Live on Sky News. This is Sharry.
Good Evening Tonight.
Albanez he can't rule out raising taxes if he wins. Meanwhile, his plans for death duties scare off voters.
The full details in a moment.
Plus I'll give you my verdict on who's best to govern the nation a head of the election, and my prediction of how many seats Labor and the Coalition will each win. Also on the show, nine reported Nick McKenzie admits to unlawful conduct in pursuit of a story. This admission in court after Ben Robert Smith won his bid to have the secret recording hurt Well how this all unfolded a little later, Another massive show tonight with just Into nabag Imper Price, Basil zemplus James Willis, Adam Crichton
and Moore. Now newspapers publish editorials right before elections, pointing readers in the direction they.
Believe serves the nation best.
The nine mass Heeads will almost certainly endorse Alvin Easy, while the Australian and News Court Metros couldn't in all good conscience do that. The Sunday Telly has already backed in Peter Dutton. Well tonight, for the first time in my journalistic career, I'm going to offer a pre election editorial endorsing one side of politics, not out of partisanship, but out of necessity. This election matters more than any
in recent memory. At stake is our national security, social cohesion, prosperity and the very capacity to feed our families and save for retirement. With our values under threat from enemies at home and abroad, our country needs strong leadership, a prime minister prepared to defend what we stand for as a nation and govern with conviction. Well, Anthony Albinezi is not that prime minister. After three years in office, he has proven himself unfit to govern. His character, judgment and
instincts are fundamentally unsuited to leadership. His far left ideology is out of step with mainstream Australia. Not only has he failed to deliver, but his government has weakened our nation. Ronald Reagan famously posed this question in the ninety eighty presidential debate against Jimmy Carter.
Next Tuesday, olive, you will go to the polls, will stand there in the polling place and make a decision. I think when you make that decision, it might be well if you would ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?
That question are you better off?
Help deliver Reagan a landslide victory For most Australians who ask themselves this now the answer is a resounding no. So let's look at how Australia has fared under Albanezi at the kitchen table, at the national level and globally, and everything I'm about to tell you is factual.
Across the country.
Families are worse off as a direct result of the alban Easy government. We've been in a per capita recession. Energy bills are up thirty three percent, food has surged by fourteen percent, and a typical mortgage is now fifty thousand dollars more. Families are taking on multiple jobs to make ends meet, but their purchasing power is diminishing. Financial stress flows through to children and affects marriages. Can't afford toys, clothes, holidays,
even healthcare. It's all pervasive. Charities are turning away parents who can't put food on the table, school students open empty lunchboxes, and families who've always had a roof over their heads find themselves homeless or living in cars or tents on the side of a highway. Albanize has repeatedly failed to show that he truly understands these devastating real world pressures. And how could he As he jets around in his private plane that he calls Toto I after
his dog. With nearly thirty years on the public teat, he prefers to fly, then take long car trips. He says this is because of his bad back, yet then dares to argue against petrol tax relief. Now that's the picture at the family life, at the kitchen table.
Then at the national level, our.
Nation's piggybank is in its worst ever shape. Taxes have reached a record high under the Albanezy government, with workers paying three hundred and thirty one billion dollars last financial year. And here's another record that Australia will break under the Albanezy government, debt.
Reaching a trillion dollars next year.
Now, to reiterate that point, never before have Australians paid so much tax.
And instead of using this wisely, the.
Albaneze government is spending more than ever before ratings Agency Standards and Poor is so concerned about structural and hidden off budget spending that the agency has warned the Albanezy government that it's now at risk of losing our Triple A credit rating. And despite promising not to touch Stage three tax cuts, which were intended to correct bracket creep, Albertezi broke his word, leaving hard working Australians shouldering the
tax burden of Labour's big spending agenda. Worse still, Labor plans to tax unrealized capital gains, money people haven't even received, and there are new taxes too.
On cars. The price of a Forward Ranger will go up.
By around fourteen thousand dollars, and death duties or an inheritance tax even looks likely under the next term.
Now, turning to Australia's position.
In the world, we are at our most vulnerable in the post war period.
Now.
It is true the Albereneze government has re established trading relationships with China, but at what cost. The Albanize the government has shown weakness in the face of Chinese aggression, even when our defense personnel were injured, off threatened, and China threatens our sovereignty with live firing exercises off our coast,
and there's almost no pushback from the Prime Minister. His weakness was epitomized by this cartoon of Johannes Leeks showing him on a leash held by Shijing Ping, and Albanesi was so infuriated by this cartoon that he carried it around with him in his pocket to unfurl and complain about.
