Why on Sky News. This is Sharry.
Good Evening.
It's my final show of the year tonight and I have major scoops. First exclusive vision from inside Melbourne's a Dust Synagogue showing the moment.
It went up in flames.
This is the first look at the arsonists while they were committing this terror attack. It's truly horrifying and it shows how those inside were mere seconds away from being engulfed in flames.
That story.
In a moment also tonight, Anthony Albanezi told prominent members of the Jewish community that the Arabs are doing it really tough at the moment. This was his instinctive remark at a time when our country is in the grips of an antisemitism crisis.
That story coming up.
Rupert Murdoch has today visited the Adust Synagogue to witness the aftermath of the terror attack, saying he deeply moved and there's pressure on John Persuto to stand down. Tonight, with MOI Redeeming being awarded three hundred thousand in damages, Persuno claimed there were no adverse findings against him, a statement that's blatantly untrue.
Lawyer Justin Quill will be on live shortly.
But first tonight, let's start with the truly horrifying moment the Adas Synagogue went up in flames. Police have obtained crucial new evidence that shows the alleged arsonists behind this terror attack. The exclusive pictures I'm about to show you, obtained by police, are captured from CCTV inside the temple. It is a truly horrifying moment when a synagogue is set alight and torched.
Take a look. It's so terrifying, isn't it.
And I want to show you those pictures again, but this time in slow motion. Just look how quickly that fire spreads. In a matter of seconds, the synagogue turns from a peaceful place of worship, a safe room for study and prayer, into a potentially deadly inferno, the flames raging inside with thick, acrid smoke. And now I can show you what happened inside the synagogue just moments before this.
You can see a.
Worshiper to the left of the screen peering inside the room where the arsonists are dowsing petrol. He sees what's going on, he starts to flee, Then he goes back and bangs on the door. It looks like he says something to the terrorists, but then runs for his life. As he flees the room, you can see the urgency and terror. And now we're more extraordinary and shocking footage, which is right now being examined by police. I can show you the actual attackers moving inside the synagogue moments
before the inferno erupts. Look closely now to the left side of your screen, the circle in red through the door. You can see the arsonists running back and forth. It appears they're carrying a red jerry can as they pour petrol all over the synagogue. And let's take a closer look at that vision, because it's utterly extraordinary to see
these arsonists behind this terror attack. This time, let's look in slow motion, and if you look closely, you can see there's a black covering or mask on one of their faces.
Have a look. You can see that.
Now that is key evidence for police who are tonight leading this terrorist investigation. Then, precisely thirty seven seconds later, the entire room goes up in flames. Thirty seven seconds between when the worshiper left the room and when it was on fire. That is thirty seven seconds between life and death.
In the wake of this attack.
Albanesi has claimed that he cares about antisemitism. He visited Sydney's Holocaust Museum yesterday and spoke about the need for action. But last week, before this terror attack, he made an insensitive remark. Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi told prominent members of the Jewish community that the Arabs are doing it really tough at the moment. He made the comments last week prior to the terror attack on the Adashed Synagogue in Melbourne,
but after the extensive antisemitic vandalism in Wullara. His tone, deaf and insensitive comments are understood to have shocked the prominent Jewish leaders, who immediately responded by telling Albanzi that the Jewish community was doing it tough as well. Albanese's comments show he has failed to understand the gravity of the anti Semitism crisis that's erupted over the past fourteen months.
I asked the.
Prime Minister's office today if he recognized his remarks were insensitive, and I asked for a comment. The Prime Minister's office said they did not believe it was an accurate reflection of the conversation, but the comments were instantly shocking to the prominent Jewish leaders, and they remarked on them immediately to others present. But this was Albanesi's instinctive sentiment to talk about how tough the Arabic community he was feeling when our country is in the grips of an anti
Semitism crisis. It's similar to his ministers who, even after the fire bombing, can't stop talking about Islamophobia.
So be it any Semitism or Islamophobia.
And Islamophobia is unacceptable.
If James Patterson thinks he's now as Lamophobia in Australia his role.
As we spoke about last night, Albanezi also was caught on tape saying he was going to make the Jewish community even more upset. It seems he was referring to another anti Israel vote at the United Nations which took place overnight. The UN vote demanded that Israel reverse its bound on UNRA despite its proven links to terrorism, shutou Home Affairs Minister James Patterson told me today that this was reckless and irresponsible.
