Episode description

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This week we rip into Pete Evans. Why not? Everyone else is. We as whether or not we should let dead mummies lie. We cheer on SA as they go into their 6 day hard lockdown. And we mock the SA government for trying to implement a tax on electric cars.

Fearmongers this week:

Zach Ruane (Aunty Donna's Big Ole House of Fun)
Virginia Gay (All Saints Big Ol Hospital of Fiction)
Dan Ilic (The Ronnie Johns Half Hour of Nonsense)
Lewis Hobba (Hungry Beast)

and Noah Schultz-Byard (SA Director of The Australia Institue)

____________________
Transcript below from Otter.Ai.

Unknown Speaker  0:00  
This podcast is supported in part by the birther foundation.

Dan Ilic  0:04  
Welcome to the podcast in case you're streaming us you will you'll know that Louis is face can't be seen because one he is a dentist and he's got a terrible laptop. If you want Louis to be able to be seen on streams in the future, please become our Patreon supporter. Just like Brett Murphy has Alex felony offski Vicki hassles, journalists Marty smiley Louis this month this week is become a supporter of us on Patreon.

Lewis Hobba  0:28  
Actually, I spent the weekend with Marty and he told me that and I was like that is so kind. But I think he also owes me because my niece Molly once had sex and my dad was away. And so he does, he does so much more money than he could ever give us on Patreon. Well, he's

Dan Ilic  0:44  
showing you $3 a month right now, which says a lot about body smiley for black. Yeah. And also Louis, we got a superfan who's giving us an embarrassing amount of money. David O'Connor is a school friend of mine. And probably you know those people who are like the most likely to succeed. When you're in high school. He is that guy and he has gone beyond our expectations and succeeded. So he's giving us a few hundred dollars a month which is incredible. Another way to support irrational fear is to offset the carbon emissions from your car with the go neutral sticker for every new $90 go neutral by 3.5 tonnes of carbon offsets which is about the average yearly emissions from a car and five bucks that comes to us. I'm recording my end of a rational fee on gadigal land in the urination. sovereignty was never seated, waited a treaty. Let's start the shot.

Unknown Speaker  1:31  
A rational fear contains naughty words like bricks cambro COMM And section 40 of a rational fear recommended listening by immature audience.

Dan Ilic  1:44  
Tonight at the 26 minute long News Corp AGM rupert murdoch said he's not a climate denier. He's just number one with climate deniers. And thanks to COVID-19 Adelaide enters six days of staying at home and doing nothing also known as Adelaide and Australia is set to open all state and territory borders by Christmas except CWA that ruined our holiday plans to Perth exclaimed no one is the 20th of November 2020. And many smart people are saying that we are gonna beat sizzle Tam at the Australian podcast level. So best comedy. This is irrational fear. Hello and welcome to irrational fear the show that holds your hand through the spookiest stories of the week on your host, former chairman of crown casino Dan Ilic. Joining me on the podcast this week, the mongers of fear. And let me tell you first up, he's the only guy left or Triple J who hasn't managed to go behind his boss's back to secure a deal with a commercial radio station. It's Louis harbor.

Lewis Hobba  2:55  
Begging for a den one day I'll get that you can pick it up.

Dan Ilic  2:59  
And she's a writer, performer, actor, musician and racconta it's the old star of all saints Virginia gay. Howdy, Dan. We have we're great. And our next guest Well, let's put it this way. It's been a quiet like nothing career defining or genre defying or nothing really in the realm of international acclaim has taken up his time and attention and as a result has had plenty of time to read the news and be a guest on every single comedy podcast from Australia. He's one third of the way up until this week that little known Australia sketch comedy group. Auntie Donna, Zack Ryan. Hello,

Zach Ruane  3:33  
hello. Thank you so much. I haven't had much time to read the news. But I think in the great tradition of white men through history, I'm just gonna have opinions without being informed. I'm just gonna go for him. Just you'll hear him I'll have him

Virginia Gay  3:48  
in the great tradition of white women.

Unknown Speaker  3:52  
Hilarious.

Dan Ilic  3:58  
Coming up in the podcast we're gonna be talking to two southies one the pizza guy comm security guard who is patient zero in the state's latest outbreak and we're gonna be talking about how the South Australian government is trying to implement attacks on electric cars which could see terrible policy make its way throughout the country just like other baddest South Australia incidents like dance chance and romance. But first here is this week's sponsor.

Unknown Speaker  4:23  
This week on SNS Australia, Nick Cummins is issued with his toughest challenge. Yes, they call you the honey badger right?

Unknown Speaker  4:31  
The pipe shed in the woods.

