Live from Newcastle. This is Paul Murray live out of town. Can I leaf Hello, Hello, Hello, loving to see you. We are specifically a fighter world the William Town which is just up the road. There is so much to get to tonight, and I'll tell you what. There is no better place to be in the middle of winter than right in the middle of an airport hangar. It is crispy in here, and by that I mean, of
course freezing. Now great night we have ahead. In a moment or two's time, we'll get to Maddi John's will join us live from Paris. But of course he's one of the most famous Newcastle Knights of them all. But let's start with the Olympics. Australia is winning the Olympic Games. Ladies and Jelema at the top of the table. Finish it. It's over. Don't watch it anymore. Nothing better will happen than night one.
All right.
Australia currently on top with three goals, ahead of the People's Republic of China. We've beaten China. It's something for one day, and then the US of course, and then France and then the Republic of Korea. But congratulations to everyone. What a spectacular effort was but from the three Golden Girls. Of course, Arion Tipmas a very strong part of our team here in Australia, but also a big part of
her supporters come from our mates at Harvey Norman. She did a spectacular job and she is going to go round again in the next twenty four hours. And as we told you on Thursday night, when you actually have a look at all of the Olympic medals, the gray bit in the middle is actually part of the Eiffel Tower. My question still remains, there are hundreds and hundreds of these things to be handed out. Which leg did they cut off the Eiffel Tower to put onto those medals.
We'll get to all of that, of course. The road cycling as well. We got to gold there. I love we did. I'm a fat bloke who did nothing, but for seventeen days every four years we did it right. Oh how good were we swimming? How good were we cycling? Wait till we start doing rhythmic gymnastics. Also one of my favorite things that happens every four years when it comes to the Olympics. We are all experts on everything, like we just know. Oh seriously, at eight point five.
You're kidding me. At best, that was a seven point two, Like we've got any idea, but it's fun to watch, and of course it's all happening as we speak now. Again not the artist of people, but I will give the French just a little breathing room. But that opening ceremony was kooky, right, Like all of them are a little bit kooky, and all of them go on too long,
and all of them are a little bit cringey. Like I went back and watched the Sydney two thousand ones and I went, oh, jeez, a lot of drys a bone, which is great, good people, but a lot of it was there. There was Kylie on a pink thong in the closing ceremony, so let's not pretend we nailed it right. But the French with the Mary Antoinette, her head was cut off and blood is spurnted at the top of it. I'm watching the highlights with my kids and little z eighties,
like Daddy, what happened to that Laney? And I don't know that much about my history that I'm going to go back and tell her what happened to Marie Antoinette. All I will say is something about cake and then they ripped her head off, and then they made a song about it and let the people sing. Apparently needs to be shown that La mis arrahb every two years at the State Theater. That's all I know. But of
course the French Revolution all the rest of it. Then of course there was whatever the hell the dudes who look like me with no shirt on. I'm all sort of doing a bit about the Late Last Supper. Okay, who knew Papa Smurf had a kink, but apparently he does. Now we will talk to Maddie John's about what's happening in Paris, what it's like to be in Paris, And of course he is, as I say, one of the greats of the Newcastle Knights, so we'll talk to him in a moment or two time. I reckon he is
having an awfully good time while he's there. But good luck to everyone who's involved. Now, speaking of teams that represent all of us. Anthony Easy, of course, not just the greatest prime minister, but he's the greatest athlete of all time, the greatest Olympian of all time. And like all politicians, you know when they hey, hey, I see how Newcastle votes. It ain't one hundred percent what this room is cheering right now, but it's good to see all of your votes turn up every three years. It
is good to see all right now. Of course today he was doing his bit where he was announcing the reshuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic. But have a look at how he compares himself and his government to the Australian Olympic team. This was him today, no editing press play.
Australia is a great sporting country. We punch way above our weight imp capita terms, and Australians will all be cheering on the team tonight. I'm also very proud of the strong team that I'm privileged to lead as your Prime Minister. A team that is united, a team that is ambitious, a team that is absolutely focused on continuing to deliver and work for Australia.
