Paul Murray Live | 31 October

From the Sky News Center.

This is Paul Murray Live.

Good evening and welcome. I'm Caleb Bond.

It's Beido number two in for Paul tonight. He's on his way to the USA, of course, for the election. Plenty more to come from him next week. But in the meantime, pour yourself a drink and settle in for.

A ripper hour. I'll have Michael Kroger.

And Christie McSweeney with me soon, and I'll talk to an old maid of mine who's made a docco about patching fire in a horror car crash.

And living to tell the tale. Well, the whole Alban.

Eazy Quantus thing just gets weirder and weirder and weirder. Now I've been calling him Albert Freebee. Paul of course has been calling him upgrade Albow, and he's clearly worried this stuff is sticking.

That's because it is.

He told his ministers at a meeting in Melbourne today that he was the victim of an unfair media campaign and that Labor was held to a higher standard than the Coalition. What a classic look over there. Oh, why is the media so unfair on poor old Elbow?

I mean, come on.

He must really be off with the pixies if he believes that one god.

Fly with me, will fly, We'll fly.

Hey, God, let my away.

Actually, after this week he may well be thinking more along the lines of this sinnatratude.

Fly me to the moon, let me play up there with those stars.

At least he wouldn't have to deal with us up there. And well, if he can get a quantus upgrade on the way, why not. Now we know he said all this stuff at the meeting because a number of people who were in the meeting leaked it to the Nine Papers. And when ministers start leaking against their prime minister, you

Now me I mean boohoo.

Another person who was there told the Nine Papers that it was quote a massive sook up. In The Australian, they wrote. One person at the meeting told The Australian the monologue was even worse than his widely panned press conference a day earlier, accusing the Prime Minister of rambling without having a clear objective of what his ministers should take away from the comments.

Oh dear.

Now, this morning Ben Fordham on two GB read out an exchange he had with Albinizi where he denied talking to anyone at Quantas about getting upgrades.

Crucially, as of this morning, he has denied ever talking to Alan Joyce about flight upgrades or personal travel. We asked the PM if he's discussed all of this with Alan Joyce. The PM replied, no, I haven't spoken to Alan in a very long time.

Now.

We asked the Prime Minister to join us on on air today, but he told us he's unavailable. Why he's catching a plane.

Fantastic, isn't it.

So he's finally denied it nearly a week later. Now, remember yesterday he put out a very carefully worded statement saying he'd never called Alan Joyce about an upgrade. But he certainly didn't deny talking to anyone else. Now, if he never asked anyone for an upgrade, then why didn't

For a distraction.

So it was that Peter Dutton had asked Gina ryan Hart to use her private jet. Now he was asked on Tuesday whether he'd ever done that, and he said no, that was wrong, and he deserves to be criticized for that. He corrected the record today though.

And at that point, I think we had a charter estimate, which was about forty thousand dollars to fly from rock Hampden to Sydney and then back to Mackay. I thought that was very expensive, and the cheap option for the taxpayer was for my office to speak to Missus Reinhart's officer as to whether the plane might be available.

That was at zero cost.

To the taxpayer, and that's as I mean, I don't think you'd get as clear a statement as that from the Prime minister. But that's what happened.

But let's be serious here, this is a completely different situation. Labour wants you to think that this is in some way comparable. That Dutton has had snout in the trough just as much and so look, we're not any different than the other mob but they're not the same. Dutton's office, while he is in opposition, asks a personal friend of his whether he can borrow her plane to go to a Barley bombing memorial. It's not like missus Reinhardt has

There is in the market.

It's one of the main reasons that Rex fell over on its mission to run between the capital cities, because Sydney to Melbourne is one of the busiest and one of the most profitable airline routes in the world. But they could only get too slot today in the mid morning and the late evening, which aren't prime flying time. I mean, how is another operator meant to break into the market if they're not allowed to fly when people want to fly. These are the decisions that the Transport

Now you know what was in it.

But just for the sake of clarity, because I don't think you can point this stuff out enough, I'll avail you of some of.

Its greatest hits.

The evidence suggests that some restrictions were poorly justified in extent and all duration, disproportionate to the risk, and inconsistently applied across the country, and that specific groups were disproportionately impacted. Yes, It said that people felt that restrictive measures were not appropriate in the long term and were too heavy handed and controlling, and that there was a perception that authorities lacked compassion and refused to make exceptions based on need

It said the closure of state borders.