It's always the truth.
That hurts the most, because on foreign policy, Albanesi has been diabolical. He's deliberately blurred the lines between our allies and adversaries to such an extent that he can't say the United States is a closer friend than China.
Who are we better friends with China or America both?
He underestimates the democratic values that bind us to America, values that our soldiers sacrifice their lives to defend, and he ignores the authoritarian practices, including the imprisonment of Cheng Lei, the murder of whistleblowers, and the suppression of free speech, that make China fundamentally incompatible with our beliefs. And likewise, his failure to stand firmly beside Israel, a democracy fighting terrorists who slaughtered and still hold hostages captive is inexplicable
and alarming. His equivocation isn't diplomacy, it's moral cowardice. Threats in our region are escalating, from Russia to China. It would be prudent to prepare for the future by investing more heavily in defense.
Yet Albanesi has failed to do this. He has also.
Failed to establish the most basic level of communication with the President of the United States, our most critical ally, and this, in large part is in direct consequence of his own misjudgment in appointing his mate Kevin Rudd to the post of ambassador in Washington, a move, by the way, he told Australians he wouldn't make in yet another broken promise. So from the kitchen table to the nation's piggybank. In our place in the world, Albanesi.
Has left us bereft.
And that's not to mention the litany of broken promises and scandals too numerous to name them all here, but they include the release of criminal detainees, some who went on to re offend his high immigration policy, the housing crisis, wasting over four hundred million dollars on a device a.
Voice referendum, and the crime wave in parts of the country and more. Now you may be sitting.
There thinking, well, I'm a journalist on Sky News Australia and thus you'd expect me to have this perspective. Well, I'll tell you why this is not the case, because I know Albanezi personally. Yes, he came on my show in twenty eighteen, and I've interviewed him on many occasions for The Daily Telegraph as well, but it was more personal than that. I've had numerous dinners and coffees with him, sometimes with an editor as well, sometimes one on one.
He's even picked me up in his car after working Canberra, or dropped into the News Corp offices in Surry Hills for a cup of coffee. This was one dinner in twenty seventeen. Now, I respect the tradition of such meetings being off the record, and so I wo divulge what
was discussed on any of those occasions. But the reason I'm sharing this publicly with you tonight is to say that I did get along with Albanezi personally, I enjoyed his company, and that my comments now are not from a position of political bias, as you know I often strongly praise and endorse the centrist state labor governments of Chris Mins and Peter Malanaskis, but the truth is I've
been deeply, deeply disappointed in Albanesi's leadership. And there's no greater issue where this has been the case than on anti Semitism. His betrayal of our Australian Jewish community for political and ideological purposes has been heartbreaking and shocking. We've faced anti semitism not seen since nineteen thirties pre war Europe, and it's now irreparable, and it's the Prime Minister who's allowed it to flourish. He didn't have enough courage to
stand in solidarity with those unjustly demonized. He's quick to condemn white supremacists, and rightly so, but he couldn't stamp out or call out the anti semitism from the Muslim community or the pro Palestinian protest movement, where it's been the most prevalent. His decision to rush through nearly three thousand visas to a terror controlled state without adequate security checks shows how he abandoned his care for all Australians.
His failure of basic leadership allowed antisemitism to spread and has directly jeopardized the safety of Jewish children in Australian schools. And it is not an exaggeration to say there's a lack of safety. The AZIO Director General, Mike Burgess said plainly that the greatest threat to life in Australia in twenty twenty five is anti Semitism. This alone is unforgivable and should disqualify Albansi.
From future leadership.
Now, my response to his failure and anti semitism is visceral as a Jew, as a mother, and as a proud Australian, because this is about safety, equality and rejecting racism. This is not the Labor Party of Bob Hawk. It is a radicalized device, a version led by Albanesi and his inner circle Petty Wog, Tony Burke, Katie Gallagher and
Chris Bowen. They've overseen crises in immigration, housing and social cohesion and their incompetence as they've damaged down Nation has only been outmatched by their arrogant I also believe that in life, most of us try to do the right thing. We're honest, we apologize if we make a mistake. But alban Easy's growing list of broken promises belies a personal failure to abide by a moral code centered on truth and integrity.