The truth is no Australian taxpayer dollars should be going to an organization that admits itself it employed terrorist and that is exactly what the Albanezi has done. The Albaneza government has done. This just continues the insults from the Albanza government to Israel and the Jewish community over the last week, which also included Pennywong's inflammatory and irresponsible speech on Tuesday night in which she compared Israel to Russia
and China. And this is all the more reckless and irresponsible given we are now in the middle of an anti Jewish terror crisis in Australia.
The UN vote also demanded an unconditional and immediate ceasefire. Well, there can't be an unconditional ceasefire. You can't have a ceasefire if her Muss is still in power or if the hostages haven't been brought home. Patterson says this would only see the return of the terror group her Muss, and that the Albanzi government is clearly putting their own political interest ahead of the national interest.
We voted to support an immediate ceasefire without any caveats at all, and the effective that would be for her Mus to remain in charge in Gaza. It will allow a must to regroup and recontrol Garza again, where it would again subject to people of Gaza to misery and from where they could again launch strikes against the Israeli people and the Israeli government.
Voting to effectively allow a terrorist group to remain in power is an insane proposition from a morally corrupt government, a government that pretends to care about anti Semitism, but at the same time continues its campaign of aggression against Israel, a campaign that has only emboldened the haters and contributed to the rise of due hatred in our beautiful country. Well, as I said, it's my final show of the year,
and it is a big one. I've got an exclusive interview with United States Congressman Brad Weinstrap on his investigation into the origins of COVID.
That's coming out later.
Economist Judith Sloan will also join me live to slam government spending. Plus Justin Quill, a top lawyer, will break down the findings against John Pisuto after Moiray Deeming's win today. Jemma Tognini Gary Hargrave also on the program. But now let's bring in National Senator Matt Canavan and Perth Met Basil Zemplus. Welcome to you both, Matt and Basil. Look you just saw that shocking footage then it is quite
scary to watch, and we timed it precisely. This is the footage that the police have obtained from inside the synagogue, thirty seven seconds Matt between the moment a worshiper was in that room and when it was engulfed in flames.
Well, it can just be thankful, Shari that no one was hurt or injured from these shocking events in Australia. Has shocked the country, you know. I mean, in the space of a year, we've had a bishop stab giving during a sermon and now these attacks on the Jewish community. Very sad to see a country divided in this way, and I think it is an obligation all our leaders and political leaders to try and unite Australians and be with them at times of these kinds of troubles. It's
good to see the promise to finally do that. It's been a bit related, but look, we've just got to stop trying to pit Australians against Australians. The vast majority of Australians do want to get along. There's obviously a small minority among us that are trying to cause us to divide ourselves to fight against each other. But what we've got to do is bring those perpetrators to justice, find who these people are, make them account for the
full account of the law. And then otherwise we've got to get together as all Australians, all different faiths.
We're very lucky to be in this country.
And I think one of the things that makes is such a harmonious and prosperous country over time is that we've generally been able to leave a centuries long ethnic.
Conflicts to other parts of the world.
We're very lucky here in this country that we don't have generational inflict of any great note.
And long may it stay that way.
Well, it's not staying that way anymore. It hasn't stayed that way for the past fourteen months. But I agree it was up until that point largely safe and free of racism.
Basil.
I want to get your reaction, and let's play them again now those foot that footage from inside the synagogue, Basil, what was your reaction when you saw just how close that worshiper came to being engulfed in flames, and also that extraordinary footage of the arsonists going back and forth with the red jerry can and you can see, you know, the black covering over their face.
Absolutely horrific, isn't it. And as Matt has just said, how lucky we all are that the clash of times, the lighting of those explosives and that worshiper leaving that place of worship didn't just coincide that tiny bit closer, because we know what would have happened. What we also know is this was a person and people intend on to show junction. It was a crime fueled by hate. It's unnecessary, it's not what we like in our country.
We want it stamped out and we want the message about it being stamped out to be very clear and to be coming from the very top. And as Man has said quite correctly, the Prime Minister is in and on now, but it has taken some time and these messages need to be clear, they need to be concise, and they need to be immediate, that this sort of behavior will never be tolerated in our country.
And you know, and we can keep looking at this footage,
it is just utterly extraordinary. But while the Prime Minister was yesterday responding to this terror attack and the rise in anti Semitism, I reported on the show last night that an Australian Auschwitz survivor turning one hundred had wanted her whole family to join her for the celebrations, but that Tony Burk's department had introduced a hostile What was sending Israeli is this hostile questionnaire where they were asked if they'd committed war crimes and to detail their military service,
which in Israeli is compulsory. Now, last night, two of the Burger family had not been able to enter the country. The twenty one year old great granddaughter flew back home after her week's leave was up and the visa still not through. She might never get to see her one hundred year old grandmother Holocaust survivor again. But now in good news, thanks to our coverage on the show last night, the government is now allowing the relative who's been stranded
in Thailand for two weeks to come to Australia. Matt, this is pretty outrageous though, to ask family members of Holocaust survivors if they've committed war crimes.