Yeah, exactly the same, right, like exactly the same anyway. Another pole telling us what the reality is for the government right now is the despite their protection racket inside the camera bubble of the bubble, of the bubble, inside the bubble next to the bubble with the WhatsApp that
talks to the bubble. Another pole comes out today saying that things are not looking good right now in afflection was held and it wouldn't be, but still the liberal and national putty is in front, according to the Redbridge pole, fifty one and a half percent. Now, what's fascinating to watch here is that if you dig deeper into the numbers, and you know, I'm the data dude, so I won't bore you too much with it, but literally, the people who've got lots of money and got no money and
all in between, currently favoring the Libs. The people who own a house, paying off a house, renting a house, currently favoring the Libs. So think about where the politics is supposed to be at the moment where the two little too late tax cuts get It's almost like somebody made this point a thousand times that it wasn't going to match, and it didn't work, and it didn't sugar hit and all the rest of it. Let's put it
this way. The only way Albo could quickly change his polls whack on a wig and call himself Kamala, And that's the way that he might get a little change, just a little one, and then we'll see what happens then of course that would mean Peter Dutton has to pay himself Orange. Okay, bad ideas, all bad ideas, but we're having a chat right now. Interestingly, this pole adds to the wider trend. Now remember they always say, oh, this one pole doesn't count and it's only one and
the biggest polls election. All of that true, And I'm not somebody who believes that it is going to be at this stage most likely a one term government. But trend is always worth noting here, and it doesn't matter whether it is the left wing, the right wing, the news Corp, the Channel nine newspaper, the freaking Guardian opinion poll. Have a look at what's been happen. This is all
current numbers on primary vote preferences. Of course, who knows where it all ends up, but you need to have a look here that at the last election the Labor Party is about the same at thirty two percent in Newspoll and red Bridge, but it's down four points in Resolve, three in Essential, one in fresh Water, one in Morgan. I remember that was the lowest level they had got in the best part of a century. If that was to be repeated then most likely the Greens in some place.
It's a couple of places the Libs. The question is all about the Teals and what happens there. But the Libnat vote is up two point three in News poll five point three in red Bridge. Red Bridge, by the way, does a lot of polling for the Teals, So let's see what data comes out of that two point three for the resolve down in the Essential Pole, which happens to come out in the Guardian, but still fresh Water, it's up four point three and in Morgan it's three
point eight. So despite the fact that the Poles are where they are, the Prime Minister has had to make a couple of changes. But it's not like we saw these changes coming. Apart from the fact that we all saw them coming. Clueless Claire O'Neill and that idiot Andrew Giles. What they did to the border, what they did to national security was a disgrace. You could be the hardest of hardcore labor supporters and know it will be people who didn't vote for it and be even more aggravated.
But this was the Prime Minister standing by Andrew Giles and Claire O'Neill over and over and over again.
I will be continuing in their roles. Impeter dutt in another day, another bit of negativity.
I have no.
Intentions of making changes imminent.
A guess who got the ass today? The very two people who he was apparently saying, we're the best ministers of all time. Time out of Home Affairs, out of immigration. Andrew Giles now makes his way too. Sorry, the fighting gents are just taking off. I don't know where they're heading, but New Zealand make sure you get a good night's sleep now choking, Relax everyone. Of course what happened was is that Andrew Giles now goes off to skills or something,
which is more ironic because he doesn't have them. And then of course Claire O'Neil is going to go off to housing because she knows how to build them. I don't know, it's ridiculous, right, But the person replacing them is Tony Burke. So does anyone think Tony Burke is going to do any better with the borders than the other two. And my favorite detail of the reshuffle, and again normal people could not give a tuppen th razu
about a reshuffle. But not only does he keep most of his former ministries, he gets all these at it on top of it, so he's simultaneously in charge of Home Affairs, Immigration, but he'll remain the Minister for the Arts. How does this work, I don't understand, but anyway, so he will be apparently tossing all of those things at the same time. Meantime, is there about to be an early election? Now? Remember the earliest that can happen August.
For one to be called for the end of August, that it have to happen now, So now we're looking at earliest case scenario September, but of course September October Queensland election and the US presidential election could be that where you go for the distraction. Otherwise we'll see what happens. So most likely November December obviously, if it's to take place this year. But I wanted to show you the game that the Prime Minister is now going to play.
And this is so infuriating because look, he calls it when he calls it right, he calls it next week, next month, next year, and we're all ready. I'm pretty sure you will know how to vote in the next little while. I'm pretty sure you'll all bring a pen with you. I know the people in this room. They're bringing a pen no pencils. But the reality is is
that it's got to happen sooner rather than later. Prime Minister started to play the game that the Camber Press gallery loves more than anything, which is Prime Minister, Prime Minister, will there be an election anytime soon? Well, seeing you asked, let me announce it. No, but he leaves the door open.
From now, I would expect that this is the team that I will take to the election when it is held sometime in the future.
And this bloke is a little high on his own supply. Now we all know that Albo thinks he's the best ever. He's comparing himself to the Australian Olympic team. Does that mean there's like a little Laurie Lawrence running around in his head going go Albo, go get on your son, get in there like that's how he pumps himself up every who knows. Right, when he starts stealing Japanese flags, there's a litt Dawn Fraser inside him. We'll all see what happens, okay when he goes to the G seven
and starts taking things. But have a look at how he spoke to a reporter today. Now again I'm no faner the Cambra Press gallery. But how patronizing is this leader of the country with a reporter doing a natural follow up to the when is the election going to be? Vague? Question? Is this a guy who is doing anything other than playing games?