Unknown Speaker  4:33  
Do you want to win SS Australia? Oh man I want to win like a Dingo wants a baby. So when sh Australia all you have to do is indiscriminately destroy 39 innocent people are metaphorical your mind because anytime I go to the pub on ladies no

Unknown Speaker  4:48  
I'm like a bull in a china shop. I

Unknown Speaker  4:50  
just absolutely destroy murder them just like the real Australian. So yes.

Lewis Hobba  4:56  
Oh, holy Dooley. Hold your horses.

Unknown Speaker  4:58  
That's good practice. Hold your horses. Then

Unknown Speaker  5:02  
go go go go feel every

Unknown Speaker  5:04  
dog sleeping adventure and indiscriminate murders on this week's episode of sa Yes, Australia yet won't be seen on seven because the AFP would rate us and put us in jail.

Unknown Speaker  5:15  
Chapelle

Dan Ilic  5:18  
can't wait to say that one. All right, let's get stuck into their fears. This week's first fear we all know Pete Evans has been canceled once popular conspiracy theories shift. The same guy who activated armands has been dropped by his publisher and book chains for activating right wing conspiracy theorists with a Nazi black son car turn on Facebook. Now to be fair, he's also at COVID conspiracy theorist which has killed almost 1.5 million people in six months. And he's even been dropped by channel 10. I'm a celebrity Get me out of here because the producers couldn't find conditions that were more extreme than having It's been eight weeks isolated with Pete Evans. His products have also been dropped from Coles and while we're so fear mongers it is safe to say you can't get canceled in Australia unless you're a white guy who wants to promote the Nazis. Well, what do you say Zach? Is? Is has it? Why is it taken this long to cancel? paid adverts? Oh, my

Zach Ruane  6:09  
goodness gracious me. I think there's an element with him where he's just such a big goof. He's been a goofus long. just gone. He started to go. Oh, Kate.

Lewis Hobba  6:24  
If he led with narcissism, he would have been like, I don't like oh my God, this guy's a Nazi. Because he led with sort of cheeky things like I'm gonna stare at the sun and tell people it's healthy. You like about Tommy it's an autism. You like well, he aged to seen, you know, it's like, it's not like, it's not like, it's not like throwing a it's like a stepping into a hot bath. It's like putting a frog into a pot and slowly turning up the hate.

Virginia Gay  6:47  
Yeah. Which would be delicious. In one of his recipes.

Dan Ilic  6:52  
Louis, I remember talking with you about bass in 2012. There in the very first time, the whole, you know, Twitter had a bit of a meltdown about paid Evans, which is when he was activating armands on his day on a plate column. Or why do you think do you do you? Could you imagine like back in 2012. When we were talking about this, we'd still be talking about it in the year 2020.

Unknown Speaker  7:11  
I mean,

Lewis Hobba  7:12  
I guess I'm kind of surprised that, that Pete Evans has lost that as long as he has. He is I mean, they were. He's such he's pretty bad talent. Like, have you ever watched him on television? He's not very good. But he's not a very good presenter. And he's such a bad chef, that he actually got beaten by a contestant on his own show. So he's neither a good chef nor a good presenter, nor a non Nazi. I guess that's, that's a zero from three for me.

Virginia Gay  7:42  
Isn't it also true that like, if you're astonished that you're still talking about Pete Evans, and you were first talking about him in 2012? Does that make him our Trump? Because Are we still astonished that we're talking about Trump? Like, he was just a punch line in 2015? Right? Who's the punch line? In fact, home alone to eat in the city or whatever? Oh,

Dan Ilic  8:04  
are you implying that Paige Evans is going to become Prime Minister of Australia sometimes? God?

Unknown Speaker  8:13  
Jesus Christ,

Dan Ilic  8:13  
He is very, He's very handsome. He's got those sparkly eyes. He does like to surf.

Virginia Gay  8:18  
nice smile lines. Have you seen as everybody's seen that the video of him saying,

Unknown Speaker  8:24  
You know what,

Virginia Gay  8:25  
I didn't even I had to look up the phrase neo nazi, I would say, mate, does what it says on the tin. But I also am obsessed with the fact that he's standing next to that horse and that horse is like, stop at my stop.

Unknown Speaker  8:39  
I said, Shut up.

Virginia Gay  8:41  
That horses is press agent. And even that horse can't keep him in line. Here it is.