Yeah.
Look, I don't know a lot about this case apart from what's being reported. I have to deal with many of these types of cases that come to me from time to time. Normally you get a very sensible response when they're raised, and congratulations for you to helping out this this family. In this instance, there does seem to
be something a little bit strange about these questions. Obviously, I support a strong border protection regime, and I support our authorities asking appropriate questions about who wants to come to this country and make sure it's safe for all of us for them to enter here. No one that's not Australian has a right to enter our country. They'n have a default right to do that. And always mention that to people who want special treatment. But yeah, there's
saying something strange about these questions, if that's true. So some questions I think need to be answered about exactly what the processes are in place for members.
Of the defense force from Israel.
Maybe there is need for some of questions when there are members of defense forces from other countries coming to our country.
But it seems a little strange.
It's not just strange, this is outright aggression from the Albanezy government. Military services compulsory for all young people in Israel. There's no other way for Israel to defend its nation when it comes under existential threat from terrorists on seven fronts. You know, I reported last night Israelis who've gone back and forth from Australia for work on now having to
deal with these hostile questions. We know Tony Burke his entire career has been a pro Palestinian politician, like the Prime minister.
I mean, this is a.
Good outcome for this Auschwitz survivor's great grandson thanks to our reporting, But what about everyone else? And we can't raise every case on this show, Basil.
No, that's a very good point, and again, yes, well done to you and your team for highlighting this. I think what we want in these situations is consistency. We want the same rules and interrogation for everybody. Nobody should be interrogated more than anybody else, but nobody should be interrogated less than anybody else. And if you serve any armed forces from another nation anywhere in the world, it is fair enough that some questions will be asked. That information is important to say is.
Nonsense when Australian veterans. When Australian veterans go to America, we do not expect to be asked if.
They've committed war crimes. That is just rubbish.
But arry ques to decide the rules in this country. I mean, it's our country.
It's not America. It's our country. If I don't know enough about it, we had.
Veterans from America.
We're not telling them questions about whether they've committed.
Very strict protection rules, and I support them.
This isn't about border protection and this that's.
A business a double standard as well, because the Apanezy government rushed in nearly three thousand visas for Palestinians, no security checks at all, some granted in as little as an hour, and yet innocent, hard working Israelis, some who are the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, others who've been coming back and forth through this country for for years and
years are now being subject to this interrogation. It's a clear double standard that shouldn't apply when you've got Gaza, terrorist controlled war zone and you've got Israel, a peaceful, liberal democracy. It's an utter outrage, and I don't know how either of you can sit there and try and defend it.
All I'm saying.
All I'm saying is that we get to decide who comes here. It's our rules.
That you do.
If you're not in Australian you don't have a right to come to this country. I do agree with you that there is something strange there about asking about particular war crimes and what have you. That's I think what needs to get to the bottom of this case. And they may very well be a double standard there, but I very much support, as I say, anybody who comes to me wanting some kind of special access.
This isn't about this isn't about a very strict.
We have a strict, very strict visa required.
This isn't about that. This is a question have you committed war crimes? Have you committed genocide? I read out the questions on there last night. No one else is being asked these questions except for Jewish citizens.
This is utterly disgusting.
And I have to say to you all the reaction I got from everyone today because this story has gone international, has been outrage at what's happening. What's happened to the Australian government that it's asking these questions. You know, the reaction hasn't been what you two have expressed tonight.
But let's move on to other topics.
And my Jack, I just say one more thing, though, I just say one more thing, And that's why consistency is important.
And that's that's my point of view.
If you're going to ask anybody who comes in one set of questions, you've got to ask everybody who comes in one set of questions. And we all applauded John Howard when he said, we decide who comes into this country and the circumstances in which they enter. We want to stay consistent and be consistent, and then there are no gray areas.
That's the best way forward.
And what we've seen here is a hostile policy towards Jews from Israel and rushing in visas for Garzans from a terrorist controlled war zone, where we've reported and shown new evidence on this program and in other media outlets that some have a muscin for these.
So I think we're a green sharry. We're saying it needs to be consistent, that's what we're saying.
Well, not sure we're agreeing. I don't think it needs to be consistent. I think you need strict and strong interrogation from people coming from a terrorist controlled war zone, and I don't think you need that from a liberal democracy. Jews are peaceful people. But let's move on to our unemployment rate. Australia's unemployment rate has fallen to three point nine percent in November, the lowest level since March.