What's you take given the elections sort of around the corner?
How much of this light around the corner?
Although I keep reading August thirty one, which means I need to go see the GG this afternoon. If that's the case, you really no one out there, not necessarily. What's the car, mate, see where it goes? It's the one with the flag on the front.
How much of this ministry, particularly your senior players, some.
Of whom.
Seriously, this guy he just keeps hitting him, doesn't he? And there is six and out because they keep hitting the neighbors roof six and out six and out almost likely the neighbor's cat. I know that was Malcolm Turnbull. Now let's talk here about another little issue which was
allegedly which was that Matt Thistleflake. Now he of course was appointed to the most bizarre of the ministries when now they first became the prime minister two and a big years ago that scenario was that he was the Deputy Minister for the Republic and then sixty percent of Australia said hell no last year. So guess what disappeared today, the Ministry for the Republic. But despite the facts, you like it, okay?
Cool?
So despite the fact that it was his idea and he named someone for the job, right, he kept them there, did not sack them, did not move them, did not anywhere else. Right. Anthony Alberanezi, when asked why did you get rid of it now, blamed the previous leader of the Labor Party, Bill Short and have a look for a decision he made today.
I thought, you've asked.
The Republic as a portfolio.
Why have you done that?
And he's had an admission that that was a bit of an indulgence and not realistic.
Well, the portfolio was appointed first under the previous Labor leader. It's something that I inherited.
What is his fault? What is his responsibility? Now? Fingers crossed. Inflation members, they stay in the line ball territory for the Reserve Bank if they mirror what had happened last month as opposed to the month before. When it comes to what it will happen with June with inflation, interest rates go up. If interest rates go up, we are told eight hundred thousand more Australians end up going into
mortgage stress. This is on top of the millions more who are finding it very difficult to pay a house off. There's a serious worry of people right now. We've had the money blasted against the wall of fourteen bucks a week.
That didn't change anything politically. That could well have gone into many other things, including in my view, if a government has a surplus, they should take a couple of billion dollars and give it straight to the charities that are actually doing the things for the difficult times right now, right because it helps.
Thank you?
I cliche, It's just like it really gets me.
All right.
Let's quickly get to the States and the question I will be asked right up until November the fifth. No doubt it's Trump going to win, Paul, do you think Trump's still going to win? What's going to happen when it comes to Trump? Now, I've got to say well done to the news corp sites around the country that have had to come up with a slightly different way of covering what felt like a pretty boring campaign. But now that, of course, is all changed in the past
couple of weeks. It's called United Mates. This is when it's a cool idea. They're going to go and visit Brisbane, Hobart, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne, but not in Australia. They're going to Brisbane in California, Hobart in Wisconsin, Sydney and Ohio, Adelaide and Pennsylvania, Perth in Delaware, and Melbourne in Florida to say, hey, what do you guys think of what is happening with this election? And this is part of their series that's up on the websites. Now it's good, well, well.
Let's go office. The country was in far better shape than when we came into office.
The economy was on fire. He got us involved in any war.
That is the scariest human being that I've ever encountered in the United States of America.
I think he wants to be a ten. Now are things tightening, Yes they are, but we're still not close enough to know enough data as to whether this thing has become fifty to fifty, has gone Harris's way, or is staying Trump's now, remember when Biden's brain exploded before the world one point change, when the former president's ear exploded one point change. Whether there'll be a bigger change as a result of a change of candidate will find it together. Betting Market's fifty seven forty in favor of
Donald Trump. That has come down from the high sixty. So it is a change. So we'll see what happens. In terms of the swing states. Of the six that are here, the Republicans would end up winning five of them right now, that would be a pretty comfortable lead. But the media is doing its best, including CNN to tell us that Kamala Harris is Obama in a skirt and Hilary with the braid.
I think she is someone who comes across as very fun, as very engaging, as very relatable. I can tell you that's been my experience with her whenever I've interacted with her, and she is someone who really cares about people, and it's sort of like a cool aunt in a lot of ways.
The cool auntie Radio now also, But then jd Vance, who is a problematic figure and I'll get to that tomorrow night with what some of the issues are with him as the running mate, but he's kind of mini Trump, right, No apologies, double down, including having a crack at the media, because the media are the ones who held up Biden are now trying to pump up Harris.
We've got some of our friends in the media back there and after.
