Live on Sky News. This is Sharry.
Good Evening. Welcome to the show tonight.
Bombshell revelations about the Islamophobia Register. Despite being concerned about one type of racism, one of its directors has been found saying highly offensive things about Jews who support Israel. And this organization gets more than a million dollars in taxpayer funds. My exclusive coming up also tonight. Albanizi under pressure over rising power bills. His broken promises come back to bite him. Michael Kroger and Richo will get stuck in the coalition calls for migrants to be tested on
anti Semitism. Anthony Albanize's insulting and patronizing.
Response will shock you.
I'll speak about this with David Ossip a bit later and will cross live to Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharen Haskell.
As the war on her Mus resumes.
But first tonight, energy and climate activism are shaping up to be major election issues, and tonight the Prime Minister is under pressure over his broken promise on power bills as Australians face an increase in their power bills of up.
To two hundred dollars come July.
Alban Easy Today was mumbling and stumbling over his broken promise at the last election. Just three years ago, he pledged ninety seven times.
That your power bills would be cheaper under his leadership.
You've seen this before, but it's just the extraordinary to watch when we know that it was a commitment he never should have made because he was never going to deliver on it, and he knew it.
Reducing power prices by two hundred and seventy five dollars.
Reducing power prices by two hundred and seventy five dollars.
By twenty twenty five, two hundred and seventy five dollars a year.
Two hundred and seventy five dollars a year will.
Get power prices down by two hundred and seventy five dollars.
A year, two hundred and seventy five dollars for the average house lower in twenty twenty five than today.
So it wasn't a one off remark. The Prime Minister made the promise ninety seven times, but he's never apologized to Australians for this. If he had, if he'd owned up to it, perhaps voters wouldn't be so angry and hold it against him instead. It's come back to bite him, with new polling today showing that more than half of voters blame the alber Ezi government's energy policies for soaring household power bills. They also believe the country is heading
in the wrong direction. Redbridge polster Coosamaras said, voters believe the alban Ezi government's renewable policies had pushed their energy costs through the roof.
It's pretty clear to us now that not just why this particular poll, but a lot of work that we've done in this space that Australians are losing confidency in that energy transition. People now have a very strong view that it's going to be much more expensive, more unstable and an unpredictable.
That's what voters are telling pollsters.
Well, here was the Prime Minister being questioned about the issue today.
Can you guarantee energy prices will calm down or at least you remain stable under a second channel?
And instead of a guarantee alber ez He continued with his theme of blaming global factors for rising power bills.
Rather than acknowledging that perhaps it's his.
Own Minister Chris Bowen's irresponsible policies.
Well, we know that we have international impact of global inflation has had an impact. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had an impact on energy prices.
He isn't taking any responsibility for any issue at all and is turning this into a fine art. Yet the situation with rising power bills is so severe that it's now being described as energy poverty, where some Australians just can't afford to use electricity, and even the progressive Labour state of Victoria is reportedly considering extending the life of colfied power stations, although this has been met with denials today and the Victorian government claims the Yellown power station
will still close in twenty twenty eight. As you know, Labor premiere in New South Wales, Chris Mins has already had to extend the life cycle of a raring, the Coulfide power station in this state, and this is because Chris Bowen and id logues like him at a state level rushed the transition to renewables before the infrastructure was in place, before it was ready. Yet, instead of focusing on power bills, Chris Bowen seems to be spending more and more of his time making social media videos.
So you think wind turbites can't be recycled. This surf pild is made out of wind.
Service videos where he blames everyone but himself for high power bills. He even blamed Australians for just getting the wrong energy deal.
Did you know that eighty one percent of Australians paying more for electrocy they need to because they're not on the best plan available. That's the data from the age. All our government is making it easier for you switch providers. This website will help you find the best possible deal for somebody with your energy news.
Yeah, it's all your fault. Come on, this is nonsense.
Chris Bown already lost Bill shot En, the former Labor leader, the twenty nineteen election, because of his highly unpopular high taxing policies when he was Shadow Treasurer at the time, and given today's latest polling, well Chris Bowen could play a starring role in losing alban Easy support too, because of the genuine anger at the cost of energy, a cost that Alberan Easy can't pretend he didn't promise to bring down. It's one of many broken promises he can't
escape from. He'd be better off simply apologizing.
But don't hold your breath for that.
Now tonight we can expose a director of the Islamophobia Register spreading highly offensive messages about Zionists and that's Jews who support Israel. You might have seen that the Islamophobia Register came out a few days ago and it made major news.
Researchers from Monash and Deacon Universities analyzed more than six hundred incidents reported to the Islamophobia Register. Register has been operating since twenty fourteen and the latest results are the worst on record.