Matt.
We've seen some economists warn that the low figure might impact the RBA's decision to cut interest rates. What impact do you think this could have on rates?
Well, look, it's probably going to cause the Reserve Bank to at least pause before taking any further action.
And while notionally a low unemployment.
Rates good news for people, the reality is that doesn't really directly impact most people in this country. And deployment rate we're seeing is really a consequence of this government's policy of overheating the economy bringing in a lot more migrants,
and really we can sustain right now. They might have those strict border controls on people coming here for birthday celebrations, but they're certainly not being strict for those coming here for longer periods of time and putting pressure on our housing and labor markets, and so that is overheating the economy and causing our interest rates to be higher than
they otherwise need to be. If the government were to take some of that heat out of the market, control our border a little bit better, control our spending, control the spending of your money a bit better.
Then maybe our employment.
Market wouldn't be so hot, but their interest rates would come down. And I think that's what most restraints would like to see right now, and nothing the government is doing right now is helping generate that outcome. If we do see interest rates fall next year, it will be in spite of the Federal government's high spending, high immigration policies, because of anything they've done in particular.
Yeah, and look, according to at least what the IBA said, you know, there are no immediate forecasts that rates are going to come down. And as we go into Christmas now, the cost of living crisis is such a major concern for families struggling to buy Christmas presents for their kids.
Unemployment rates aren't really going to affect people's decision making, are they, And as we get towards March or April or May whenever that election is, having just come through, what will be a tough Christmas period for many families around Australia. In the end, people tend to simplify it and they'll walk into the ballot boxes and they'll ask themselves the question am I better off under labor after the last three years? That's largely what it will come
down to. And I think there'll be a great vast number of Australians for whom that answer will be No, I'm not better off now than I was three years ago. And as we know, interest rates they started to go up under Morrison, they kept going up under alban easy, and that's what it may well boil down to now when we go to the polls.
Indeed, all right, Matt Canavan, Basil Zemplus, thank you both very much for your time. Now let's turn to Labour's latest reelection bid to win over voters, in particular parents. Albanese is clearly hoping that childcare, free childcare will get.
Him over the line at the next election.
He's pledged to spend a billion dollars on one hundred and sixty new childcare centers and an estimated four hundred and thirty million dollars on subsidies. Will Economist Judith Sloan joins me, now, great to see you again. You write an excellent piece on this exaction point.
Do you think this.
Is a policy that will help productivity as we've heard the government argue or do you think this is purely chasing votes?
I think absolutely not. So one of the tranches of the changes is to eliminate what's called the activity test. Now at the moment, if parents want to qualify for childcare subsidies, they have to be in work, looking for work, or in educational training or volunteering, right, so that is the activity test. So the proposal is actually to ditch the activity tests so people won't have to do any of those things and yet their children will qualify for
the subsidies. Now that has the absolute reverse effect on productivity. It's bad for the economy. And here's one of the problems that let's say there's only one spot and one of the parents doesn't meet the activity tests and the other does. If the spot is given to the parents that don't meet the activity test, that is definitely a negative for the economy.
We've seen comments from the RBA Deputy governor where he's warned if Trump follows through with his trade sanctions against China that we could be impacted in Australia because of our exposure to China. What do you think about this? Does this mean that we are too reliant on China for trade. Even though we keep hearing politicians say that we need to diversify.
Has that not happened fast enough.
Well, look, it's an interesting point, and you know, I think I was a very sort of traditional economist when I was thinking about this, but I'm now of the view that Trump and tariffs is quite a complicated story. So if you think about the trade between Australia and America, that's quite small, right, and in fact we run a deficit. So Trump's very concerned about countries with whom America runs a deficit, but we actually America runs a surplus with US.
We send zam agricultural products meet We send quite a lot of what we call mincemeat to America for hamburgers and the like. But it's quite a small thing. So the effect of any big tariff changes would be via China. So China is our largest trading partner by a very long way. So if they impose high tariffs on China, that could easily affect the demand, particularly for the inputs for the for example, the coal and the iron ore that we supply to China. So that is a sort
of indirect effect, but could be very substantial. I've always been interested because the Albanese government, I think, feels as though they're proud of re establishing good relationship they China because you know, they had imposed Yeah, but they had imposed and tariffs on our bali and wine and with it lobsters or something, Whereas I thought that was actually
a good chance for us to try and diversify. But they're kind of giving themselves the big tear for re establishing those trade channels, whereas, in fact, I think it would have been better and I think up to a point it happened in Bali that we were actually able to establish alternative markets. I mean, it's just logical to have a diversified base of countries to which you're export because that's much more protective than relying on one country.
