Why on Sky News This is.
Sharry Good Evening tonight. The evidence that suggests Peter Dutton could win the federal election my.
Report in a moment.
Also on the show, Albanezi accused of a weak response after reports Russia has executed a young Australian. I'll get the latest with James Willis and Michael Kroger in a moment, and as Israel prepares to sign a hostage deal with Hermas, I'll be joined tonight by Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister. That exclusive interview coming up later. Plus there are fresh hopes that the Bibas family will be among those released, and one hostage family member will join me live from Israel.
But let's start tonight with the question we're all asking who will win the federal election and could Peter Dutton actually get there? Well, it's now a live possibility that Dutton will be the next Prime Minister of Australia and that Albanzi will make history, not in the way he wants, not with a legacy defining, nation changing, transformative agenda, but he could make history by being the first prime minister in nearly a century to lose government after just one term.
We know that the polls say that it's neck and neck, but Dutton does have a.
Very good chance of winning. And here's why.
At the last election when Albanze won, Labour's primary vote was a historic low of just thirty three percent, the lowest in the history of the Labor Party.
And that's when Albereze.
Campaigned heavily on cost of living, and he pledged that all areas of life would be more affordable.
Costive living increases, hostive living, costive living, pressures of living, cost living, cost of living off the cost of living, cost of living, cost of everythings, living, cost of issues there in mind. The cost of living pressures.
Well, they were the mount everest of broken promises and Australians know it. Voters feel on a daily basis that life is more expensive. Every transaction at the supermarket or the local shops, well there's the shock at just how much basic items now cost. You never get used to paying five dollars or more for a coffee or nine dollars for grated cheese. This is the cost of living crisis that Albaneze pledged to solve, but has only worsened under his watch. So if Labour's vote was thirty three
percent before Albanese's broken promises. Well, I can tell you labor heavyweights are shuddering when they think what it will be now. Now, the coalition was left with just fifty eight or fifty nine seats after the last election. So to win majority government, which is seventy six seats, Dutton needs to pick up between seventeen and nineteen seats and that's because of the aston by election and a couple of other redistributions.
So this is a huge ask, but it's not impossible.
Tony Abbott won eighteen seats in twenty thirteen after the chaos of the Rudd Gillard Rudd era. Rudd won twenty three seats against John Howard in two thousand and seven and Labour went into that election holding just sixty seats, so not too dissimilar to the coalitions now. And yet under Rudd Label's return to government with eighty three seats. That was a landslide that Rudd wasted, and John Howard's
win before that was even larger. He picked up twenty nine seats when he took office in nineteen ninety six against Paul Keating. So yes, Peter Dutton trying to win between seventeen and nineteen seats is a lot, for sure, but it's not unprecedented, although it would be virtually unprecedented after a.
First term in office.
But there are compelling reasons why this is looking achievable. Support for Albanezy has crashed. The Herald's Resolve political monitor shows his net likability has dropped from a honeymoon high of thirty four percent to minus seventeen and some research suggests his now as unpopular as Scott Morrison was ahead of the last election.
And this is a reflection of.
His multitude of broken promises and his weakness as PM. Now Albanizey returned to power, he returned labor to power after nine years, a long time in the wilderness. But then you have to look at what has he actually.
Done in office? As Peter Dutton.
Said yesterday, well, albanize doesn't appear to have any legacy to speak of.
What is the government achieved over the course of the last three years.
If they'd achieved anything.
That he wouldn't have to resort daily to the personal attacks on me and my colleagues.
Albanese's big move that was meant to define his legacy.
The Voice to Parliament.
It only divided our country, and he further divided our country with his government's obsession with criticizing Israel, which has only contributed to a terrifying rise in racism against Jews. Personally, Alberzi has also shown Australians who he truly is weak, ineffective, not very intelligent, certainly never the smartest person in any room. He's not across the detail. He's unable to exercise authority
over his own cabinet. You look at ministers like Tony Burke, Pennywoe or Tanya Plebisek, and I can also tell you that, aside from the polls, many seasoned and high profile political analysts have privately told me that they form the opinion that Dutton will win the next election. And if Albanzi does make history and losers after just one term in office, he will go down as one of the worst prime
ministers in Australia's history. He's squandered the time and hasn't done a single thing to make our country a better place.