They deserve it. I don't think I look like him. Somebody said I did. Clearly. If I look like him, it'd be unelectable, right, Nobody this big gets to run for vice president. All right, let's have a chat nowt to the wonderful Maddie John's we love Maddie of course on Fox League Legend of the Newcastle Knights Rugby League football club. A wonderful man. He's got a great new podcast up with James Madison. We'll get that in the second. But have a look. He's got it all behind him.
The Olympics happening in the Eiffel Tower. This just screams and Newcastle boy to me, yeah.
Paris what it's not exactly Sessanov, but it's okay. Poulie having a great time here. It's been fantastic. Last night when it was Arion Tipmas it was really really something special.
But it's been fantastic here.
We went down watched the Matilda's in Marseillese beautiful city.
It's been fantastic.
It was a little bit a little bit probably the opening ceremony, it was a little mixed. They had the It was a great idea, I thought, putting the athletes on the boats. But yeah, it didn't really they didn't really pull it off. Of some of the poor countries weren Dinghy's. I think one bloke was on a boogie board.
Eric the Eel is still following up right now, give us an idea. I mean that opening ceremony right again, French artie, contrarian, all the rest of it. But when I said before, when I had to explain to my six year old why the ladies head was cut off and blood was coming from it, it was a weird moment I didn't expect to have a chat about when it came to the Olympics.
Yeah, it didn't really scream an Olympic spirit.
No, it wasn't. Sort of I didn't sort of think, you know, faster Hire further was relation to the guillotine. But you know, perhaps that's their exhibition sport which is coming up. But give us an idea. When you said about being there with the swimmers. You know, watching it on the telly, it's infectious and it didn't matter whether you watched it in the middle of the night live or saw it a thousand times to day. But I mean, she's an amazing athlete. But the number of people there,
I mean, when a French person swimming, it's awesome. But what I love about a swimming crowd is that it is able to follow best in field and doesn't just go silent because the person swimming isn't from their country.
Paul, you the atmosphere at all the events has been amazing. I went to the rugby seven's yesterday at the Big Stadium there and I mean it was remarkable bender Grand Finals State of Origin matches, but I've never heard anything like it. When the French team ran on the field, it was deafening. It was amazing in your right, like in the background. Now you wouldn't be able to hear it, but you know you can hear the roar occasionally with the beach volleyball.
It's terrific. And you know you said about the swimming.
We spoke to the Tipmus family, Ariane's family straight after the event and I said, what's your emotions?
Is it elation or relief?
And they said, well, it's probably relief with all the pressure on it. But that's what makes her amazing, you know. And one thing is to excel at a sport, but when you apply pressure, it's completely different.
And she delivered. It's going to be really interesting in the two hundred.
Now Arian has got a lot of momentum after winning the four hundred. Molly is the favorite in the two hundred. But I don't know the miss Old James Magnus and he reckons Am might get.
A Now let's talk about this right yourself the missile together in a podcast. He seems to be a bloke just like yourself. And I love telling people about this that not just passion and finding the big brain. And you get so much more than sometimes the scope of what you're able to get away and talk about on television. So what's it like for you guys to be rapping about all sorts of stuff in the freedom of a podcast.
Well, it's been brilliant.
James, he's a fantastic talent. I mean his brain not just for not just for swimming, but just all sports is brillant. Like last night talking about you know, before we went in he spoke about Arion and how she was going to approach it. You know, he text me straight after he was in there or having a bit of a yarn and he texted me instead.
Mate.
She won in the third one hundred and explained exactly why it's amazing to have an insight from James.
But yeah, he's a terrific bloke. A tear what Paul. He's a straight shooter, he's not afraid have an opinion. I really like him. He's been terrific.
All right, Well do your best. Send me some photos of the cigar bars are there, because if nothing else, the French, ironically, while hosting the greatest athletic competition in the world, loves smoking. The one place left where they love smoking. Maddie, we love your big fellow. Sorry, before you go.
You finish up for I just ye, I just want to say you had to be in Newcastle for the you know, like for the people of Newcastle.
That that city. Honestly, what it means means to me and my family. Like also stop going in on Cessnal Council moved there. Got to start with the Knights.
Married Trish there had two beautiful sons, and I just love it.
You're a good man. He loves this place and it loves you back. Maddie John's do we love Maddi John. We love Maddie John. You're a great man. Church is a lovely lady. All the best of your family, mate, enjoy the games. We'll talk again as they roll on. Good Man, Maddie John's joining us there from Paris. Now where we are right now is Fighter World. Now Fighter World is right on the side of the air base and as you can see around there is some incredible
pieces of aviation military history to have a look at. Here. He's part of a tour of a place that's got to be on the bucket list. Well Dale, thank you very much for having us. So, I'm so excited we are here. Tell us about this facility before we start to get into the incredible machinery. What's it about? What's it for?