There's a difference between spin.
And outright lies, and alban Easy forgot that distinction a long time ago. Now, Peter Dutton hasn't run a perfect campaign, far from it, But as the Sunday Telegraphs editorial says, a superior campaign should not outweigh three years of pain. And it's a point Peter Dutton himself made today.
A lot of families who are really doing it tough, for a lot of small businesses who have closed over the last three years. And this election really is a referendum, not about the election camp, but about the last three years of government. Are you better off today than you were three years ago? And what will it be like under three more years?
And is the entire coalition front bench ready to govern? Well, perhaps not quite, but they won't further erode.
What makes our nation great. I believe that Dutton's.
Instincts, his values, and his moral clarity are solid and unwavering. He would never compromise the safety of a community for political expediency. He speaks the truth, even when it's unfashionable and leads by principle not popularity. At a time of global volatility and financial pressure. He offers the courageous and calm leadership our country needs. His strength is the antidote to the drift, weakness, and moral ambiguity we've endured under Albanezi.
Another term of Labour means means three more years of confusion, division and decline. It's time to turn the page on this period of stagnation.
A Dutton prime prime minister ship.
Would give our great nation the fresh start that we so desperately deserve. Okay, and a bit later in the show, I'm going to give you my election prediction, how many seats precisely I think the Liberal Party and Labor will win. But now let's bring in our Thursday panel tonight WA Opposition leader Liberal Leader in Wa Basil Zemplus and the Daily Telegraphs journalist James Willis. Welcome to you both. Look,
I'm going to start with you, Basil. One of the most cutting messages in this campaign has been how the Prime Minister has lied on many scare and other scare campaigns and seems.
To just get away with it.
Do you think this is now going to become the new normal in politics, seeing as it has been so effective.
It is very unfortunate, I've got to say, and obviously people will know this. I've just been through my own election campaign and been on the receiving end of very strong arm labor tactics. Now that's fine, we're all big kids. We have to play in the environment that we're in. But it has become a repeated pattern of behavior, particularly from that side. And if it were in reverse, we know the hows that we would hear, yet that we
would hear. Yet for whatever reason, it has become an acceptable policy or an acceptable position for labor in election environments. It's not what Australian people want or deserve. It's not really playing the game fairly. Although we all know it's a robust environment. You've got a cop, what you've got a cop. But I think we can do far better. And if they're the tactics you're resorting to, what does it say about the people resorting to those tactics.
Indeed, and we even saw today in an interview with Andrew Klenell, the Prime Minister couldn't rule out raising taxes under the next term and office.
Have a look at this do you undertake not to raise any taxes.
Well, what we've got, Andrew, is our policies out there for all.
To see, So you won't raise any taxes. So that what we've got out there, Andrew, is lower taxes.
I mean, that's pretty appalling, James, that you know, effectively, that's an admission we probably will have new taxes, and they'll have to have new taxes to keep our triple A credit rating.
Well, and just the other thing is because they're spending so much money, at some point you have to find money from elsewhere so the books don't look as disastrous as they have been. He also was asked about whether he could guarantee a surplus again and was unable to do that.
But look, I think the biggest.
Missopportunity of this entire campaign has been what Labor is planning to do if they win this election. In regards to what you spoke about the unrealized capital gains and the idea that this could extend beyond superannuation, there's some stories this week that talk about it being small businesses, talking about enterprise, talking about farms, and basically taxing you on money that you haven't even received physically, and the idea of raising seven billion dollars over ten years as
a result. Now that's a massive problem and has the potential to hurt a lot of people that have already paid tax their entire lives. They pay tax at the petrol station, they pay text every time.
They know with genst and everything else.
They suddenly get to retirement and the super balance goes whack, and the Prime Minister's saying, well, it's one in twenty super funds by the time people retire that are young. Now it's going to be a lot more people that are over that threshold. And because the Greens are going to and this cross bench could likely have a big larger say that kind of policy could be far worse than what we expect. So if I was the Liberal Party, I would have been smashing that over the last few weeks.
I think it's really problematic. But we also know, Sherry that the prom is to promised not to change superannuation. He wouldn't change the Stage three tax cuts. You lied about both those things, and they promise not to squirt money around. In jin Chalmer's words, well that's what they've done. There's been so much spending under this labor government and money that can't actually justify results.
