Live from Parks. This is Calm Murray, Live out town, Get our Australia and welcome to the Railway Hotel. Here in parts. This is a place that is known for oh so much, including the world of Elvis, where each and every year there is a special celebration of the King, and the King is in town tonight. I don't mean me, I mean literally the King. A chat with him a little bit later. As always, we like to tell you about the region, why to come, but most importantly the
message each and every month is visit Australia. Come and have a look at this beautiful country. Take as many photos as if you can, and as you do, pull into as many towns as possible because the people are ace, the locations are magnificent, the food spectacular, and you know, when it comes to food, I'm absolutely accredited to have an opinion. All right, speaking of let's get into the
day's news and plenty off it that's around now. You would be pleased to know that we have a Prime Minister who feels our pain now and do that with any of his actions, But of course he says it in speeches. He did so on Friday where he said I feel your cost of living pain. And why wouldn't Anthony Albernezi be the man who absolutely feels our pain.
I mean, he's the guy who, of course decided to increase petrol taxes to forty nine cents per liter, refuses to cut it because that, of course would help people. He's the guy who took fifteen hundred dollars out of the automatic tax return for ten million voters in Australia. He's the man who feels the cost of living pain because he, along with every other person in our federal government,
got the largest pay rise in ten years on his watch. Plus, of course he's a man who certainly feels our pain because this was a cost of living budget and everyone knows this was the cost of living budget because.
I don't know about you.
Totally solved for me, like one hundred percent easy. Like I was talking to the people here in parks, They've never had it better, swimming in cash just because oz of the greatest prime minister of all time. But of course he feels our pain and he feels for the little people because remember this budget that produced an average tax cut of about what thirty six dollars per worker per week, he's getting not one but two private planes.
That's the guy who understands cost of living when he's going to spend basically the same amount of money he peddled up against the wall and a yes no question that only Abo could turn from sixty forty yes into sixty forty hell no, he said, well that was last year. This year it should be four hundred and fifty million dollars and not one but two private plates now again, just to show that he cares. He's part of the greatest prime minister of all time. Speaking sogn bit emotional on Friday.
I know that when you are living week to week, it's hard to even find the time to think about the future alone plan for it with confidence.
I mean he understands, right, He's got a private plane already, which he flies around and names after his dog. He understands what it's like because he got the pay rise along with everyone else. He understands what it's like because he's allowed to sell his investment properties because he just needs an extra one point nine million dollars. Jesus must be one hell of a wedding. But on top of that, of course, he understands our pain because I don't know
if you know this about the Prime Minister. Did you know that he grew up in a single parent household and a housing unbelievable right, he understands your pain now. Of course, what is central to one of my many frustrations with this Prime Minister, and why I constantly keep coming back to the cost of living, is because he does know better. But he shows himself to be a person as if he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, not a wooden spoon across his backside.
He's a bloke who of course, when he was in opposition, every single thing to do with cost of living was personal. It was the then Prime Minister and his government's fault.
What we know is that under Scott Morrison, cost of living is in crisis. We know that the price of everything is going up, but people's wages aren't. Scott Morrison, of course, is happy to always take credit for anything that goes right, but he always says it's not my job, it's someone else's fault. It's nothing to do with me when things aren't going so well.
So you see, cost of living is completely the Prime Minister's responsibility, unless, of course it's this Prime minister. The Prime Minister blames the rising costs on two years of economic shocks and after shocks, which were caused by the pandemic, conflicts overseas, and the most significant international energy crisis in
half a century. Yeah, because idiots like you you think we should blow up the power system that worked to replace with the one that will cost a trillion dollars to make and fingers crossed, will work just as well as the previous one has. Now. Of course, my frustration comes from the fact that this guy's promise couldn't have been clearer. How many times have I shown you this poster because I want every person who sees the show to remember what the promise was and test that against
the reality of the past two years. Cost of living has got worse. It is not all the government's fault, but it wasn't all the government's fault last time. But I hold this bloke's feet to the fire because he set the standard by which he judged others, and therefore he should be judged, and on that case he fails very often. But of course this Prime Minister takes no responsibility for anything, so it won't surprise you that he had a conversation on a podcast university podcast where it's
all Sky News's fault. It's all Sky News two GB three, Aw, it's all Paul Murray and it's all Ray Hadley's fault. You see the Prime Minister expressed this frustration with unspecified newspapers. Jeez, I wonder what he's talking about, radio stations and TV commentators. Hi, Albo, glad you're watching in an interview with the Australian National University podcast. I mean this the Prime Minister's got time
to do student radio. But basically now it's a podcast complaining, particularly about the cost of the government's revamped tax cuts. Oh yes, it is completely my fault. It is completely Sky News Prime Time's fault. It is completely Ray Hadley's fault. That when you told your labor MPs that the tax cuts were a and I quote solution to cost of living.