The report compiled by academics for the Islamophobia Register Australia found anti Palestinian sentiment played a part and that Muslim women were disproportionately targeted.
With The Islamophobia Register uses their annual data to call for more federal government funding, and they received one point one million dollars in funding from the Australian government last year. That's the grant finding details on your screen now. One of their directors of the Islamophobia Register is Hilal Yassin.
He works in private equity as Group Managing Director at First Key Capital and despite being concerned about one form of racism, he said highly offensive things about Zionists Jews whose support Israel. He's perpetuated the blood libel that Zionists
see themselves as superior, and he called Zionists savage. He wrote on LinkedIn, the fundamental problem is one of psychology, whereby the savage Israeli Zionists see themselves as a superior race over and above the subhuman, animalistic Palestinians, just like the barbaric Nazi Aryan German race who believed they were from a racially superior bloodline to what they termed other human rats. He also wrote, shame on the Zionist racial supremacists.
A danger to humanity and world.
Peace at large. Now I've said this repeatedly, but being a Zionist is simply supporting the existence of Israel. If you're not a Zionist, you wan't the state of Israel eliminated.
So let's look again. Here's more from the.
Islamophobia just a director Hilel Yasay. He said Nazism had been replaced with Zionism, both racial supremacist groups, both believing they are above the law due to their superior ethnicity, and both a danger to humanity at large. Now Yusain has even encouraged putting an end to Zionist practices.
This seems very dangerous to me. He wrote, we.
Put an end to the practices of the savage Nazis and the racial supremacist master race ideology, and I'm certain we will also put an end to the practices of the barbaric Zionists and racial supremacist chosen race ideology. It's just a matter of time, just a matter of time until there's an end to the practices of the barbaric Zionists.
That's what he's saying.
This seems to be calling for an elimination of the practices and ideology of Jews who support Israel. He says, just like the Nazi ideology was eliminated. This is really inflammatory language and potentially even incitement to violence. Now Y're seen also claimed in one post that Zionists are European colonialists,
non indigenous. He wrote, have a look, the issue is not one about religion, but one about the dispossession, occupation, and subjugation of the brown indigenous Palestinian Semites of the Middle East by European colonial Zionist European colonial Zinis. And that is completely inaccurate and dangerously misleading to suggest Jews only came from Europe when we know Jews are indigenous
to the land of Israel. In another post, he agreed with someone else that survivors of the whole cost were now programming their children to inflict one You can see the post and under it, he said, one hundred percent. There are many, many, many similar posts and comments like I've shown you, And since his online commentary.
Was first exposed by.
A digital investigations team Nashajew, he then changed his LinkedIn profile. Now I put questions to Yasine today and his lawyers responded to me. They said that Yasine differentiates between a Zionist ideology and Australian Jews. His lawyers said, and I quote, mister Yassin has spoken out against antisemitism, which is different to criticizing the evil, illegal act of the.
State of Israel.
Mister Yassin's criticism of supremacist evil ideology is consistent whether it claims to be based in Judaism, Christianity or Islam. Now, Yeah, seines lawyers also told me, I'm going to quote here, Australian Jews have been trying to highlight this distinction to distance themselves from the Zionist ideology that has hijacked their religion. We provide examples from the Jewish Council of Australia, Louise Adler, Sarah Schwartz, and hundreds of other Australian Jews.
Well as far as.
I can tell, Yasine operates under his own definition of Zionism, perhaps supported by a tiny minority of Jews. I personally find his definition of Zionism ignorant, offensive and deeply divisive. And I can say with pride on national television that I am a Zionist. I strongly support the state of Israel.
I wouldn't stand alongside the company he describes. And I think Nadiyahoo has been a truly at a time when young Israelis have been on the front line fighting for the very survival of the Jewish state when it's under attack from bloodthirsty terrorists. Will we put questions to the Islamophobia Register as well about these comments where fellow directors are award winning and he racism advocate Marry him Visada, who CEO of Media Diversity Australia. Another director is Wali
Dahli's wife, Susan Carland. And here is Yescene with Wali Dhli at the Media Diversity launch in twenty seventeen. Now, given Walid has written about anti Semitism, I do presume genuinely that he and his wife would be pretty unimpressed with Yesine's comments about Zionists. Now, Yasin is also pictured here with Sarah Schwartz, who he mentioned, and you may recall she was responsible for the eventsive Utom's jue slides. Now The Islamophobia hasn't responded to our media request as yet.