And the other thing that Standards and Pause is concerned about is that it is structural spending.
It's built in spending.
It it's not like it was during the COVID pandemic, when it lasts a couple of years, it's stimulus relief and then it comes off.
This is all built in spending.
Bazilo want to ask you about what James just spoke about Labour's policy, and they've got draft legislation on this to tax unrealized capital gains and potentially there's also talk that they might even have to introduce some sort of inheritance tax or death duties.
That if Labor are resorting to these tactics, they seem to be getting away with them and are not held to account. That tells us I think a little something about the broader environment. But on those particular taxation raising areas that they may be going to exploit, there is no clarity, there is no truth in delivery there, and yet they are very very quick to point the finger the other way. For me, one of the issues again is why is it that they seem to be able
to get away with it. What is it about the environment that we are in that they are not called out successfully on some of these mythstruths that they have told well.
And the answer to that is that, you know, the Coalition needed to do a better job of pointing this out.
They needed to run much tougher.
Advertising campaigns highlighting the policy, and then of course the media as well. But you know, where not the opposition, the Coalition should have run those ads. And you know, I know, James, the Coalition has just now started running some pretty strong small adverts. You noticed one on X if we've got that let's have a look at that ad.
It's coming now.
Are you kissing your boss?
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, author liberal camera, very effective ad, James.
A lot of these have come too late in the piece. Yeah.
We read today that Labor has spent across YouTube and Facebook and meta about five million dollars compared to two million I think from the Coalition. So with young voters plus then you've got the Greens and you've got Climate two hundred spending money in that space. They have done an excellent job at trying to create this impression that Peter Dutton is a really bad guy. The Liberals are out of date, they don't know what they're doing, they're evil,
they don't care about the planet. It's all those sort of key messages while spreaking their own messages around correct yeah, or they're not going to give you a hex debt cut and all those things that add to me. And that was from a media conference the other day with a Prime minister did a quick visit to a seat that points to the PM's character. And this is a man that says that he grew up in Housing Commission, He's always been a battler.
He goes to.
South Sydney football games. That's a labor volunteer that has been standing out in the rain at one of his booths that says, my husband wants to say hello to you, and he says yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I've got to go. And that moment to me was just one of those ones where I thought the Liberal Party should be putting that on every billboard in Australia because it goes to the Prime minister's character and how out of touch he is become in this role and how as
you say, he's a thirty year politician. He loves the com cars, loves the jet and has forgotten that grassroots volunteer that says, we're here, my husband wants to meet you.
No time for you.
Sorry, Yeah, I agree.
It's appalling, and that volunteer would have been there from eight to ay in the morning when creepole opens, the entire day, day and day out. She has that encounter with the Prime Minister someone presumably she idolizes and he waves her off like that.
I mean she might have taken tome off work, she might have whatever she's been standing out there handing out so that he wins again and he goes, I don't have time for you.
Sorry, No, I know, it's really terrible, all right.
Look.
One of the most egregious lies about the coalition spread by the Albnesi government has been the six hundred billion dollar figure on nuclear.
Have a look the six hundred billion dollars that they'll need for their nuclear fantasy.
Peter Dutton can't find the six hundred billion dollars he needs for his nuclear reactors.
Now basil, of course.
This was from an anti nuclear lobby group.
Yes, and look, here's where we have to take our hats off to the Labor Party and particularly the team that have run this very effective campaign for them. They seize on these opportunities and then they repeat the message. They stay disciplined, and you hear it over and over and over again. And unless you can do something to break that stream of thought from the Australian public, because they keep hearing it over and over again, these numbers are going to stick and if they stick, they're going
to scare people. So finding a way to be able to get what is the actual truth out there that always is the challenge for those who are on the receiving end of it. And again, we know this is misinformation. We know that this is not based on anything that is solid, verifiable or has been researched properly to be able to come up with these numbers. But the challenge in an election campaign is to get your own message
out there. And if others are determining what your message is, that's when you can find it difficult to progress your arguments.
No, exactly, and as you say, we know this figure isn't right, but most Australians who are seeing the television.
Adverts I keep hearing it commercial.
TV, yeah and radio, they don't know it's not true. Now, James, you looked into this group and when they began this campaign, I mean some six months ago. Tell us about the story you wrote today in the Daily Telly.