Now.
As you know, there's an antisemitism emergency in Australia, yet Anthony Alberzi is rejecting calls for more meaningful and tougher action, even calls from his own hand picked antisemitism envoy Gillian Siegul Seagull today demanded a national cabinet to deal with the now near daily anti Semitic incidents terrorizing the Jewish community.
She called for mandatory sentencing and strong penalties across state jurisdictions for anti Semitic incidents, and Siegel spoke today about how really serious incidents like setting fire to a Jewish politician's office or breaching security to protest on the roof of Parliament House have gone virtually unpunished, with judicial decisions not even recording a conviction. She explained why strong action was so important when she spoke with my friend Chris Kenny earlier.
This evening.
National cabinet at least shows that we have the political leaders are focused.
Very much on the issue.
Certainly, the Prime Minister responded very promptly and rang me immediately and we had a couple of chats. As he said there, and I think having the premiers of New South Wales and Victoria and the Federal Police Commissioner speak together urgently was a really good first step. But of course these crimes are not just limited to New southwesn Victoria.
And she went on to speak about the need for a national cabinet, which makes complete sense. It's the very least that should be happening, because at the moment this racism against Jews is being tolerated. It's getting out of hand and I'm starting to despair that it just can't be put back in the box. Instead of supporting these very basic demands a national cabinet, they've had one on so many issues. Well, alban easy shrug this off once again.
Jillian Segel has to call today for mandatory prison sentences, for a tax on synagogues.
Is that something you would support?
Look, I think that we have a separation of powers in Australia between politics and the judiciary. I think that's an important principle. But I certainly support people who make these any submittish attacks facing the full force of the law. They are state laws.
On and on, he droned, and that was his stubborn response to this crisis, this emergency that's exploding all around us now. Peter Dutton has twice written to the Prime Minister demanding he convene a national cabinet. He first wrote to him in November and again today, and this is what his letter today says. It is particularly alarming that incidents such as the firebombing of the Adash Synagogue and repeated acts of hate speech have been met with what
miss Siegel aptly described as effective impunity. Stronger action is needed to send a clear message that antisemitism and hate crimes of any kind will not be tolerated in Australia. This situation threatens not only the safety of Jewish Australians, but also the social cohesion and democratic values of our nation.
But I won't hold my breath for Albanzi to bother to respond to that letter, even for him to start caring about this issue, truly caring, because Albanesi is also refusing to acknowledge that his own government's hostile and inaccurate accusations against Israel have fueled anti Semitism in Australia, that their abuse of Israel's actions as it has tried to bring home hostages and defeat terror have only emboldened the haters. The Albanese government's very criticisms are echoed by pro Palestinian
extremists who level the same accusations against Israel. But in a dangerous way that is now manifesting as attacks against Jews and synagogues. Albanesi has refused to acknowledge this fronting fact that his own government is partly responsible for the unprecedented racism we are seeing now. I know that Albanezy thinks voters don't really care about.
This issue, but he's wrong.
He needs to understand that the vast majority of voting Australians don't like the hatred and violence that's arisen in our suburbs and city streets. It's the antithesis of the values we embrace that.
We're proud of as Australians.
The Prime Minister has comprehensively failed to shut this racism down, and now he's rejecting the advice of his own appointee. This is the worst failure of leadership on an issue of absolute, critical importance and national security. Okay, we will get to the Australian who's been reportedly executed by Russia in a moment, but I want to first start with returning to that political discussion about Albanese's prospects and Dutton's
at the election. Let's bring in former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger and Daily Telegraph journalist James Willis.
Welcome to you both.
Michael, what do you think about Peter Dutton's chances of winning the next election?
So I'd said for several months now Peter Dutton's favorite to win the election, and I think as every day goes by Shari his prospects are improving inch by inch. I don't think there's any of the Albanese he's done in the last few months, or has been able to do in the last few months, or can do in
the next few months to turn this around. This is a worldwide phenomena against sort of these left wing governments who have collapsed in the face of left wing activism left wing demands, and the Western world is correcting towards the middle and Albanize he's out there with all of these others hard left leaders who have been led by the nose by extreme left activists with all of their causes in the middle working class Australians like they are
elsewhere in the world, have had enough. They disgusted and want Albansi and these other governments to start concentrating on them. But they now Albanesi can't and won't and that's why I think he's going to lose.