That while the rest of the media that of course play games for access, don't want to upset the dear leader at all, well, those of us who couldn't give a tuppence whether he calls us or not, or ignores us, or even tries to threaten, ever so passively aggressively our existence at times that the reality of the tax cut was too.
Little, too late.
Remember, even when they launched this thing, it was all about thousands of dollars at the end of the year. But the reality was, you pay your tax per week, you pay your tax per fortine, you pay your tax per month. Which is why I've said since day one, too little too late. When your energy bill goes up by the amount that it has, when the petrol bill goes up, let alone everything else. I notice they never
talk about insurance. Well, of course that has also gone up by the best part of what more than twenty percent, but two little too late tax cuts. Well, if you earn just forty five thousand dollars, it's fifteen bucks a week, sixty thousand dollars, twenty two bucks a week. You've seen it how many times before. That's why I call it too little, too late, because even if you were somebody on the bones of their backside, you're not noticing fifteen bucks.
And it's just so patronizing from the people who fly around in the private planes with millions of dollars worth of investment properties, and good luck to them, that's fine.
Done have a problem with personal investment, but still the people who get the biggest pay rise in ten years, as well as the bureaucrats to get the biggest pay rise in teen years, who turn around and they just think so generically poorly of you at thirty six bucks, A couple of crumbs that'll be okaps not one but two near private planes for me anyway, The thin skin Prime Minister continues here he thinks that people like myself, Ray Hadley, people on two GB through our W four
BC and the rest of us here in sky in his primetime, are a cheer squad for Peter Dutton. This is because some of the transcripts that he reads when Peter Dutton does interviews with us, essentially it's him just saying yes, I agree, because maybe he does agree with the premise of the question that he's just been asked. Not everything is to be put through the ringer of the ABC where they try to kind of fit you
up as being a mini Trump. Well, thankfully, of course, we have no evidence whatsoever of the Prime Minister or Labor Party leader agreeing with people when he's getting interviewed.
The economic and budgetary circumstances have completely changed since the Stage three tax cuts were first announced.
Well, the economic sensus have changed, Laura.
Is there actually scope for the government to prosecute an ambitious agenda in the face of it?
There is?
Albo's not very pleased because labor remains strongly opposed to the plan, don't.
You, Albo? Well, we are a post of the play. I barely recommend. Do you know what a glow up means?
Yeah?
I do. It's good to get out and about, isn't it now?
Yeah? Now what he would prefer that the role of the media is to say everything is awesome, there's not a problem, Every solution is incredible. Ps, can we help
organize your bucks weekend? The reality is is that there are yes, those of us that didn't vote for him, those of us who don't think that he is the second coming, and those of us who also can see that sometimes the Emperor doesn't have any clothes, And as unpleasant as that is to mentally think about, the reality is just like most of the media was also critical and also personal last time, there are plenty of us who just want to use the same standards on this bloke.
We continue. Albinizi said that he considered long form pieces in the newspapers has been far less frequent a newspaper, the front pages teening to be gone tomorrow because there isn't any substance to it. Well, I hope that he read what Peter Kredlin wrote today in the weekend newspapers, because it was all about how the Prime Minister no
longer deserves the benefit of the doubt. He is the emperor with no clothes, as Peter writes, sadly we now see elbow for what he is week not across the detail, greedy for the trappings of the job, despite the suit, still ranging hard left, still the raging hard left activists from his youth, all the stuff that we told you before the last election, and we've been telling you every day since, and yes we were mocked for doing so.