Yeah, so where this six hundred billion dollar figure came from was from a charity. They have a charitable status, but they are effectively a solar and battery lobby group who have donated to the Labour Party previously, who had Simon Holmes a Court on their board until recently Climate two hundred by the way, Yeah, until last year.
He was on the board for five years.
They were involved in that Chuck them Out binsticker campaign from twenty twenty two with Scott Morrison. And there's all sorts of questions about how much a charity should be weighing into one side of the political debate. The person that runs this charity, John Grimes, has certainly been standing alongside Chris Bowen. But the point is their whole business relies on solar panels and batteries and guess what, nuclear is going to be government run if it ever gets up,
They're going to be government assets. So it's in his best interests to not have a nuclear industry and to have as much solar and as much battery as possible. The number they produce was based on CSIRO modeling, which said one hundred and sixteen billion dollars. They then used their own in house assumptions and there was a lot of political mayo on that to get to six hundred billion dollars. I have asked them how they got that number.
They cannot tell me. I've asked repeatedly. And yet that number has become a problem for the Liberal Party because it's been used by Jim Chalmers, Anthony Alberanezi, Chris Bowen. It's been used in ads, it's been used in push polling. But it's worth calling out. It's a flimsy number. It's not backed up by science. Yes number by a charity who makes money out of lobbying for the solar and battery industry, who have no interest in nuclear power and never will.
I mean, we used to look back at American elections and say we we used to feel sorry for them that there was so much fake news.
It's unbelievable that this has now become the norm.
I mean, I mean, Bows, would you remember the outrage, Remember how angry Malcolm Turnbull was when there was that mediccare campaign two days out from the election and it cost him dearly.
He ended up you know, there wasn't a clear outcome on an election Nightumember, how grumpy he was.
He ended up winning by about one seat I think so, or having a majority by one seat. So you know, and compare the campaign we've seen now on scare tactics to that one metiskit text message.
It is so much more egregious now, it.
Is, and they just get repeated and repeated, and we've seen the Prime Minister take his Medicare card out of his pocket and wave it around everywhere. We know that the policy was matched almost instantly by the coalition, Yet continually we've heard from the Prime Minister and his team how much worse off Australians were going to be if
a coalition government were in place. Look at this is an issue now and the American style of politics, if you like, particularly with how misinformation is spread with social media and all of the other devices that are available. They are a part of our modern campaigning here. What is done about it becomes the challenge of this.
Period that we are in right now.
You've got to be good at it, or you've got to get everybody away from it. It's one or the one or the other.
I think now it's probably going to become the norm. Now, before we go, I want to get both of your predictions for who's going to win, and then I'm going to give you mine.
So well, I think you'd be mad to be predicting elections from now on because of the rise of the independent vote. There's talk of some safe Liberal seats being in trouble and labor seats, but I think the PM losers seats Dutton gains, the PM won't have a majority and we'll have to be doing deals with whatever is left at the other side. But I think the damage to Albertezi will be significant, and I think Peter Dutton will put on a very good show.
Okay, interesting, so much closer, much closer than that, Bazil, what do you think?
Super close?
How about I tell you about the patch that I know a bit about. I'm very confident about Bullwinkle, the new seat Matt Moran, and I'm very optimistic about Tom White's chances of regaining Curtain and beating Kate Cheney the Teal Independent, and huge chances in both tang Me to take it back and also Piers to take it back. So on a really good night for the Coalition, there could be three seats regained and one new seat one. It could be as many as four for the Libs in Wa.
Wow, that's a very optimistic outlook, Basil. Well, both of you have been more optimistic than the national polls, that's for sure.
And then most of the commentators I've had on.
This week all right, Basil zamplus James Willis love having you both on. Thank you okay, And so here's my final prediction for Saturday two days out now. I think the Coalition will win around sixty six seats and I think Labor.
Will win around seventy two.
I think it'll be a hung parliament and we may not know a result on Saturday night. I think it could take even four days to count the seats to get those final results in on the ninfe age seats, because there are going to be a lot that are quite close or even too close to call on Saturday night. Now, Alban Ezy will then have to govern with the Teals, who he has of course already been wooing. He's had drinks at the lodge with them. But that's my final prediction.
The Liberals and around sixty six seats Labor on seventy two. But I can tell you that Alban Ezy thinks he wins majority government with eighty seats. He's as cocky as he was with The Voice. Now on Saturday night, I'm going to be reporting with Paul Murray from the Liberal campaign headquarters.