Unknown Speaker  8:48  
Well, just wait until 2020 anymore because the mainstream media have come out and labeled me a racist and a neo nazi effect that I had to actually Google a neo nazi man is pretty telling. So I would just want to tell you this once and one time early. It is completely untrue. unfactual and a load of garbage here. I could actually say a few more words, but anybody that knows me knows I stand for long term, sustainable health for all humanity. I don't think there's anything else I need to say except please. Oh my

Dan Ilic  9:25  
god, you're right, Virginia. That horse was really trying to shut him the hell up.

Virginia Gay  9:30  
That a horse is a channel seven publishers going we had one chance.

Unknown Speaker  9:39  
They'll pretty much take

Zach Ruane  9:40  
anyone on I'm a celebrity. Get me out of here. It's sort of like they'll they'll take some great celebrities. I've had friends on that show, but they'll also just go are you at your lowest point?

Unknown Speaker  9:51  
Yes. Come on board.

Unknown Speaker  9:55  
Come on.

Zach Ruane  9:56  
Get on the show.

Virginia Gay  9:58  
Do delicious. just pile of cockroaches. What is the price that you would need on the table to do that shows that?

Unknown Speaker  10:07  
Oh, yeah.

Unknown Speaker  10:10  
Oh,

Lewis Hobba  10:11  
I mean, keep in mind that a worldwide Netflix deal? Yeah.

Unknown Speaker  10:15  
Right, Louis.

Lewis Hobba  10:18  
I'll do a free MacBook Pro.

Unknown Speaker  10:23  
For a webcam.

Zach Ruane  10:28  
There's something really when you're working when you're working Australian artists, that whole show the whole idea of I'm a celebrity Get me out of here is it's about bringing people down. It's like, these big coastal elites, again, ate some cockroaches, and we're gonna have a little laugh at them. But when it's just working Australian artists, it's just like, Oh, look, look what desperation and a bad in this, like a badly funded industry will do to people. It's very sad and hard to watch. But

Dan Ilic  10:58  
it's not even like that I needed to Kobe used to be the boss of the show that the boss of the company that makes that show, and she asked me when I was first going, she's like, would you go on that show? And I was like, actually, because I would say like, it'd be like eight weeks of solid pay and solid work. And of course you don't. And if anything like I mean Joel crazy was in the first ever season and it kind of helped him with his career totally blew up his career. Now he's become a household name. Yeah. Well, yeah, you do.

Lewis Hobba  11:31  
I think the way that the people who cost it, this is like, actual words from costing people say that they try to get good people on the way up and bad people on the way down. So it's like,

Unknown Speaker  11:46  
oh, that's

Dan Ilic  11:47  
amazing. So when I was asked five years ago, I might have been a good person going up, but now I'm definitely a bad guy.

Lewis Hobba  11:54  
Yeah, you weren't. You're crazy now you're Chappelle. Is it?

Zach Ruane  11:58  
Is there anything in this Pete Evans story, when when when I hear that, like Twitter blew up in 2012, about the activated almonds? Is there anything in this story about maybe we need to stop blowing up about activated almonds?

Dan Ilic  12:15  
People who are pure about their food are also pure about their bloodlines. So we got to be very careful about who is pure about what things we got to be very careful about that.

Unknown Speaker  12:25  
You're listening

Unknown Speaker  12:26  
to a rational fear,

Unknown Speaker  12:29  
I can very easily disappear. You know, some people would like me to disappear and I doubt and I'll just make this one statement. If I disappear or I have a frickin weird accident, it wasn't an accident. Okay.

Dan Ilic  12:41  
This way second fear. Archaeologists in Egypt have an earth more than 100 A delicately painted wooden coffins, some with mummies inside and 40 funeral statues in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara, Virginia is everything okay? With this story, you find this?

Virginia Gay  12:58  
I am so thrilled about this story. Because what's so great about it is it's just so great to take a break from the inescapable dread of COVID and the inescapable dread of like Trump maybe barricaded himself in the White House and just really focus on the inescapable dread of awakening and ancient curse. And I just think in times like these, a change is as good as a holiday. I for one, welcome our new mommy overlords. I cannot wait to have the Scarab beetles up under my skin, I will be excited to class the jewel that then turns my hand to dust.

Dan Ilic  13:31  
What a thrill the sealed wooden coffin some containing mummies date far back as 2500 G's are in perfect condition of preservation, and are fine quality coffins meant as they were probably the final resting place of the wealthiest citizens official said Well, clearly, the final resting place is not going to be there. It's going to be the British Museum or somewhere else.

Lewis Hobba  13:53  
Yeah, it's the wealthy citizens that mean it's sort of their equivalent of paid Evans.

Dan Ilic  13:59  
Yeah. Oh, Jeff Bezos, like it's one of those things. Yeah.

