Episode description

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We're joined this week by fearmongers:

Dave Warneke
Jess Perkins
Lewis Hobba
and Dan Ilic

And we cover:

• National Press Club 
• Elon Musk's private jet
• Facial recognition

PLUGS:
Listen to Jess and Dave on 'Do Go On': Website

🤑 CHIP IN TO OUR PATREON https://www.patreon.com/ARationalFear

Heading into the election your support is going to be more crucial than ever!

Thank you FEARMONGERS!

If you enjoyed this please drop us a review on Apple podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/a-rational-fear/id522303261

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Bertha Announcement  0:00  
This podcast is supported in part by the Bertha Foundation.

Dan Ilic  0:04  
G'day Lewis. How are you?

Lewis Hobba  0:06  
Good evening Daniel. I'm well I'm well how are you?

Dan Ilic  0:09  
I'm really good. I feel I feel it's good having a week off, isn't it like it's good when NBN besets your podcast with Whoa, that you can actually record and you have to take a week off from doing it. God. Yeah. Every week.

Lewis Hobba  0:20  
You think you were taken down by the powers that be? You think you're getting too powerful?

Dan Ilic  0:24  
Yeah, I have been in getting into quite quite a Twitter stash every time Tim Wilson tweets. I don't know if you've seen this. Tim Wilson is all of a sudden turned into it like an environmentalist. I've seen it. Yeah. It's quite the transformation for some guy who has been at the EPA for years trying to rip down every bit of climate policy. He's the guy that's like, Hey, come on over and we can do it.

Lewis Hobba  0:49  
It actually makes you really wonder what it's like when he catches up with his old but like, do they? Like when he goes back to the IPA for the secret meetings when he puts the hood on and he goes underground? And they when they're finished with the chanting? Like, Are they friendly to him? Or like they go we know what you're doing him and it's okay. Or they like you trader used to be one of us.

Dan Ilic  1:09  
Oh, we know what you're doing just you know, getting one more time we need to keep the power keep the power to him, placate them keep those votes away from I mean, we will talk to Georgia steel a little bit about this later on. But I feel like there's this incredible moment. We're in right now where liberals are trying to pretend to be environmentalists because all the quote unquote conservative environmentalist votes are now heading towards these climate independence, which is pretty interesting. So

Lewis Hobba  1:34  
it is there on edge. I'm on edge as well. Actually, I have to admit, I haven't been to this part of my bedroom in a few days. In the middle of the night, like Three nights ago. I thought I saw a cockroach over here. And so I came over like 3am with a shoe. And I whacked the cockroach and it felt like a dead cockroach would. And then it was too late in the night for me to deal with the body of a cockroach. I was like I can't kill but I can't clean up. I went

Dan Ilic  1:58  
somewhere there's a mass grave of cockroaches from where you're sitting right now.

Lewis Hobba  2:02  
Sydney is a mass grave of cockroaches. I am I haven't been back here for three days. And this is what's coming over to my computer. I thought I'm gonna have to deal with the dead body. That cockroach got here. And there is no dead body of a cockroach twist dude still alive somewhere in this room. And now I can start thinking about it.

Dan Ilic  2:20  
Well, you are a Victorian by nature. So I assume you're not adjusting to Sydney cockroaches yet? I mean, 15 years, but you still haven't adjusted to the big Sydney cockroach.

Lewis Hobba  2:32  
I don't know how people live here. Like I don't. I don't know how, like, they live here and were just renting from the cockroaches in this city. It's wild.

Dan Ilic  2:42  
Well, I gotta tell you, that is an apt metaphor for all of Australia right now. We are all just renting from the cockroaches. Big shout out to everyone who turned up to our opera house show that was cancelled and show you that opera house show is going to be rescheduled for June. So hang on to your tickets. And we'll see you in June. And hello to anyone who may have been thinking go to bed thinking about going to a Judas Nielsen show at the Judith Nielsen institute that's now going to be rescheduled for May because of the whole Omicron stuff. So just a bit of housekeeping out of the way. I say we start tonight's show. What do you reckon, Louis?

Lewis Hobba  3:18  
Let's do it. Let's do it.

Dan Ilic  3:19  
I'm recording my irrational fear on Gadigal land in the Eora. Nation sovereignty was never said we need a treaty. Let's start the show.

Unknown Speaker  3:25  
A rational fear contains naughty words like bricks, Canberra, and gum and section 40 of our rational view recommended listening by immature audience.

Dan Ilic  3:39  
Tonight, Morrison scraps empathy training and instead spends $200,000 on basic grocery costs consultancy, and Bitcoin has halved in value sparking concerns of a crypto winter where crypto bros will be forced to live with their parents and only communicate to each other via podcasts, also known as a crypto Summit, and In a surprise move, Scott Morrison agrees with Matt McGowan's decision to keep wa borders sharp saying that anything to prevent Perth based comedians from infecting the eastern states with improv is a good thing. It's the fourth of February and this is a podcast with more side either Grace time, this is a rational fear.

Hi, welcome to irrational fear. I'm your host, former Supreme Court Judge Dan Ilic. And rational fear if you this is your first time listening. It's kind of like the rat tests of podcast it's it's painful as negative but ultimately, more than once a week it gets a little annoying. Let's meet our fear mongers for tonight. First time fear mongers Indeed, He is the Multiple Award nominated podcaster and comedian from the do go on podcast. He's got a tiny head, but it's filled with facts. It's Dave Warner. Hey,

Dave Warnake  4:55  
hello. Great to be here. Good evening.