Will be on air at the start of every hour.
So make sure you're watching Sky News for our election coverage on Saturday night. All right, Now, still to come, the nine journalists who pursued Ben Roberts Smith admits in court to unlawful conduct in pursuit of a story.
I'll tell you how this unfolded. Plus just sent a.
Nabagmber Price unloads on Pennywong's plans for The Voice. She's up after this quick break. Welcome back, Well, just into Namba. Jimber Price is coming up shortly. But first let's turn
to the Ben Robert Smith case. Now, it was a fascinating day in the Federal Court today as Ben Robert Smith took started or kicked off, this part of his appeal to overturn the defamation finding in the case against nine Now, the days started with a fierce debate about whether that explosive audio recording that we've been playing you could be admitted at all. And this is the recording where nine journalist Nick Mackenzie admits to breaching his ethics.
I shouldn't tell you I've just preached my ethics and doing that like this is where like this is position if they knew that, I knew that.
The judges eventually allowed it.
And Mackenzie took the stand squirming as he readied for a cross examination by Robert Smith's barrister, Arthur Moses. Uncomfortable questions were asked about his knowledge of the code of conduct that governs his role as a senior journalist at nine, and Nick Mackenzie admitted to not having read nine's code of conduct.
He was also confronted.
With examples of where he'd obtained information through unlawful methods in pursuit of a story. Now Arthur Moses also quoted Mackenzie back to himself from a line in his book when.
He said he had his balls in a vice and.
Felt that his career would be over if he lost the defamation case against Ben Roberts Smith. Now Arthur Moses wasn't his usual dramatic self. He was methodical, chipping away at Mackenzie like a surgeon, building his case that the journalist uses unorthodox, even unlawful means to obtain a story. And Nick mackenzie also admitted to having discussed the audio recording with one journalist. To that journalist, Media Watch host
Linton Besser joining me now to discuss media law. Partner at hwl Absworth Lawyers Nicholas pull and Nicholas thank you very much for your time.
What's good in the show?
What did you make of this day in court?
Which was quite nail biting at time, at times when we didn't know whether the recording was going to be admitted or not.
Well, as you say, I mean, it was fascinating on a number of levels, not just today but all the case, all this week, but today especially legally fascinating because and you know, journalists take note when it comes to the use of tapes and if they're allegedly unlawful, what position they have. Now, this hasn't been tested at such a high level in the courts in the way that it
has been in this case. So for any legal observer or just even taking a small interest in it, it was fascinating because even the full bench needed more guidance from the Bar table in regards to the admissibility of this tape. As you say, it was eventually admitted, but there was a lot of scrambling around. It wasn't a straightforward issue nor clearly decision.
Now, Nicholas, talk us through what you made of Arthur Moses' strategy, also his style. It was different for him. I mean he seemed to be he seemed to me to be building the case there that this is a journalist who uses unorthodox methods in order to obtain a story. Also questioning him about just how much pressure he was under during that defamation case, worried about the fact that if he lost it, his career would be over.
I think you've described it quite well. Methodical, clean, surgeon like and certainly not not the style that we've been used to in the past from mister Moses. But as you say, he's building a case and it needs to go through quite methodically in quite a staged way to get to the point where he wants to to make the point that he needs. There's no theatrics here. It is a clear and clean cut look.
There was also some discussion about admitting evidence from another case that related to just how many times Ben Roberts Smith's email account had been accessed either by his ex wife's best friend or his ex wife. What would be the significance of those phone records being examined in this context.
Well, there's a bit, there's a lot we can't go into because and also the advocates of the bar table, we're very conscious of what they couldn't go into, especially from matters that had been previously going on this week.
But really what that the nature of that evidence would lead to would be to support the contention that's being made by by the lawyers for Ben Roberts Smith in that mister mackenzie had been involved in matters that related to either privileged matters or matters going taken from from Ben Robert Smith's email account. So it's more supporting material that they've tried to that they've tried to get into evidence just to support their contention.
Yeah, all right, And by the way, if everyone at home wants to continue watching this, because the day ended today, Nick McKenzie still midway through his cross examination, and anyone can watch it. It kicks off again at nine thirty am tomorrow. All you have to do is google Federal Court YouTube and you pull up the Federal Court YouTube page and there it is. You click on it and you can watch the hearing live, and I highly recommend
it starts at nine thirty am tomorrow. All right, Nicholas Pullin, really appreciate your time.