These hangars exist so that the historical artifacts that really tell us about where we've come from this nation, how we've survived is can actually be accessed via the general public.
The evolution is extraordinary and it's all on show here. Yes it is.
Yes, probably the The best example of that is a replica sopwith camera.
So how long did this take for the team here to build?
I believe it was nine years and it was an ex rap retirey that actually headed up the project. Yes, it was built in past, but it took about nine years to do that.
And way back when when this was a fighting machine, what are the sorts of things that would be dropped from the sky.
Originally it was a matter of carrying other opinion lap and dropping them out of the cockpit.
Just literally lifting and going oh yes, now, Dale, this is a big step up. But what am I looking at here?
What you're looking at is late fifties technology that was produced by the Dessault factory in France, and it's cold a mirage.
This one was rated at MAC two.
Now Mactoo effectively means that it was able to fly at twice the speed of sound per hour.
That's about twelve hundred and seventy five comments. Now time's too wow. All right, Now here's the bit where the Bogan's going to ask the expert about the top gun of it all. Not entirely the exact same machine, but still, anyone who saw the movies this is sort of close enough. But tell me about the hornet and when it was up, when it was down, and some of its features, including
that massive gun. The point of this gun is to kill something in front of me or to somehow bend it down, because this is a bloody big gun, and I'm thinking a little bit of resistance in the air follow All right, Good, so I told you it wasn't done. All right, here we go. Definitely not done. But under the nose.
Here there are doors that actually swing down that actually take the weapon up. Oh wow, wow, so effectively the projectiles are firing over the nose and in line with the aircraft.
So this is inside, Yes, it is. There we go for those of us again, we've seen the movies, what's the top gun? All the rest of it? Right, as a man who understands the science of these things, what's the greatest load of b esterday in those movies that you think, No, that can't even be done? What most of it? Far be it from me to find vs with it simply because I enjoy it. But I reckon Tom Cruise being able to go straight down and straight up seems difficult. I do agree. Good there you guys
see they're the polite, scientific version of its garbage. Quite a well. Is awesome to all the blokes who help run it, of course, Dick Coleman, Rick Dyson, lads love you to see you.
Now.
Adding for the top gun theme as the sun was sitting this afternoon, I love that you guys and all of the other volunteers do the shirtless volleyball thing at sunset for anyone who wants to come and have look.
It's a lovely touch you put on here. Now. Your aviation history we've discussed while we're up here last time, and the facility that you've built here is so important that people are able not just to see the machines, but it was in talking to yourself and other people that I also started to make the immediate connection to
the people who have flown them as well. How important is that as part of the story of what you've built here, that it's a gateway to better understanding the people that have flown them as well.
I think it's very important, Paul.
Where As you've seen Dale talking to you just in the clip, there where a great team of storytellers and that's what Fier World is all about, passing on history and the best way to do that is through storytelling.
And it's something that again the you know, a long time ago, people worked out that the future of museums was things that you could touch and look at and all of that. Well, hello, that's where you've been since day one, right that this is very tactile place as well, that idiots like me can come up and have a look at everything, but kids, you can imagine that their eyes light up. The chance to be able to sometimes even get close to sitting.
In one of these things absolutely inspired. It's a great thing to have the children here. They can sit in some of the airplanes, they can look at the airplanes, they can touch the airplanes, and you can't do that anywhere else where. A unique museum when it comes to those.
Side of things, Now, Rick, I want to get lost in the politics of how things work, but people need to know that this is an entirely independent thing, right like this, Yes, has its connections to the Air Force, but it is its own thing. It stands on its own two feet. And that also means funding and finance
and donations and people turning up. It's really important that even people who may have been here before on a school excursion they come back because it helps with the financial future of this place for somebody to bring their kids back. Oh. Absolutely.
From an air Force perspective, our key role here is to actually deserve the artifacts. While you will call them an aircraft, they're no longer an aircraft from our point of view. From a museum perspective, they're an artifact and so we have to care for them and nurture them and make sure that they're around for generations to come. And you know, we look, I'm unfortunately a little bit
biased towards the Fighter World team. They do an astonishing job and you know, we're incredibly grateful for what they've done over over thirty years now to preserve the local.
History of Newcastle.
And you know, Air Force, as it does, it's bit there to actually take care of all of those artifacts to make sure that Fighter World and other volunteer organizations around the country are able to actually present the Australian history and the Australian aviation history in particular.
What's your favorite what's your favorite one that's in here? To pick a baby that you like more than.
Others, Well, I'm going to get in trouble because I'm actually going to pick a replica, and my favorite is the st with cameel.