Dan Ilic  4:59  
Yeah, I can't believe you guys. They're up to 103 127 episodes friend and 27. That is an incredible incredibly prolific well done,

Dave Warnake  5:06  
thank you. Some would say too much, but I say never enough, we will never stop

Lewis Hobba  5:11  
you. Your podcast is notable for being one of the only comedy podcasts that requires preparation. Yes, probably. Like you've actually really shot yourself in the foot.

Dave Warnake  5:22  
It's a choice we regret every single week.

Dan Ilic  5:26  
And she also is the co host of that podcast she's just returned from the frontlines of battling COVID-19 Her tests may be negative, but her laughter is contagious. Also from do go on is Jess Perkins.

Jess Perkins  5:39  
Oh my god what a delight thank you so much for having me. Perfect timing to be on a podcast that's you know really focused on news and politics when you still have brain fog and when to say roll because that's where

Dan Ilic  5:54  
she doesn't think she knows she's got brain frog. And he's the only Boomer left at Triple J.

Lewis Hobba  6:01  
Richard king so have you heard that? Richard Kings I can't leave until it like I can stay there as long as he's there because I'm the second oldest man in the back of my head like a whole I write most of Elvis

Dan Ilic  6:21  
Hey, I wanted to give everyone a bit of a joke keeper update now folks who are Patreon members have already seen this. They're already aware of what's going on. But I thought I'd update everyone who listens normally. So

Lewis Hobba  6:34  
here's a bit of a just gonna be sorry, Dan, if I can interrupt is this for the podcast, this is gonna be a largely visual presentation.

Dan Ilic  6:40  
For me allegedly. This is why you need to be a streamer like the seven people who are 21 people who are streaming right now. So you know this is

Lewis Hobba  6:48  
you are listening on the podcast. Maybe just skip ahead two minutes.

Dan Ilic  6:52  
Well, we do video content turn. And if you've been seeing our videos, John, John boy, our video assistant takes our stream and cuts it up and puts it out onto the internet every Friday and Saturday and Sunday. So I don't have to. It's amazing. We've got a guy who, who makes videos and puts them on the internet.

Lewis Hobba  7:07  
Yeah, I'm just saying this is not what I say in front of me is that you've got a slideshow. And I just wonder if how long you like podcasts before you realise you can't do a fucking slideshow.

Dan Ilic  7:22  
Here's the thing. If you want to see these pictures, go to the Patreon a rational fear.com forward slash Patreon and you can get a taste

Unknown Speaker  7:33  
for it. There's a guy does it.

Dan Ilic  7:37  
But if you want to see it, if you want to see it, you got to pay for it. This is what we're trying to do. I'm trying to funnel people Louis from the free thing to the thing that gets paid. So making money on the podcast, I understand and I know you work at the ABC taxpayer dollars fund your cushy dope smoking lifestyle going on watching your Kanye West in your Vera blues all around the country. And you're hot tracks and the bankers and the flippers and the flumes. But come on, mate. We're gonna try and make money on these things somehow.

Lewis Hobba  8:07  
I don't care. I don't get paid for this podcast.

Dan Ilic  8:11  
So anyway, I wanted to kind of give you a breath. So you may remember we did we had a billboard in Josh Frydenberg electric in in Hawthorne, and it was a billboard you weren't allowed to put any political messaging up. So we put up this billboard that says hey, it's time to buy a standing desk because you're about to lose your seat. And that got lovely billboard was kind of handled plenty of space for someone to vandalise it and they did they fertilise it with a good Frydenberg right along the bottom of it not next to Hey, empty blank space, but Frydenberg at the bottom, so,

Dave Warnake  8:43  
you know they worried that he wasn't gonna get it.

Dan Ilic  8:46  
Perhaps Yeah. So as a result, this got an ATC warning and it got taken down. So I tried to get another one up. So I tried to get a billboard up saying hey, go to Hawaii is a wonderful Hawaiian holiday hilarious Hawaii joke. And they said that was too political. And then I'll hit is Yeah, Hawaiian hideaway for when things get too hot at home bushfires. And they said, No, that's too political. You can't play that up. You know, I can't advertise her way that's too political. I said yep. Okay, all right. So but by the time we got around to negotiating the billboards, Bates had been gone. And so I decided to put one up in Bundaberg to attract the ire of our friend of the show who we like to make fun of on the show rather, Keith Pitt, Keith Pitt who is who's the MP for Hinkler up there. He is famous for not talking about battery power. He hates batteries. He can't even say the word battery. He goes on Sky News in this great Sky News interview from a few months back you may remember where he couldn't even say the word battery. It's fantastic. So I decided to do a billboard with a vibrator that says Hey Keith, batteries give you power in the dark. And unfortunately, the out of home company said that was too political and also to 62 Sexy so I decided to give this one a go. I said hey, outdoor company how about this one? It's a billboard. And it says Do you know batteries can give you power in the dark with a flashlight and

Dave Warnake  10:11  
a flashlight. Come on.

