Live on Sky News. This is Sharry.
Good Evening tonight Trump's controversial Middle East tour. He's praising terrorists and reshaping American foreign policy. Meanwhile, golf billions flow into Trump family ventures. Tonight we take a look at the money trail behind his visit. Five months, no arrests, no answers. Now concerning news about the criminals behind Theodash Synagogue fire bombing. I'll discuss this with Alex Rifchen and she was just three years old when her parents were murdered before her eyes.
And she was taken hostage in Gaza.
The aunt of little Abigail will join me live in studio and she'll share the fierce battle to rescue this toddler from terrorists, plus anger as labor presses ahead with its plan to tax unrealized capital gains. Warren Hogan will be on the show a bit later, but first tonight. Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East marks a pivotal shift in American foreign policy, laden with historic ambition, strategic recalibration,
and unsettling controversy. Trump has signed over a trillion dollars worth of deals with golf nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Katar. These agreements span defense, energy, and technology, redefining American ties with the Arab world and creating new pressure on Iran's long standing influence in the region.
And that's one of Trump's goals, and it's clear He's seeking to draw the golf away from the malign influence of the.
Iranian regime and forge deeper economic and strategic ties between moderate Arab powers and the US. He envisions a new Middle East where Saudi Arabia and even Syria might normalize relations with Israel, expanding on the Abraham Accords that he achieved during.
His first term.
This is a monumental shift in global foreign policy. It's underway right now, and Trump's actions here in seeking to reshape the influence in the Middle East have been little understood or even analyzed in the international media. Yet for all the geopolitical promise, this trip has sparked significant ethical and even national security concerns. The trip has its complexities.
It's provided strong investment in American companies and it's energized the markets globally, but it also cements relationships that are bolstering the pockets of the Trump family in ways that are undeniable. The Trump family is directly profiting from deals across the Gulf, from Trump branded real estate developments to golf sovereign funds investing in Trump linked ventures. The lines now between diplomacy and private gain are dangerously blurring.
And I'll come back to this point in a moment.
But the Katari ruling family's gift of a four hundred million dollar aircraft to Trump, intended to replace Air Force One at least temporarily.
Is the flashpoint of this.
And there are two issues here, a gift of this size from a foreign government and the fact that's from Qatar, which has been harboring and financing her must terrorist leadership for years. I mean, protecting the terrorists who've even attacked American civilians, rather than demanding they return hostages and stop
financing terror is quite something. One conservative influence in the US, Laura Luma, put it well when she said America shouldn't accept a gift from jihadists in suits, and of course she is referring that to that Katari gift of the plane.
I spoke today with The Australian's foreign editor, Greg Sheridan, and he said the notion that American needed to accept a plane from Qatar was an idea that would be even too preposterous for Evelyn war He said, I cannot believe the most powerful and richest nation in the world has to take a charity jet from Qatar, and that Trump would think it's even appropriate for it to become
part of his presidential library. And then there's the concerns about listening devices, and security experts have warned about potential embedded surveillance technology.
Could you trust that this thing wouldn't be bugged in some way that would be very hard to find?
Of course not.
He really would have to be worried about that.
And The Wall Street Journal reports that even Republicans who support Trump were deeply unc comfortable with this, both from a security perspective and whether the aircraft would have the ability to refuel in mid air or their technology for an airborne command center.
Because a presidential plane is different.
It includes sophisticated defense and communication systems so that a president can conduct his full duties, including commanding the military, while in flight, and parts of the plane are so secret that reporters traveling with the president are barred from photographing certain sections up close.
That's in the Wall Street Journal.
Now Trump has rejected all these criticisms and said the plane would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
But I thought it was a beautiful gesture. Now there are those that say we.
Shouldn't be accepting gifts to the Defense Department, And I would say, only a stupid person would say that, why wouldn't we do that? Then?
So it helps us out because we'll have a relatively new.
Plane instead of having forty year old planes.
These planes are forty years old.
But there are many Republicans against it, among them Nikki Haley. She said on x that accepting gifts from foreign nations threatens intelligence and national security, especially when that nation supports a terror organization and allows those terror regimes to live on its soil. Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the president and US can be bought.
And this is a line the Democrats are now running to.
A White House has a for sale sign on the front line, and everybody knows it is.
Now.
That's Obama's former chief of staff Ramamanuel, who said on that left leaning show the View that he was personally offered bribes when he went on an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
And I went to Saudi Rabuilt with President Obama first trip. First thing I get that we're at the king's ranch for his horses. You get there, you walk in the room and there was an ostridge briefcase. I opened it up. Diamond necklaces, ear rings, bracelets.
Room.