And it's really we are. China is our biggest training partner by a very long way.
It is, indeed, And look, I think it's one thing, it's a good thing that those tariffs have been removed, but to just go back into that cozy relationship where we would once again be subject to their whims if they don't like something Australia says, just when we stand up and defend our sovereignty.
It's a really dangerous place to be.
Judah Sloan always love your commentary and of course your columns in The Australian.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Well. Victorian Liberal leader John Persudo is tonight hanging on to his leadership by a threat after sensationally losing the defamation case that Liberal Moira Deeming brought on former Liberal MP Mora Deeming.
This is a massive win for Deeming.
She took Pursuito to court over allegations that he implied she was a neo Nazi sympathizer after she attended that women's rally last year where she was just defending women's rights and it was gate crashed by neo Nazis.
Pursuito has now.
Been ordered to pay her three hundred thousand dollars in damages and he's now vowing to stay on despite the fact that there were adverse findings made against him in the judgment and it's clear to many that he has to go. Let's bring in now partner at major law firm Thompson Gear justin quil justin great to see you now. Tell us what you thought were the key comments from the judge about why Pursuito lost this case.
Ultimately, his honor didn't really believe that the facts that mister Pursudo said underpinned his opinion and his government discussion and his public interest offenses. That he just didn't accept that those facts were accurate or reasonable. So I really had to do with things like whether or not these neo Nazis attended the rally. You know, what was the definition of the Rallian. Was their presence nearby enough to say they attended the Rallian? Wasn't enough to say that
she organized the rally? So there were the facts like these that he's on. It just said mister Pursudo really got wrong. And once the if you're like the substratum or the basis for the opinion, etc. Was wrong, that the facts were wrong underpinning that opinion, then you will is that defense.
So that was really the key.
It's a long judgment, two or three undred pages, so it's hard to cut, you know, condense it into a sentence or two. But that's probably about as summarized as.
You can get.
Look, this was also quite a group in case because there were two high profile barristers Sucra.
Sound Through and Matt Collins.
They were taking each other on over this case, you know one Chris sound Through of course was representing Murray Deeming and Matt Collins representing John Persuto.
So this was closely watched.
John Persuto has been ordered to pay three hundred k damages, but it could end up being a lot more than that.
Yeah, well, no doubt in terms of the barristers going at it. This was definitely a heavyweight about, no question about that. Sircras Santos well known to People's got quite a high profile. She quite happy to take that profile and quite happy to chase that profile. And as she's well known, and she's certainly a good barrister, very very well regarded barrister. She had a few good wins. I
suspect this might be her biggest and best win. So you had her on one side of the fence, but a lesser known but I think probably more highly regarded barrister on the other side. As doctor Matt Collins.
Come, I'm justin you're getting what are you saying here? Taking sides about who's a better barrister?
Absolutely, but one thing they both charged very well, Charry and say.
Matt Collins is the better barrister when he just lost this case. I don't want to get into legal wars, but he.
Just it's only one case. You've got to judge barristers by more than one case. But look probably two me and bim me and bucksworth of cost in this and so.
He's going to be pursued.
It could be up for about one point seven million, would be my guess, plus the three hundred damages. Talking about two million dollars in costs and damages, it's going to be a very hefty.
Deal for him.
I should also just mention, just to disclose all conflicts here that you were representing your phone was representing Channel ten when Sukra suand Thre was representing Lisa Wilkinson, and there was a bit of a bit of a battle going on there over various issues, including costs of the Bruce Loman defamation case. So all sorts of angles here, justin quill, appreciate your time, all right.
The last thing I need is to.
Get myself in the middle of a war between barristers. One thing I don't need all right, still to come my interview with United States Representative brad Wenstrap after his committee found that COVID did in fact leak from a Chinese lab. But plus the Albanese government goes to war with Mark Zuckerberg forcing social media companies to pay.
For out journalism.
That's about time I'll discuss that with my panel Jemma Tognini and Gary Hargrave a little later.
Welcome back.
Well.