Lewis Hobba  14:03  
I think it's just gold covered. Um,

Dan Ilic  14:05  
and I think you're right, Virginia. I think you know, it is time to kind of disrupt the horror show we're living in in 2020. And it's good to have some I mean, I've watched the documentary it's good

Virginia Gay  14:14  
to have an actual literal horror show. Yes.

Dan Ilic  14:18  
Exactly. Why, why deal in figuratively terms? Yeah, I watched a documentary The other day called The Mummy Returns. And it was it was very insightful. I'm looking forward. I'm

Zach Ruane  14:28  
also really, really curious how quickly how quickly corporations are gonna get on board with the mummy curse, like they're on their own no contact delivery within like, get a pizza for you and a garlic bread for the ancient mommy in your basement.

Lewis Hobba  14:51  
I saw that. There's a new Netflix documentary all about this the opening of this term. And have you guys seen this? Oh, yes. Yeah. I am. wondered if it was the biggest thing to be on Netflix this week's act?

Zach Ruane  15:04  
No, no, no, actually, I think you will find it the crown.

Virginia Gay  15:11  
The Queen's gambit is also very good.

Zach Ruane  15:13  
Yeah, absolutely. When we when we were like setting up like, we had an announced date and a release date, and then they emailed us a few, like maybe a month ago, two months ago, and they're like, oh, we're gonna move the date forward. And I was like, Why? Why? Why? Like, look, it's a complicated thing. It's about other shows. And I just Google and my other currencies and just want to get like, some time before everyone's like, Diane.

Dan Ilic  15:42  
I've got a question about your shows that I could in the Yeah, I don't think it's too weird to talk about how you had this episode called the claim. Did you guys build that episode? Because you knew the crown was coming back?

Zach Ruane  15:53  
No, like, nice. It's so funny because it comes off as a let loose live and they used to talk about the dancing show exactly.

Dan Ilic  16:03  
Like the only people The only people that remember let loose live are comedians who are who would jealous of anyone who gets a TV show on Fox?

Zach Ruane  16:16  
Do you know what strategies This is the second job I brought up, let loose live on my promo to get slightly less slightly less. References

Dan Ilic  16:25  
less live the show that debuted in 2005. It was hosted by Dave O'Neill. It lasted two episodes, it had great people. And unlike Kate McLennan, and Sammy j, and a whole bunch of really old comedians who totally fucked it up. They wanted to create like an SNL for CHANNEL SEVEN. And they had they had these great young talent who were doing good work. And then they had these old talent who were just rolling television, in front of everybody's eyes and in ruining everybody else's chances for making something good in the future. Thankfully, you know that the ronnie Jones half hour came out not long after that, he fixed it

Zach Ruane  16:59  
and saved it all not well. So it seems like synergy. But if you can, if you go back, if you watch our live shows, and listen to our podcast, both broden and I are obsessed with the crown like I've been obsessed with not just the crown I love the queen is one of my favorite movies. And the audience is one of my favorite plays. So Peter Morgan, he just done a lot of stuff about the queen and I'm obsessed with it. And in a very serious like, why, but for some reason, just if something's in your mind long enough, it becomes the comedy. It just sneaks into the company, even if you don't find it funny. So I think we just made a lot of crown references, and then quite by coincidence, it came out a week at the same way.

Dan Ilic  17:41  
While we're just talking about your show, which is why you're here to talk about your show sometimes. I can I just say one of the things I absolutely love about the anti donut show on Netflix is how you've relentlessly put in Australian references and haven't bothered to Americanize them all. And all I could think of was these, this audience is going to be so curious about what four and 20 pies are. What these other references are like, looking thank god they did that because it's such an tion of the of the of the artists.

Zach Ruane  18:14  
Yeah, thank you for mentioning that. I think I keep thinking about it. It's like domain. I think the main thing was it maybe it was subconscious. But we were just like, Netflix are gonna make us go international. They're gonna go change the brands. So like, let's go as hard as humanly possible on the Australian references. Let's just like go really really hard so they miss a few. And that will get out big, long writable thing of lists. And unfortunately, the digest didn't realize kasidy Ringwood was a real Australian references like regional like these

Dan Ilic  18:49  
references.

Zach Ruane  18:50  
Yeah. And then it turns out when you've got like an $8 billion budget and you're and you're making like the crown for 100 million dollars, the little weeds get show in the corner. They just don't give you notes. So they're going after like Saudi Arabia with a foreign 20 reference.