Yeah, I took a photo.
I sent it to my wife family. Not happening. I only have to take it and you have to go to the room next door with the State Department chronicles everything. They made sure everything, the idea that you're going to take a jet.
It's not just Democrats. Many Republicans are highly concerned. They're even speaking out publicly, and among those who've done so, Ben Shapiro, Senator Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, host Mark Levine, Cynthia Loomis, Round Paul and John Thune. Another highly controversial moment on this Middle East visit was Trump's meeting with
Syria's new leader, Ahmed al Sharrah. He's a United States designated terrorist who previously led a fundamentalist Islamic jihadi group, and this was the first meeting between an American and Syrian president in twenty five years. Skeptics of this meeting, including the Wall Street Journal, note the lack of precedent
for a former jihadist leading a nation towards peace. Their editorial board said, there's no precedent for former al Qaeda commander such as mister Sharrah, who rallied jihadist from Syria and beyond leading a state to peace.
Stability, and amity with the West.
But even more astonishing than the meeting itself is that Trump lifted decades old economic sanctions on Syria without extracting concrete concessions. Now, these are sanctions that first started in nineteen seventy nine. Isn't this simply basic negotiation principles for which Trump prides himself And then he lavished praise on the terror leader.
How did you find the Syrian president.
Young? Attracted?
Yai tells.
Strong mass mass fighter. Does that worry about shouting?
He's going to really shouted, living together.
But Trump did encourage Sharah to normalize relations with Israel, to kick out foreign terrorists and help defeat Islamic state. And Trump's strategic goal is to draw Syria away from the destructive and evil influence of the Ayatolas of Iran.
Now, let's hope Trump's.
Diplomatic gamble pays off and it doesn't end up being a dangerous legitimization of another brutal Syrian regime. But there are increasing concerns that Trump has sidelined Israel, and he has, in at least three instances, betrayed his long standing in America's long standing ally and strategic partner.
And Trump negotiated a ceasefire with Yemen's.
Hooties while the terrorists were still targeting Israel, including bombing a site frighteningly close to Tel Aviv's Bengurian Airport, and then, even more bizarrely, the US President praised the Hooties.
We had a very good outcome with the Hooties. They took tremendous punishment, and you know, you could say there's a lot of bravery there. That it was amazing what they took. But we honored their commitment and they gave us their word that they wouldn't be shooting ships anymore, and we honor that.
I mean, just to understand what he just said, that the Hooties have been interrupting the international shipping trade for nearly two years now and Trump is describing them as brave. They are terrorists, and the message Trump is sending is that Israel's security wasn't a prerequisite for America's deal with the Hooties. I mean, how can Trump kind of deal with the hooties and allow them to continue striking Israel.
There are also.
Concerns that Trump is drawn to the grandeur, the luxury, the extravagance of these royal receptions.
He's getting the extravagant gifts as well.
Barry Weese's Free Press did quite the investigation where they reported on the financial ties between Trump's administration and Qatar. And this includes his FBI director, attorney general, and chief of staff. Even Steve Whitcoff reportedly happens to be a beneficiary of Qatar's largesse.
In twenty twenty three.
Katar's sovereign wealth fund bought out his faltering investment in New York's Park Lane Hotel for six hundred and twenty three million dollars. Now, this is all perfectly legal. Everything that I just mentioned, there nothing illegal about it.
It's all perfectly illegal.
And so is the fact that Jared Kushner's private equity fund reportedly had a two billion dollar investment from Saudi Arabia's public investment fund. It also had investments from Qatar and Abu Dhabi based firms. And Eric Trump has also made headlines for promoting his cryptocurrency firm in Dubai ahead of his dad's trip to the golf. And meanwhile, the Trump Organization, which is managed by Donald Trump Junior, is building a new luxury golf resort near Doha, and this
is in partnership with the Qatari company. Again all legal, but worth keeping in mind that Qatar has been financing Palestinian terrorism and protecting hermas leaders terrorists that have kidnapped and killed not just Israeli citizens, but American citizens as well.
And the Free Press reports that members of Katar's royal family openly express support for Hermas shaikher Masa bint Nasa, she's the mother of katarz Emir and the chairperson of an educational nonprofit funneling millions into American schools, praised the master mind of October seven. That's Yaha Yahwa Sinhwa. She said on x he will live on after his death last year and they will be gone. So what we're seeing here is personal enrichment, praise for terror leaders, and
acceptance of gifts from problematic regimes. Trump's Middle East tour presents a complex picture, both legitimate, even praiseworthy strategic ambition for America, but also call ambiguity.
His visit has been.