Yeah, and as I mentioned before, the polling is not looking good either. James I mentioned the Herald's Political Monitor survey. Its shows support for Albanzi collapsing, but Darton support is rising minus twelve percent a year ago to now a net rating of zero. So do you think that the issues Darton is speaking about on a daily basis, some of them cultural issues like Australia Day, do you think this is winning over voters?
Well, I certainly think that it is a very significant problem. When we've heard that Victoria, which has traditionally been the Liberal Party's worst performing seat, now there's some potential to win three, four, maybe five seats in Victoria. But the wider issue I think Sharry. I mean, obviously, a simple math sum indicates that with the swings left behind from the loss in twenty twenty two, that it's going to
be hard mathematically for Peter Dutton to win the next election. However, the one point that I think can't be overlooked is you have a look at the Prime minister's performance on a daily basis and it's hard to pinpoint where this actually shifted, whether it be the voice defeat, whether it be the stuff around his house on the Central coast, maybe the quantus stuff. But I just wonder whether he's actually up for what the next few weeks or a
few months actually entails. He looks frustrated, he looks tired. He's never really ever across he's brief fully to an extent where he can actually make a personal comment. And you've just played that clip in regards to a question about mandatory sentence as well. I mean, he's the Prime minister, so he's entitled to have some sort of overarching view, and would expect him to do that without people firing shots.
I'd much rather him and say, well, you know what, personally, I think that's a very sensible idea that should be investigated at a state level. Instead, he passes that, he passes the next thing. He is terribly advised, and as I say, I just wonder if he has enough puff left in him to get through this election. He looks tired, frustrated, and too often not across his brief.
I mean, how hard can it be as a prime minister to say, of course, someone who attacks a synagogue should go to jail. I mean, it's the most simple thing to say. But he can't say that. I mean, it's just absurd who this guy is that is leading our country. I don't know how we ended up with him in Chide. Honestly, I shake my head, Mykeaul.
I want to ask Cherry, Cherry, look look look, look, look look at it. Look at it this way, look at it this way. Here's the answer to question. He doesn't get it. He never has. He doesn't understand. This guy is sixty one, right, He's been in public office for twenty eight years. Twenty eight years. He's been a public figure, meeting tens of thousands of people a year. He went to his first bar mitzvah he invited himself to in Perth a few weeks ago. What no one
had ever invited him to a bu mitz before? What does it tell you? This guy's got no Jewish friends. He doesn't know any one of the Jewish community beyond superficial Hello, how are you? He doesn't feel it, he doesn't understand it. Right, he's been rabbiting on against Israel ever since those pure old demonstrations he's involved in years and year, decades ago. This guy has had no Jewish
friends throughout the whole of his life. And as I said, when you're invited to bar Mitzvah, as many people have Jewish friends have been over the years, if you've never been, and you've been, and you're sixty one, for goodness sake, right, he doesn't understand Israel. He doesn't understand the Jewish community. He never has, he never has. And Shari, you know it's now what fourteen months, fifteen months beyond October seven. We can talk all we want about the government doing something,
getting it, understand any it. They never will, right, he just doesn't understand it. And nor does that appalling appalling foreigners to Pennywong.
Well, I actually think they do understand it, and they are horribly morally confused.
And I think that's worse. Michael, I think.
That it says a lot about their character. It truly does. James, what do you think about this issue? You know Alban Easy today rejecting the need for a national cabinet on anti Semitism when this emergency has arisen under his watch.
Well, I think, given some of the reasons that national cabinets have been held previously, it's a pretty standard request and we have seen this horrific issue continue to grow. It is spreading. We've had issues across Sydney, We've had issues in other parts of New South Wales as well. We've had the horrific fire bombing of the synagogue in Melbourne, and so we are now at a point where I think it would be pretty sensible to get the leaders of the country together and start actually coming up with
some solutions. Michael's made a good point and I think it's worth expanding on that. This is really highlighted the yawning gap over this issue in the Middle East in the Labor Party, because every time someone from the Labor Party makes a sensible decision, and I think in fairness in isolation, Mark Dreyfus going to Israel to try and repair some of the damage and some of the decisions we've made on the international stage in isolation is okay.