But guess what you could tell that this bloat was not going to be able to match up to the hype. But most of the media, of course, where they go with the hype. I told you last week about a great editorial that Chris Kenny did on this very subject
here on our airwaves. He wrote a more detailed version even in the Australian newspaper, Which is, what is the point of the spec to Prime Minister Anthony Albernese used shrinking before our eyes like an empty twister, a twisty's packet on a heater, failing by his own criteria, running from his responsibilities. He's a diminished prime minister, unable or
unwilling to exert whatever authority he can muster. And perhaps one thing that the Prime Minister needs to remember before he wants to blame the media who disagree with him as the reason why he is not having the greatest run. The reality of this bloke is that he was not elected by the majority of Australians. The Labour Party at the last election got one of the lowest votes that has got in decades. Just thirty two and a bit
percent of Australians actually voted for the Labor Party. Now, yes, preferences from the Greens and all the rest of it means they got to the place where they won two more seats than they needed to form a majority, but
that is the reality of the electoral politics. The vast majority of people didn't vote for him, so surprise surprise if the vast majority of people from time to time may actually notice that he is an amazing But of course, rather than focus on the failings of the government, holding the government to account for its own failings. We know where most of the media is that likes the new arrangement of a prime minister who helps tuck them into bed at night by giving them interviews or sending them
text messages about what's going to be happening tomorrow. Get Dutton. Let's pretend that Peter Dutton is the single biggest problem in Australian politics, that he's Mini Trump, that he will divide us, that he will not respect the democracy, or the other crap that's been sent around for a while. Remember this is a prime minister. He's using taxpayers money
to do labor party work. And I'm not just talking about one hundred or something million dollars worth of taxpayer advertising flogging programs that you don't need to apply for. I'm talking about things like taxpayers paying for a dirt unit to be set up inside the Prime Minister's office to try and find things to get people to be
scared about even having a conversation about Peter Dutton. But then every now and then, like all good lefties, the Prime Minister can't help us but show his achilles heel. From time to time, he will lead with his chin and he doesn't realize that, of course his jaw is glass.
He's trying to pretend that the reason Peter Dutton will not get enough support to get anywhere near the prime ministership at the next election, meaning he can continue that being albow to be exactly what he is and continue to fail because the other guys will never get over. The teals is that he's already trying to pretend that the next election is the last election. Same speech in between all of the other self loathing and the podcast
from the University. Essentially, Peter Dutton is Scott Morrison two point zero. Everything that you felt about Scomo, everything you felt about that Liberal Party, you must automatically click and drag across to Peter Dutton, because of course he was part of it. Now I have a little warning for the Prime Minister and his political mates, whose job, it seems at times is to hate watch this show to
know how normal people are thinking. In twenty nineteen, the then Prime Minister Scott Morrison absolutely nailed the Labor Party, the miracle victory that we all knew was on its way because we knew people weren't going to buy Bill Shorten and the policies well. By his own admission, one of the things, of course, that when you've won an election nobody expect you to do is to basically try to rerun the same logic at the next election. And
how did that work out for them? It was always dangerous, It was always stupid when people think that the last election was the forever election and we just do the same thing again three years later. Now, yes, it's the first term government. The likelihood is that they will end up in a minority government where idiots like the Greens and the Teals will end up with even more power.
But the reality of voting in Australia right now is the Prime Minister is only just and do I mean just in front when it comes to news poll He's behind on lots of other polls. The issues say that Australians don't trust what happened out of the budget. And I think also we've all had enough of the gas slide, and we've had enough of the bs. We've had enough of being told that everything is awesome when it's harder
than ever. Now I also want to talk about something which is be careful what you wish for be careful if you want to ban things, and then the banning of things ends up being something completely different than what you're expecting. Now. The Prime Minister and the Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, of course they have formed because they right
now are trying to censor the Internet. They are trying to censor the Internet by trying to essentially make it illegal for anyone to post what is it they call misinformation?
Misinformation, misinformation the misinformation which is there so misinformation.
But of course the reality is the misinformation is judged by the people in power. The people in power told you one through one thing during COVID it turned out to be exactly the opposite. We show you the data here each and every night so you could see where the opinion comes from. Yeah, the opinion is what they want to ban. So if you post things like the comments I make each it every night, well you know what will happen. Some lefty thing tank will say that's
information because he didn't carry the one. Well what ends up then happening, of course, is they turn around and eventually they just hammed the social media companies until no longer will you be able to post things from the websites or the new services that the government doesn't like. Of course that all is great for lefties now, because I think it's all about the people that don't like. Well, imagine if it's another government and it's the media they like.
Another perfect example is in and around hate speech legislation. Now, like everyone, I was disgusted by the stuff that we saw outside of the Opera House in the days immediately after what had happened in Israel, and so many people had been, of course, so viciously attacked and so many murdered. You also remember people who claim to be pro Palestine, but really these people were pro Homas. And the chance that even after they were able to send it off
to the Third umpire still wasn't a compliment about the Jews. Well, the plan is for new pieces of legislation to be brought in to deal with hate speech, to yes, hopefully be able to criminalize things like where's the Jews? But guess who's writing that legislation. Mark Dreyfus, a bloke who's previously wanted the Australian Federal Police to investigate his political opponents, and while under the cover of we're going after the people who said some horrific things about the Jewish community.