Economically and strategically beneficial for the United States, no question, and perhaps even potentially it could turn out to be beneficial for Israel if, and it's a big if, Trump can convince Saudi Arabia and Syria to normalize ties with the Jewish State. His trip reflects a bold vision to shape a volatile region and erode arounds dominance, while also raising concerns about personal gain, diplomatic judgment, and his treatment
of key allies like Israel. Now, if Trump can convert grand gestures into lasting peace and genuine realignment without compromising his or America's national security and principles, then history may judge this visit more positively than today's headlines suggest. For now, Trump perhaps deserves the benefit of the doubt as we wait to see what unfolds in the coming days. All Right, and let's bring in now National Senator Matt Canavan and WA liberal leader Basil Zemplis.
Welcome to you both.
Well, the big work for News today was that the Greens have elected Queensland Senator Larissa Waters to replace former leader Adam band Now.
She beat Marine Ferruki and Sarah Hanson Young.
But it appears, given by her first press conference today, that she learned no lessons at all from the election, because yet again she was focusing on Gaza.
Have a look where the Greens.
So, of course we stand firm always on social justice and human rights, whether that's First Nations justice, whether that's a free Palestine, whether that's peace and human rights. Globally, we will always be there calling out atrocities, calling out a genocide and standing strongly on.
Social justice and human rights.
I know a lot of wonderful Jewish voters who are backing the Green because they don't want to genocide either.
I think that's highly offensive to Jewish Australians. Apparently she thinks some Jews are wonderful if they're backing the Greens, if they agree there's a genocide in Guys or what, of course there's no genocide now.
Meanwhile, have a look at Marine Ferouki. She's in denial about how badly the Greens lost.
Migrant and multicultural communities have in the tens of thousands across Sydney, across Brisbane, across Melbourne backed our strong stand against the genocide in Gaza. To the right wing media, to the billionaires, to the big cooperations, and to the Albanesi government.
This is our message.
We are not going to take a step backwards on action on climate, on the environment, on housing, and for justice for Palestine. Our voters have put us there to fight people and the planet and that is exactly what we will be doing.
Basil.
If this continues to be the Greens focus, They're just going to descend into irrelevance.
Won't they.
Well, there are lots of political parties right at the moment looking deep within, as they should after an election result. The Liberal Party is clearly doing that. I'm a part of that at state level. The Greens maybe they haven't missed the memo, but maybe they're just not going about it in the right way. I mean, they can't have been any more public a rebuke for what they took forward and what they stood for than Adam Bant being thrown out. He's the highest profile Green by a mile,
the leader of the party. He's driven all of their policy and their communications, and the response from those people in his seat of Melbourne was to turf him out. So how that history, recent history, by the way, is suddenly being rewritten or at least reinterpreted by his colleagues who remain is baffling, and it certainly shows that they're not learning or haven't looked for the lessons from the election just gone.
Exactly right, Matt.
You have to sit with these senators every single day that you're in Canberra. I mean, we were all thrilled that the Greens last three of their lower House seats, but when you look at it, it is a depressing thought that they now have control with Labor in the Senate.
Well, you're absolutely right, Shari. They were their platform. The Greens extremism was rejected by the Electric but they've been accepted by the Parliament. Given the vagaries of the Senate, keep in mind only half of the Greens are up for elct Green centers are up for election as per the Senate's rules, and you only need if you get nine to ten percent of the vote, like the Greens do.
You tend to get a center up anyway. So while they had swings away from them, they still were able to maintain their Senate representation, and then just given it all the other changes in the Senate, they've ended up in the situation where the Labor Party now.
Can pass any law it wants with just the support of the Greens.
That they don't need Lydia Thorpe, they don't need fatom a payment, David Pocock, They're all irrelevant.
They just need the Greens.
So this will be a real test for the Labor Party now and something that should be of concern to all Australs because clearly the Greens here are not going to change. They're not listening. I mean, I have said we need to listen. I've said we need to change our approach because we lost, we got thrash. But you just hear there from Larissa Waters that they're not listening at all.
They're going to double down.
And the question now is will the Labor Party back down to the extreme demands of the Greens and take this country much, much, much more extreme.
And that's what I'm afraid of as well, especially when it comes to tax policy, you know, and I'm going to talk about this a bit later with Warren Hogan. But you just think how much further on tax will the government go if the Greens are demanding changes to capital gains tax or taxes, inheritance taxes. I mean, it's it's a terrifying prospect because the Albanzi government knows it
currently has no genuine competition, no threat from the Liberal Party. Well, the Prime Minister is currently in Indonesia, where he's refused to answer questions about what Australia knew about Russia's request for closer military ties with Indonesia.