But even that trip had people in Labour saying, hey, there's a please explain he Why is Mark Dreyfus doing this? Why is Mark Drafers cuddling up to Israel. We've had the Prime Minister to do this, Chris Mins is doing it in New South Wales, but every time someone from Labor fronts up and says hey, we can't be tolerating this in this country.
Then we hear other people in labor.
I will note there has been some senior labor ministers in Sydney Sharry who have been very very quiet on this issue. And I reckon it's a massive story that we have electorates in Sydney that have now large Muslim populations and someone in polling has said, hey, you need to worry about your own seed here, stay out of this because otherwise we're going to lose this seat or be in trouble.
We've seen in.
Parts about racism correct, no leadership.
They've gone into Heidi and there's many of them in Sydney and we.
Know who they are. We really do.
Absolutely.
Now let's return to this young Australian who may have been We haven't got confirmation yet, but it has been reported that Oscar Jenkins may have been executed by Russian forces after he was captured in Ukraine. Well, here was the Prime Minister speaking about this today.
If there has been any harm caused to Oscar Jenkins, it's absolutely reprehensible and the Australian government will take the strongest action possible.
All right, Dunan was a bit stronger.
He said, there does need to be serious repercussions if this thirty two year old has been killed by Russia, have a look.
If there is confirmation that that Oscar has been killed, then the government should take the strongest possible action, and that is the ambassador should be withdrawn and the ambassador here in Australia should be sent packing.
I mean, Michael, it really doesn't get worse than this, to think that on Australian could have been executed by Russia. Did you think Albanesi's response was strong enough today.
Well, of course not. I mean you can just mentioned Vladimir Putin over there in the Kremlin in moscowb scared out of his wits tonight that Alberanze said he's going to take some tough action against him. I mean, would be thinking this play can't protect the Jewish community in Australia. Why would I take this light at bit of notice of his clown. I mean, seriously, Albanesi, you know he doesn't get these foreign policy issues. I mean to take
your point before. Do I think Albanize is a bad person? No, no, I don't. But to understand Israel than the Jewish community. You've got to have lived it, You've got you've got to spend years studying the history. This is why I just don't think Albanzi, I don't think he's hateful towards the Jewish community all. I just think he's profoundly ignorant and he doesn't understand, which is why he always looks
at sea, you know, in these things. But again on your point on Russia, I mean, look putin to look at this bloke and think, seriously, this is a bloke sending Pennywog and Kevin Rudd to Donald Trump's inauguration. That's how in touch he is with realogy. Jerry.
Yeah, it's pretty bad, James.
If we do get confirmation, and Canberra has demanded it, but we might see social media videos that you know, confirmation might come one way or the other. And you can imagine Oscar's family are absolutely they would be absolutely devastated and terrified and very anxious waiting for news. But James, if there is confirmation, I mean, surely, expelling the Russian ambassadors the very least we could do.
Yeah, that should be an option. And firstly, thoughts and prayers to Oscar and his family. It is a terrible story and it's one that has been held right across Australia and heard. But I think on this one, it's a very very difficult one. Unless I'm missing something, and Michael might have more on this, but for both sides. Sure, I thought the comments were okay. I thought they were some of the Prime Minister's better comments today from his
press conference. But I just wonder in a war zone and given how sure this is a terrible situation, but realistically, practically, what more could be done here? Like is it even possible to haul the ambassador in and kick him out? We certainly should be expecting answers, but we've seen this all too far with the plane shot down by Russia more than ten years ago. We were deeply angry about that at the time, deeply outraged, demanding answers, but tragically
it didn't play out that way. So I'm not sure it's an easy one to get solutions on.
And by the way, I spoke to one expert in this area. He's going to be on my show tomorrow night, Robert Potter, but I spoke with him today and he said to me that he thinks that Australia should immediately impose financial penalties on Russia until we given proof of life, and that if we don't get it, we should be giving a very large donation to Ukraine as punishment for a war crime. And so that's Robert Potter's view. He'll be on my show tomorrow night. James Willis, Michael Kroger,
thank you both so much for joining me. Now, we've been speaking about whether Peter Darton will win the next election, and the reality is he won't need to just win seats from Labor but also win back Teal seats as well. Now, party insiders tend to agree that the blue ribbon seat of Wentworth in Sydney's East is going to be pretty close. It was once held by Malcolm Turnbull and it fell to Teal a Legraspender at the last election. Businesswoman Roe Knox is trying to win back the seat for the
Liberals and she joins me here in studio. Now, Row, welcome to the show. How tough is the battle in Wentworth at the moment?