Let's actually have a look at what this bill might really be about. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus is drafting hate speech legislation that will impose criminal penalties for serious instances of vilification based on race, sexuality, gender, disability or religion. Now there's already laws in that place, but the Vanesi government is committed to promoting and supporting respect, acceptance and
understanding across the Australian community. Labor has consulted widely on its hate speech bill, including with women's groups, disability advocates, ethnic communities, the LGBTQ advocates, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. So if you think hate speech legislation is all about the people saying where's the Jews, it's going to be used as the trojan horse to try to criminalize all sorts of behaviors that previously, while unpleasant,
have not had criminal penalties attached. That's what took place in Victoria. Now I'm not saying I want the right to abuse any of these people. Nobody should have that right. To be careful if it is the far left talking to the even further far left to write up the rules to decide what will now be criminal and not criminal in our community. Watch this space now, one more quick thing before we go here, and I'm going to get to some funder the Elvist Museum in a second here.
But Stephen Miles, now we know Stephen Miles is in for a buzz saw at the upcoming Queensland election. Why poles couldn't be worse for this bloke now, he of course has previously turned around and tried to buy the votes of Queenslanders by saying you can have one hundred thousand dollars off, you can have one thousand dollars off
your power bills. Well today in a pilot program that will start in August and go all the way for six months, and funnily enough, through the Queensland election, the entire transport system will only need fifty cents from each person who wants to ride on it. Now, of course, the good people of Queensland, I love you. If I could have the blood transisions to be a Queenslander, I would, But do not get brought off by this bloke. Don't forget the.
Problems of his government.
How many people have literally died in the back of an ambulance waiting to get into a hospital because of the way the Queensland government run them. Just last week there was the story of a bloke at his seventies on the Gold Coast. Remember the mum in Brisbane who died waiting for an ambulance. Remember forty five percent of all ambulances end up having to sit at a hospital because there's no one in the hospital. There's no beds for you to go into. Remember the problems when it
comes to youth crime. That labour mp SA is a media beat up. That's the reality of this bloke. I said it about Palache. I'll say it again here about Miles. Get the domestos flush and get rid of the stain. They are a horrific government that deserves to go and
go right now, all right, that's the news. Let's get to the fund That is beautiful Parks where, of course the Elvis Festival happens here each and every year, and they have a museum filled with some of the best Elvis memorabilia I've ever seen.
And I've been to Graceland. Well today, Bob, show us.
Around this incredible place.
Sure, this is the Elvis Museum.
That US Visitor Center, and it's put together by Greg Page, who was the.
Former yellow Wick of course, and his collection and that's all authentic stuff.
I liked some of the.
Clothes that Elvis wore, and these are some of his movie ours and they're ones that he actually wore on in the movies. Elvis actually used.
To incline on that count.
That's it.
The King has laid here, He certainly has. I've been lucky enough to go to Graceland and one of the things that just blew my mind was they've got all of the designs of his costumes right everywhere. You don't have to go to great set because you can come and see it in.
Parks style, just styl it and profile and baby, it didn't matter whether he was.
Or thin. He looked at million bucks and the stuff will the cost of two. Oh well, thank you so much. What an incredible experience. And sadly we end in nineteen seventy seven as the great man did. But Elvis always alive, always alive in our hearts, and alive here every January. Right. Ah, yes, it certainly is.
It's a great place to be come to parts.
For January bold and how that his park's happens? My Elvis microphone. By the way, world unteen thieve world one our audio man, what's what? AND's here? And thank you very much for having us yesterday. I really appreciate.
It was our pleasure, Paul.
So tell me how did Elvis and Parks start? How did this all come together?
Well?
I just happened to be an Elvis fan since I was eleven years old.
Excellent, and Bob lurt.
He said, he's very smart, and we bought a building in Parks that was a student hostel and decided to turn it into a restaurant.
We'd just come back from America.
We'd taken our kids over to Disneyland, and so we thought I was doing catering in the clubs for our local car clubs, and so I the kids were all getting married and this sort of thing. So I thought, wonder if you could could do things in that building. And Bob had worked Jonathan's an apprentice, So when I went home, I spoke to him and he had the keys and the plans the next morning, and so it took us a little while to be able to purchase it. They put it out for tender didn't accept anybody.
Then a little later it went out pretend.
To So we got it and decided to turn it into a restaurant. And the first thing we did was take down Parks and district student hostel, and so we had no name, and we were going to pick up some supplies, the vanities and things, I think for the toilets, and Bob said, isn't it a pity we never got to Graceland when we went to America. Yeah, it is a shame. And he said, how would that be for a name better than Bob and Lan's?
So how does it grow to the festival?
Though?
What did you do?
Did you get a bunch of impersonators in? How did it work?
Well?
That was in nineteen eighty we bought it, and in nineteen ninety two we had been doing for quite a few years a party at the end of June for the family of the local editor of paper. A Rule and his family were all dorvous crazy. Who isn't Well, that's exactly right.