We also asked Home Affairs how it was appropriate for a million dollars of federal government funding to go towards an organization where a director is spreading highly offensive content about Zionists, and Home Affairs told us the Australian Government has and continues to provide grants to a number of organizations, including the Islamophobia Register of Australia, that focus on combating
racism and reducing misinformation and disinformation impacting Australian communities. Under the guidelines, there are measures in place to ensure funding is used for the specific stated purpose. The grants are monitored through an agreed reporting and financial acquittal process grant agreements in between the department and the recipient organization rather
than an individual. Now, social cohesion is incredibly important in our country in Australia, but it's curious that people who are supposedly against hatred and racism are perpetuating dangerous messages about Jews who support Israel, which is the majority of Jews. You're either against racism or you're not. You can't be a director of the Islamophobia Register while spreading vicious libels that one of Australia's largest minority groups already facing so
much hate, would find highly offensive. Okay, let's bring in now from a Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger and Farmer Labor Senator Graham Richardson. Great to see both as always on a Wednesday.
Look, I want to start with the.
Polling that I just mentioned a moment ago that the majority of voters now blame Anthony Albinizi and his government for the skyrocketing power prices. Polling wasn't overwhelmingly positive for the coalition he that had Labor just a head on a two party preferred basis, but it seems that no voter can forget the prime Minister's broken promise. So you know, what do you make of how big of an issue power prices will be at the.
Election and just where it's up to overall? Right now, I'd.
Prefer to start with mister m But anyway, I think you said it all, Shari. Look, this is a monstrous issue, is it is the dominant policy issue that we remember from the twenty twenty two election, the two to seventy
five promise repeated one hundred times. It was the dominant issue in the whole election, and the average working middle class voter saw that, believed that, and voted for Albanizi accordingly, you know, apart from the fact there was a nine year old liberal government, you know, the most powerful political policy they had in that campaign was that promise. People believed it, acted on it, and it's coming back to
buy him and all is twisting and turning. When every time Bowen or Minister's asked about the promise, oh it was Ukraine or something, people are furious that they were lied to. Right, this was a con job. There was no proper modeling. This was just an advertising gimmick that Albanese was told to run with to get him over the line. It won him tens of thousands of votes.
It's coming back to bite him and I'd be absolutely certain the Liberal Party will be reminding everybody they were lied to it the last election and don't believe it our ALBANIZI next time, Rich.
I do you think Albert would be better off just apologizing to Australian saying he got it wrong? But because he can't pretend those comments weren't made, everyone remembers that he did promise cheaper power prices. And even if they forget like Michael just said, the Coalie, you aren't going to let them forget it.
Of course they're not. And I don't understand why politicians are always so afraid of saying sorry, I mucked that up. I'll now fix it up. I do not understand why they won't do that. It goes back and would never do it, but you have to do it the mob. No, everybody knows there's been a stuff up, so why would you be hesitant to admit it?
No?
I think that's absolutely right.
Just in terms of the overall polling, though, Michael, where do you think Darton is at the minute, Because you know, before this particular poll had the coalition ahead.
Now it's got Labor ahead.
So I think Peter Dutton in the opposition had a few flat weeks and Labor probably have made up some ground. That's been apparent to me for a month. But I can see the wheel turning back again. I think Dutton's probably fifty one to fifty two somewhere around there. I still think he's on seventy two seats. I still think he's going to win the election. The budget will not help labor. The advertising campaign on that promise is not going to help labor. And Sharis I've said before, he's
got another huge issue, green preferences. Is he going to tell Labor voters to put the Green second? I mean, this is the repol sive organization. Now, the Green is an extremist organization that has smashed social occasion in this country, as you've pointed out on many occasions. Is he going to ask Labor voters in McNamara to vote for the Greens ahead of the coalition.
So he's still going to answer this question.
You noted every time he's asked, he fobs it off to the national executive or the organizational wing. In the end, it's his decision. And he he's got to confront that issue one way or the other. And I think we know what he's going to do, and that's going to be very.
Bad news for him.
The Nightly has a front page story tonight, so their nightly edition tonight where they're saying that the Prime Minister is even boasting of winning another four seats so rich. Oh it sounds like Albanze is getting overly confident. He's telling people at private dinners that he's actually going to pick up seats.
He doesn't think Dutton can win.
Oh yeah, I wouldn't write him off picking up seats. And if you're a political leader and you are not an optimist, especially you're at dinners of supporters and you're a mug, So of course he's doing that. He has to project an image of confidence. He has to look like he is certain to win the election. If he doesn't look like that, then people will take advantage of it.
I don't think people like arrogance either though, which is what it sounds like this boast was.
But we'll come back to that now.
Peter Darton has put forward the idea that migrants prospective migrants would be tested on antisemitism in their citizenship test. Now, he suggested adding a question to the exam to ensure applicants are adequately screened.
Now.