Yes, so yes not its fans.
Absolutely that aircraft was built from original plans by the Fighter World team.
So that's the other thing too. You may not, I don't know the weather word fits right, Like obviously there's such engineering and aeronautical nouse, right, but there's an artistry as well in doing those things. Do you have a certain amount of pride from the stuff that you guys have been able to get up to show rather than just something that comes in.
Yes, And it goes back to the guys who grew up in an era where they had to be hands on, They had to make the things themselves. These days everything is computer controlled.
CAD generated.
I have a team of guys here that can make virtually anything at all. They are amazing and they're all our volunteers. Without them, we wouldn't exist.
Well, So it's here widimtown to physically come and do it. But if you're in the region and you'd like to come and volunteer, that's a good thing too, right, So get in touch because we want people of all different ages to be as connected to this place. Other people who run it as the people of all different ages that come and visit it. Lads, thank you very much, do appreciate it. And you don't need just four letters in your name, all right. You could be of anyone
anywhere if you're coming and do it. Thank you guys, really appreciate it. Is an absolute credit. There's more stuff to do for year at quite a world, including literally a little bit of the simulation. I'll get involved in a moment or two is time, but more here from Winningtown to start the road from Newcastle in a moment here on Paul Murray Live. Welcome back here to win in Town, just off the Newcastle. Love it to see you. Thank you very much for coming along. Guys. We've got
a great audience. You go for a been awesome now Harving Norman, of course, such an incredible part of what we're able to do, to be able to come to each and every part of the country for as many years as we have and each and every month. I know there's so many people who love these shows because we get to tell you stories again about the people who just are doing a bit for their communities and
don't normally get the attention. But there's a wonderful effort that is put on by the Weekly Times with Harvey Norman, which of course the Shine Awards. And I had the chance a couple of days ago to talk to a
wonderful lady named Sarah. Now she's put together this website that can help people right across regional Australia sell their goods on the Internet, so you don't end up with a scenario where there's just, you know, one little shop in Orange that's trying to compete against you know, the biggest stuff in the world versus something happening in Western Australia. It's a one sort of imagine a one stop shop for all of the other little shops that are around Australia.
And she was recognized by the Shine Awards and you had a chance to visit her in a beautiful family just before. Our mates of Harvey Norman are so proud to present the Shine Awards each and every year, and why wouldn't they be. It's such a great way to honor the regional women who were doing their best to serve their community and make us so proud to be Australians. Sarah Britz was nominated in twenty twenty three for her work with Spend with Us. Now, this is an online
marketplace which is connecting regional businesses with potential customers. So think about it.
If you were a small regional shop, you have your own website, but no one's going to your website. But if everyone gets together behind the same website, well then a lot more people know about the incredible things that have for sale each and every day in the high street of every country town.
So to learn a little.
More, we went to Fountaindale to meet Sarah and understand what Spend.
With Us is all about. Sarah, So love you to meet you, love me to meet your team. Congratulations on the Shine Awards, but more importantly, congratulations on what you've been able to build. Give us an idea. Where did you get the idea from to help people in this way?
So it was during the twenty ninety two twenty bush fires I realized there were so many small businesses in rural and regional areas that didn't have websites.
They weren't online, and when the bush fires were affecting their.
Towns, they couldn't keep trading, they couldn't get to markets, they couldn't open their stores and tourists couldn't come in and buy from them and support them. So I came up with the idea of creating one central place where these businesses with no technical knowledge to come and create a website store very quickly and very easily.
Virginias of the idea is to have a hub, mainly that there is this one place where you might be intending to go and search for something, but you might find something else, which means just like when you were walking up and down the main street of a country town, you would be you wouldn't realize that you were shopping for honey, but you bought some honey exactly.
There are just so many unique and beautiful products in our marketplace.
We have every twenty thousand products on there.
And there's almost two thousand register small businesses on the site as well, so you'll find everything from yet, like you said, honey, to boutique wine, to clothing to Marino baby blankets. It's just everything. There's so many small businesses. They didn't have a clue what to do when it comes to e commerce, and now they're pros. You know, they they've been able to scale their businesses. They'd be
able to diversify. You know, we provide not only a marketplace, but we also provide them a place to advertise and promote their products through our huge three hundred and sixty thousand member Facebook groups.
Tell us about some of the people behind some of those businesses.
There's a lot so I mean, we've got businesses have been with us from you know, when the bushfires happened, a lot of them. There's a business called Liro Mac Designs. You know, their farm was decimated with the bushfires. They've had to rebuild a lot of a lot of the the fences and everything to keep going. And they make these beautiful Marino baby blankets and scarves and beanies.