Look, Shari, I'd say the campaign's going really really well. We've got a high energy team out there. We've been listening to the community. We've spoken to thousands and thousands of people and Chari, what I'd say is people are coming back.
People are coming.
Back to the Liberal Party and that's because people attribute the cost of living crisis to labor, Greens and the Teals.
Look, all of the seats are pretty closely monitored and polled. Can you give us some insight into what the polling is telling you about whether you can when.
Years Look, we did some initial baseline polling and what we're hearing on the ground is it's going to be extremely close. We think the campaign's going really well. People are telling us they're ready for a change, they want a change in government, and cost of living is the biggest priority and issue in the seat.
So you're out daw knocking every single day. This is full time for you, it is. And is this what you're hearing? Cost of life? That's the type issue that people are raising because I know at the last election there was a lot of discussion about energy and climate change. But are you hearing that when you're out and about in the community.
Yes, Shari, So we're hearing it's all about cost of living, cost of living and cost of living, And I know that sounds surprising for Wentworth. But we have a real mix of people in Wentworth which makes it such a great place to live. So we have almost fifty over fifty percent renters and most of those renters are in apartments.
We also have Housing Commission in Willemloo. I was out in Willamloo with the great people of Willemloo yesterday and people are really really hurting, and that's shari because electricity costs have gone up thirty two percent, personal income tax has gone up twenty two percent. Rents we've obviously got over fifty percent. Renters in Wentworth have gone up over seventeen percent, and even food's gone up twelve percent. And that's because of Labor, Greens and the Teals.
Yea, the candidate you're up against, Allegraspender, the incumbent, she's got quite a high profile now in the seat.
What are you doing to counter that?
Yes, we're not focused on her campaign. We're focused on listening to our community. So we're running a really high energy grassroots campaign and we're just listening to what our community wants.
Yeah, fair enough.
Look you went to Israel recently. Dutton has been calling for a national cabinet on anti Semitism. I mentioned his two letters in my editorial at the start of the show. Do you think the Prime Minister should call, should convene a national cabinet on this issue.
Yes, I absolutely do, and Peter obviously sent that letter to the Prime Minister over a year ago.
We need a.
National cabinet because this is now a national crisis and we need a standardized approach to dealing with this what has become a.
Crisis because you're a of course, has one of the highest number of Jewish voters in the country.
Yes, it has the highest and as you know, Shari, our electorates being targeted by numerous anti Semitic attacks in Willara Queen's Park and even the Bondai files from last year.
Yeah, indeed, a terrible situation. All right, Ronanes, thank you, thank you very much for joining me tonight.
Really appreciate the time.
Thanks Shari for having me on the show.
Now still to come of the program tonight, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister would join me live for an exclusive interview on the hostage deal that's now in its final stages. Plus the Prime Minister has opened up the checkbook and a blatant attempt to buy votes in marginal seats. But will this cash grab work? That's all coming up. Welcome back. Well, let's bring in now our Wednesday political panel. This week it's Labor MP Daniel Melino and Liberal MP Garth Hamilton.
Welcome to you both.
Look, let's go at the latest on the la fires and talk about the lessons for Australia. There's been another round of Santa Ana wins. It's forecast to hit California. We're being told that they won't be as dangerous though as last week. But these catastrophic fires should serve as a warning to our own leaders here in Australia not to play progressive politics when it comes to fire protection.
They need to focus on backburning and water supply. Daniel, what do you think we can learn from how California's leadership has prepared or not prepared for these fires?
Well, Charlie, thanks for having me on. And I don't want to ruin this panel by starting with a contribution that I think Garth and I might agree on at least in part. But Garth and I spend a lot of the last year on an inquiry which looked at flood insurance around Australia, and I actually think there are a lot of lessons that came out of that inquiry which point to some of the things that could have
been done better In California. One of the lessons there was that in relation to floods, but also I think other natural disasters like fire, we need to spend more as a nation at federal and state level on mitigation and preparation for decades, and this goes across all colors of government and levels of government. We've spent far more on cleaning up after messrs and not enough on mitigation and preparation, and I think that partly goes to your point.