The Prime Minister immediately was dismissive of this idea.
Have a look at this.
It's another soap bobble. We'll see if it lasts till you know, a couple of a couple of hours away. Yesdays didn't make it to lunch time, so we'll wait see what happens the Coalition. The Coalition have run a campaign complaining that too many Australians were making the citizenship pledge. She'd been in the queue, some of them for years.
Michael first out.
I think this is so insulting from the Prime Minister not to take this proposal seriously of stopping anti Samites coming into the country.
But I do think it would need to be more than just a question.
There need to be some social media checking as well, depending on which part of the world people were coming from.
Of course, I think it's preferable you don't have people coming to this country to live permanently you hate Jews and who were brought up in an education system where they're talked to hate Jewish people. I don't think that's good for our country. And I don't think anywhere near a majority of Australians would think that was a good idea. But I'll tell you what's happened here. I'll tell you what's happened here. That was an appalling comment belb and
easy or that was a shocking comment. Why would he say that. I'll tell you why I said that, Because on Monday this week Peter Dutton did the right thing, came out and he and Tim Wilson and Benson Salo, the candidate McNamara and James Patterson made an announcement of thirty five million dollars to help rebuild their synagogue in Melbourne.
Great announcement.
Albert camt yesterday and promised almost the same amount. Very good work by the Primisi and doing that. But you just imagine what's happened internally within the Labor Party. Tony Burke, the large Muslim constituencies in those western suburb Sydney seats will have been furious that Albanezi is giving thirty one point two million dollars to the Jewish community in Melbourne.
They will have been furious his.
Phones yesterday afternoon or Tuesday and today will have been ringing off with people complaining about his support for the Jewish community. So Today's came out and made this ridiculous contribution somewhere in order to sort of balance things.
Up a bit.
I don't do what I'm know I've done follow Dutton on this stuff. I've got my own views, and you know, I don't think we should do this.
It's the same. I think that's what's happened here.
He's copped huge flack in the last two days for helping donate money to rebuild a synagogue.
Fire by and by.
Burn to the ground jewishump.
Painting racist racist extremists. So he's done the right thing, and no doubt Tony Burke and others are not saying back specifically, but people around the left of the Labor Party and the Muslim community have been furious with him ever since Monday.
That's what I think.
Yeah, well, let's turn to Trump, Russia and Ukraine. We know that the President had a to our phone call with Prutin. Look, he managed to extract some concessions, but it clearly wasn't the deal he was hoping for because Prutin said no to a thirty day ceasefire He did agree to stop targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure effective immediately, but
then there were reports that he resumed targeting the infrastructure. So, Richo, do you have confidence that Trump is going to reach an agreement that doesn't involve giving Russia more Ukraine in land.
I never have much confidence in anything that comes up with Pitton. I think he's one of the worst murderous grubs I've ever known in politics, and so I worry about Trump's, you know, looking friendly occasionally towards him. I don't think we should be friendly to this fellow at all. This guy killed the people personally, let alone. You know, we're using the apparatus of the state, and so you don't admire that, you criticize it, and you condemn it.
Well, I understand the tactic of not criticizing Prutin why you're trying to get him to agree to a cease fire or a peace deal. But Michael, you know at this point, and look, I hope more than anything that Trump can get a deal done here, but at this point, you know, it doesn't look promising.
What do you think.
You don't know fully what's happening behind the scenes. I think that's the first thing to say. But to the extent that we know, we know from the public statements made by both leaders on the details of the conversations, and they've been picked over by many journalists who've basically concluded that Putin did better than Trump. My worry is that he's got this completely wrong. Instead of hitting on Zelenski first, he should have been hitting on Putin first.
I mean, Zolenski was easy to get him to agree because the country's being smashed. The first portcoll should have been with Putin. Now it looks like on the service, it's looked like Putin can just sit there month after month after month. He'll still be president long after Trump's gone, and so he can weigh him out. As the Chinese and the North Koreans waited Trump out in twenty twenty, he can.
Wait him out.
And the longer it goes, the worse it is to Trump, because don't forget again, this was one of his major campaign election promises that he fixed it in the day, meaning he'd fix it in a few months. If he can't fix this on reasonable terms, it's very damaging to Trump and it doesn't read so good so far.
And the issue is that Putin of course knows that Trump desperately wants to get this done.
But you know we haven't given up.
Favorite We'll see where this ends, all right, Michael Kroger, Gray Ritson, Great to see you as always. In a Wednesday Now as Sydney nurse charged over the viral video in which he boasted of killing Israeli patients, will plead not guilty on the basis he didn't consent to being recorded.
Our Sky News.