I love it.
Even the little kids all knew the words to Ward Elvis songs and they used to party and dance all night. And then after a couple of years of this, everybody had gone home, and Bob and Rule were having a glass of red wine, and I was ready to go home. So I came up with my cup of tea. So let's go home. And Bob said, for all thinks we should have an Elvis week. Oh okay. So we sat down and had a bit of a discussion about it, and they said, we thought we'd do it in August.
It's now the end of June.
I said, no, we can't do anything in six weeks, and why don't we go January for his birthday?
And they said great.
So Rule was very good with his paper for our local people, and somehow a little tiny bit got put in the NRMA magazine, got a few out of channels, two little lines, and so it all started from there.
And it's just, I mean, to the extent now where public art on the building is elvers, I mean, I've been very lucky, very blessed. Actually go to Graceland. I'm not joking. There is more public recognition in the streets of parks than there are actually in Memphis, because Memphis is a town famous for a whole lot of other things, and they you know, the blues over here, and this record's there, and that record's there. But to see on the side of a coffee shop, to see on the
side of a pub, to see everyone embrace it. Because this thing surges in January what three times the average population, which is not only about twelve thousand.
Yes, so do they twenty five thousand we get in plus hel and that's only I don't sleep how they well or does.
People just billets and Elvis in their house. They all have to get Elvis to sleep beside you one night or something, yes, something, how you volunteered, you're next door neighbor.
Okay, there is just popping up anywhere.
That's Parks. Elvis is just around the corner. It goes everywhere.
Forbes, Condo Tower, Orange Dubber and those towns bus send people over so they then get them to do their touristy things.
Well.
I think it's beautiful what you and Bob have done for Parks, the idea that's just grown.
Into this iconic thing, and I believe it.
And I think the XPT tickets go on sale in and around this time of the.
Year, they've gone on sale already sold that probably I don't know about the double check all.
Right, thank you very much for the chat and thank you for everything to do.
When it comes to Elvis, thank you Darlam.
You'll appreciate it and stay there because I'm going to go off for a break and straight up that weather. We'll to celebrate about this region and also what young female basketballs will love about this part of Australia. Back in the right way, hotel, having a good time, parks lovely to see you love it to be here now. Of course. The only reason we are able to do our town all over the country and it is my
favorite part of the job. It's our favorite shows each and every month, is because of the support of Harvey Norman.
We don't hide it.
They're great sponsors and partners and also they are relentless and getting the message out about regional Australia and particularly regional Australian sport and the access that girls turning into young women have to a full career in sport from places like parks. A perfect example of that is that there is now a pathway from the basketball courts of this part of Australia all the way to the bright
lights of the WNV. We all know how important sport is in regions like this, and we also want to make sure that the next generation of these regional athletes are able to get the support they need to make it to the elite levels of the sports that they love. That's why our mates at Harvey Women have launched Future Flames, a pathway program with the Sydney Flames for junior female
basketballers in New South Wales. They'll get elite level coaching at state of the art training facilities that they would normally never get access to. I spoke to Victoria Denholm and Rene Galop to inspirational li so Future Flames about this incredible program.
The genesis of Future Flames really came out of a conversation with Hovey Norman. They're really supportive and I'm really excited about this program.
A lot of girls playing basketball and the state teams have had a lot of success over the recent years, and then a lot of the girls will go to college and then some choose to stay and it's what we do, what do you do next?
Creating a pathway to the Flames from local talent is really important.
Once they finish under eteings.
There's the under twenties program, but that's a short kind of training stint till they go to their nationals. But we now have the opportunity to provide a program with twelve months of the year to help assist the talent in New South Wales and for them to continue developing.
And the players who currently are on the Sydney Flames, they know how important this is going to be for the next generation of women who want to fill their sneakers.
A few years ago, before I went to college, there was a Flames Academy and it was just really good for our confidence to be able to communicate with professional players and see what the professional world is kind of like.
Bringing more people in and more players in, it will build like the WNBO and take it to that next level.
For junior athletes from South Wales to be able to get this opportunity is really cool for them to kind of bridge the gap between their junior years and into their professional development.
Idiana Patullo is a young basketballer right here in Parks who can't wait to take a game to the next lip. She's exactly the kind of athlete that the Future Flames program is all about.
I really love it because.
I can make new things.
Her coach, Rim Henry has been working with PCYC in New South Wales, a charity delivering basketball activities for everyone from primary to high school all the way up to adults.
I mean there's plenty of kids that love it. The numbers that we got, especially at the start and have maintain those numbers. During the course of this year especially, he has.