Now still to come.
Is Labor trying to sneak the voice referendum back onto the agenda? Just inter Namba Jibber Price. We'll discuss this with me in a moment. Plus Humus asks people to set cars on fire as Israel battles a wildfire emergency. Well, I wonder how the pro Palestinian crowd will spin this. Welcome back and let's bring you now a shadow Indigenous Affairs minister just into Nampajin for Price.
Just int a great to see you again.
We've heard Pettiwong firstly not completely rule out the voice, and then we have Annaka Wells and other labor minister today say that it wouldn't happen again in its current form.
What did you make of her choice of words there?
Look, their choice of words are very important when it comes to this particular issue. Because we've not been able to get a straight answer out of the Albanesi government ever since the Voice referendums failure, and so this suggests to me that they have a plan to possibly legislate the voice if they're successful at the next of this
election on Saturday. And part of that is also as they've said, they're committed to the Ularus statement from the Heart, which involved Voice treaty and truth telling in the form of a Macarata commission.
Now justinto after Penny Wong's comments, I mean, this has been a big story. I thought the Daily Telegraph front page was excellent today the petty drops. You've also fronted an advertising campaign, just very quick ad that the Liberal Party is sending out to marginal seats warning them that Labor could be planning to introduce another voice to Parliament. I haven't seen the ad yet, it is being sent to me. But is this a scare campaign or what's the nature of this advert?
Well, the nature of this advert is to highlight the fact that the Prime Minister has been deceitful towards the
people of this country right throughout his campaign. I mean, he has delivered nothing more than scare tactics because he doesn't have a good record to show over this last term, and so the fact that they cannot effectively completely and utterly rule out a form of a voice or treaty or macarata suggests to me that it is absolutely still on the table and that is an insult to the Australian people that they have not accepted the outcome of the referendum, and that to me is just an absolute
kick in the guts for Australians. So why would Australians trust this Prime Minister to deliver, for them, to listen to them, to meet the needs of the Australian people.
Yeah, we've also been talking on the show tonight about how the Prime Minister and interview with Andrew Cluel today refused to rule out new taxes.
We know that already there are other taxes coming in a cars.
Regular car is going to become more expensive if it's not an electric vehicle, unrealized capital gains tax.
You know, do you think Australians.
Understand that they may face higher taxes if there's another three years of labor which is looking likely now.
Yeah, Look, I mean if Alberanesi comes to government, it will be in the form as probably a minority government anyway, and then that would mean that they would be absolutely reliant on the Greens and the demands of the Greens on Albanesi. I mean, we've already seen that occur in their first term of government. They will come under even more pressure from the Greens.
So you know, as trying to rule out all.
These taxes, but we know that that won't be the case from the Prime Minister hasn't been able to.
Keep his word.
As he said in the last leaders debate. He broke his word and he will do that again. That's the bottom line.
Yeah, indeed, he constantly breaks his promises. Just into napujiper price.
Thank you very much for your time. Now, don't go anywhere yet. We're going to talk about just how much of a factor Donald Trump has been on this campaign. A new poll suggests he has been a major reason why people aren't voting for Dutton. Adam Crichton would join me in just a minute.
Now.
They have been muted celebrations across Israel as it marks it's seventy seventh independence Day under the shadow of major wildfires. Many traditional ceremonies were canceled as the country battles, the largest blaze in a decade. Prime Minister Benjaminettaya, who has declared the situation a national emergency. And to make matters worse, these fires are believed to be potentially a terror attack
orchestrated by Hamas. They have reportedly instructed the youth of the West Bank, the youth of Jerusalem and those inside Israel to set their cars ablaze, and they've said that Gaza awaits the revenge of the free, that was their message. So this would mean that Israel is under attack from the very people who started the war on October seven, twenty twenty three. This is a very sad state of affairs, particularly so as I said on Israel's independence Day.
Yom Ha'atzot.
All right, let's bring you now IPA senior fellow, Adam Crichton, and we're going to get straight back into election coverage.
Adam Crichton.
There's a poll by Redbridge that shows one of the main reasons Australians are voting against the coalition is because of concern about global uncertainty caused by Donald Trump. And we've just seen the Canadian election this week, Mark Carney stunning turnaround, how much of an impact do you think Trump has had in the Australian election.