Dan Ilic  19:12  
Speaking of regional Australia, South Australia is back in lockdown, which has caused me panic once again. Toilet paper is off the shelves but more to the point. Bottom shops were hit hard this week. The port Pirie bottle shop owner said told the ABC News that yesterday that is Wednesday when we're recording. They usually make $3,000 on a Wednesday, but so far they've taken $35,000 Yeah. And it's not if it's ago adalet Yes, I call them today just to see if they want to wrap for a chat. It turns out they're actually dead today. Because the reason the reason why that was so busy yesterday is because the government hasn't clarified at that point which is bottle shops are allowed to stay open but once the government's like yeah bottle shops can stay oh but nothing no backup other shops like that. Thankfully the South Australian police have issued some reasons to leave home the Finally I think, you know, we've all heard that government clear government rules is really important in times of stress like this. I don't know if you've seen this let me see if I can show you here the reasons to leave home over here. I don't if you can read this, but it's on the list of reasons to leave home which include visiting a petrol station pharmacy and post office shop. There's also one called home commonly known as bottleshop. This is the official This is the official South Australian police information. I love that. So why South Australia back in lockdown again. Well, a cluster of 17 new cases has been tied to a frontline worker for a quarantine hotel security guard took COVID-19 to his second job at a pizza shop. Now fear mongers It seems to me that we should be probably paying our frontline workers a little bit more said that they don't have to have a second job at this time. Is that to

Virginia Gay  20:59  
slow down what you're crazy? What what? Like actual pay that allows them to live when they are literally protecting us?

Unknown Speaker  21:09  
something something

Dan Ilic  21:10  
something more than minimum wage, perhaps

Virginia Gay  21:13  
something that doesn't force them to compromise their security and the security of the rest of the state

Unknown Speaker  21:18  
what

Dan Ilic  21:19  
crazy slash nation

Unknown Speaker  21:22  
nation?

Zach Ruane  21:23  
It's it's one of those things, isn't it? Like there's been so many things that are like new there are so many things that are that I never thought I'd see or hear that have happened this year. I think my dad my 63 year old dad talking about the casualization of the workforce as a key issue. Probably the man that turns every brand into a plural and he's like, Alright, goodnight. I need to work on these casualization

Unknown Speaker  21:51  
then

Unknown Speaker  21:54  
you told me to shut up.

Lewis Hobba  21:56  
You got to unionize the gig economy.

Virginia Gay  22:00  
Uber rise at night What can you tell me a little more about turning every brand into a plural?

Unknown Speaker  22:06  
Yeah, what is the

Zach Ruane  22:08  
open is do they you know they don't go to Meijer they go to Myers and I gotta say fight I gotta say flies. Like every moment that happens in your life. I've got friends now. You know, I'm only 30 but I've got friends that I like I would go to Safeway so I'm like get done contribute to the world anymore.

Dan Ilic  22:27  
But Zack when when your friends start talking brands in plurals you know they're probably got a bunch of investment property so you can hit them up for a line.

Unknown Speaker  22:35  
Exactly because

Zach Ruane  22:37  
I reckon it's I like looking at the way the world is going. It's only up for investment property.

Lewis Hobba  22:45  
The Adelaide lockdown has been interesting to see just in terms of the the coverage because it's so different to Melbourne lockdowns and obviously, it's still, it's still very new. But it's, it reminds me of I'm the youngest sibling, in my family. And my eldest sibling in my family, my sister is always talking about how she had to do the hardship. Just like mom and dad used to. They had tough rules for me. I couldn't go out it like and then you come along the third person to go through the things and no one cares. You can do whatever you want. Like the coverage of Adelaide is just been like, oh, they're going into lockdown. Now seems like the right thing to do. Like two months ago, it was dictated Dan is like abusing his people you like this is it's the same thing. You've just seen it before.

Virginia Gay  23:40  
And you smell a stain. how incredibly successful it is. No, no, not stays. Everybody. Well done. melva Tribble

Dan Ilic  23:46  
doughnuts coming soon. mezcal musings on YouTube, right? No, Ben is one big investment property. Ain't that the truth? Well, I spoke to the security guards slice pizza shop worker in question a little earlier on today. Well, we've got patient zero in Adelaide on the line. JOHN from COVID brothers pizza. Thanks for joining us, john. Of course, not your real name. No, it's

Unknown Speaker  24:07  
Jonathan Marshall and is reserved for my premium.

Dan Ilic  24:11  
So Jonathan, working security in a covered hotel and making pizza that is a hell of a juggling act right there.

Unknown Speaker  24:17  
Well, because I was an artist.

Dan Ilic  24:19  
Did you ever consider retraining

Unknown Speaker  24:21  
beyond Coronavirus? There's not many good sectors in SI besides daycare, and frankly, that wasn't an option because history shows that comedians really can't be trusted around vulnerable sleepy people with foggy memories.