After a two year investigation, the United States House Select Committee on COVID nineteen has released a wide, raging final report into the origins of the virus, which surprise surprise, concluded that COVID most likely leaked from a lab in
Wuhan during the pandemic. The possibility of a lab leak, as you know, was slammed as a conspiracy, denounced by the left and even censored by big tech, and my reporting was the target of the likes of the ABC and others, even though the mounting evidence as we investigated was clear. Well, there needs to be more accountability for the likes of Anthony Fauci. It's a point the United States Representative Brad Weinstrup agreed with when I spoke with
him earlier. Brad Weinstrup, thank you so much for your time. The COVID Select Committee confirmed that the most likely origin of the pandemic was a lab leak from gainer function research. What was the st youngest evidence you found pointing to this outcome, Well, it was more than.
Just one thing.
It was really a long list of forensics that would point towards lab lake.
Let's just start with one. We never found an animal.
In nature and the one article that was written about it coming from nature where was written by people that under in their private emails they were saying this thing looks engineered. Yet because they were involved with gain and function research, I believe that's why they wanted to steer towards a nature situation or try to claim that it came from nature. All the time that they were talking amongst themselves, they were saying things like, our focus is to disprove.
The lab lak theory. But look, the research that was.
Being done by EcoHealth alliance with US government funding was gain of function research where they wanted to use back backbones along with what's called receptor binding domain from other animals such as a pangolin, and that out if you're in cleavage site, which is exactly what you could do to try and create COVID nineteen and reverse engineer in the lab. But you look at all the other things that took place in China. For example, they destroyed the sequences.
They did not want any of that information to get out. They didn't let scientists come in. They said that everything was under control, but it was, and they had people get sick in twenty nineteen that worked in the labs with symptoms consistent with COVID nineteen. They changed their ventilation system and they move their military in. Look, let me take it a step further. They have talked about a
coronavirus bioweapons program for some time. Our own State department talked about it in two thousand and five.
In twenty fifteen they put out a book.
Talking about coronaviruses as a bioweapon. There are so many indicators around Wuhan and associated.
With very dangerous research.
The people that seemed to say they wanted it, wanted to say that it came from nature, were very people that for a day eight or two, we're advocating for this type of research and even though they knew it was risky. In twenty twelve, doctor Anthony Fauci was asked about this, and I believe it was in printed and Weekend Australia where they were asked. They asked him, aren't you concerned about this getting out of a lab in creating a pandemic and his response was he felt that
the benefits outwigh the risk. There's just too many forensics that lead to this, and we have five hundred and twenty pages of documentation of interviews, of transcribed interviews, subpoena documents. We looked at a lot of things and we definitely did a thorough job, especially in the last couple of years, but really we've been investigating this for a good five years.
Brad, do you expect there might be criminal referrals now and if so, for who?
Well, some of the criminal referrals were made because people were saying things under oath in front of Congress that did not prove to be true, and once we.
Got further evidence, that's some of it.
But I think there's definitely should be some outcry amongst the public and from the scientific community for.
People that were misleading.
We're squelching scientific information that we're trying to fight against, an open debate of where this virus may have come from, and it seems that the people that were doing that had a motive because they had personal interest in gain and function research. And I don't think we even need to do gain to function research. I think through artificial intelligence we can do a lot of predicting of what might evolve in nature rather than just creating pathogens in the lab.
There's still a significant amount of intelligence relating to this topic that hasn't been declassified. Do you expect there'll be an effort, similar to the Twitter files to make some of this public?
You know absolutely.
I sit on the Intelligence Committee, and that's really where my work began before.
Where we have the Select Subcommittee on the pandemic.
John Radcliffe was Director of National Intelligence throughout a lot of the pandemic.
He and I talked regularly.
I will tell you that the report that we put out is a unclassified version, and yes there are things further that are classified right now, and a lot of it I don't think needs to be classified, and we should be able to get it out for the world to know, in the world to see, and especially the American public.
But what about the idea of some sort of Twitter files project. Do you think we should have something like that with the intelligence agencies? Given there is so much more evidence relating to the origin of COVID nineteen, and we know there was censorship, we know there was a cover up. So do you think an effort like this needs to happen now?
I think from the Intelligence Committee right now in the House of Representatives, that is still happening.
So we're not dropping it. The Select Subcommittee is finished, and again.
That's unclassify, but on the classified side, we're continuing to work and there are some investigations that we're still in the process of.
Just finally under a Trump administration. Do you think there'll be some accountability for Anthony Fauci.
I think there'll definitely be some revelations of the things that happen.
I hope there is. I mean, there has to be accountability, you know, or at least acknowledgment.
I mean, let me just give you a simple example of something that doctor Fauci said during the pandemic.
He said, if you get the vaccine, it's a dead end for the virus. Those are his words.
That was not true, That was deceptive to the American people. We knew from the trials on these vaccines that you could still get COVID. Most people didn't get as sick, but people were still.