Was enacted unilaterally and lack consistency and compassion in implementation. It said that broad opposition to vaccine mandates was one of the inquiry's clearest findings, and that they contributed to distrust in government, increased vaccine hesitancy, and carried profound social and economic costs for those who could not or decided

By the States.

And where are the pandemic premiers Andrews in Victoria, Palochet in Queensland, Stephen Marshall in South Australia, Gladysbury, Jiclian in New South Wales, Mark McGowan in Western Australia, Peter Gutween in Tasmania.

Where have they all been this week?

The report came out on Tuesday, so they had most of Tuesday, all of Wednesday, all of Thursday. They've had the better part of three days to say something and nothing. I mean, we are pretty clearly owed an apology, but they are taking us for mugs now, just as they took us for mugs a few years ago when they were wielding all these lockdowns and restrictions. They obviously don't think that we're deserving of an explanation, let alone an

You know stuff like this.

If you are at Adelaide Oval and the ball comes towards you, my advice to you is to duck and just do not touch that ball.

I mean remember that one seriously.

Now.

I was critical, as were plenty of other people throughout the pandemic, of how things were run and how there was no basis for much of what was done. And if you don't want to answer it as some bloke on the telly and in the paper, sure, but an independent report by people much more qualified than I says you got it wrong and that it hurt people. And yet they have said nothing. What a bunch of pathetic squibs. They gave up their power to bureaucrats then, and they're

The Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Fought for eighteen months to stop that email being released, and thank goodness that Damon Johnston didn't let up. They argued it should be kept secret because it could disclose opinion, advice or deliberations between public servants and ministers and it was contrary to the public interest. Now they say it wasn't written by a public servant or a politician, despite that being the justification for why it shouldn't be released, and they won't say who they claim.

Actually wrote it.

This was the arrogance of pandemic governments at the time, especially Victoria. This is what they really thought of you, you freethinking people who didn't go along with the idea that you should be locked up twenty three hours a day and have a curfew at night and only be able to go five kilometers from your home and have to wear a mask outside. And that same arrogance is why Andrews and his mates won't answer the report that came out this week. Now, the US election just days away. Now,

Only garbage I see floating down there is his quarters.

Well, Trump hit back today in the best way possible with a garbage truck.

That's like deplorable veil. This is the deplorable vailery. And I think this is worse.

Actually, Honestly, I just love that there's some fun in politics again. I mean, here we are in Australia, going on about whether the PM is effectively corrupt for getting flight upgrades, and over in the US there slinging Marden around in garbage trucks. The content is just chef's kiss. He then went from the truck to a rally in Green Bay in Wisconsin, still wearing his Highvey's vest.

You can't lead America if you don't love Americans.

It's true.

You can't be president if you hate the American people, which I believe they do.

Now, the problem for Harris here is that she still has to show some kind of respect to her president. He is still her boss, don't forget. So she has to find a way to say that she doesn't think half the country is garbage without effectively saying that Biden is an idiot.

Now this was her attempt. I'm not sure it quite hit the mark.

First of all, he clarified his comments, But let me be clara. I finally disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.

What is it? Are you repudiating your president or not? Good luck with that one.

And speaking of Biden, we know he has done some weird things. You know, he's got this thing about stiffing people's hair, and trying to kiss people and generally being a bit of a creep. And never forget the one about kids stroking his legs and sitting on his lap.

And by the way, you know, I sit on the stand and it get hard. I got liner, I got hairy legs, that turn that that that turn blonde in the sun. And the kids used to come up and reach in the pool and rub my leg down.

So I was training that.

Whit's the hair come back up again and look at it.

So I learned about roaches.

I learned about kids jumping on my lap.

And I've loved kids jumping on my lap.

I mean, blind me, Charlie. Anyway, he's added to the repertoire today.

You know the old joke, I love kids, but I couldn't eat a whole one. You might remember he gave it ago a year ago. Well, he decided to have another shot today. He had a Halloween party at the White House and he decided to chomp on a baby dressed as a chicken. Now forgive me, but you might say it was a cocker. I think this was probably

You're a current, honey, in the one place in America where women still have a right to choose. You can vote anywhere you want and no one will ever know.