Dan Ilic  10:13  
Well hang on a second. They said well, that was too political and they wouldn't run it. And then I said, How about this is the one batteries Wow. And they said actually, you know, we'll compromise we'll put batteries Wow up in the main street of Bundaberg that's not political. But as Dave keen eyes have discovered that the flashlight was actually a flashlight

Dave Warnake  10:42  
where I didn't realise I don't know

Dan Ilic  10:48  
guys, we did get them over by putting a sex toy on the main street of Bundaberg critical thing about this is that this is actually above a battery shop some one of our listeners went and took a photo of it so batteries WoW is actually above the shop

Lewis Hobba  11:07  
everyone's gonna think it's an ad for the battery shop

Dan Ilic  11:10  
for the battery shop and like so if you are in bonded Bundaberg and you're going down Mira road, I think it's merubah Rhodia merubah Street, head on down there, check out our batteries. Wow, take a photo with a selfie and we'll we'll put it on our social so

Lewis Hobba  11:26  
if you are a standing desk company and you know there's a billboard anywhere near your shop, let us know because Dan can put the Josh standing billboard above there. Do another joke that no one will understand.

Dan Ilic  11:40  
We've got more billboards lighter and more visual jokes for the podcast later on. When we have Georgia steel. She's the independent candidate for Hughes will run our billboards that are ending up in her electorate will also ask her how will she deal? or rather how will Craig Kelly deal with running against a competent person. But first of all, let's have a message for this week's sponsor. In these uncertain times, it's important to be fiscally responsible our nation's on the edge of an economic cliff with very little interest in interest rates

Unknown Speaker  12:11  
at a record low 0.1%.

Dan Ilic  12:15  
And with the stock market sliding faster than a test cricketer into your DMS $50 billion wiped off the value of Australian shares today, there's only one place to put your money that will see guaranteed returns political donations. starting as low as $25,000 you can be guaranteed enormous returns such as $21 million of subsidies and grants for your fossil fuel projects. That's the return of 840% Imagine how many politicians you could buy off with that kind of fuck you can ask your financial advisor if political donations are right for you. Political Donations, it's as safe as houses owned by parliamentarians in Canberra. Jason says apply check the PTS for details Oh, actually there is no PDS just a handshake. So you know, whatever. No rules. This week's first fear when the group chat goes public, it seems that the only gigs that are not cancelled other ones that should be the National Press Club this week. Prime Minister Scott Morrison put on his first ever solo show in over a year the critics gave it zero stars after being pummelling from journalists on questions around accountability and transparency and the price of bread. It was a bombshell text message sent years ago that made the headlines. And now it was brought to light by the Union made of Christian Porter and channel 10s. Most senior litigant, Peter van Onselen he read out the text from a put allegedly from premier Gladys Berejiklian and a senior woman minister who said that Scott Morrison was a psycho and a horrible, horrible man. Now, if Peter van Onselen was going to be rude to the Prime Minister's face Why even go in the first place?

Unknown Speaker  13:59  
Well, you know, I've maybe there's some bravery to it for you know, speaking to someone face to face. I don't know I I love this so much. Because more and more. I'm starting to Yeah, be a bit more mindful about what I'm texting to people. Because of screenshots. I'm just terrified of screenshots. I can't even say that I'd be you know, saying anything particularly bad but you just never know.

Lewis Hobba  14:25  
If I ever let if I leaked the our text message thread between you and a Perko. It would just be you asking me every week are you my best friend?

Jess Perkins  14:37  
I'll get you Monday. And when I do you better believe I'm screenshotting that

Dan Ilic  14:43  
it really goes against the first rule of politics, which is never ever put anything into writing ever. Like why why would you even why would you

Lewis Hobba  14:50  
do that? Why didn't they like put it on the like telegram you know, the one that disappears?

Dan Ilic  14:57  
Oh, yeah, tell it that one way Snapchat a jello. Yeah. Yeah,

Lewis Hobba  15:00  
that's right, then you can put it with a little dick pic. It's gone? Well,

Dan Ilic  15:04  
I mean, the benefit of a telegram of an actual physical tell around is that you have to say stop every few words. So it'll be like, Scott Morrison is horrible, horrible Stop, man stop horrible. So you would kind of have that mix that mix up, you wouldn't actually

Lewis Hobba  15:18  
knock yourself out. Like, he's a complete psycho stop. Maybe I should.

Dan Ilic  15:27  
Now, these texts were actually sent years ago, like, you know, up to two years ago, some people suggesting this is because PVOH, who is now like a litigant in a court case, due to a bully bullying case taken against him at Channel 10 is throwing a bit of a dead cat on himself to deflect attention from himself and put it back on the Prime Minister. Do you think this was a good strategy to deflect attention from himself?

Unknown Speaker  15:48  
I think is well, he was saying on radio that it's like, there was a question of why now. And he was sort of like, oh, you know, these things take time to verify. And, you know, it's not that it's convenient. But it is it's it took took some time for to get to me and then for me to verify. So you know, nothing's us.

Dan Ilic  16:07  
Yeah, no, it's it's really pretty weird timing that he's done this at this time. It does

Lewis Hobba  16:12  
also feel though, like I do sometimes think that journalists have a sense of the prevailing winds. You know, and I do think that, you know, two years ago, if you just said stood in front of Scott Morrison and gone, everyone saying your complete psycho, that story might not have like, hit the way it does right now. It was just like the same way the opinion polls came out that showed his unprepared Prime Minister writing was way up. That he was if the election was tomorrow, he would lose. I feel like there is a bit of a sense of like the people who maybe a year ago, were I'm not saying giving him an easy run, but maybe not necessarily looking for the cracks. And now looking for those cracks and trying to stick a little crowbar in

Dave Warnake  16:56  
as in like the people on his team from the coalition or from No, I

Lewis Hobba  16:59  
just I mean, I'm not saying Peter van onsens on his team. But I may just I do think that you do get a sense I think sometimes with a variety of politicians over the years, that when a politician starts to wane in popularity when they start to feel a little less like Teflon. People do start to get kicked the bird in these sort of National Press Club chats.