Here he was, we know that continiesa are things.
No, that's the question.
Indonesia's answer is no. That made it very clear. But what's the question that made it very clear? Not for me to comment on what occurs between countries that are not Australia. What is important is Australia's position, Our positions clear, Indonesia's positions clear as well.
Albanesi doesn't seem to like transparency.
Well, that is a conclusion that we can draw certainly based on that response. Anyway, you know this is a Now Anthony Alberonizi, now, isn't it. He's just been returned in very emphatic fashion. And I think what we're seeing signaled here is how he's going to deal with some of those issues. Now, some people will say, well, he's earn't that right, or at least the majority that he's had is going to dictate how he approaches.
The next three years.
He'll be aware that he can't push it too far, but the early signs are he's going to do how he wants to do it and is empowered to be able to do it that way. Transparency is an issue that Ozzie's will really really start to rail against, though if there's not enough of it shown and I reckon this message or this on morning goes both ways, We'll see how it goes from here.
And it's not just tran transparency that's an issue. But Matt, remember when Murray what described the suggestion that Russia was asking to have its weapons and aircraft in Indonesia as like believing in the lock next monster. But then Russia when and publicly confer that it had made these requests of Indonesia. So this is not just about failing to be upfront with the Australian public, but it's almost hiding the truth when it comes to a matter of public interest in national security.
Well marriage just to blowhard Shari and that demonstrated by that outburst. And look, I will say here I don't expect the Australian government to disclose all of its intelligence that it may receive at different times, So there is some rationale for the Prime Minister not to reveal everything here. But my concern is not so much about what the Prime Minister knew and when he knew it, but more what is he doing Because it's been very clear that
Indonesia is getting closer to Russia for some time. You don't need stories about or crazy conspiracies about locknest monsters to know that Indonesia announced earlier this year, publicly announced at the beginning of this year that it was joining officially joining the bristocled Bricks Coalition, which is notionally a grouping of country. He's aligned against the United States and it's allies. So we knew that, and it's just not
clear what the government has done in response. I mean, how are we doing to secure our defense needs, our energy needs, our national securities. Why hasn't the Prime Minister gone to visit Donald Trump to discuss these matters?
The election now was how long ago?
Was it?
Now we're looking at the US presidential election. Well, yeah, but he had plenty of time to do that, either this year or last year. Plenty of people were going to see him before the inauguration, and clearly the Albanize government would have new and know when something was up. And I just don't know what have you done in response to protect our country?
I'm not so sure.
Well, Richard Miles is acting prime minister while Albanizi is overseas, and he was grilled today about his role in dumping Ed Husick and Mark Drafers.
What's mister hughsy right to call you a factional assassin?
Look, I'm not going to go into that. As I say, this is a difficult process. We have a lot of really talented people.
What fractional assassin?
Though?
Well, again, I don't accept that these are collective processes. As I said, they are obviously difficult processes.
Are you saying you had nothing to do with this? I'm saying that these are collective processes.
Did you ignore all phone calls from anything?
Look, again, I'm not going to go into the details.
Of has a factional fighting taken the shine off labors?
Win, and what responsibility do you take for that?
No, I don't think so. We have seen a remarkable election victory.
Basila reported earlier this week that Richard Miles was the fall guy and that it was Alban Easy who wanted ed Who's it gone? From the ministry and his comments today Marles's comments today saying this was a collective decision, seemed to confirm this.
Well, perhaps not necessarily, but perhaps they have done that. I think what is clear is that that big victory, only eight days later, Ed Husick is on television and spilling the beans and certainly spilling his emotions. And it's interesting, isn't it how quickly you can get away from that big victory when things are unsettled within the camp. I mean, this is the system that delivers them ministerial portfolios, and it is also the system which takes ministerial portfolios away.
They live and they die by it. In Hugh Six's case, he's died by it. So has Mark Dreyfus. But those aren't They weren't convincing and well done the press pack, I've got to so they didn't let him get away with it. They certainly made him answer the questions even though.
He didn't really well, they should be grilling Alban easy on this too, Matt. Just a quick final response to the reports in the Telegraph that Angus Taylor and Andrew Hasty are considering moving to the backbench instead of serving in Susan Lee's ministry.
What do you think about that?
It's not so bad back here.
I've had a good time sharre it.
I think you can still make a massive contribution to your country whichever role you play. Look, yeah, it's a great honor to serve your nation in the nation's parliament. Obviously they'll have their own personal and other considerations of aside, and there are lots of good people in the labor national parties as well, So it should never be about one individual. It's about a nation. So that's what I'm focused on.
All right, There you go, Matt Canavan, douz a zemplus. Great to see you.