You know, they're they're just one of the stories.
We've got another business, Amy from Quentin park Our Packers. She makes this incredible outpack of fiber products. You know, she started off making paper products and then had other si Figer in the drought, and now she makes outpack of flowers, autpacka hearing, a black of Bier earrings are just incredible products as well.
Tell us about the experience of the Shinawards. Obviously, you don't know it's happening until it happens. What was that like for you?
We showards an amazing, amazing awards thee really I mean it highlights the incredible achievements of.
Rural immugionable women. And many rural imusional women get overlooked really and kind of hiding the shadows.
They don't like to be in the limelights, correct.
But by getting a nomination, you know, for the Shine Awards, it just gives you that encouragement that boost your confidence, opens up so many opportunities in marketing opportunities, company customers, partnerships.
It's just it's a great thing to be a part of.
How important is it to you that you're part of this family that is supporting women no matter where they live in the country.
It's extremely important, you know.
I think there are so many incredible regional and rural women doing.
Fantastic things and they don't get noticed.
So by getting a nomination and being part of an awards like this helps to boost their awareness about them and it gives them encouragement.
Let's imagine somebody is impressed by your story, which would be easy. They'd like to nominate someone for the Shan Awards, but they're just on the edge why should people do it?
Oh, that should do it because you know, it shines a light on that person. It gives them a boost of confidence. It's a great way to show that person they've been seen. And you know there's so many incredible women doing amazing things and impact.
Making impact in the community.
Just to get a nomination from somebody commun the world to them and it because they can help so many new opportunities.
To good on you, sir, Thank you do. Sarah is amazing, a perfect example of the sort of person who had an idea and it turned from the side hustle into the main game. She is a wonderful person. Her husband and I certainly know all of her family who watched the show as regularly as they do, and her little kids have got great YouTube channels as well. I promised that I'd give them a little plug all right now.
The wonderful Katie Page has not just supported this show, but has been able to support many people involved in the Olympic and Parilampic Games, and Arion Tipmus has been somebody that she identified a long time before the rest of the country knew her as a household name. And Katie has recorded a message for this Australian champion after getting gold in Paris overnight.
Carry on you one. We are also proud of you. Here Australia is proud. You're an absolute superstar. We all wish we were there with you, all twenty seven million people of us, so so fantastic. What more can I say.
Katy, We love you area. Thank you to Katie, Thank you to Harvey Norman and more from Newcastle, my secundertartment. Welcome back. Quite a world here women Chunders North in Newcastle, beautiful part of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. People who represent the area both the local government and federal government level. Of course David Gillespie well known as a local federal MP, and of course a councilor. Peter Winnie Barts wanted to get it all correct, is a
local councilor here in Newcastle. Thank you very much welcome. I lovely to see you this part of the world. It is spectacular to see, but it's also fairly diverse, right, like we all know there there is the places that your dream of being able to buy and there are the tougher parts of town. Right in terms of your job of trying to represent it in the federal Parliament.
How do you make sure that the average citizen gets represented the same way, so a big industry would be represented because most people in Canberra would generally only think of the industry.
Right, well, you keep in touch with your base. I visited here regularly. I've got some of the most beautiful parts of New South Wales. What other places got beaches, whales, vineyards, golf, concert venues, big city. It's the engine room of the state. All the lights would go out and all the trains had stopped, everything else that'd stop if it wasn't for the under correct and look there's history here.
I'm with you.
Yeah, we got some of the best while watching only sort of close second to Port Macquarie, which is the other end of mind.
I was going to say, it's all you get the best of both worlds, right.
Yeah, No, I've got a beautiful part of the world. The thing about Newcastle is there's people who know how to put the nuts and bolts of life and the machinery of an economy together. It's produced a steel for decades. It was sad when the steel works go. We've still got aluminium and we hope that it stays here forever, and lots of other heavy industry in this area. But you've got beautiful beaches, you know, poor Stevens Nelson Bayhawk's Nest up to the Great Lakes.
You can drive over.
What places can you be at the beach watching whales, go to a vineyard, play golf on top notch courses, ride bikes across the hunt of flats and see all this colonial history all in one pace. You've got a beautiful indigenous heritage in this pace, and it's just it's got everything. And this is going to be an international airports and so all those people from Asia and the West Coast will be able to.
Come well because it's a thing where Peter that I mean in the time of visiting Newcastle, and I visited it for a whole bunch of reasons for a long period of time, right, seen it change that area right down that sort of honeysuckle, all of that area pretty fancy now, to be honest, it's right up there with anywhere, with anywhere that you could go for top notche food, accommodation,
all the rest of it. Right, How Newcastle represents itself and how it's itself to not just the rest of its region, but how it represents the rest of the state. They're really kind. There is everything here if you wanted to, right, you can go one hundred percent footy and go karts if you want to. But if you also want to do sort of wine and cheeses, that's all great, and you can fill a weekend there too.