Dan Ilic  17:22  
Louis, can I just say that was a very non political answer. That was very good if you considered running for politics. That was that was very good not naming any names. Nothing very specific at all, could generalise hand wavy That was excellent.

Lewis Hobba  17:35  
Thank you so much. I should have done my hand like that I should have done.

Dan Ilic  17:40  
Obama thumbs.

Lewis Hobba  17:41  
I'm not saying anyone's on anyone's team. Just saying it seems like there are fewer people on his team now than they used to be. If you got a theory about who might be the texting minister

Unknown Speaker  17:53  
was Colonel Mustard in the library with a smartphone, a rational fear. Thank you for that.

Dan Ilic  18:00  
This week second fear Elon Musk, a rich guy and space coward has been jumping into the DMS of teenagers making demands Jack Sweeney and 19 year old college student build a twitter bot that tracks and publishes the location of Elon Musk's private jet Nim mask isn't too happy about this. He jumped in the kids dams and asked and offered him $5,000 To shut it down. Jack demanded 50,000 and a Tesla and then Elon back down and then blocked him. Now Dave should a lot of paid out this kid. Well, I

Dave Warnake  18:31  
mean, five grand from Elon Musk, the world's richest or second richest person is like that's like five cents from an average person is that's like a normal person offering to not spit on you. You're not going to take that. You want more? You're gonna go 50 grand. That honestly. That's still a drop in the ocean from ask if he wants it. If he doesn't want us to know that he's travelled 240,000 kilometres on his private plane. He should pay up.

Dan Ilic  18:57  
Yeah, that that whole trip probably cost him $50,000 It is my Jack was really kind he's like, you know, I'm I'm a college student just kind of, you know, I just need 50,000 pair of my college debt and a Tesla. Come on, do you can give that to me. I think it's a great idea. It's it's such a lowball offer as well.

Lewis Hobba  19:14  
I'm sort of on the other side of this. I kind of feel like people What he's basically done is gone. I'm stalking a person and I'm making sure everyone else can stalk him too. But and then before the trials even gone is that he's got the character defence out he's like, I'm just a uni student. I'm just looking for this. Like this is still extortion. Like you are epic thing you're doing. This is like I don't know if anyone has ever been stalked, but it's not a lot of fun. And you'll notice

Dan Ilic  19:42  
are you saying this because you just put a down payment on a Gulfstream Is this done you

Lewis Hobba  19:49  
don't follow up I've upgraded from scooter to Gulfstream. All of the normal cars but I genuinely do believe and I say this so rarely Am I Elon Musk's I don't.

Dave Warnake  20:02  
I'm all for this. It's like a prison style electronic GPS monitor for billionaires, which I think personally they should all have for their crimes committed against society. Should all happen, we should know where they are at all time. And I will say that it is I think it's publicly available data that this kid's just smart enough to use bots, which sort of put it all together and make a neat Twitter account about it's not like he's hacking anything. It's all out. Yeah.

Dan Ilic  20:28  
It's just putting it this is making the public publicly available data more public. Yeah, putting it into a

Jess Perkins  20:37  
nice dinner for other people as well as any like, not just Elon Musk, like He's really He's covering his bases because if they all fork up, you know, between 550 grand, he's gonna be fine.

Dan Ilic  20:48  
There Bill Gates, a Drake. Apparently, Drake has got a really awesome jet like it's a 767 which can hold

Lewis Hobba  20:55  
you saying that we the tone of surprise, right? Like, you guys know that? Right? Because a private jet is a crazy person in the world. I would have had a private jet.

Dan Ilic  21:06  
Nobody's like it's so expensive.

Dave Warnake  21:10  
Seats over 200 people it's

Dan Ilic  21:13  
Yeah, but like I can understand, I can understand like Elon Musk having a private jet. But Drake is like a performing artist, like you know that

Lewis Hobba  21:21  
Drake has has like had more time in the numbers like as a number one artist than the Beatles, and they had to split it four ways. He's one guy.

Dan Ilic  21:30  
I know what things are worth you know, we're the number one comedy podcast in Australia and I'm begging people join the Patreon

Lewis Hobba  21:38  
where the Drake of Australian podcasting he has some shit going on that we did not want to be associated with.

Dan Ilic  21:48  
Right Good. Excellent. Oh, great. Drake is cancelled but he's got a private jet swings and roundabouts. If you saw Elon Musk flying into Australia, what would you do?

Dave Warnake  21:58  
Obviously, run to the airport with a guy, you know how

Unknown Speaker  22:07  
I love you a lot.