Seen basketball take off the young female athletes in particular in this region.
It's immensely important because if there's no programs like this then it's sort of it doesn't happen. So there's a lot of talent out in the bush and a lot of it gets missed because of the location and the access to the resourcing. So for these girls to know that they can go down a pathway following the footsteps of the ladies that they might see on the TV on the WNBL, you know, he might have the next Lauren Jackson, Michelle Tims.
And he knows what this will do to help future athletes. Australia loves its sport and our partners Harvey Norman are doing everything they can to make sure that our most talented kids get all the help they need to live their dreams. We love them, they're great people and all the best of all of the young basketballers around the area. Hey, I want to give a very specific shout out. Wack this up on the screen right now, because this is how you can apply to be part of the program.
All right, and now I'll put it off on the social so it's nice and easy. But basically just go looking for the Sydney Flames as part of the WNBL websites. But as you can see right there where it is a basketball Ford slash Sydney Flames WNBL dot basketball Ford slash Sydney Flames and then you'll get all of the information there. Now random applause, forming Deputy Prime Minister brought us Elvis starts Mike on mformat hellover, hunker, Hunker, how are you man a, thank you very much. Look at it.
He's in the building of course, member for river A Rena. You love this area, tell us a lot to love about it, correct, I mean, look at the audience. They're fantastic. Good Now, look at that. That's a politician who saying I love you. So we'll just talk you a couple of seconds ago. That that parks becomes a real not a microcosmscopacy quite large. All the areas. But for all of the stuff that actually holds.
The economy up right, Agriculture, the Elvis Festival, how good are the steels?
So the dish, I.
Mean people should go to the dish, come down the New Highway and visit the dish. And at the moment they are helping out of the dish those little wonderful rows on the planet mass and they're going to bring soil samples back. But this so it's science, it's entertainment, it's agriculture, it's mining.
This is a microcosm of the best of Australia.
I was walking around this weekend and you have a chat to people and always, you know, local government's a lot closer than anything's going to happen in Canberra. How do you make sure that I mean, obviously it's easy when you're the deputy prime minister, but when you're trying to argue from the other side, how do you make
sure that people aren't forgotten? That's not just about human beings equals infrastructure that it's about, but people who are hurting on cost of living, people who need all sorts of support that anyone in.
The city does.
Well, you still turn up, You turn up to the dead bulls, you turn up to the fates, you turn up to the sport, the spaceman wonder day they beat n Ingen in the McDonald premiership. But you turn up to those events and you listen. You don't talk at them, You listen. And then when you go back to Canberra, as I will tomorrow for Tuesday sittings, you then get up and you speak passionately and proudly and loudly about all the things.
You hear collectively. It feels like and again, you know, I'm very opinionated at the start. I don't want to be particularly party political now, but just as an idea when regional Australia is trying to pull us, one to remind the people who are setting policy, who may live in places that don't even see the rest of their own capital city, let alone come and see the rest of their country, how do you speak to the bureaucrats who may not leave Canberra? How do you get people to well?
You raise a great question, and the difficulty is I think too many of the ministers these days listen to the bureaucrats and letting them have all the same. None of those bureaucrats will ever have their name on a ballot paper. And certainly none of those bureaucrats will very few of them ever get beyond the bubble that is canbra and that's the problem. It's a problem when it comes to regional grant funding, it's a problem when it comes to the intray of a minister.
And ministers should be able to call.
Their bureaucrats, call their secretaries in and say a very powerful word sometimes and that is no, no, or explain to me why that should be so.
And that is one of the difficulties.
And I really worry about the National andy Corruption Commission then calling a minister and say you went against that bureaucrat, why did you do that? That must be corrupt, Yes, you must be corrupt. Therefore they leak it out to the press. And of course once your name is Smith, you've got and it's not right. You shouldn't be throwing mud. And certainly the ministers should occasionally actually just say no, because the bureaucrats aren't running the show.
They shouldn't be.
Well. This is part of the exchange as to why we vote. We vote for the people in us to sit on top of.
The House of Representatives is a people's house.
Sixty is a people's or it should be. Yeah, it always was, well will it always be? We'll find out together, But give you not What does parks need. What's the sort of stuff that you need to fight for that the region needs.
Well, we're getting a bypass and that is great that in the Mortal Hub.
This is the center of the inland rail.
This is where the East West North South rail intersectors cross. It is a perfect place to grow. This could be anything this city and we need growth, we need we need people to come here, to visit here, to tell others this is a great place.
At the moment we did an ahecre center.
We've had one of our age care centers be announced that it is going to close the doors and that is a huge worry for these people. Forty six people are now no longer know where their future is. I'm sure the mayor near Westcot'll have more to say about that, but that is.