Well.
Let's turn now to.
The police investigation into the firebombing of the Adas Synagogue late last year. Police say that the stolen car used in that attack was linked to several other crimes, including an arson attack at a nightclub also a drive by shooting. Here was the AFP's counter Terror, counter Terrorism and Special Investigation Assistant Commissioner at a press conference this afternoon.
We will continue to investigate it as a politically motivated attack on the Jewish community. Based on our information, we believe some of the individuals involved are extremely violent and co.
Chief Executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jury, Alex Riftrin joins me.
Now, Alex, great to see you again.
Now it's been five months no arrests made for this very serious arson attack on a synagogue. What's your reaction to the evidence that now suggests this fire bombing is linked to other serious crimes, including a drive by shooting.
Yeah.
Look, it's reminiscent of what we're seeing up here in Sydney, where you know, it's believed that the spate of fire bombings that we saw terrorizing the Sydney Jewish community was
also linked to violent crime, to organized crime. And in addition to the conventional anti Semitic elements that we're dealing with at the moment with a far Ride and the anti Israel movement, the fact that you've got organized crime, people who are criminal by nature, who will do anything out of self interest and as we've seen there from the police speaking about their Dust Israel firebombing. They believe that the same people that carried out that attack were
involved in other violent crimes, including shootings. They have access to weapons potentially explodes. So it just makes it all the more imperative that we bring these people to justice as quickly as possible, unravel these conspiracies, identify every individual that's involved, and bring some peace and come back to our community into wider society, because the longer these people who are large, the greater the anxiety will remain.
Exactly and not just the anxiety, but the very real danger as well.
Alex, you featured in a four Corners report where the alleged mastermind of the Sydney attacks gave an interview to the ABC.
He insisted he wasn't behind any of the incidents.
But I'm worried that, as you just said, that none of the alleged masterminds have actually been arrested, they're still at large, and that the arrests that have been made are of the hired crooks, not those who are actually ordering or believed to be ordering, the spate of attacks we're seeing. I mean, given your home, your former home was targeted. This must worry you as well.
Yeah, look, it's deeply concerned and Charry, you know, knowing that you've had this network of individuals, you know, of different rank and seniority in the criminal underground, and this alleged kingpin that remains outside the reach of the AFP, you know, it's deeply troubling. And when you're dealing with people who for meager sums of money would set fire to cars and set our streets a light and potentially risk burning people in their homes, it's extremely troubling. It's
gravely serious. So we need these people who brought to justice. I've spoken to the police multiple times. I know they're doing everything they can to achieve justice to bring these people to a trial. Many rest have been made, but this is a complex case. It appears a complex conspiracy
with many people involved with very confusing motives. You know the story that's been put to the public about you know, these are being orchestrated by one individual to assist in returning home and you know in his plea bargain, these things don't really stuck up. So we need to have all the artspoorts a live we need to have people broadly for the courts, and we need to get closure and we need justice.
Indeed, Alex just finally, while we have seen wonderful leadership from labor leaders like Chris Mins on anti Semitism, we haven't seen it from the Albanese government. And they've now been re elected with such a sweeping majority. It's likely they'll be in power for another six years. And it's likely as well that Penny one will move to recognize a Palestinian state this term, potentially even this year, potentially
even while Hamas is still in power. So you know, as a leader, what's your message to Australians who care about this issue and who are upset that this is the leadership we're now.
Left with for the foreseeable future.
Well, my message would be, don't be passive, don't become passengers if you're concerned about these issues, if you're concerned about what may happen with recognition of a Palestinian state, the signal that would send to anti seractivists in this country, they would reward their extremism and reward hum us. Get involved. If you're a progressive Australian and vote labor, join the Labor Party and contribute to its policies. If you're a conservative,
get involved in the Liberal Party. You know that we hear about the quiet Australians being with the Jewish community and imhooring terrorism. But the quiet Australians are the ignored Australians. So organize, become involved if you remember the Jewish community, support commune organizations and add to our ability and our capacity to advocate for you. But the other message I would say is don't despair. You know, there are some policies that obviously are contrary to the interests and beliefs
of the Jewish community. We will fight them. But look at what we've survived and endured in the past eighteen months, with the docsing and the vilification and the gas lighting and the encampments and the fire bombings, and we're still here. We're still strong, we're still proud to be Australians and
proud to be Jews. And look at our brothers and sisters in Israel have endured for the past eighteen months and how they've come through it and how they've decimated their own And if they can do that, then whatever political challenges I had for us, we can overcome that as.
Well an inspiring message.
Thank you so much, Alex, Thank you sir.