Dan Ilic  24:33  
So how did pizza enter the picture? Well, my

Unknown Speaker  24:35  
last word cleanse hope staff meetings after hours and titles and pizza. Sorry, I find the union hotline. They sort of have a huge problem because there's so

Unknown Speaker  24:43  
you joined the union.

Unknown Speaker  24:44  
I started making pizza and head of the Union combined with Gary gallon, that stuff when it's pretty big. Right? And

Dan Ilic  24:52  
is this why you started working security at a covid hotel?

Unknown Speaker  24:56  
Yeah, I mean, staff meetings on zoom have really smashed my bottom line. The content that I'm working with in a pandemic, on like pages and quarantine is terrible. I still miss making pages to people. It's vertical integration.

Dan Ilic  25:09  
I think that's actually horizontal integration.

Unknown Speaker  25:15  
horizontal integration if you know too many

Dan Ilic  25:17  
people worried about getting COVID on their pizza,

Unknown Speaker  25:20  
man, it's not the weirdest thing on these put on their faces. Yeah. I mean, if anything, I run the perfect business. I deliver pizzas for businesses under paying their staff painlessly and without complaining that I don't earn enough in my COVID job, but I have to learn like making pizzas. Actually,

Dan Ilic  25:45  
I don't think you can include the word life in a pizza business linked to a COVID outbreak.

Thank you. That was great. Adelaide comedian john Brooks. They're staying in South Australia now. They forced us to drink Cooper's for years now. South Australia is about to export its worst thing since Cory Bernardi. It's a new tax on electric cars. Yeah, the SI Treasurer Rob Lucas reckons it's a done deal. And to him, it makes sense to put a tax on cars that don't pollute. What do you expect from a state that calls itself South Australia that's actually further north than three other states. To talk to us through the dumbest tax ever. It's no assurance by a director of the strategy true for South Australia. Now, thanks for joining us on irrational fear. Hi, everybody, thanks for having me. Now, one who is trying to implement this tax and why

Noah Schultz-Byard  26:36  
the state government in the budget that was just handed down last week announced in their hidden away just a couple of sentences, saying that they're thinking about looking at maybe next year, probably but we don't know what it's gonna look like yet. Implementing a special tax just for electric vehicles. We at the Australia Institute were harking back to the language of Tony Abbott and effectively calling it a great big new tax on not polluting. It's like you've got this great new technology that's coming along in Australia, we're not very good at buying them yet. We should get a lot better at buying them. If there's proper policies in place, a lot more of us would own them. We need more of them. So what does the government think we should do? We should slap a tax on it. It's a it's the opposite of what's needed as Bay Jafari at the electric vehicle Council says, you know, we have tobacco excise on cigarettes to try and you know, help people encourage them not to smoke. This is like someone giving up cigarettes, and then you're slapping with attacked, because they're not paying the tobacco excise anymore. It's craziness. We think it shouldn't go ahead. We're hoping I won't go ahead. We'll see what happens.

Dan Ilic  27:50  
Yeah, I happen to how does it How does it even get this far? Like how does a tax it's so dumb, get this get like, get to the treasurer's desk and get to the point where the chairs like, yeah, I think we're gonna do this dumb thing.

Noah Schultz-Byard  28:03  
It's a bit of a mystery. It's really counterintuitive, but a couple of the states have been talking about going down this road. Over the years. It's really counterintuitive. I say, because South Australia, along with other states have recently been announcing some pretty good electric vehicle policy. So just two weeks ago, I think it was the state government announced that they were going to roll out hundreds of rapid charges across the state. So we can have a network of electric vehicle fast charges that are also going to convert the entire government fleet to electric cars over the next 10 years. So you know, you are doing this good stuff on one hand, and then he comes budget time and PAL sneaky surprise, electric vehicle tax comes out of nowhere.

Dan Ilic  28:49  
So but how did that how does this tax, get it get to the Treasury tax? Like how does it even you know, where did the idea come from?