And I think that's something we're really priding ourselves on. We don't just look at Newcastle in its as a silo. We do really look at as a region. There is a gateway everywhere to everywhere else. You know, we have an international airport, we have a deep water port that's now diversifying as well. You know, we have jobs, we have the visitor economy. I think you know, in years gone by, it would have been a place where people perhaps finished school and went on to union and thought
about where else they're going to go. I know, my children, who are you know, twenty four down to twelve, They're not going anywhere. They're all staying here in Newcastle.
So tell us about it had that blank checkbook, maybe not just about money, but just about say attention, right, Like if you could just have a week of the government's full focus, what does this joint need.
Oh look, it'd be great to have a high speed round network coming out out of here. I think it's just more investment in the energy. As you know, outside of Parliament wants to keep gas in cold going and this would be a great center for the nuclear industry as well because Australia, the economy of the industrial world runs on electrons and we need heaps of them. The digital world runs on electricity. Everything runs on electricity and the Hunter has been the center of that for New
South Wales. Sure we're adding other forms of energy with renewables, but it wouldn't be working tonight if we're relying on windmills or solar panels.
So good point. So, Peter, you could get the premiut of this that one week title focus What does this place need?
I think it's key for us.
Housing is an issue.
Whether it's density as well as a diversity of housing. I think, you know, I've been lucky enough to work and come in contact with lots of organizations in my time at Council and it is something that stretches right across the breadth of everything we do. We're seeing more development in the city of Newcastle. Absolutely, our housing target's well reached and now almost doubled, but the gap between
the have and have not is quite for me. I'm involved with another organization called HUNT a Homeless connect very very soon, we're having a Homeless Connect Day, which is a very unique event that is run at the entertainment center for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness. And what I see every year is numbers of attendees growing.
Both you very very active on socials. That's the way people can get in touch with you, or online or all the rest of it. Lots of millions, millions of ways to get in touch. But give them a random applause. They fight for you every day. Thank you very much, Thank you very much, David. The reason I say fight, apart from the fact that they are, is that it was somewhat of a segue to get another thing you can do here and fight at world, which is to well be a top gun yourself. And I think I
did amazing. Which button do I not press? I'm going to do this very poorly, but let's see if a fat man can fly. This is so cold. I felt the need, the need for shooting lights of stuck down hand speech. How do I turn off my missiles and just start shooting again? I regret nothing. That is amazing. Thank you very much, Thank you. That's very cool. You've got to come here, You've got to do this. Firstly, crashings not bad. Look at me. I'm fine. Secondly, shooting's better.
So on my application for the Air Force. Can take a life, will lose one while landing. I think it's a complete will be a one to one game. All right, more here caron finer world in a second here as we are doing the show from Winniamtown, just Northern Income. Thank you so much for having Norman, for bringing outtown to us here in rid Intown. Also shout out to the White Sox Baseball Club. The play over at walls End today was their Old Sox Day. The club started
nineteen forty six. Shout out to everyone involved in the club. Now, Chris Jones rants a thing called the Live Free Project. She's part of someone trying to help fill the gaps that exist in the community like this and please say she joins us. Now love you see you, Chris, Thanks for having us so tell me about the project. How do you fit in to help people in the area.
Yeah, well we're in Newcastle based, so local, very local and work with low socioeconomic community DV, working with children and families and just walking alongside of people in that scary journey and helping.
Them and do just that hyper local. We literally you can sort of know the different strength suburb, suburb, this bit of the city. That is that local knowledge is what is the key to understand, because.
You're absolutely, absolutely the key. It's part of that thing of knowing local community, knowing your principles, knowing your local doctors and hospitals and things like that, and really working into like a connection, beautiful community meshment really and helping people just to know community well and build trust and trusted relationships, and I guess for people who have experienced DV, violence, trauma, any of those things, trust is at an all time low.
And also the loneliness when you're taking to you you're by yourself, trying to have somebody see you and pull you through the darkness. So how do people get in touch with you? There's plenty of people watching you might want to support. How do they do it? If you're watching and you want to reach out, how do you do it.
Sure, you can do it on our website just lift three project dot org dot are you and you can also Instagram, Facebook, all of those things.
You can see us there live free project all right, find out more about it again. You don't have to be alone. There are people that help you, including the beautiful Chris who's with us. You give a roundm applause for everyone is taking to them, for people that relay all. That's our show tonight. Thank you very much. To see you again on the road for another out of town. See you lay to William Town and thank you. See them a