Dave Warnake  22:08  
Let's say give me five grand and I won't take a selfie with you and see what

Lewis Hobba  22:13  
when you're in the grace a couple of years ago, and Elon Musk was there? No. And yeah, it was while he was building the battery at a in South Australia. So he was there with his at the time, girlfriend Amber Heard. And I was there with Australian of the deal. And Olcott has the name dropping on this. I was having a I was having a beer with Dylan. And we looked over and he's like, over my over my shoulder is Elon Musk. I look over I'm like, fuck, man. It's Elon musk and amber hurt. And I'm like, don't move. I'm gonna get a photo. And before I can even get my phone out deal and all God has done on one ad and gone straight to Elon Musk and he's having a chat with a coffee. Is that still an Orca? Yeah. And so I I'm like, Oh, do it. Oh, God, Concetta Elon Musk. I guess I'll just take quick snap of deal and chatting to Elon, and then I can send it to deal on LIDAR. And I left my phone out. And as soon as I left my phone up his security pointed like a laser at my phone, so that my phone flashed like my phone wouldn't take the photo because it would just say it was just a white flash. And then the bouncer he's like, security guy looked at me and gave me this like smile and a shake of the head. And I put the phone down and I like gave him a little imaginary tip of the cap. And I think well.

Dave Warnake  23:32  
It sounds like you're, I was like some men in black style technology. Let's come up and just watch your memory of everything.

Lewis Hobba  23:39  
Totally. I'd forgotten about it until right then.

Unknown Speaker  23:43  
Today, Australians will come together in every corner of our nation across the globe to reflect, respect, and celebrate. I'd like to thank the National Australia Council's partners. Chevron.

Voice Over  23:57  
Your fear isn't rational.

Dan Ilic  23:59  
This week's third fear Peter Dutton, once your face, attender has appeared on a government website to build a giant facial recognition database, it's got a catchy name, everyone can remember the national Driver Licence facial rescue recognition solution or endler. For for short. First, I think it needs a catchy name I've got I've got one needs a name that I think people can trust. I think people would really love Robo face. I think you know, it'd be great the database could. She's meant to provide secure National Real Time and online services through facial recognition matches. So you know, like if settling send you a robo debt, you just show your face to a robo face and Robo face talks to Robo debt. And it says you're the wrong person. And then Robo debt apologises for the robo snafu and you don't go to Robo. Here's the thing though the laws that allow such a service haven't actually been passed yet. So technically, the thing if it gets built is illegal. fear mongers, the Human Rights Commissioner Ed centre is pretty worried about This does Robo face worry you Louis.

Lewis Hobba  25:03  
Well, I mean how could it What could possibly go wrong Dan? I mean I love how often is the Human Rights Commissioner worried in this country you know? I know what it's like to wake up every day anxious and my life is not his life you know what I mean? Like you just

Dan Ilic  25:22  
know the Lewis you must be You must be so scared of Tony Martin robbing a bank and you're getting

Lewis Hobba  25:30  
i I'm content, I'm worried about it every day, every day it takes Tony Martin I'm just like, how's the finances? Do you have so much to live for? I just think that the amount of times we completely ignore human rights in this country at the moment like it's got to a point like human rights. It's something we're interested in, but we're not so much caring about it.

Dan Ilic  25:54  
Dave and Jesse worried about this? Yeah,

Dave Warnake  25:56  
I'm not surprised to hear that Peter Dutton is after literally anyone else's face in this country I'll take it I'll take anyone any of them

Lewis Hobba  26:07  
next it's gonna be Robo here he's just like just looking for photos I'm just trying out a few new looks on

Dan Ilic  26:18  
God well there's a bit as Mr. Potato Head he can you know interchange his facts I think that's kind of his the next transition of the spot right.

Jess Perkins  26:27  
All right, then take it even further. And like you know, CCTV, facial recognition. I love the idea of me being tracked at all.

Lewis Hobba  26:38  
And just because you like attention

Jess Perkins  26:41  
it's because I fear being kidnapped. Why would I be a target of that? Not sure. I don't have wealthy parents. I've got no money of my own. Nobody would miss me.

Dan Ilic  26:54  
It's interesting. A few states have already bought into this and they're already kind of adding the driver's licence photos to the database the Queensland has mania and I think Victoria have done that already. Does this mean like people are going to be turning up to like Vic Roads in finding disguises now like to make sure the government has a wacky picture of them they won't be disguised as if they're

Lewis Hobba  27:13  
only using driver's licence photos they'll only be able to track you in the street if you're not smiling

Dan Ilic  27:20  
Yeah, it's bad news for Grace time.

Yeah, oh, I mean, I look pretty different to the photo I took in like 2005 So I like the idea that there's

Unknown Speaker  27:35  
no

Dan Ilic  27:42  
idea there's a skinny Jon Lovitz getting arrested for my bad crime.

Unknown Speaker  27:49  
The Prime Minister's Office is accused of plotting to keep documents from its controversial carpark scheme as secret.

Unknown Speaker  27:56  
The Auditor General found the government pushed projects into seats the coalition needed to win at the last election, they seize

Unknown Speaker  28:03  
a rational view.

Dan Ilic  28:06  
Joining us now is a woman who is determined to take the seat of us from well known intellect Craig Kelly, but the question is, how will she proved that she has the chops to do so? Please welcome Georgia Steele. Welcome, Georgia. Thanks, Dan.

Georgia Steele  28:19  
Thanks for having me.

Dan Ilic  28:20  
It's really great to have you quite a privilege now first of all, Georgia, many people would know you from your 2018 appearance and ITV is love Ireland. How has your audience in reality TV prepared you Oh, sorry. I'm reading the wrong bio here. That's a different George's deal. Is yours. Okay, here it is. Oh, yes, he go. Sutherland local corporate litigator? What makes you think you have the diligence and competence to be the member of us over a failed furniture salesman and a conspiracy theorist?