Reporter and friend Caroline Marcus was in court today and here's the report she filed a little earlier.
Shari. There were chaotic scenes outside court today as supporters of former nurse Sarah Abu Lebday clashed with the media after her hearing. Mith Lebday had less to say than the last time we saw her, in that online video chat with Israeli influencer Max Wiefer, which went viral last month. In that clip, she said she would kill Israelis who turned up at the hospital for treatment. Do you have anything you'd like to say to the Jewish community, of the Israeli community.
Your brother said you were set up. Do you believe you were set up?
Her co accused, a fellow former Bangstown Hospital nurse Ahmad Rashard Nadir claimed in the video that he'd already killed Israeli patience. Police allegedly found morphine in his hospital locker. Outside court, mister Nada's lawyer said that he would defend the charge of a harassed menace or offend using a carriage service on legal and technical grounds.
Do you have anything to say?
How do you intend to plead?
My client will be pleading not guilty to the charges.
On what basis is he pleading not guilty with caught on the video?
He'll be defending the matter on legal and technical grounds.
Can you expand on that? What kind of grounds?
What legal grounds?
The video which was captured and recorded was done without the consent of my client, without his knowledge, and we will argue for that to be excluded.
Mister, do you regret? Do you regret what you said?
The case has been adjourned for eight weeks so that the prosecution can prepare a grief of evidence. It will return here in court in May, but the pair of Foremer nurses are excused from having to appear in person. Then if they're found guilty, they face a maximum sentence of ten years in jail.
And Caroline Marcus did great worker outside court and what of course, will keep reporting on that case.
All right, still to.
Come, we'll speak with Sharanna Haskell in his trail as the war on her mus resumes. Plus a major embarrassment for Mark Speakman today as he corrects the record after we revealed that his team did negotiate with the Greens. You don't want to miss his fiery clash when he was confronted with the facts today.
That's after this.
I'llcome back when New South Wales opposition leader Mark Speakman is in hot water for butting up with the Greens on a parliamentary inquiry into much needed.
Hate speech laws.
Now, he denied that the coalitions that the Coalition had been working with the Greens, but right here last night we showed that to be false and two GB host Mark Levy hounded him about it this morning.
Why did you lie on the Drive show yesterday?
Well, I didn't lie. That's not a lie. I said that I was not aware of any communication and that's the truth. I didn't have any communication with missus Higginson. My officers had no communication with miss Higginson. She's not even in my phone director at the moment, I said, I believed that no one else had communication with her, but you'd have to ask them that, and apparently people have asked them and there was one communication, So.
That admission right there, there was a communication.
Well. Mark Levy then took him to task about his support for an inquiry in desperately needed laws yes on hate speech and the ban for protesters outside places of worship.
He's got him to do.
What's this got to do with the Dural caravan when there's an anti Semitism crisis.
You are trying to combine hate.
Speech laws with the Geral caravan, which are completely separate issues. You are sabotaging what the premier is trying to do in supporting the Jewish community who have been subjected to these apparrent attacks. And you're in there saying, oh, we need an inquiry, which opens the door for the pro Palestinian mob to come in there and start questioning the hate speech laws.
What is the point that accusation is completely unfounded, unfounders. We are not supporting the revocation of the hate speech laws.
And Mark Speakman then suggested that Australians had been misled because the caravan plot was, according.
To him, all a hoax.
Do you acknowledge that this legislation has nothing to.
Do with Geral, Well, in the sense that we're not going to revoke the legislation, that's correct, but no, no, that's not my question.
Do you acknowledge that the hate speech legislation has nothing to do.
With Geral The legislation may have been passed in circumstances where the general public and my fellow MP's have misled. If that's the case, we still don't want to revoke the hate speech laws because there's too much any Semitism around to do that, all.
Right, and to discuss joining me now as the new South Wales Jewish Body of Deputies President David us of David, great.
To see you again.
Look, there's been a misconception in the media that these laws were in response to the Cara run plot when they had nothing to do with them.
That's entirely You're right, sorry, and it's good to be with you as always. It's a complete fallacy to suggest that these laws only came about or were proposed because of the caravan incident. The Jewish community has been calling for reforms to hate speech laws for eighteen months. Ever since existing laws proved unable to deal with the scenes of infamy that we saw on the steps of the
Opera House. Since then, over that eighteen month period, we've seen too many instances of extremely dangerous hate speech, which in many cases verged or inte crossed the line into outright inssignment of violence. In religious settings. Jews have been dehumanized and vilified compared to animals, depicted as being uniquely evil and representing the worst traits of humanity. On the streets of Chillura and Sydney, a group of young men
chanted in Arabic for the massacre of Jews. As a civil society, we can't tolerate this and caravan or no caravan, criminal conspiracy or no criminal conspiracy. These laws are critically important and we welcomed the strong and forthright leadership of the Premier in his government in standing behind these hate speech laws, and also gratify that the opposition has now confirmed that they also won't support repealing these laws.