Did you make a rape chory?

Sheridan, Honey, remember what happens in the booth stays in the booman for Harris Will, I.

Mean, what did you make the right choice? Sure?

Did, honey.

I mean I genuinely thought that was a skit the first time I watched it. And they may well be worried, because in twenty twenty, married women voted for Trump over Biden Harris fifty two to forty seven percent. I mean, as if women don't know that they can vote for who they want, that's the point of a secret ballot, But it goes to show you exactly what Harris and her mates think of conservative men, that they're controlling scumbags who forced their wives to vote a certain way, and

Apparently.

Before we move on to other things, there's a great behind the scenes documentary of the Trump campaign that's been made by an outfit called Asha Can Studios. You can find it on x It's called Art of the Surge.

Take a look at this.

This is Trump reacting live to Harris's address at the DNC a few months ago.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank thank.

You, thank you, thank you.

She grazys, thank you, thank.

You, thank you so very much, thank you everyone, Thank you everyone.

Thank you, thank you. I've mostly thirty five.

From India to California with an unshakable dream to be the scientists.

How many people are watching?

Can you tell how many dangers and how many people are watching?

She's talking about how great San Francisco was before she destroyed it.

What you say, d is what you get.

I think it's a really good insight into how his campaign is really him. It's run and directed by him. It's all the genius of Trump. I don't know that you could say the same for Harris. Now a great exclusive from our own Caroline Marcus. Today, the federal government awarded a seven million dollar contract to an LGBTQ lobby group for a women's cancer campaign using non gendered language.

Take a look.

If you have a cervix, the test can save your life.

It's a controversial women's cancer campaign which refers to people who have a cervix instead of women and front holes. Now, documents obtained under freedom of information reveal the federal government awarded a contract worth seven million dollars to the lobby group behind it to roll out the cervical screening campaign

I mean, seriously, we have lost the plot. Who actually wants this stuff? I mean, this is what confuses me so much when we have these cases. You know, all this language like chest feeder and birthing parent and front hole. I mean it sounds like something a kid did say

I mean, it must be a fraction of that fraction.

That is actually offended by terms that apply to almost the whole population. A campaign aimed at women. Referring to women is not exclusionary if you're a transgender man, a a biological woman that I'm sure you can use your brains to work out whether or not you have a cervix and ought to be screened for cervical cancer. We don't need to change the whole language to cater to

Some people might say.

Who cares, it's just inclusive language.

You know what they mean. Well, it's not inclusive language.

It's exclusive language.

And deliberately so.

The radical left say they do this stuff to include transgender people, but it's not about transgender people. They're just the vanguard, the cloak to hide behind. Taking away words like women or mother or vagina are actually about taking the specialness of femininity and being a woman away from women, because women by and large want to be mothers, and mothers buy and large part of families, and that's the biggest barrier to the Left being able to achieve its

Now.

Apparently this was all written up back in twenty twenty after the Black Lives Matter riots, but it's only just come to light that British councils are distributing this guide called how to Raise Anti Racist Children. It says that parents of children up to three years old should play music from different cultures and avoid only singing songs steeped in white culture. That apparently means you have to avoid barbar black sheep, and you should also read picture books

Can you help me out?

Is not the same as the Transport minister taking a gift from the biggest stakeholder in his portfolio.

No, of course it's not.

But what Labour trying to do is just muddy the waters, throw a bit of mud here, you know, just confuse everybody. So if so, all the public thinks, oh, they're all the same, well they're not all the same because alban Easy and the media are obsessed with rightly so did he make calls to the Quantus office and request upgrades? And that's still very murky in reading between the lines.

Anyway, A lot more to come out on that.

But the huge difference, right, the huge difference the media's got to concentrate on, is Alberniazi took upgrades from quantas that I'm a member of the Gaman's Lantartow was declaredvery time I took about Contus, he took upgrades from Quantus whilst he was the minister and he was regulating Quantus. I mean he should have been sacked by the Prime Minister, rad and Gillard at the time.

He should have been sacked.

And now it's eleven years on, but quite frankly, what he did is is completely unacceptable. It would have been a breach of any ministerial code and the fact that he wasn't sacked is only because they no one probably looked at the time. But this is a world away from backbenches or Bridget mackenzie or Peter Darton or even the labor backbenches. I mean, that's a completely different category, mate, completely different category exactly.