A huge concern.
But this is a great place, great place to raise a family, great place to do the best thing for Australia that is either mine, grow good food and fiber and just to be your best self and you can do it.
In Parks.
It's got a can do a council. Unlike some other councils, this is a can do, proactive council. Everybody pulls together the same way. They might have all the same politics, but they do it for lots best in the interest of Parks.
See, it's always fifty to fifty when we come and do in our town where people love. Oh great, you're going to celebrate, but you're going to tell people and they're going to start moving here. Is you ready for a couple of extra neighbors. You're right, You're all right with dad somewhere. Like, Okay, won to headdresses? Elvin want to headdress?
Is?
Elvin was like it? Michael, thank you very much. I enjoy going back to Camber. I'm sure it's thrilling all day every day to be sitting in that chamber. I enjoyed the.
Drive here because I knew what was coming.
I'm not necessarily going to enjoy the drive to Camber tomorrow, but indeed come to Parks that that That is my message of people visiting January and come to the opposite.
He's a good man. Give it up for it. Michael McCormick, Thank you. Very much, Thank you very much, really appreciate it, all right, Chris great, Pat good more here I Paul Murray l my hotel here in Parks. The local miror is other than we'll Neil Wescott and he joins us now Neil loved to see you.
Hello, Paul, thank you.
Now we're also going to say for all the Elvis talk, you know you're responsible for the whole region.
There's a bit of Aba love here too. There is a bit of a love fifty years since Eurovision.
Paul and Trundle is putting on the other festival in October and we can't wait.
So do you put on the fake beard or are you dressed like the blonde Sheelda or the when you dress up, what do you dress up as? Oh?
Yeah, look, I probably won't go with the beard, but I will have something of your Likera plan beyond a bit of Benet and we're.
A bit of spangling there. Oh lovely Harry the guitar.
Oh now, of course the dish. The CSIRO facility that we all know has connections back to the first landing on the Moon through to what Michael was saying before about literally connections with what's happening in and around Rovers
on Mars. It is a phenomenal facility and there's a lot of people who may well remember a school excursion bugger that come back with your kids, your grandkids, because it is it's something that keeps this town absolutely on the map for people when they're working out where to go on the winter or the summer holiday.
Right absolutely.
Whilst whilst Elvis is obviously an iconic thing these days and thank you to Anne and Involve for starting it off for us, but the Telescope since nineteen sixty one I attended in the prim but really I was in the PRAM, but since nineteen sixty one has just been
the icon of parks and surrounds. And I just think the way that they've managed to keep a facility that was probably never meant to be there more than twenty years open and upgraded to right up to the Artemis project that that's currently working on, fabulous And it's a great facility.
And yes, confuses, Yeah, it is amazing.
So let's talk about parks the region as such, what's the stuff that makes you proud? And I just don't just mean the people, but about what this area achieves, how it punches above its way. What's the stuff that's that's easy to talk up when you go to Sydney and talk to the premiere or something like that. Well, first, it's the people. God love you pe Do the pollies know how it works, don't they.
Election in September?
Yeah, I was going to say, yeah, yeah, don't forget, Please be honest about it.
It's the people.
But look, I think we represent It's very easy for mere to come up and say we are the best place in the world. Truthfully, we represent a lot of mid sized regional towns who are all doing our darndest to create a critical mass that we can stand on our own.
That's all we ask.
We want to be ourselves and Parks is fortunate and we have a few cards up our sleeve with things like the Special Activation Precinct and in Land Rail. And as Michael mentioned, I must say, Michael, thank you for being such a wonderful member for us for so many years.
Good man he is.
That's our our place on the planet has actually given us a great opportunity to grow. But our earnest desire then is to have the services to match. So I do spend an enormal amount of time as working within local government trying to actually solve issues that are not really remitted.
So it's that thing, right, So people watching us all over the country, people who either might be looking for the lifestyle change or maybe just this near moment, right, you need doctors, you need all sorts of things. Literally, if somebody wanted to bring their skills here, can I say, just call the council, call the mayor and see what happens.
Which camera do I look in?
Ye, down the barrel, here he is. Do the sales pitch.
If if you are a doctor, if you are an obstetrics, if you are in anesthetics, if you want to come to a town that will love you beyond measure, parks is your place.
Good stuff, Thank you, thank you this for there. I'm very very much appreciated. Thank you for having it. People are great and a bloke who, as you said before, what five generations connected to the place.
You want nothing more for it to be its best self.
And you're a great example of the type of mayor who represents a place that's kicking us.