Georgia Steele  28:47  
Well, the introduction says it all doesn't it Dan. Local and a corporate litigator go any further than

Lewis Hobba  28:56  
someone who doesn't live in us and isn't in Sydney from Sydney originally. How did Craig like how did how, you know what I mean? Like, this

Dan Ilic  29:06  
is huge. To me. Sound is a pretty feels like a pretty middle class. Yeah. Wealthy southern people are educated. They're like, first of all, how? How did he even get in like, and how is he perceived now?

Georgia Steele  29:18  
Well, Craig Kelly was a captain's pick, at least for the last two elections. He has actually been voted in by the people of us four times, and is currently serving his 12th year in Parliament. But for the last couple of times, and particularly the last election, Scott Morrison intubate and saved Craig Kelly as the liberal party's pre selected candidate. So that's the reason that he got elected again last time, unfortunately, with a swing towards so that was when I started thinking, all right, well, I did not expect that to happen. And something different has to happen next time.

Dan Ilic  29:56  
So what was the catalyst for you? Was there a moment you went? I can't have No, this guy representing me on the federal stage, like what was the thing that was one if you can, yeah, very genuine, we ran out of time,

Georgia Steele  30:08  
I couldn't possibly break it down to one. I was just appalled, obviously, that he was my representative, appalled and embarrassed. And so I started volunteering for some of the local political community groups. And then at the same time, became increasingly desperate about what was not happening happening on the climate action front, in our country, and so forth. You know what? I could give this a red hot Rahzel. Watching those politicians up there and thinking, I think that me and a few of my friends can probably have a crack at this. So decided to.

Dave Warnake  30:40  
So did you. Do you want to be a politician? Or are you just happy to get rid of Craig once he's gone? Job done? Yeah,

Georgia Steele  30:47  
that's a good question. Dave. No one's actually asked me that. I don't particularly want to be a politician. It just got to a point where it was so dire.

Dan Ilic  30:57  
I'm so glad you said that. Because you know, this, that clip is going to be circulating all around the way. People will go. Oh, that she said it on some podcast and people come on the podcast, the rest of the story.

Georgia Steele  31:11  
Yeah. When I've been in the House of Representatives for 25 years. See, she's a liar.

Lewis Hobba  31:17  
I want to be a politician normally, that's where the Nationals end up. Do you ever consider becoming a national?

Unknown Speaker  31:22  
Yeah, I'll just go straight. No for that. Louis.

Dan Ilic  31:27  
I noticed you launched your your crowdfunding kind of campaign this week? It sounds very well polished. Have you had any, like major donors like from Chevron, or shell or chip in, you know, to kind of swing your vote?

Georgia Steele  31:41  
No, no, can't say that. I have. We're running a community campaign community donations. And, you know, Craig, Kelly's an asset in that regard. So we're not doing too badly on the fundraising front?

Dan Ilic  31:54  
How are you going in the street with folks and like face to face? Like, what are folks telling you about the feeling of the electorate? And do you come across any liberal fans who are like, you know, I'm not really into Craig. But I am a diehard liberal.

Georgia Steele  32:11  
Yeah, loads, loads, I speak to, you know, obviously, he uses a safe liberal seat. It's been a safe liberal seat for a long time. They have won on first preferences for the last, you know, several elections. And so there are a lot of diehard rusted on liberal voters here. A lot of them tell me that they can't put up with Craig Kelly any longer, but actually, more of them tell me that they're just overall fed up with the way Government's going at the moment with the robots and the scandals and you know, the lack of integrity. That's the number one issue with the people that I talk to on the street. I think everyone except that, you know, Craig Kelly, is who he is. And we need to move on from that. But there's broader issues at play now. And people are just upset generally with the government and the Liberal Party in particular.

Lewis Hobba  32:58  
I mean, if it is a sort of safe liberal seat, I imagine there must be some policies you have that are crossing over in that area. What do you think are like the main issues in your area, apart from getting rid of Craig Kelly, you're hoping to bring forward here?

Georgia Steele  33:14  
Well, as I said, Before, I decided to run because I wanted to get action on climate change that that is my number one aim in doing what I'm doing. We live in a beautiful electrode actually used takes in the Royal National Park and a number of river systems and beaches. And so I think the people here actually want to maintain their beautiful surroundings and their lifestyle. But also, back to integrity. I can't believe what the federal government has been getting away with over the last few years. I don't think many of us can. I mean, even to the point where Craig Kelly got up to his worst shenanigans last year, and you know, really got a tiny little slap on the wrist and go over there and sit back down. You'll be right.

Dan Ilic  33:56  
That's right. When you got seven guests in for a dressing down in this in the Prime Minister's only,

Unknown Speaker  34:02  
exactly a dressing down and then it was only a few months later that he just decided to leave himself. So, you know, every day we use some scandal that's coming out of the federal government, and they're supposed to be representing all of us and they're supposed to be serving us. And I think that's the concept that we really lost in federal politics, that we're serving the public that there's no you know, personal gain to be had here.

