tarrant Point. What happened to Moorfield? Once a Moorfield bowler, always a Moorfield bowler. Cheers from Cam. Lawn bowls for the Olympics in 2032. No, my late dad bowled at Moorfield. I lived near the Tarrant Point Bowling Club, which is why... I refer to it as my local. I've still got some mates who bowl down at Moorfield and obviously it has a special place in my heart for that reason. Thank you for that. Now, breaking news. The inflation rate has fallen to 3.8% from 4%. Trimmed mean inflation flat at 3.6% in June.
100:46
So just repeating that breaking news. The inflation rate has fallen to 3.8% from 4%. Trimmed mean inflation is flat. at 3.6% in June. More analysis on that throughout the afternoon. We've also got some news through that the M5 has reopened city-bound between Beverly Hills and Mascot following emergency work. So they've done well. They were saying this afternoon, but they've reopened it by 11.30. So well done to the transport management crews involved in that operation. So that's what's happening there.
101:16
And just more on ICAC.
101:19
I just note the Telegraph is now reporting that reformer Dean Dylan Whitelaw was tasked with developing a David Elliott, quote, shit sheet of nefarious and false allegations the former MP has rejected. So you're going to be hearing more and more about this throughout the afternoon as Mr Whitelaw's evidence continues. And this was all to smear David Elliott. So more on the ICAC throughout the afternoon. And I touched on the very impressive Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, the council assisting the ICAC in Operation Rosny.
101:56
As Bevan Shields writes today, someone who realised Dwyer's potential long before this week is former High Court Judge Michael Kirby, for whom she worked as an associate in 95 and 96.
102:07
Mr Kirby recalls that she came across in her interview as someone who was not to be messed with. She wasn't really in the normal mould of associates. All of them were top graduates, but most were very studious, quiet and retiring. Peggy was the life of the party. Ms Dwyer was cut from the same cloth as another associate, the now Governor-General Sam Mostyn. Both were idealistic, very energetic, hardworking and never afraid to express their views. The ICAC has a strange habit of creating unlikely stars out of little-known figures.
102:39
Probes into disgraced Labor Ministers Eddie Obeid and Ian MacDonald made Geoffrey Watson a nationally recognised corruption buster. Privately, he loathed the Hollywood nickname he'd been given at the time due to his dramatic habit of having a witness deny something only for an incriminating tape to then be played. Even the mild-mannered barrister Scott Robinson was the source of endless fascination for a COVID-fatigued city as he grilled former Premier Gladys Berejiklian in The Witness Box throughout 2021.
103:08
Well, what I would say after watching the very careful examination of the evidence and putting forward propositions to witnesses, I wouldn't want to be telling mistruths to Dr Peggy Dwyer, SC, counsel assisting the ICAC over the coming weeks. She is very, very impressive.
103:29
131873, the number, 2GB.com. Click onto the feedback icon. Look, I'm really disappointed in Angus Taylor and his office.
103:37
And I'm not going to hold any secrets from you folks. I'm here to keep you in the loop with what goes on on this program. And I made reference to the fact that I would have loved to have spoken to Angus Taylor on this program this week.
103:50
And I maintain that Angus Taylor should be offering himself up for interviews on 2GB multiple times a week.
103:57
Because the opposition leader needs to counter all of the positive feedback we're getting for One Nation.
104:07
There's a lot of voters out there that have turned their backs on the coalition and have decided to jump ship to One Nation. And the challenge for Angus Taylor is he needs to win them back.
104:17
And I would have thought at any opportunity, Angus Taylor would make himself available to speak to me on this program and to some of my colleagues across the network.
104:27
Now, we've just had a reply from his office saying that Angus is unavailable to join us tomorrow, which I've got to say, Angus, is extremely disappointing.
104:36
Because I was prepared to give you an opportunity to come on this show and highlight the fact that the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, needs to come clean on this controversial dinner that he attended at Point Piper.
104:48
But as is usually the case, when politicians' names are mentioned in, let's just say, controversial stories, and again, I'm not suggesting that Angus Taylor has done anything wrong, but when the ICAC is told that Catholic School's New South Wales CEO wanted to shake down Angus Taylor for $10,000, you can't run away from those headlines. You've got to front up and you've got to answer questions about it.
105:11
And you've also got to get out there and prosecute the case for the coalition in a bid to win back support.
105:18
And for your office, Angus, to turn around after giving you four days' notice to come onto the program and have a chat to us, you've got to do better than that, mate.
105:27
You've got to front up and you've got to start winning back voters. Running and hiding does not serve you well in the lead-up to a next election, which is coming up in 18 months. That's if you're still leading the Liberal Party.
105:44
131873, the number. Let's bring the blood pressure down. Time for some music.
106:01
That, my friends, is what we in the business call a banger. Cracking song. Although I am scarred by it. I think I've told this before. When I was living in Annandale, I used to go up for a beer at the North Annandale Hotel and sometimes I'd get up and sing a karaoke song. Well, I got up one Sunday night to sing a bit of karaoke and I thought I did pretty well. Got a round of applause.
106:25
Guess who was next up?
106:26
Ian Moss, he sang that.
106:28
No chance.
106:30
14 to midday, Michael McLaren up next.
106:33
Yes, Michael McLaren's coming up after the news at midday. He's ready and raring to go. Morning, Michael. Good morning, Mark. There's so much going on at the moment. Stacks. Here, there and everywhere. New South Wales, federal. It's all going on. What have you got coming up?