They won't support repealing the laws, but they do support this parliamentary inquiry. And the only reason there's a parliamentary inquiry in the first place is because some of the other political parties don't.
Support the laws.
Are you concerned that the coalition has supported this inquiry? You know when we're likely to hear it's likely to give a platform to people who just want to deny the crisis.
We'll look as a general proposition. We're fortunate in New South Wales to enjoy strong bipartisan support in a way we don't federally. In fact, with the exception of the Greens, we have support across the Parliament and we feel grateful and fortunate for that. But we as a community didn't support the establishment of this inquiry for a few reasons. First, we didn't want the legitimacy of the extremely important laws
which passed the Parliament to be called in question. The Police press conference was barely over and the Greens, the Palestine Action Group and other hostile actors put in a wait to start a campaign to undermine the laws and to suggest that they were illegitimate. We don't want this
inquiry to undermine these important laws by painting them as illegitimate. Secondly, we don't want this inquiry to be a platform for actors like the Greens, which is which itself has been tainted by Anti Simonson to gaslight and diminish this usedness of what the Jewish community has had to deal with over the past eighteen months, but particularly over the past three months. There is currently a go ahead.
Jerry no, I was just going to say, you mentioned the Greens, and I had the Greens on my show last night.
I basically never do, but I did last night, and it was quite bizarre to see them.
Support the pro Palestinians who claim that they deserve the right to continue to protest and harass yous outside of a synagogue.
Just have a look at that.
They should be able to harass Jews outside synagogues.
I absolutely stand with them because I think the worshould.
They be able to harass Jews outside of a place of worship that has nothing to do with the Middle East and is only about Judaism chari.
This is about all places of worship, the laws the Men's government introduced.
We're not seeing protests outside of any other places of worship. We're seeing pro Palestinian activists outside synagogues. I mean, David, this is ludicrous to claim that protests should happen outside places of worship.
Of course it is, but It's just further evidence that the Green's political Party are a bad faith actor. They've poured fuel on the fire of anti sympisms for the past eighteen months and in some cases been anti Symitic themselves. They are the self described party of human rights who seemingly draw the line when it comes to the human rights of the Jewish community, and they seemingly have no concern about joos being locked down in their synagogues while
protesters recover outside. It's a campaign of diminishment, distortion and gas lighting, and we have to fight against it.
No indeed, all right, David Asip really appreciate your time, Thank you so much. Now still to come across live to Israel with Deputy Foreign Minister Sharend Haskell. Plus Labor confirms even more spending in next week's budget.
Well will this.
Push inflation up? An economist will join me next.
Welcome back.
Well next Tuesday, it's the budget and the Treasurer has confirmed there'll be more cost of living relief. This is despite the fact that we're staring down a twenty six point nine billion dollar deficit.
Let's bringing down.
Managing director at EQ Economics, Warren Hogan, Warren so great to see you again.
So the issue is.
More spending at a time when most economists are saying, look, you've got it, keep spending in check to make sure inflation doesn't rise again.
What's your view on this, Yeah, well I think that's been the issue for a number of years. This is a massive spending government. The size of government in this country is like nothing we've seen before, and we'll see again next Tuesday night. A big upward revision to the amount of tax because there's more jobs out there and more income tax which they're taxing plus bracke yep, and
then they're spending it. And this has been going on well, this government for three years in a very concerted fashion. Six percent real growth, almost ten percent, nomenal like growth in spending every year sort of thing. But it has actually been going on for longer than that. But it's getting to a point where we're going to start affecting the functioning of the economy. But of course now also
it's not just that they're spending extra tax revenues. They've got deficits for as far as the eye can see. And of course when you've grown the size of spending so much, you think you should be at least a little bit constrained around those deficits.
I mean the issue is that they have been some polls that suggests that people don't care about whether the budget, whether there is whether Australia is in an enormous amount of debt, and so perhaps this has prevented the Albanesi government from being more prudent and fiscally conservative with their spending.
Do you think there's a bit of that int well.
I think there's definitely been a shift in the last you know, the thirty years before COVID, the modern Australian economy. There was definitely not just a political desire to run sensible financial management and government across all levels, but that reflected a desire in the community. And since COVID that has changed. But this is what leadership's about, because there's
always going to be consequences. And of course in that last thirty years where we ran very conservative government finances, we tried to make sure we didn't run deficits for a long time. We aimed to get back into service and we had low government debt compared to other countries, but we built up the second largest household sector debt through mortgages the world, and my concern is if we suddenly decide, okay, well we can run debt the size of America or the UK or Europe, then we're going
to have some consequences for the households. We've got all these mortgagesig higher rates or access to credits. So we've got to be careful with these big shifts. So we've got to show leadership.