Dan Ilic  34:27  
We're seeing quite the shift or the pivot, if you like, in the attitude to climate particularly in seats that are under threat from climate independence. Like Tim Wilson, Tim Wilson, and Goldstein is all of a sudden this crazy environmentalist who is going around to all the renewable businesses in his electorate telling everybody what a great job solar panels are doing and and he's really big on batteries and he's eating kombucha that is that is like carbon neutral. And it's so fascinating because for years he's been putting of the IPA where he is systematically tried to destroy every bit of carbon abatement or, or emissions policy and burn it all to the ground. And you see something very similar happening in Wentworth with Dave Sharma, Dave Sharma handing out flyers that unfortunately had a epic typo. But he wouldn't understand what the typo meant, had a typo that said, Net Zero climate action. That was the title of the fly, which is amazing. So you have all these, like, all of a sudden, you've got these liberals who aren't well versed in climate trying to be climate heroes. That's not happening in your electorate for a pretty good reason, isn't it? Because there is no one in the liberal party who's standing up to you yet? What's happening in the Liberal Party? What Why are they taking their time to get someone to go against you?

Georgia Steele  35:51  
I think the answer to that is because they're a complete shambles. They're trying to find a candidate that Scott Morrison can conveniently parachute into Hughes, like they've done over the last couple of elections with Craig Kelly. I'm currently running against a Liberal Party empty chair. And, you know, that's, that's fine by me. I like

Dan Ilic  36:25  
the Liberal Party by that chair from Craig Kelly's old shop.

Georgia Steele  36:31  
Yeah, so it's Craig Kelly in an empty chair in the Liberal Party. Right. That's, that's what I'm up against in queues. So it's good. It's gonna be an interesting time. But yeah, the Liberal Party is taking us for granted and ignored us for a very long time. It's no surprise that they haven't bothered pre selecting anyone yet.

Dan Ilic  36:46  
I mean, I kind of you're the wrong person answers. But do you think UAP has any kind of traction at all in here? It's like, do you think the United Australia party? You know, the Clive Palmer party? The Craig Kelly, Polly, is there an audience for that message in use at all?

Unknown Speaker  37:03  
No, I think I'm the perfect person to ask about that actually. started probably about 2.4% of the vote in queues in the 2019 election. And Craig Kelly,

Lewis Hobba  37:13  
the chair get,

Unknown Speaker  37:16  
you know, closer, closer to 50. And he was roundly disliked before he left the Liberal Party. And now he's terrorising people all over the country with his text messages and billboards and, and advertising in every traditional media he can find. So

Dave Warnake  37:35  
can I ask how many contacts you have in your phone? And have you messaged them all yet?

Unknown Speaker  37:42  
A lot? And yes. Oh, my free contacts, you know, phone numbers that I didn't have to buy.

Lewis Hobba  37:56  
I mean, they are spending a lot of money, though. Is that something that worries you? We'll be talking about the amount of political advertising that, you know, Australia party had done. Just just on the podcast the other week, and it's, you know, what's the 60 million? 60 million? Yeah, yeah, compared to, you know, other major party Labour Party had spent whatever, 500,000 or something comparatively, it was nothing.

Dan Ilic  38:17  
Oh, yeah. Then that was on YouTube, they spent $5 million on YouTube and the Labour Party have spent like $37,000 or something? Yeah.

Unknown Speaker  38:23  
Well, I mean, we all know that Clive Palmer spent $84 million to hand the 2019 election back to the Liberal Party, and in spending that amount of money did not win a single seat. So we can fully expect that to happen again. Where his strategy will ultimately land is unclear. But in answer to your question, no, I'm not worried about it. I mean, I can't possibly compete with that kind of money. But what I don't have in terms of money on the ground I have in people on the ground, and I'm in my electorate, I'm working with my community, and they're the ones who are going to vote. Come.

Lewis Hobba  39:02  
Check. We've actually got a million dollar donation. Very good. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker  39:11  
fine. Let's get it in there. Full disclosure, and then I'll get into parliament, I'll make sure that no one can donate $60 million to anyone.

Dan Ilic  39:20  
Well, that rolls me out. Well, I was 60 million lying around.

Lewis Hobba  39:26  
Being independent, is has historically been quite tough, not impossible, but tough. Do you think that there's been more of a conversation around it certainly in the media, people zali Steggall have sort of changed the narrative around that as well as others. But if you found that people are like, potentially, I guess you don't necessarily have a yardstick to measure it against but more receptive to the idea of an independent now and potentially they might have been previously.

Unknown Speaker  39:50  
Yeah, I do. I'm finding people to be very receptive to the idea of an independent. The seat of Hughes has never been held by an independent and so it's a big change. To ask the people around you to vote for an independent, I think they voted 92% of the vote at the last election for one of the two or three major parties. But I think that people like zali Steggall and Helen Haynes MP have really opened people's eyes to the power that independence can have in Parliament, and open people's eyes to the ways in which the two party system is failing us. And people are starting to really get to the point where they're going to be willing to try something different. Because if we keep doing what we've always done, we'll get the same result.

Dan Ilic  40:34  
This is an interesting question from Kieran Castellina. On YouTube, what about preferences, how you be, how you kind of dish out preferences and your how to votes and things like that?

Unknown Speaker  40:43  
That is the number one question that I get asked from everywhere from people that I meet on the street on social media, even to the point that today I put up an FAQ list on my website so that people can check it out. I will not be suggesting preferences on my how to vote card preferences do not belong to candidates, they belong to voters. And this is a misconception that I'm really really keen to clear up. Preferences are the voters superpower. And all they need to do is spend a very small amount of time once every three years, check out the candidates in their seat, check out their platforms, check out their qualifications and vote. I will of course be asking people to vote one Georgia steel, but then I will say Please rank the remaining candidates in order of your preference. That is what preferences are.