106:46
I've got plenty as well. I'm going to speak to a guy who's a finalist in the Eureka Prize, and that's celebrating science and innovation and the like, and we should do that. Anyway, he's a professor. He's created a paint that apparently helps protect homes in bushfire-prone areas. which to me seems a very sensible invention for Australia. So I'll speak to the brains behind that. Now, a name that some people might have heard of, Larry Emder.
107:08
He'll be coming off the television. Come on down. He'll be coming on down having a chat with me because, of course, we've got the Logie things coming up. But he's put together, this is a great side story, this whiskey brand, the Ben Buckler.
107:21
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
107:22
It's winning awards everywhere. I think from memory it started as an idea for...
107:28
Was it a friend's 60th? No, it was his 60th and he wanted to give bottles of a special whiskey to all his friends. So he went to a distillery and said, look, I like these flavours. Let's make it and we'll make 50 of them. And the bloke around the distillery said, do you mind if I just keep one or two bottles? Yeah, do we? So he sends it to America and...
107:45
And it wins all these awards. Wow.
107:47
So, Larry, I think we're on to something. Is he coming in? I don't know.
107:50
I'll find out.
107:50
Well, if he doesn't come in, he needs to send you a bottle.
107:53
Come on, Larry. Yeah, we want to hear the little tinkle. So, Larry, Blake with personal finance and following the inflation numbers. People might have some questions. The Chookster with his tips. If you put your tips in, round 22. I put them in before the teams came out.
108:07
I've given up.
108:09
Yeah, you probably could at this point, I think. You're probably a little far back. Oh, don't rub it in, right-o. Mate, you're not even doing the tips.
108:15
Yeah, I know. And who's winning? So, the Chookster himself, the Silver Fox, and Daniel Wilde from the IPA. You know that talk yesterday about this WA oil refinery? Yeah.
108:24
Well, I think what a lot of people missed is there was no announcement that we're getting one. It was $4 million to have a study. Feasibility. To have a look at if we could have one. But they're all there, the hard hats and the high fees. Oh, we're getting a third. No, we're not. What about that?
108:36
$4 million for a study? Let's see. As if the teals and their green mates are going to stand and let them push on with that.
108:41
I don't know how Chris Bowen feels about having an oil refiner.
108:45
But anyway, Daniel with us and, of course, all the latest in news. Just quickly, I love the show, says Mark. This is from Pauline, rather. What karaoke song did you sing before Mossy got up? I was actually singing Tribute by Tenacious D, which is a bit of a modern one and a bit of a weird one where you don't actually sing. Do you have a karaoke song, Michael? No, I don't. No, you've got to know your strengths. Well, what would you sing if you could pick one song to do karaoke?
109:09
They all sing my way, don't they?
109:10
You know what? I reckon you'd be good at my way. And now the end is here. I reckon Frank Sinatra could still sing it better than me.
109:18
Come on, just with me. Ready? I did it. My way. You've got it. Beautiful.
109:25
I got that bit right.
109:25
All right. End of year. Celebrations. You and I. Karaoke. Duet. We're doing it. All right?
109:30
At the tap media Christmas party.
109:31
We're doing it. Well, there could be a few libations, so you never know. Right on, Michael. Thank you, Mark. See you, buddy. He's going to do it his way after midday.
109:39
Wish someone told me Living this life below me Trying to get away from the old me Still and start singing
109:52
All I really need is a little good news Parramatta BMW is your destination for driving joy.
110:00
Yes, time for our Good News segment, your chance to win the BMW iX1, valued at over $90,000. So many great stories. This is a beautiful one from Hayley. Mark, a Sydney family is celebrating one truly remarkable woman. Her name is Trudy, who today rang the bell to mark the end of her chemotherapy. And her story is nothing short of a warrior's tale. Just a year ago, Trudy beat two separate battles, undergoing surgery for cancer on her tongue and her thyroid. Then came a triple diagnosis of breast cancer, three different types at once, enough to break anyone, but not Trudy.
110:37
Over the past few months, she's powered through 16 gruelling rounds of chemo, and if that's not enough, she also worked through every single one of them, still turning up as a carer, looking after another family, even while fighting for her own life. Her sister Hayley says she did it all without complaint, filling every room with hope rather than despair.
110:58
Yesterday she rang that bell and her family wanted the whole world to hear it. Trudy, you're an inspiration. What a remarkable story. And congratulations to you, Hayley. You are now in the mix to win the new BMW iX1, the fully electric SUV. And if you have a special story like that one that you'd like to share with us for your chance to win that brand new car, thanks to our mates at Parramatta BMW, your destination for driving joy, All you need to do is email your good news story to drivingjoy at 2GB.com and we'll give away that brand new car in December.
111:32
All I really need is a little girl.
111:37
Now, before I get out of here, of course, Benjamin Netanyahu's in Washington, D.C. to meet with Donald Trump. In the meantime, U.S. and Saudi warplanes have carried out strikes in Iraq after Tehran attacked a U.S. base and sparked anger by rejecting a proposal to share the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. So there's plenty more twists and turns to what's happening in the Middle East, so we'll keep an eye on that, and I'm sure the boys will have more to say this afternoon.
112:03
That's it for me today. Thank you very much for your company. John has just sent a message. He says, Mark, great calling and outline on the morning show today. Thank you, John. I appreciate the positive feedback. We'll take it when we can get it, mate, and spread the word for us. Get everyone listening, you know, to the 2GB and the 2GB morning program between nine and midday each and every morning. And, of course, across the weekend on the continuous call team. Michael's up next then. Clinton, Adam with all the sport. James with Money News and John Stanley tonight. And we'll be back with you tomorrow. Have a great afternoon.
112:33
I'll see you around the roundabout. Bye-bye.