Getting it and dying.
And so those are the types of irresponsible statements that were being made from public health officials. And you know what, I know that when the United States is saying one thing, the rest of the world is listening to. What there be is what is being said. We have also in our report a construct for what it should look like going forward. We can't rely on the WHL, we can't rely on China. We have to have capabilities ourselves. We have to be able to have surveillance around the world
and put that to good use. And we have to be able to we through this in a way that the American people can trust it.
We have to get it out of the realm of politics.
And I've said from the very beginning of the pandemic that in America, the Americans wanted to be hearing from doctors that were treating COVID patients, not the politician and not the person in the lab. How about the person that could walk out and say, here's what we saw today. These people are dying, they have these comorbidities. Here's who's not dying. Here's what seems to be working. As far
as treatment. Here's what doesn't work that would have gone so much better from the realm of public health and for that matter, of global health. And there has to be a change, and we've made those recommendations and changes at the end.
Of our report.
Brad, I really appreciate your time today and I have to thank you enormously for your focus and attention to this very imported issue.
Thank you for your diligence on this issue, because I know that you sometimes.
Were publicly being harassed for you just seeking the truth.
All right, coming up after the break, Rupert Murdoch pays a visit to the Adas Synagogue. I'll show you photographs of that emotional tour, and will Peter Dutton's plan to unify Australia under one flag apply to the harbor Bridge. Gemma Tognini and Gary Hargrave will join me after this quick break. All right, let's bring in now tonight's panel GT Communications founder Gemma Tognini and Skynes's contributor Gary Hargrave.
Great to see you both. Well, let's talk about Peter.
Dutton's proposal to just have one flag. He copped a bit of a grilling on Sunrise from it.
This morning.
Have a look, you're going to get rid of it on the Harbor Bridge too. According to Jacenter Prance, is that what you can do.
I want practical reconciliation. I want kids in Alice Springs to live in a safe environment, to have a good health system and.
Going on and go to school.
I'm going to take it up the city.
We'll work with the state governments and obviously the state government has made a decision to put the flag up there.
Would you like to see the indigenous flag remove from the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
I think it's an issue for the state government.
Gemma Dunnan has been probbing backlash over this move.
What do you think.
I think one thing you can say about Peter Dutton is that he's a person of conviction and when this story came out, I was like, well that's a nod thing to talk about at this time. But look, I take his point about tokenism. So the same people who are jumping up and down about this flag being on the bridge or not being on the bridge, or being behind him as a Prime minister or not being when are they talking about DV in the Northern Territory.
When are they talking.
About systemic disadvantage in the Indigenous community.
Oh that's right.
The Progressive Left and the Labor Party don't do that anymore since they lost. They was because the Prime Minister set the time when he said not my loss, not my problem and moved on. So we can walk into gum except we can't. And I think the focus is on the wrong things. So for me it's a non event. I couldn't care less personally. But I also think he makes some really really valid points.
Gary, what do you reckon?
Well, look, if he ever does a bridge climb, I hope they take it down because he doesn't want to be photographed with it behind him. But look, Jem's right.
In the end.
The whole idea is the Australian National flag represents everybody. It doesn't matter. Your religion doesn't matter, but your race doesn't matter, whether you've been here for eight generations or eight eight thousand years. I mean seriously, that is the flag under which tens of millions of people have subscribed
to the business of Australia by becoming citizens. And January twenty six every year for a lot of Australians it is the anniversary of when they score allegiance to US and January twenty six is more than Captain Philip arriving in Sydney Cove in eight. This is a very solemn day for Australia and the Australian flag is at the heart of it. I've watched refugees kiss that flag because they're allowed to be part of our country. They've become citizens.
So I think it's demeaning to THEMSY. If we don't need any more division, one flag, one country, let's get.
On with it.
Yeah, yeah, I feel strongly about Australia Day as well. I think we all should have a day where we can celebrate this incredible country that we live in, and we need to defend that because we have a lot to be grateful for and we are constantly fighting for it to remain a good country as we should well. Rupert Murdoch has paid an emotional visit today to the Addas Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, where he witnessed for himself.
The devastation here is this is so incredible that he did this that he went to see it for himself. He's there with my colleague Andrew Bolt beside him.
Gemma, this is leadership isn't it. Of course, it's leadership from a media company.
I mean the thing that has staggered me most about not just the aftermath of this terror attack, but since October seven, it's almost been a reluctance from the federal government to admit it. It's like this consistent oh it's not that bad, or Israel like this victim blaming and then of course the Prime minister's priority is on full displayed.