Dan Ilic  41:35  
I will just chime in here. If you want to know more about preferences, go to the irrational fear email list irrational fear.substack.com. Drop us your email and check out the first column from Kara Schlegel. From this week. She's written a great explainer on preferences and how they work. And preferences are pretty important. So make sure you check out that article from Kara Schlegel Georgia thank you so much. I'll have you know that you know while we were not you know going to donate to your campaign. We have done some joke keeper billboards in your electorate, and your neighbouring electric car could Can we just run them by you and see what you think I'd love to I'd love to know how you you know how you rank these. First of all, is this one. Let's put this one up here. This is it. Hawaiian hideaway. So when things get too hot at home, bushfire sound now on how would you feel about that one?

Unknown Speaker  42:24  
Yes, I like it. I like it and subtle. Shade. Just very delicately down. I like what you've done.

Dan Ilic  42:30  
What about this one? This is good to visit the old growth stumps of Tasmania. It's got a little upturned wombat there and mom and daughter on a hike through the hog crest dumps in Tasmania.

Unknown Speaker  42:43  
That's one of the ones that you really don't want to laugh at but can't help yourself. Yeah,

Dan Ilic  42:48  
maybe I should point out it was done by a Tasmanian artist. So you know, we're, we're okay there. Here we go. What about this one here? This is another one like kind of a jobs one, you know, a jobs for the future. It's got a picture of a woman a little girl and a graduation outfit. It says in 2035 Cassie will be qualified to put former politicians in jail for historical climate crimes. Climate prosecutor is one of 1 million new jobs in one main Australian jobs in a fossil free future. What do you think of this one?

Unknown Speaker  43:15  
Bring it on. That's the short 13 years away totally fake Happy Taking it to them. I'm in favour

Dan Ilic  43:24  
and finally in anger Dean in Hughes we've got this one going up.

Unknown Speaker  43:30  
And immediately

Dan Ilic  43:33  
Welcome Welcome to anger in the place where Scott Morrison last did anything well look you're

Unknown Speaker  43:43  
just opened this week a campaign office in anger doing across the road from McDonald's. You know, we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna be making anger doing great again.

Dan Ilic  43:55  
Oh, could you at least me and getting clean again? That would be great.

Unknown Speaker  43:59  
I'll give it a give it a shot. Georgia steel.

Dan Ilic  44:02  
Thank you so much for joining us on irrational fear.

Unknown Speaker  44:04  
Thanks, Dan. Thanks for having me.

Dan Ilic  44:06  
Let's see if the show big thank you to all of our guests. Georgia steel. Just Perkins Dave Warner key Jason. Dave, what would you like to plug?

Dave Warnake  44:13  
I think we should plug our podcast yes do go on, which is a history based comedy programme where for the last six years, we've taken it in turns to research a topic, bring it back to the others and try and make jokes about it.

Unknown Speaker  44:26  
Sometimes it's really well researched, sometimes pretty poorly. But I'm always I always have a good laugh.

Dan Ilic  44:33  
It's very good. It's very enjoyable. Louis, would you like to plug anything?

Lewis Hobba  44:36  
Well, I mean, since I've got Jess Perkins here not to start a turf war and not to create a staking eating its own tail kind of inception situation where we're at a dream within a dream. But Jess Perkins and I also do a podcast as well as Dan and I doing this podcast.

Dan Ilic  44:52  
What it simply I just

Lewis Hobba  44:55  
I didn't want you to feel I didn't want you to hear about it like

Dan Ilic  44:59  
you He did that podcast.

Unknown Speaker  45:02  
Who do you think the jest is?

Dan Ilic  45:04  
She's just she really listened to podcast.

Unknown Speaker  45:11  
You should. It's great.

Lewis Hobba  45:13  
Where Michael Hague, myself and Jess Perkins here the best stories around the country on a topic. The topic this week was boats. It's coming out on Monday and I don't feel I feel like I can't tell you the stories in front of a person who's campaigning for Parliament because I don't want to. I don't want you to think you'd be like this Ga

Unknown Speaker  45:32  
Ga CEO. What would you like to plug just vote one GA steel? come election day,

Dan Ilic  45:36  
naturally. Hey, a big thank you to all of our Patreon members who signed up we've had a huge sign up over the last two weeks. I'm going to read them all out. So just hang in there. Jesse lapide Renee Ridgeway Chris Harris Pascoe, Sash de Souza, si 316801 For Emily are James Russell. Joe Wade, Brooke, Santa Matt best Zuzia Abdul Youssef. Alex Hi dakak Diane rial Dominic night from the chaser has signed up Michael Solomon Clyde, Joe still it still in LA pulis and Verona Miller X. Dana Van Dyck, Megan, Chela Collins Sky Bar, Yan yay, see Peter, and Trudeau Wow, that is so many people. Thank you for signing up to irrational fear. And you can do that too. If you want to see us continue on with this podcast. Please go to rational fear.com Or go to Patreon Ford slash irrational fear big thank you to everyone who has tuned in for the stream tonight. And that's about it. Also big thanks to roadmaps versus Foundation, and everyone who listens. So thanks, everyone. We'll see you next week. There's always something to be scared of by

Lewis Hobba  46:42  
now, let's all do it in harmony. Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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