Now still to come Keir Starmer's surprising crackdown on immigration, and now how Albinizi has been urged to do the same. Plus Labor presses ahead with its shocking tax on unrealized capital gains. Economist Warren Hogan would join.
Me after this quick break.
Well, the Albanezi government has no intention of dropping its controversial and truly absurd laws to tax unrealized capital gains, with the Treasurer pressing ahead with the plan.
We've made it clear that these changes are relatively modest, but they're important in the context of the budget, and define benefit schemes have been appropriately recognized as part of our effort.
This is money people haven't even technically received. It's on paper.
National Senate leader Bridge Kenzie slammed the laws on Chris Kenny's program today.
I love that defined benefit schemes of public servants are protected under Labor, But the family farm looks like you're going to be paying tax on unrealized gains on intergenerational assets, and it's going to have a huge issue for self managed super funds as well.
So we have grave.
Concerns and let's bring in now Judo Banks Chief Economist, Warren Hogan. Warren, thanks for your time. Look, this is a truly appalling tax, and the argument seems to be from the treasurer that the budget needs this new tax because of all their spending.
Yeah, good evening, Sherry.
That's exactly it.
I mean, that's the bottom line is that this is a government that is seeking new ways to raise revenue, partly, as you said, because they're spending and the spending growth has been pretty persistent since they came to office three years ago, but also because we're putting more and more pressure on working people through our income taxes, which that income tax burdens now to record high. So you know,
they're looking for whatever they can. And of course, when you start cherry picking tax taxes without a broad review of the whole system, there's a lot of unintended consequences, and often the actual tax itself can be very messy, which this one's proving to be.
But what about the principle though, of taxing money people haven't even received, they may never receive, because you know, it can go up and down. Doesn't that strike you as almost unethical.
Look, I think the principle maybe not. But the practice is, as you allude to, is it's about what economists or financial people would call liquidity. That is that you've got this asset that's gone up in value, but you don't want to have to sell that asset in order to pay the tax on it. So where do you get money liquidity from. You have to sell something else or have money in the bank, pay the tax, and of course if the asset goes down in value again you
get a tax credit. So the principle's okay, but in practice it doesn't work very well, particularly for those sorts of assets that we're hearing about, like farms and houses and so forth, and for people who otherwise have pretty modest means. I mean, three million dollars of life savings, particularly given the inflation of the last five years isn't what it used to be. So we're talking about people that don't have a lot of spare cash flow.
And I kind of mentioned this before, but the Greens, in order to pass the legislation with labor, they look like they're going to argue to lower it to two million dollars. So again, because there's no way the coalition would support these laws. So this is the sort of really bad policy situation you can end up getting in because two million dollars, I mean, if it's a property, well, that doesn't that captures you know, a lot of people's investment properties, doesn't it.
Oh that's right, And it's of course you know where do you stop? And is the three million dollars in arbitrary? And of course we know it's not indexed. That is, effectively, with inflation, it's going to become less and less of a number. And the stories about young people today will all be caught up with it when they retire. And I think what really is the concern out in the broader community is that once this is in place, do
they go beyond the super sort of nest egg. Do they start looking at this as a general way of taxing people all through their stages of life and homes and all this sort of stuff. And of course they're not going to say they are, but that's the sort of logical implication that some people are drawing, and of course that in principle I think is wrong.
Yeah.
Indeed, look the ABS confirmed yesterday that wages rose by zero point nine percent in the March quater up around three point four percent over the year. We're hearing though that most of it is going to the public sector because of the alban Easy Childcare and aged care subsidies. Warren, isn't it the case that most Australians wouldn't be feeling this wage growth because sliding increases would be erated by
bracket creep. And then there's also the fact that purchasing power is lower because of inflation.
Well, that's exactly it. First of all, the fact that we have to spend more money on our goods and services and our groceries and everything, and then of course you will have the effective bracket creep. So I think that's the right assessment. We're not really seeing any advancement in the living standards of Australians. Maybe they're not going down at the rate that they have been for the last three years. And of course, for businesses, wages are
just part of the equation. There's also the effect of productivity and we are in a declining productivity environment, and of course that means business costs are not going up by three percent like the wages suggest, they're going up by more like five percent. And of course that means this inflation is still sitting in the economy. So this is not painting a great picture for the economy, and of course it isn't advancing our living standards as some portray.
All right, Warren Hogan, appreciate your insights as always.
Thanks you.
That's still to come. Alb and Easy is under pressure. Put the break on Australia's immigration crisis. I mean, if Kirstarma can do it, then why can't he? Plus the harrowing story of three year old Abigail. She was kidnapped by her muss on October seven after watching her parents murdered. Abigail's great aunt will join me live in studio. That's after this quick break, welcome back.