Noah Schultz-Byard  28:56  
So a few different. It's generally discussed in policy circles. There's one organization called infrastructure partnerships, Australia that has been pushing the idea for a while and in, in a lot of policy and tax conversations, this sort of thing comes up. It's there is actually an argument to be made for a road user charge, which is what this what they're calling this, but I mean, this is getting probably a little bit geeky, but do it. There's a whole bunch of things that go towards raising revenue. So that's car red Joe, luxury car tax, that's the fuel excise that's paid for petrol, compulsory in a whole bunch of things get you know that we pay to have cars and use the road. You could get rid of all of those things and charge people for using the road how much they use it each year, what time of day they use it. They use it when it's really busy charging more if you go into like a super busy city where it's really expensive to build the infrastructure to make that work and there's low competition to use them. Structure charge the more for that and charge everybody, you know petrol cars and electric cars across the same way if that's one way that you want to get rid of all these old taxes and charge something new or unfair? Sure, well, that's a conversation we can have. But just coming along and saying, we're gonna have an extra special new tax that will just pop on electric vehicles, you know, in Australia, point 2% of cars, or electric vehicles, and I feel like attacks on that is like putting a tax on trying to save an endangered species. You know, like, we

Unknown Speaker  30:29  
want more of these things.

Noah Schultz-Byard  30:31  
It's like going out and finding a baby club. So you and your saver, gonna pay five bucks to the government. It just doesn't make any sense.

Unknown Speaker  30:37  
Yeah.

Dan Ilic  30:38  
Which is why I burn a koala awake, just you know, just in case. Yeah,

Lewis Hobba  30:44  
it's so weird that this is happening in all places of South Australia, a place that is essentially owes its electricity grid to Tesla. Like it just as a giant Tesla battery. There is a man who is the biggest like one of the biggest manufacturers of electric cars, essentially in control of their power grid. And they're going, oh, let's piss off a long. Thank you. We'll go back to blackouts. he'll pull you back in blackout town satellite.

Zach Ruane  31:12  
Admittedly, also, it is the state that it took a crazy man on Twitter to convince them to try that. battery and they're like, all right.

Unknown Speaker  31:26  
What can go wrong? You don't get

Noah Schultz-Byard  31:29  
exactly what is glad he was willing to come here. You know, a very cool visit of South Australia will take him.

Lewis Hobba  31:36  
Brooks doing just getting to do another tweet that seems to be

Noah Schultz-Byard  31:41  
just sorted out like that. It's tough. You know, you're tweeting because solve the world's problems. I will be there in the next couple of years, I reckon on each one of us.

Dan Ilic  31:48  
Should I be worried about this? No, I should be worried. Should I go down to my mechanic and ask them how to convert my Tesla series three into a petrol car?

Noah Schultz-Byard  31:57  
We hope not. So in South Australia, the labour opposition, the greens opposition and some of the crossbenchers have already said, Well, well, this is a crazy idea and we don't support it. So this idea looks effectively dead on arrival, it can't pass the parliament with that amount of opposition. So things look good in South Australia, the big risk is if other states also start seeing this and thinking, you know, hello, hello, could get a bit of revenue out of this and start trying to implement something themselves, we hope, you know, there's been a very strong, reasonable negative reaction to this idea in sa hopefully that will discourage other jurisdictions from going down the same path?

Dan Ilic  32:37  
No, is it really a revenue question? Because as you say, the revenue is so minuscule, or is it something else?

Noah Schultz-Byard  32:42  
So in the budget papers, there's normally a lot of detail for how these policies are going to work and how much they'll make and how much it costs to implement them. There was none of that there was just a couple of sentences saying, Yeah, we might have a crack at this, we don't know exactly what it's gonna look like, or how it's gonna work. But there was a line in the papers that said, do go on, there was this secret little line in this field section of the budget, you know, you open the plastic to get to the triple X ray for separate information at the boat,

Lewis Hobba  33:11  
we're across.

Noah Schultz-Byard  33:16  
Work with fantasy for this is my nerd, you know, going deep into the data fantasy. So the secret shame in the budget document said, you know, there are so few electric vehicles on the road as it is. And over the next four years, there's probably not going to be many more anyway. So it's gonna raise stuff or money, even as it is less than a million dollars a year. So there's a tacit recognition in there, that there's not going to be an increase taken on electric vehicles, it's not going to raise much money, it's going to suppress the uptake of electric vehicles. So you know, why are we even doing it? It's hard to know.

Virginia Gay  33:52  
Because Lex Luthor has gotten some sort of information about electric vehicles like this is full supervillain stuff, but in a deeply data sealed section kind of way.

Lewis Hobba  34:05  
Yeah, I like the idea of a data filter. It makes you feel like the Delhi doctor is routing policy.

Noah Schultz-Byard  34:12  
Are you taking the quiz? It turns out if you're into budget paper three, you're your nerd on the nerd quiz.