So that's one of the issues. I think there's also a broader point around insurance, and one of the things that we found was that we need to have stronger protections for consumers. We need clearer insurance policies, insurance policies that have much clearer exclusions, and better dispute resolution procedures. So I think there are things that Australia is already doing to prepare better, but of course there's always more because we know there are going to be more of these disasters.
Yeah, I think those are really important points. But Garth, I want to pick up on there's back burning issue because I know I get contacted a lot by farmers who are concerned that, you know, they've been called for certain.
Areas to have and it's just not done.
Do you think that we do need to examine this more closely rather than wait for a national catastrophe.
Look, absolutely, I do. Like many people in my community, I'm a member of my local rural fire brigade. Every situation where we come across a time where there's been a build up of fuel load on the ground, we've known about it. The farmers have known about it, the locals have known about it. These local fire brigades are made up of those farmers. One of the things that Dan and I didn't come across, and I went over to the US and spoke with the California authorities over there.
The more that we can empower local decision making on the ground by these fire brigades, the better. These are the people who see what's going on, they understand what the cause of it is, and I do want to raise the issue, unfortunately, does come up quite often. It's about the management of our national parks and sometimes we've been very reluctant to engage in backburning activities or good management of weed control in those parks, which leads to
this build up. Sadly, that's something that we saw in the US and we've seen it here in Australia as well.
Yeah, I think there probably should be a task force to look at preventative fire management, because better than having a post mortem, that's for sure.
Now let's have a.
Look at just how much the Albeneze government is spending in marginal seats and a bid to win votes ahead of the next election. The Prime Minister is now being accused by the coalition of splashing cash in marginal seats and even the Finn Review had an article recently where they basically said that the Albanese government promised to be on a spending diet but instead has gone on a binge.
That's in the Financial Review, Daniel.
You know, so far we've got, among others, a seven point two billion dollar upgrade to the Bruce Highway in Queensland, two hundred million dollars for projects in regional areas of Western Australia, then yesterday five million dollars for a riverfront precinct in the very marginal seat of Gilmore. So you know what's your response to these accusations.
Well, look, I'd take what the opposition says when it comes to spending with a bucket of salt in that when we look at their time in government. Look, we've got two budgets in the bank now and they've both been surpluses. They had promises of being back in the black and coffee mugs and they got zero out of nine. So let's take a step back and look at what each side of politics has actually delivered over the last
decade when it comes to spending. I'd also say look at the last term of government when it comes to the way in which they spent in regional or sorry in marginal electorates and used color coded spreadsheets. I think anything coming from the opposition is something that one has.
To Daniel, surely that's not a strike.
Look at the bruce Way argument to us to say that they did it, so we're going to.
Do the same.
I mean, we're in an inflation crisis at the moment where the IBA has or but said we shouldn't.
Be having such high government spending.
So has said that our two surpluses helped put downward pressure on inflation, and they have said that they don't think that government spending at the moment is one of the main reasons why inflation is sticky in the services sector, so they certainly haven't pointed to government spending as a major issue. But just finally on this issue of the Bruce Highway, which is by far the biggest ticket item
of the ones that you just pointed out. So we announced that it's a really important safety measure, really important for Queensland travelers and commuters. The opposition complained about it and complained about our spending, but then after many stakeholders and communities and Roads Australia welcomed it, they then four days or five days later backed it in. So where's the coherence, where's the credibility from the opposition on this?
My recollection and I've quoted the statements on this show, is that the IBA has spoken about public spending and there have been warnings about homegrown inflation.
But it's not for me to defend this.
Of course, what's your view. You know, we're not in the official campaign. Should we be seeing big spending commitments and do you think the coalition also needs to refrain from making, you know, big cash splash announcements.
Well look, let me start up by saying I've got a lot of respect for Dan and he knows that. But ask yourself how many times did he have to point to the opposition or defer back to us when you ask him a question about Labour's spending. We've just gone through a term of government where Jim Chalmers has used the word restraint NonStop, talking about the restraint he's shown, and he's spending and yet push comes to shove when we get to the election period out comes. The money's
been thrown around. Anything that's throwing around more is insults at Peter Dutton. But there' another sort of issue that I think we can get to here. If we look at where Labor's having to go down the path of this big spending approach, it's because they don't have a mandate. They've got no message for the Australian people about what a second term of the Albanezy government would look like.