And they're trying to make this equivalence that anyone who's taken an upgrade for the quants, you're the same as the Transport minister taking the upgrade and Christy you had in Melbourne today, the Prime Minister had a meeting ahead of a fundraiser tonight with all his ministers there and he walked in, as I said earlier in the program, and basically said, oh woe is me.

They're treating me so badly.

The Coalition gets a much easier run in the media.

Well, I must be.

Looking at different newspapers and media to what he's looking at. And of course then ministers have linked this information, or at least people in the room have leaked this information to the press, which kind of gives you an idea of what they're thinking of alban easy. But it proves that this is cutting through because people are looking at it and going this bloke is only in it for himself.

I think, with the cost of living inflation the way it is, the cost of flights for anybody who's even considering taking their children on school holiday, flying to visit relatives and so forth, people are looking at the money that's been charged by airlines in recent years, and they, of course say it's post COVID and we're recovering and.

It's a staff issue.

Well, it's a staff issue because you sacked a great load of staff and refused to have them back and outsaurce them to cheaper contractors.

That's a whole other discussion.

But people are looking at that saying, gosh, this is really expensive for me, a hard working family to fly and here is the Prime Minister of the nation with a history of decades of taking upgrades when he was regulating the airline industry. Yes, very different from backbenches. And I think there's an awareness at all politicians except upgrades

Well, he says they did it to rub in terms of you're trying to bring the tool poppy down. He should give great thanks to Run for the changes he made to the ability to replace a labor leader.

I think right now now.

You both live in Melbourne, though Christie of course you're not in Melbourne tonight, but I lived there for a.

Little while, went through.

The awful lockdown YouTube took it a lot harder than I did. This email that was in the Australian Today, And good on Damon Johnston for fighting this for eighteen months through the FOI process to get hold of this email that had been sent from someone The Department of Premier in Cabinet won't tell us who sent this email, but it was sent by someone apparently not a public servant or a politician, to the outfit that was doing research on what people thought of the COVID restrictions, describing

Well well under Damon Johnson for fighting Frida eight months.

He's got to get a.

Real job one day, by the way, if you can spend eight eight months on that, But well done to him for uncarrying.

He's doing God's work, mate, Look.

He's doing the Lord's work. And all praise to him.

This this, this is a very important email because it shows the contempt that the Andrews government, and Andrews in particular have for ordinary had for ordinary Victorians.

And you know, we've seen that that South.

Australian Health spokesman head on the football that you showed before.

Blah blah blah.

This just showed the contempt. It was like Andrew's in, we know everything you you know, you fools, you tosses out there in the public.

You've got to do what you're told.

When you're banning golf, banning people doing things outdoors, U and on it goes no health advice, on on on the justification for closing schools when kids were mostly largely, almost universally untouched by COVID, et cetera, et cetera. This is the arrogance of the elites, right, we know everything you you nom's out there, you know nothing.

You just do what you're told.

Don't go to the playground, put a mask on when you're allowed to play golf, even on you're outid I don't touch the fland stick blah blah blah. So you know, good on them, for good on, damon for exposing this and as I said, it's just an example of the of the wide gap between the working middle class, the ordinary person who's got a lot of common sense, and the rich, wealthy elites unaffected by lockdowns by the way, in a sense that none of their salaries were affected, none lost their jobs.

You know they yeah, they were, They were all fine. They are all fine.

So the you know, these toxic you know know it all elites raining on the parade of the ordinary working middle classes in this country another perfect example of that, mate.

You want to talk about a pig heatd know it all? Christy.

I would have thought Daniel Andrews fit that bill pretty well during COVID, But where has he been this week and all the other pandemic premiers. As I said at the top of the show, the report that came out this week very clearly laid out how the states got it wrong, and not one of them has come out this week and said we're very sorry, we apologize.

It's try Busy Caleb addressing the momentous challenge ahead of him, which is improving the mental health of young Victorians, which of course he was almost solely responsible for ruining during COVID.