I mean, you think back to the two thousand and seven election campaign, which I covered as a journalist at the time, and Kevin Rudd was trying to be more biscally conservative than John Howard, and you just don't that's not part of the current debate. Even though inflation is not yet back to target Ranger, we just heard from the OECD that there are concerns that the global forecasts are being revised upwards.
Yeah, well, inflation.
I've been saying this for a while, but inflation isn't just going to disappear. And in this country we've done less than others in terms of raising rates, and of course we're spending more.
We're growing our government by more.
We might have less debt than them, but the growth in the size of government he has been huge the NDIS program, which admittedly it's over a decade now, but that you'd have to go back to wartime military spending to see growth in a government spending program.
So it is I mean, it's interesting.
Wayne Swan was the great fiscal titaner after the GFC.
So there has been a big shift.
But it doesn't mean it's the right thing, because we are an economy structured around modest government, not small government, and of course sensible management of these debts. So I think this is a dangerous economic strategy. And of course the other thing is it is inflationary. No matter what a lot of people, including the government want to say, rising government spending is going to put up with pressure on inflation, and that has not disappeared in this country.
And of course if we're seeing problems and merge overseas, then we've got to really take that seriously.
Look, I also want to ask you, given the OECD's revised forecast, do you think that the IBA decision to cut rates last month was even more reckless?
Well, I thought it was reckless at the time, So this is the arguments that I was made even more. I actually think they probably should have raised rates a bit more because we didn't go anywhere near what other countries you'd like, not just a one or two rate hikes away, we were four or five away. And you know this is a political argument. The treasure is going to make the next two months that we avoided recession.
But the thing is the politics of it is, well, people has cost their standard living's gone down.
I mean I think maybe.
Capita recession though people well it's.
Dragged it all out.
It's been a malaise Australia's history, and like many other countries, as we deal with our problems, don't drag them out. The point now, though, is is that, yes, what happens if this inflation comes back and then the RBA has got to start raising rates again, that will be a disaster for this country. And it'll be a disaster for the RBA.
It'll embarrass them, damage their credibility, and that could that is a very real scenario if the government spending is so exorbitant.
We're not in the election campaign yet.
If the government spending is exobitant, if you know other global factors, if inflation does rise and the RBA is in a position where it needs to lift that.
Rate cut raise rates again.
I mean, how does their credibility recover? And there would be even more questions about whether there was political interference, whether there was political pressure from the Treasury Secretary, Stephen Kennedy.
Who is a political animal and he also sits on the board.
Well, the Treasury Secretary shouldn't be on the board and that's something we need got to deal with. But the RBA, if they have to do in about face, it won't be before the election, it will be later in the year. But it doesn't change the point you're making because damaging the RBA's credibility in not just in our community and their ability to manage inflation, but overseas as well, means
that we pay more for money. We're still reliant on borrowing from overseas as a country, and it could increase the cost of that and that will mean a cost that we bear for years and it's measured in the billions of dollars. So let's hope we don't get an inflation surge. But I think at the same time, the governments should not be spending a lot of money and I think the Australian community may not react positively to a big spendeth on because I think they're generally understanding these issues.
Well I'm not sure about that, but I'm glad you have faith in.
The Australian public. But we're going to catch up after the budget next week. I'll be in camera for the budget. Warren. Great to see you.
Thanks, Serry.
All right, coming up, Israel strikes eighty terrorist targets in just ten minutes. All the details with Deputy Foreign Minister.
Sharen Haskell in a moment. Welcome back.
Well, next Tuesday, it's the budget and the Treasurer has confirmed there'll be more cost of living relief. This is despite the fact that we're staring down a twenty six point nine billion dollar deficit. Let's bringing down Managing director at EQ Economics, Warren Hogan, Warren, so great to see you again. So the issue is more spending at a time when most economists are saying, look, you've got to keep spending in check to make sure inflation doesn't rise again.
What's your view on this, Yeah, well I think that's been the issue for a number of years. This is a massive spending government. The size of government in this country is like nothing we've seen before, and we'll see again next Tuesday night, a big upward revision to the amount of tax because there's more jobs out there and more income tax which they're taxing plus brack creep yep, and then they're spending it. And this has been going on well, this government for three years in a very
concerted fashion. Six percent real growth, almost ten percent nomenal like growth in spending every year sort of thing. But it has actually been going on for longer than that. But it's getting to a point where we're going to start affecting the functioning of the economy. But of course now also it's not just that they're spending extra tax revenues. They've got deficits for as far as the eye can see.