They're not telling us what they want to do, so they're having to rely upon buying vote in marginal seats. I think we'll see a lot more of it to come, probably a lot more insults at the opposition leader as well.
Just very quickly, before you go, I want to ask about the NBN. I mean, we've seen Matt Canavardan this week say that we need to embrace Elon Musk's Starlink instead of throwing another three point eight billion dollars at the NBN.
Michelle Roland didn't agree with that.
Daniel, doesn't it make sense to embrace starlink, I mean it's much more affordable.
Well, I think that we can invest. We need to invest in the NBN because too much of what had been undertaken under the previous government involved copper. I think the previous government and the Royal Navy in the nineteenth century of the two greatest copper traders in the last two hundred years. But look, we need to keep investing in the NBN. But that doesn't mean that we have a situation where people can't opt for starlink if it's
the best option for them. But I believe we don't want to have a situation where we are exclusively relying on starlink, or where for some people Starling's the only option. It's a foreign owned corporation, and that would put too much risk into the system. So I think we need to keep strengthening our system, and if starlink is the best option for some people, then you know they should of course up for that.
Very quick response to that.
Garth, government's worried about foreign influence. Now, I saw a joke today saying they weren't worried about to bring sheqill O'Neil into the conversation on the voice. Absolute nonsense. Starlink's a great product. It should be used. People are choosing it. That's the market response, not a command economy, which is labor government's trying to put on us.
All right, Daniel Malino, Garth Hamilton, really appreciate your time. Now, still to come, a father of a former hostage victim gives his reaction to the impending hostage deal and still to come Israeli's deputy Foreign Minister, don't go anywhere, welcome back. Well, there are reports that the Bibas family, and we've all been following their story, that they would be among the first to be released under the yet to be signed
hostage deal. Now we haven't seen proof of life for baby Kafir, brother Ariel, and their mother, and we just pray that they are alive and that they can come home safely. I mean, it would be one of the most incredible stories of all time. But as I spoke about in detail last night, there are pros and cons to this deal. It is a deal with the devil, and it's far from perfect. It's divided Israel and even
the Netanyahu government. There are thousands taking to the streets to protest both for and against the deal, and some senior ministers have vowed to resign if Israel accepts the conditions.
Now I'm joined now.
By Joav Engel, whose son of Fia, spent fifty four days in Hamask captivity. He was taken from his girlfriend's house along with her father, who was murdered decapitated in Gaza, and his body hasn't been returned.
You have thank you for joining me.
Look, how are you feeling now that the rest of the hostages are so close?
We hope to being released.
So what can I say? Well, you know, in two hands, we are very excited, and we hope, we pray that
something is going on and the deal is closed. And then in the other hand, we we can't not think about for all the ostages, all the ninety eight hostages, But we hope and we pray that some the deal is closed and we start to see some of them going out from there and then but we know in the other in the other end, that we have a lot of work to see all of them going out from there, and we hope it's going to be as soon that we can.
And some of the families of the other hostages who aren't going to be released in this first wave, they are angry that this is the deal that's been struck. Now, when you were reunited with your son after he was hostage for fifty four days, there's really beautiful video of that emotional reunion. Let's have a look. I mean, that's what you want for all of the parents.
That's what that's what we dream all night to see other family hugs, are lovers, thet the and they're going to released and going out. You know, I say, it's more than emotion. And there is no word that can say what we feel in this moment. You know, it's not worth it, not in English, not in ibrew, not in every language. You know, there is no words to say. And this is our dream to see all the families
hug our lovers like that. And you know this is the this is the reason that all the families are very nervous and very angry about everything because we speak about all the ninety eight hostages that are still there and we want all of them back home. You know, life or death, but we want all of them back to the families.
Indeed, you are thank you so much for joining us tonight, and we do pray that everyone is reunited.
With their family members.
And look, we just hope as many our lives as possible.
Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you, thank you.
Now, don't go anywhere.
We'll cross back live to Israel, where I'll be joined by the Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for an exclusive interview on the latest on this stage deal.
That's after this quick break.
Okay, let's cross live to Israel where I've got Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sharen Haskell joining me.