Well.
Three little children aged three, six and nine watched when their mum and dad were both murdered by her muss on October seven. Six year old Amalia and nine year old Michael ran and hid in a cupboard, where they stayed and hid for.
Fourteen long hours.
They were all alone, and to make it worse, the body of their mother was next to them outside the cupboard, but little Abigail, a toddler three years old, was missing.
That's Golmitzalem Mirim Telephone and Maca Michael An Benatesha Mirimta Telephone, Miloda with the Imma Metta, ab A, Maria, Mulia, lad Efo Vigail and Mililbo Bait the kitsu Sha.
A neighbor saw Abigail being captured and described her as covered with blood that wasn't hers again. Just three years old, She then spent fifty one traumatic days in hermask captivity. She turned four as a hostage held by terrorists without any family around her at all, and when she was finally released on November twenty sixth, little Abigail returned to
Israel and orphan. It's one of the saddest stories and it's told in the book Saving Abigail, written by her aunt Liz Hirshneftali, who also then made it her mission to bring her great niece home and pleased to say, Liz joins me here now, Liz, thank you, and welcome to Australia.
Thank you. How is Abigail and Amalia and Michael coping? Now? How do they live with this day today?
Look?
Every day they are, these beautiful children and they live with their aunt and uncle who've adopted them. So they now have six kids and they give them a beautiful life. I mean, these my niece and her husband are my heroes. They have taken this tragedy and done everything to make something beautiful for six children. And at the same time, on that Kidboetz that morning, the other three children also were survivors.
They had Hamas terras in their home.
They did not find them in their safe room, but they also were there for twenty nine hours.
So we have six kids that are all survivors, and.
My niece and her husband are raising them and they have look, they have a beautiful life, but they have what you explained, which was that trauma and that tragedy of what these three children experienced.
So and what did Abigail go through during her time in captivity when she had no family at all around him? And I can't imagine a little three year old hold on but held byamas.
She was held by hamas, but the woman who she after her father was murdered and she crawled out from his body covered in his blood. She went to a neighbor and miraculously he was opening the door to go out and protect the kibbutz, and there was little Abigail, and he put her with his wife and three kids, and they knew each other. Abigail knew this family, and when they were taken off by Hamas terrorists, Abigail was
with her. And I prayed that during the whole fifty one days that she was with this woman, Huggar Broditche, and she was and Hugar took care of her like one of her own children. But keep in mind they were in a dark room, they were starved, they had no hygiene, They had to beg for a piece of toilet paper, and they had nothing for the kids to do.
We know what our kids do. They play, they have screens, they laugh, they sing. They were silenced for fifty one days.
Does Abigail talk about it now? I mean, how does she process that level of trauma.
Look, it's something that will be with her and her siblings, they'll all carry this for the rest of their lives. But they're little kids, and you let it come out. And everybody in Israel, all of the children, all of the adults, they have therapists, they're they're all traumatized. But in our case, Abigail goes to school, she gets to play with kids.
She is full of energy.
She dances, she sings, she's full of life. And if you saw her, you'd say, she's just this beautiful child. But if there's a loud noise, she reacts because for yeah, for fifty one days she was being the area she was being in was bombed by the Israeli Defense Force and that was her experience. But if you I saw her, you would think this child is intelligent, she's dynamic. And you see Michael and Amalia and they laugh and they
play and they have a beautiful life. But as adults we see their parents aren't there.
Can you tell us a little bit about your battle to bring her home and what did you do, because you really took on a very active role in.
This look when Abigail, when we learned that she had survived, it was something of hope.
And I went back to America.
I'm from New York and I went back to America and I went to Capitol Hill and I was there with the family of Keith Siegel, his sister in the beginning, and there were no other people there because they were still in trauma. But I as an American, I was in Israel in October seventh and then I returned home, and I basically went to DC with this other woman, Keith's sister, and I took a picture of Abigail, and I mean two hundred and fifty copies, and I gave
them out everywhere. And then I made a picture with all the hostages and I gave them out. And what I just kept doing was telling people leaders on both sides, that these were people that were stolen infants, grandparents, and that was the beginning of understanding.
You just had to keep talking everywhere.
Spent a lot of time with the White House, spent a lot of time with other families at the White House and on Capitol Hill, traveling to Doha, traveling to Israel, traveling all around the United States to keep telling the stories and put pressure on the people who can make the difference and bring home the hostages.
There are still fifty hostages, about twenty I believed to be alive. Trump just secured the relays of the last American hostage. There is criticism that he just secured the release of one and celebrated that and not the other twenty.