Dan Ilic  34:18  
Noah, Rob Lucas, this set SS Treasurer said that another state is looking at it. Do you know what state is looking at

Noah Schultz-Byard  34:25  
it? New South Wales have said in the last week that they're potentially looking at it and a bit over a year ago, I think it was the Victorian Government said that they would be you know, willing to take a look at it. So like I said, it's definitely an idea that's knocking around people. People want to look at it. There's just there's so much better ways you could potentially go around about it rather than just slapping a blunt instrument of this tax just on electric vehicles. So we hope at least in this, the form that it's been semi announced in South Australia isn't what people decide to do

Dan Ilic  35:00  
well no, thank you so much for being part of irrational fear tonight and I noticed you're ready for lockdown in the back of your screen. It's very clear. Look at all those board games ready to go. You've got like 15,000 board games

Noah Schultz-Byard  35:14  
one day into lockdown. I've played almost all of them the liquor cabinet is dry,

burning everything

Unknown Speaker  35:22  
to keep me going Excellent. Well

Dan Ilic  35:24  
that's it for irrational vision. I big thank you to all our all of our guests. Noah shows by Zachary Ruane of Virginia gay Louis harbor. If you got anything to plug Zach, is there anything you want to kind of get out there into the world to let people know about?

Zach Ruane  35:37  
I haven't seen any of the crowns season four yet. I'm very excited to say what he does with that shop. Also known as Big House of fun. I really should I've been a bit cheeky You know, I've just been promoting the crown. But I need my help me known as big ol House of fun on Netflix. Think if you're a boomer and you're listening, it's like the goodies if you're young, it's like South Park. I don't care. It's like everything you love, but we it

Dan Ilic  36:05  
isn't like Studio 10 at all. I love Studio 10 Yeah, that's a bit like Studio 10. Virginia, do you have anything to plug?

Virginia Gay  36:14  
I've got theater shows that are coming out next year if theater exists next year, so wear your mask and make sure I can do them. Thank you very much,

Dan Ilic  36:22  
Louis. You got anything to plug? Uh, no,

Lewis Hobba  36:25  
not really save all I'm on the radio come and say hello.

Unknown Speaker  36:28  
No shows spired you're gonna think the plug

Noah Schultz-Byard  36:31  
the Australia Institute, ta ai.org.au. It's where we do all of our awesome research that will hopefully squash things like the electric vehicle tax. Go there. Read the research donate if you want to. It's a cracking website full of really nerdy stuff.

Dan Ilic  36:45  
Great. big thank you to rode mics the birth of foundation going into our Patreon supporters Jacob brown on the tepanyaki timeline big contributions this week from john Brooks Rupa de Gass, Kilian, David and Maddy Palmer, Dave blow sane, and some other great folks who hang out in our Discord. Now, before we leave you tonight, we've actually heard this in trouble in America. We haven't heard from Donald Trump in a few days. He's been very quiet. But I do have a leak tape which might tell us why.

Unknown Speaker  37:16  
It's me. President Trump still president just calling to say that I'm not coming in today. Okay. Um, Mr. President, certainly, sir. Are you feeling okay? I'm feeling great. I'm just feeling a little bit under the weather but I'm not coming in. I'm having a mental health day. Need some me time? And that's fine, sir. Hope you get better soon. We'll see you tomorrow. No, not gonna come in tomorrow either. I don't have to. You can't make me. I'm the president. I need more me time tomorrow to Okay. Yes, sir. Pardon my asking sir, but this hasn't got anything to do with you know, the other day what what the other day? What are you talking about? I played golf. Big deal. Great game. Tremendous game. I had the highest round ever. It was huge. Yes, sir. That and the young. The election. Yeah. And that well, I won the election. I wanted I then won some golf. No big deal. So much winning. I'm sick of winning. Sick of winning. I need a day off. All right. And I need another day off tomorrow. I need some me time. All right. All right, sir. So you didn't see the Joe Biden speech on TV sleepy Joe? sleepy Joe's speech on TV. I caught some of it horrible, horrible, worst concession speech ever believe me, sir. He didn't even mention that he lost Can you believe that? What a loser. a sore loser nasty loser. He's nasty. Nasty, so you won't accept defeat sir Sure. I accept his defeat Of course I do. You didn't want Oh, yes. I did. I alternatively one by a lot. Believe me. He fake What? Sir. People are saying you need to face reality, sir. Now you listen here. My reality is great. It's the best reality there is. Believe me. Everyone else's reality is wrong. That's everybody else's is wrong. All right. All right. Okay, sir. So you're calling in sick for today and tomorrow. And the day after that, too? Yeah. What three days? Three days now actually make it three months? A bit under the weather. A bit of me time. All right, more me time than Lincoln. Okay, I gotta go back to bed now. Oh, it's so early. Oh, 11am. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Unknown Speaker  39:47  
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai

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