Recovering exactly and they haven't been held to account. They need to be held to account. After the break, Michael and Christie will be back and we'll talk about the fact that we've got a new government in Queensland. What do you reckon is the biggest issue for the Christopher Ley government Apparently if they have too many people called Dave, would you believe it that more? After the break, Welcome back to Paul Murray Live. Caleb bond in for the

Take a look.

I'm doing the running, but I can't achieve all these goals on my own. I can't raise the million dollars on my own. I need the people of Australia to jump on board and be spreading this awareness of my journey of what I'm trying to achieve. Getting the million dollars in that's going to make a difference for all these little babies that should be here with us today.

If you want to help Michelle and of course Paul Murray, a cause very close to his heart, head to still running dot com dot au. That's still running dot com dot auan please give generously. Well, let's go back to the US now. As I was talking before, Michael and.

Christy back with me.

Trump today in the garbage track was reminded me a bit of Nick Xenophon, of course, back in the days when he was floating around in Australian politics.

You know, proper stunt type stuff.

But this is something that is a real danger for how Harris now and has derailed the last week of the campaign. As if things weren't already going badly enough for her, just the wind totally taken out of her sales, and then Biden dotri old Biden comes through Michael and just drops a bomb that she didn't need at the last moment.

No, he's put in a classic performance. Just imagine if he was still a candidate mate, how the pulse would be if Biden had been if Biden had been in the candid for the last three weeks, I mean the three months, I mean seriously, but no, he's had a shocker. What effect will it have, It's very hard to know. It doesn't help the Democrats obviously. It probably gets more people out to vote who were maybe not interested in voting or inclined to Trump but not inclined enough to

And the reason is the reason.

Is that in the twenty twenty election and the twenty sixteen election, and the average of those seven states, they underestimated Trump's vote between two and seven percent, two and seven percent in every one of those swing states, or an average about four percent. Now, if that's repeated, he wins easily. What I don't know is how much the polsters have facted in the shy Trump voter effect, how much how much they increased Trump's vote in some of those states to make up for the shy.

Trump vote effect.

That's what we don't know, which is why you know you wouldn't call it for Trump now with any great certainty, although he does look the winner.

Yeah, and of course d Kevin rad Christie'll be a bit worried if Trump does win. Reporting in the news Court papers today that within diplomatic circles there's already talk about the possible need to get rid of him if Trump wins, because of course he's been quite critical of Trump.

In the past. The suggestion is maybe Tony Abbott would.

Be good for the job.

Our bad news for the Labor Party. They'll have to bring Kevin Rudd home right at a pivotal time when we're sorting six months out from an election.

We don't want him to do that. We don't want him.

They are going to signial prices of Kevin Rudd's ability to be the best man on the ground in Washington for Australia until that election is done in Dustin Caleb and Michael.

That's my tip at your quick prediction, Christie.

Caleb Caleb for Caleb before we before we get off this subject, very important. Joe Hockey, who was of course the ambassador, did an excellent job. An outstanding job by Hockey. As we know Hockey and Rudder quite friendly, Joe. If you're watching tonight, if the Orange Man wins, do not ring the White House and.

Say he's okay.

Rud's ok mate, Just keep him there right, Do not do that, Joe. The American people have enough trouble without having Kevin Rudd representing our country over there.

Well, that's true, but we.

Don't necessarily want him back here either. It's it's a strange equation. We don't and very quickly though your prediction, who do you think it's going to be?

Christy Trump?

If there was ever a week to put old sleeping Joe back in their basement and pack him off to bed by eight pm, it would have been this one.

Yes.

Indeed, now very quickly, David chris a fully of course, has to unveil a new cabinet, though he's previously said that it'll remain the same as it was before the Queensland election. But the reporting today in The Guardian I can't get over Ben's me.

One of their columnists.

Has said that four Davids and two Nigels can Chrisophoolly deliver a modern and inclusive government. He says that in opposition twenty nine of the lnpmps were white men. The rest were white women. Of the seats already called after the state election, nine to fifteen new llnpnps are men, two are new David's now for in total and two nigels very quickly. Michael, First, that is the most important thing, isn't it too many white men?

No?

Well, of course it's the most important thing. And if all of the polling and that election showed that that was the most important issue facing people. So no, perhaps Christoph Foley or to pick people on the basis of merit. Of course he's got to have some diversity obviously, but I think people who can deal with youth crime and the massive exploding debt in Queensland a property.