Rather stay in Perth on the beers with his donors and then'sday for another day and play tennis, and everyone needs to remember that that was his choice, even knowing what had happened, So it wasn't like he was caught out. It wasn't like with Scott Morrison. He was on holiday with his family. The Prime Minister was only three hours away by plane and fully knew what had happened, but
still chose to stay there. And we've seen no leadership from the government despite their late to the party garbage over the last couple of days.
This is leadership.
This is someone who's not a public figure in the sense that when he's on the public pay roll, he's a private citizen, but as a leader of a media organization has chosen to go do what journalists do, go to the scene of the action, see for yourself and bear witness for yourself.
And it comes after Lachlan Murdoch made the visit to Israel as well after October seven. Gary, I just want to quickly ask you about another topic that Albanezy government now going to well effectively with big tech asking the companies to pay for Australian News, for our news content, for our journalism.
This is a good move.
You know.
Social media companies don't pay for journalism. It is expensive. It's about time they started paying for content that they profit off.
What do you think, Well, they're looking for a free ride. They think that they can use other people's efforts and make money out of it. It is I think important point of principle. I don't disagree with that at all, Shari.
And you know I.
Support those who actually report the news and present the news and put it forward and then distribution goes in many forms. So I get why Facebook think they can make money out of it. But I've got to tell you, really is exactly what you just talked about. You know,
you've got to pick a side on these things. And I think the Prime Minister they could be using this particular fight with Meta as a distraction from his failures on leadership on multiple fronts, his failure to work out ethically morally whose side he was on, on the whole problem of what's going on in Israel and what happened in Melbourne. So look, let's not be too distracted by it. It is the right move, but let's not forget this other big game that's also going on.
Right now.
We've actually run out of time for any more debate about this. We'll come back to it, I'm sure in the new year. Gary Hargrave, Jemma Tognini, both of you have a wonderful.
Chrismas happy Hearneke, thank you, all.
Right, don't go anywhere.
Michael Danby will rip into Tony Burke after the break.
And my final thoughts on this year. All right, my final.
Guest of the year, former Chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Michael Danby, And Michael, I'm so glad you're on tonight because my guests on this topic earlier in the show we're deeply disappointing. Matt Canavan and Basil Zamplers So Michael, tell me what you think of Tony Burk's decision to subject Israeli's to questions about genocide and war crimes.
When we're in Parliament, Tony Burke said to me, never invite me to an Israeli or Jewish function. That's the context for this extraordinary policy of interrogating Israeli tourists. No other democracy is subject to it. So I would make that point to Matt Canavan, and of course China and Russia about who Comrade Wong speaks so much. Their tourists are not interrogated, nor are the three thousand Gardens inculcated and indoctrinated with decades of hateful UNRA propaganda, unless they're
referred to asio interrogated before they come into Australia. So you know, so Tony Burok's persona is key to this. He has a very strong view everything he's doing. I know how calculating Tony Burke is will be within the law, but it's designed to wedge and split the two countries, two democracies, one fighting for its existence against the Seven Front War from all of Irani Iran's proxies. It's designed
to split the two countries. That's what it'll do by forcing young tourists to ask questions about their military service, which, as you pointed out, Chari, all of.
Them have to do.
It's part of exactly democratic existence in Israel.
Exactly exactly part of insuring Israel continues to exist. Michael Danby, thank you for your strong voice throughout the year.
Chari, your boss Rupert Murdock is a mench for doing that.
Today means agreed, agreed before we rap.
And to you two before we rap for the last time in twenty twenty I just want to say a quick farewell to all of you at home. That's not been an easy year, whether it's cost of living or anti Semitism. Let's hope twenty twenty five is a better year on these fronts and that it finally sees our hostages brought home. I feel so truly privileged to be able to sit here every night, effectively join you in your homes every night and bring you the news and
our breaking stories. I've so appreciated your company, and I also want to send a huge thanks to my incredible team behind the scenes here, Executive producer Montanna Duncan, who's always in my ear telling me I have to wrap up interviews other producers Bella MacDonald and Maria Milgate, and before she went and had her gorgeous little baby Asaiah,
my former producer Sarah Cazi. Also to our control room directors Peter and Kerry, a big thank you, especially for the sense of humor, and to everyone of course at home. Just have it relaxing and most importantly safe holiday. Merry Christmas, Happy Kanukah and happy New Year. I look forward to spending twenty twenty five with you here at eight o'clock Monday to Thursday. Have a sensational time, look forward to the busy election year next year. That's it from me
for twenty twenty four. And here's Paul Murray