Well, certainly, showing the context of Canada, it's been a massive force in the election there. And I think an interesting point just to make off the bat is the potency of nationalism still. I mean, we often talk about a post nationalist age, but in the Canadian context, you see that when there's a perceived threat, real or perceived, it really matters and people rallied around the government, they rallied around the flag in Canada and they voted for
the government. In the Australian context, I don't think Trump has been anywhere near as much a factor. But that said, certainly the left, the Labor Party, the Greens have been trying to paint to paint the opposition leader as a Trump type figure. But I think that's somewhat ludicrous when you look at the facts, because he's really been anything. But I mean, he's essentially been a labor light figure.
I mean, for instance, can you imagine on the American equivalent, Well, I think so they've matched all the spending proposals, there's really you know a bit Labors set the economic agenda pretty much the whole time, and the point I was going to say, just in terms of the Donald Trump question, can you imagine Trump in America on their equivalent of Anzac Day essentially backing a welcome to country. I don't think so. So anyway, my point is that Peter Dutton
is not a Trump light figure. But that said, I think it has hurt him marginally and I think that's going to be borne out when we see the results on Saturday.
Yeah.
Now I agree with you that it has had a genuine impact on this election. And you know, it's interesting because when Donald Trump was first elected back in November, we thought it was going to be this wave around the world and end to the woke ideology, and instead we're.
Probably now seeing the reverse.
Do you think this is going to be a trend, at least while Trump's in office, while he presents, you know, a chaotic style of politics, that it'll be more left wing political parties that are elected rather than conservative.
It's a really good question, I think, No, it's a really good question. It's a really difficult question to answer. Trump is obviously a polarizing figure within the US, and I think outside the US he's widely loath you know, we have to be honest about that. He's not a popular figure in Australia. But more broadly, I think all the action now intellectually is on the right, not on
the left. The left has become the establishment. You left used to me decades ago the party of protest, but it's no longer the party of protests because they run the media, they run the universities, they run the top of our corporations. They are essentially the establishment now, and the right is the protest movement. I mean, Trump is the protest movement. And I think right parties generally are
struggling with this transition. They don't know whether they're still the party of the wealthy or the party of the working class. And I think Trump has decided the future of the Republican Party is with the working class, with working people, and you see that in the results. But I don't think parties in the UK and parties in Australia, the Conservative parties in those countries, I don't think they've really resolved that tension yet, trying to have a bit
both ways, and I think that's difficult. You know, they're trying to keep the till seats. Can they do that at the same time as being champions of the poor.
I don't know.
I take your point, but I think they can do both things because it's about strong economic policy and it's about aspiration. And you know, if you've got a strong economy, if you've dealt with inflation, if interest rates a lower, if you've got a strong labor market, that benefits you know, the blue collar workers just as much as it benefits company executives.
I suppose I want to ask you before you go.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has come out against net zero. He wrote a new report, The Climate Paradox, where he said that voters feel they're being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know the impact.
Of global emissions is minimal. That's his words. Fascinating. What do you think about this changing?
This is the story of the week, story of the month. I mean, it's just amazing he said this. I mean, I think there's a you know, when certain politicians reach
a certain age, they're much more honest. And I think this is a glorious comment from Tony Blair, who of course is a giant of the last fifty years of center left politics and I think this is surely a wake up call to parties of the right here to dump net zero if even Tony Blair says it's insane, and he's obviously looked at the facts, and you know, frankly, anyone who's objective and reasonable and he looks at the science, who looks at the economics, they know that net zero
by twenty fifty is just not possible. And that's the reality. But unfortunately it seems like in Australia when we have a re elected Labor government, we're going to have a lot of collateral damage before we realize what Tony Blair has realized.
Yeah, no, indeed, all right, Adam Crichton, thank you so much for joining me.
Love having you on as always.
Thanks sho.
Now remember Saturday night might be a tough night for some viewers. Will all be there together and you've got to tune into Sky News. Like I said, I'll be with Paul Murray, will be in Brisbane at the Liberal campaign headquarters bringing.
You all the coverage from the night.
If it's an upset, if it's a good night, if it's a bad night, Paul Murray and I will be there with you.
We'll be on at the start of every hour. Right now, here's Paul