Now. Sharen, thank you very much for your time.
Can you give us all to start with the latest on where this hostage deal is at when you expect it to be signed.
Well, it's difficult to stay because we are waiting for Hamas to take to take off the table all of their threats and we're waiting for their answers. A bad deal that was proposed. The negotiation teams are in Qatar. It's been like that for a few days now, and so we've seen just in recent hours Hamas trying to throw the ball towards us. We are on different claims that are untrue. The fact is that all the details are also accumulated details from a negotiation from August and
from May. They know all the demands, they were spread on the table and we are just waiting for them to confirm it and to give us the answers and to advance with the process.
Now, there has been criticism about this deal, isn't the best deal that could be struck where so many Palestinian criminals, including terrorists, will be released for just reported thirty three hostages in the first stage, so not even all of the hostages.
So the first thing is that, look, our government is fully committed and we do not give up on any but any hostage that is being held in the hell of Hamas in their dungeons of torture, and we will fight to bring them back up until the last one of them. The list of thirty three people that we've sent to Hamas that we are still waiting on an answer. These are humanitarian cases that are meant to be in the first step of release towards the ceasefire. Those are
little children, babies. You know, Phil Beavs, a little baby who was kidnapped when he was nine months old, who celebrated his first birthday in Hamas dungeons of torture and is about in a few weeks to celebrate his second birthday.
Terrible Charan, do you think he's still alive? Has a mask given any indication to you in these negotiations the baby Kafi and Aril are still alive.
Well, you know, we are expecting that the list that we've put through towards Hamas that was published with the thirty three humanitarian demands, that most of them are alive. We haven't received an answer yet from Hamas, but that is our expectation. And that's including two humanitarian cases of an Ethiopian citizen, Israeli citizen in a Beduin Muslim citizen who are being held in Camask captivity for more than
ten years that we've been waiting to release them. So Shari, we do not give up on any Israeli that is in the hands of Hamas, and we will fight to bring them back until the end.
Sure, And I just have to put these criticisms to you again. I mean, it's been because this is what is being debated in Israel and globally at the moment, it's been fifteen months. Israel has succeeded largely against Hamas. Humas is on its knees, Its leaders are dead. Trump has threatened to unleash hell on Hamas if the hostagees aren't released. So why does it still have so much
power when it comes to these negotiations. You know, why can't Israel say we need all of the hostages out now and we're not releasing one thousand Palestinian terrorists.
Well, look, Hamas is not a rational party that you negotiate with. Hamas is a terrorist organization that as much as it wants to destroy Israel, it will destroy itself, murder its people, destroy their economy, destroy everything in the way in order to achieve the goal of the destruction of Israel. You're not negotiating with the logic or you know, someone who share the values that me and you, Sharry
actually hold. This is a terrorist organization and is willing to commit suicide on the way, and that makes it very difficult for Israel as well. Look, you know, since December, the negotiations were somewhat of fake negotiation because Hamas won't even sit around the table, see while forbid and refuse to sit around and negotiate no matter what the situation was. It is only now since December the Ramas is actually even sitting around the table to try and negotiate a deal.
And this is after we've destroyed most of his Balas capability. We are fighting against the hoties. We've give a serious hit to Iran, so they understand that their position is a very weak position. Is it going to be perfect? No, These prices that we're meant to pay our our our heartbreaking prices.
I mean actually not sick understand it to think that another at sceining what could be released from Israeli prisons.
This is these are heartbreaking, a heartbreaking event. You know, the options are not good and we we need to decide between two bad options. And our decision and our commitment, as we said before, is to bring back our family members back home as quickly and as safely as possible.
And yes, unfortunately we will need to pay a serious price for it, a heartbreaking one, and my heart goes to the families who some of their family members were murdered, and they will see a murderous monster being released very high.
Look, we've only got thirty more seconds. I just quickly want to ask you. You know you spoke about how Hermas had refused to come to the table.
They've only come now because of Trump.
Yes, so you know Trump setting a deadline and a red line actually pushed them towards that. The destruction of the power of Iran and Chris Bala in combination with Trump's declaration definitely push that forward.
Yeah, all right, Saren Haskell, thank you very much for joining us and answering these difficult questions. I'll see you tomorrow at eight. And here's Paul in the man Cave.