His priorities five seconds each, Winners and losers.

Michael loser clearly elbow.

He's had a shocker and Paul Murray's the winner because he'll be going over to see if made over there and it could be a good day next Wednesday.

Christy, I'm going to give a shout out to the Steelbirth run for a million dollars as well, Cayleb. But I think Michelle is doing an incredible thing. Decades ago, women had to suffer in silence, and families had to suffer in silence and weren't able to discuss these issues, and it wasn't seen as anything important. So that is fantastic that she's doing that, and fantastic that here at scott we're raising awareness of that as well.

Indeed, Christy Bigsweeney and Michael Kroger, thank you so much for your time. Coming up next, the man who survived being hit by a car going one hundred and sivty kilometers an hour. You have to hear this unbelievable story.

Don't go away. Welcome back to Paul Murray Live.

Caleb Bond here of course, while Paul travels to the US for a great week of shows for you next week.

Plenty to talk about over there. But before we.

Go tonight, I have to tell you about an extraordinary story. In twenty twenty one, Ben Hyde was hit by a cargoing one hundred and seventy kilometers an hour and despite being burnt, he was on fire in that crash.

He lived now.

Ben was at the time the deputy editor of my old paper, The Advertiser. I've got to say he's one of the best people I've ever worked for and He's turned his story into a new documentary called While I was Sleeping Take a Look.

I should have been on my way home to my loving family. Instead, I was hit by a speeding drug driver traveling at one hundred and seventy kilometers an hour Adelaide's CBD. I was trapped, I was unconscious, I was on fire, and I was helpless. He is only through the amazing work of Good Samaritans, emergency services personnel and an incredible team of doctors at the Royal Adelaide Hospital that I survived that night. They are the ones to a best place to tell my story while I was

And you saw a little snippet of it. E it just extraordinary, Ben Hyde joins us. Now, Betty, it's good to be back with you again, albeit through the TV screen. What made you want to relive such a traumatic moment and tell the story in a docco.

Yeah, Hey, Caleb, thanks for the kind words too. Look, it's a really interesting one for myself. I don't have any memory whatsoever of the point of the crash or anywhere up until about a week later after I'd come out of a coma and what not owing to quite a significant brain injury that I also suffered. So the journalist in me was quite keen to I had a

I'll come back to meeting those people in a minute. But today is the launch date of the documentary. People can go on and watch it on the Advertiser website or through any of the other.

News Corp mass Hit websites.

But you mentioned your wife before, and not only is it the launch date of the doco, today is actually your wedding anniversary. So apologies to missus Hyde for for keeping you here talking to me, But I.

Mean it must be days like today where you go.

My God, that could have gone so differently, and yet I am still here, able to spend time with my family and celebrate things like my wedding anniversary. You know, it could happen to any of us, but it really puts it into perspective, doesn't it.

Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent, right, Caleb. I mean, you've hit the nail on the head there. It has not lost on me, how I mean. I was the definition of the unluckiest person when to get caught up in all of this. So I was just innocently going about my business going home.

Home from work.

But everything that happened after that point was the odds were ridiculously stacked in my favor, I feel. And for me to get out of that car, that burning car, alive, albeit just clinging to life, but then to be to be revived at the scene, and then to have some amazing medical work done to me at the rah, It's not lost on me how lucky I am. And now as a result, how just how much I appreciate, you know,

Going through that experience of finding these people who helped you and saved your life and and meeting them and thanking them, that must have been extraordinary.

Yeah, it was.

And this is where you know I am. I haven't thankfully, I haven't had to grapple with any real post traumatic responses relating to that really graphic period of my injury and recovery, purely because I just have zero memory of it and I can't get it back. So the fact that I've avoided that has meant that this whole process has just been a constant reminder in a how lucky

I can imagine and look none of us really think about it when we drive to work or home from work, which is what you were doing when you were hit, that this could happen, but of course it could happen to any of us at any time. I think it's an important reminder not only of the futility of life, but also that we all have to take great care on the road. Ben Hid, thank you so much for joining me tonight, and of course you can watch that documentary at the Advertiser dot com dot au.

That's it for me.

Stay in tuned now for the late debate. It's a great show, but fear warning, the host I like the most isn't on.

Tonight, but I think you'll still enjoy it. Stick around