Well done it and thank you once again for coming to parks Pool. And you're a wonderful londerar.
How good are they?
And they are very good.
The hubs of this place are particularly happy. Now. There's lots of other things to do when you're here, all sorts of fun to see, be it whether it flies or whether it drives. You can see it here just on the edge of Park's Airport. Hang on, there's something that we never do at our towns, but I actually want to do it right now. Listen to this. How could is that anyway back to the story. So Park's Airport on the side of it is a treasure trove
of Australian aviation history. The man who's going to show us all through here right now, and I love them Cole, love it to meet your mate, you two. There's some cool stuff in here.
Yes, it is very cool.
Oh wow, well let's start here. Navy helicopter. Tell me the story.
Wet Ex eight one three. This used to be on the h Ams Melbourne.
There's no other way of putting it. That's a killing machine, yes exactly.
If you look at the front, you've got a gatling gun on there, and there's a cannon and then you have your missiles hanging under the winglimey than hasty.
Oh wow, that's on the tape.
Isn't it still a button? I shouldn't push your cop checked.
This wish you must got through before this.
All right, let's get looking. Wow. That is massive. Wow piece a ran.
Now while I'm here, I'm about to attempt a major feet in aviation.
It is a perilous journey, one that the current president of the United States cannot make, and that is to walk up the stairs without falling. Eyes up. Wish me luck. Oh wow, see Joe, I know how hard this is. But four more years, right, and now that I'm here, I am not a croc oh Now we're in my favorite place. I love old cars, Barry, love it to meet you, love it to see you tell me about this bit of work.
This is a nag, very early German car. It's spent all its life in parts.
The story goes.
At one stage one of the daughters went for a drive rare like ten fifteen koa and the other one went in the horse and tart and won the horse and card.
Beat up.
Look at this baby, hear the chrysler.
Yes, this is a game. Bed in Parks all it's life. Businessman from Parks was on an overseas trip, and he picked this up from the cries of the factory in Chicago.
Of course, Australians always loved being uts. We have a look at this Plymouth here. This was the I'm not going to say bottom of the line, but this was the everyman car. That's right, yep. Look at that now, I mean, look at the styling, the shape. How much would that have cost? Do you think? Just just have a guess.
In the nineteen fifties, that would have cost about one thousand pounds.
Oh, can I get in a time machine. I just go back and buy all it. One thousand pounds for this.
This, of course is when the hold and cost nine hundred.
Oh, I'd buy every one of them, every one of them.
Thank you very much for ever on the LOLd the museums. You're going to see that the dish eating a whole bunch of stuff. All right, after the break, it's time to meet the King Elvis on sky News. Next, ladies and.
Gentlemen, Elvis Aaron Presley.
Never otherwise known as Allan Allan Elvis love is see you man, and thank you for you. Look at million bucks. Thank you very much, so thank you, thank you very much. Say thank you very much. Now, when does one When did you start living loving Elvis? How did you just say?
When I was a young guy, I was like anyone else, like Olus, Neil Diamonds, a lot of farm good musicians out there time, but always had a stinger about him.
At that stage.
It's amazing for this like where everyone grew up in the fifty sixties and seventies and he was a king.
So what else do you doing?
But what I like here is your You're settling in on my favorite Elvis right, Like I like late sixties, early seventies Vegas Elvis. Right, there's just something about that swagger, something about the rhyme stones, did you buy it? Did you make it? Where do you get something like this? And does it come in five excel?
But Lucky definitely like that.
Yeah, it'll stretch right out like that, so I know we get it from overseas.
Depends on what sort of suits you want, because Silvis had such a vast variety of suits, you know, it was probably nearly forty of them, And depends what era, Like you said before, well, how you want to present yourself?
Yeah, and that's what you do. I want to learn some moves. Okay.
Now, firstly, right, I'm going to step out for one second. I want you to show me your best Elvis. Pose your best elvis right down the barrel. Okay, so here we go. This is what it looks like to be Elvis. Take it on, Alan, Oh.
Yeah, all right, all right, teach me Alan, teach me, wax on, wax off.
I've got the crane ready, let's go.
Okay, okay, you from me and your statue.
You gotta get the flexi hips going. Okay, okay, let's get the leg out there like this.
Okay.
The main thing is Silver used to do all those moves on stage, of course, So you get yourself out there like that.
Oh, bring it back swinging my legs. My legs are swinging. My legs are swinging, and then kick it in. I don't know what, but with the other leg I'm too uncoordinated. All I can do is this and then give me the hands, Give me the hands.
Baby.
Oh yeah, he was sarn. Presently, love me. We're out of the building. Thank you, Park, I love you.
Give me a high by law that u