And of course when you've grown the size of spending so much, you think you should be at least a little bit constrained around those deficits.
I mean.
The issue is that there have been some polls that suggest that people don't care about whether the budget, whether there is whether Australia is in an enormous amount of debt, and so perhaps this has prevented the Albanesi government from being more prudent and fiscally conservative with their spending do you.
Think there's a bit of that in Well, I think there's definitely been a shift in the last you know, the thirty years before COVID, the modern Australian economy, there was definitely not just a political desire to run sensible financial management and government across all levels, but that reflected a desire in the community. And since COVID that has changed. But this is what leadership's about, because there's always going
to be consequences. And of course in that last thirty years where we ran very conservative government finances, we tried to make sure we didn't run deficits for a long time. We aimed to get back into service, and we had low government debt compared to other countries, but we built up the second largest household sector debt through mortgages in
the world. And my concern is if we suddenly decide, okay, well we can run debt the size of America or the UK or Europe, then we're going to have some consequences for the households got all these mortgagesig higher rates or access to credit.
So we've got to be careful with these big shifts. So we've got to show leadership.
I mean you think back to the two thousand and seven election campaign, which I covered as a journalist at the time, and Kevin Rudd was trying to be more biscally conservative than John Howard, and you just don't that's not part of the current debate. Even though inflation is not yet back to target ranging. We just heard from the OECD that there are concerns that the global forecasts are being revised upwards.
Yeah, well, inflation.
I've been saying this for a while, but inflation isn't just going to disappear. And in this country we've done less than others in terms of raising rates, and of course we're spending more.
We're growing our government by more.
We might have less debt than them, but the growth in the size of government he has been huge, the NDIS program, which admittedly it's over a decade now, but you'd have to go back to wartime military spending to see growth in a government spending program.
So it is I mean, it's interesting. Wayne Swann was.
The great fiscal tier after the GFC, so there has been a big shift, But it doesn't mean it's the right thing, because we are an economy structured around modest government, not small government, and of course sensible management of these debts. So I think this is a dangerous economic strategy. And
of course the other thing is it is inflationary. No matter what a lot of people, including the government want to say, rising government spending is going to put up with pressure on inflation, and that has not disappeared in this country. And of course if we're seeing problems and merge overseas, then we've got to really take that seriously.
Look, I also want to ask you, given the OECD's revised forecast, do you think that the IBA decision to cut rates last month was even more reckless?
Well, I thought it was reckless at the time. So this is the arguments that I've made even more. Yeah, I actually think they probably should have raised rates a bit more because we didn't go anywhere near what other countries you'd like, not just a one or two rate hikes away, we were four or five away. And this is a argument the treasure is going to make the next two months that we avoided recession. But the thing is the politics of it is, well, people has cost, their standard living's gone down.
I mean I think maybe.
Capita recession though people well it's dragged it all out.
It's been a malaise Australia's history, and like many other countries, as we deal with our problems, don't drag them out. The point now, though, is is that, yes, what happens if this inflation comes back and then the RBA has got to start raising rates again, that will be a disaster for this country. And it'll be a disaster for the RBA.
It'll embarrass them, damage their credibility, and that could that is a very real scenario. If the government spending is so exorbitant. We're not in the election campaign yet, If the government spending is exobitant, if you know other global factors, if inflation does rise and the RBA is in a position where it needs to lift that rate cut raise
rates again, I mean, how does their credibility recover? And there would be even more questions about whether there was political interference, whether there was political pressure from the Treasury Secretary, Stephen Kennedy, who is a political animal and he also sits on the board.
Well, the Treasury Secretary shouldn't be on the board and that's something we got to deal with. But the RBA, if they have to do in about face, it won't be before the election. It will be later in the year, but it doesn't change the point you're making because damaging the RBA's credibility not just in our community and their ability to manage inflation, but overseas as well, means that
we pay more for money. We're still reliant on borrowing from overseas as a country, and it could increase the cost of that and that will mean a cost that we bear for years and it's measured in the bellions of dollars. So let's hope we don't get an inflation surge. But I think at the same time, the governments should not be spending a lot of money, and I think the Australian community may not react positively to a big spendeth on because I think they're generally understanding these issues.
Well I'm not sure about that, but I'm glad you have faith in the Australian public. But we're going to catch up after the budget next week. I'll be in camera for the budget. Great to see you. Thanks all right, coming up, Israel strikes eighty terrorist targets in just ten minutes. All the details with Deputy Foreign Minister SHARENN Haskell in a moment