How do you feel about that?
Look, I'll go back to President Biden.
He got out Abigail and one hundred and five women and children in his administration, but for over a year he could not get the rest out. Then the Trump administration came in and they were able to secure the release of thirty three people, and then it stopped. And now you have Eadon Alexander, this beautiful twenty one year old kid grew up in America and he was released.
But what Witcoff, Steve Whitcoff and Adam Bowler and Trump have always said is that they are going to keep fighting and that when you see one person free, you have to say it's a blessing, but you then keep
working and they are committed to it. And I'm very proud that my American government, Democrats, Republicans have kept this together, supporting the hostages, supporting Israel, and that President Trump and his team are out there and they're in the Middle East and they're getting people to talk, and we have to.
Give them the hope and the support. And Dan is the first they've said in this round.
They know they have to get everybody and they are committed to getting the fifty eight people home.
Litz really appreciate you being here and your book. I know we shared it on screen before but your book Saving Abigail.
There it is again. Yeah, I can order it online on Amazon. Thank thank you so much.
I appreciate you. Thank you.
Now still to calm Keir Starmer's immigration crackdown, the pressure is on al but easy now.
To follow suit right after the break.
Well, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to surprise us with his strong crackdown on immigration.
So when you have an immigration system that seems almost designed to permit abuse, you're actually contributing to the forces that are slowly pulling our country apart. So yes, I believe in this. I believe we need to reduce immigration significantly.
We're joining me now, he's spiked online editor Tom Slater. Tom, what motivated Kir Starmer to do this and how's it being received?
Well, he's basically running scared of Nigel Farrage and Reform UK, who just had a historic set of local election results. He was at great pains in that speech to say I'm not doing this because of politics, political maneuvering. I'm not doing this because of any particular party. Didn't name the party. I actually believe in this, but I think if you have to say the words I actually believe in this, then maybe people could ask questions about whether you do the policy itself.
As you say.
I think people broadly speaking have welcomed it. There are a lot of questions now, but whether or not it will actually bring down migration significantly. I think even a fair estimate would suggest we're still going to be in for much higher migration than we had before Brexit, let alone when Label was last in power. But kirstarm has a fundamental credibility issue here as well. When he ran for the Labor Leader.
He said we need to make the case for free movement.
He was signing letters not that long ago opposing the deportation even the foreign criminals. So for him to now turn around and say I get it, it's going to take a lot for people to believe him. I think there's not many prizes for being the slowest kid in the class in this issue, I think.
And one of the reasons this has been so well received is because of the issues with social cohesion that have arisen in the UK.
Can you tell us about just how bad it's been.
No, absolutely, I mean that particular line in his speech which has really done the rounds. We risk becoming an Island of strangers. It led to a lot of pearl clutching in the media, but you poll people, more than sixty percent of people agree with that topic because of the fact that in some many measures, Britain has been a success story in terms of welcoming people from around the world. But there are clear problems with integration. There
are clear problems with parallel lives. There are clear problems with people enclaves forming in which not as much English is being spoken, and within that you don't get the supposed kind of melting pot that people claim they want to.
You end up with a.
Society that is essentially a series of silos. That's something that people have really recognized it needs to be tackled. But again, is this government, who have only really taken interest in this issue five minutes ago, really going to be the ones to tackle it.
Yeah.
I spoke of the show last night about how CNN anchor Jake Tapper revealed in his book that Biden's mental decline was so bad that he didn't even recognize Jeorge Clooney.
But here's what Tappa was saying on air at the time.
I think that you were marking his stuttery. Yeah, I think you were marking his stutter, and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline. I would think that somebody in the Prump family would be more sensitive to people who do not have medical licenses diagnosing politicians from afar. Plenty of people have diagnosed your father from afar.
Tom, do you give Jake the benefit of the doubt that he simply didn't know at the time, or was there this left wing media cover up to protect Joe Biden.
I mean, the brass neck of it is incredible.
It's not just that clip that there's many more of him having a go at people for talking about the evidence of their own eyes. It was because they were trying to defend their candidate from Trump getting back in.
That's what it was about.
But to turn around now and act like the kind of propagandist in nineteen eighty four that we were always at war with the stage, we always knew that he was in cognitive decline. It's an insult to the American public, I.
Think to right.
Tom Slater really appreciate you joining us this evening, of course morning in London, and thanks so much for your company this week. I'm going to be off next week. It's been a busy few weeks with the election coverage. I didn't take any time off with my kids during the school holiday, so I'll be off next week, but back the week after. I'll see you then.
And right now. Here is Dnika de Giorgio filling in for Paul Murray.