Why on Sky News Bits and Sharry.
Good Evening. Welcome to the show tonight. Anthony Albanesi slammed for destroying the nation's economy all to appease the unions. More on that in a moment. Also on the show, a Green senator who refuses to say that Hermas is a terrorist organization gets a seat on a committee examining antisemitism. Just how does this happen? I'll discuss this with Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson later. Plus, the visas for Gaza
issue continues to tie the Albanesi government in knots. More on that coming up, and who would make a better Prime Minister, Bill Shorten or Albanizi. I'll discuss this with my political panel later in the show. But first, the Prime Minister today celebrated new right to Disconnect laws which
ban bosses from contacting staff after hours. The alb and Easy claimed these laws would give people more time with their family, when in fact they mark a dark return to a bygone era of nine to five office hours. Here was the Prime Minister claiming that answering the occasional after hours email was a mental health issue.
This applies from today for large employers small businesses don't kick in for another year. But it is a common sense definition basically for some jobs. Obviously, people like mine, I'm on called twenty four hours a day. But for many Australians I think they're getting frustrated that they're expected to be on their phones, their emails, all of that for twenty four hours a day. It's a mental health
issue frankly as well. For people to be able to disconnect from their work and connect with their family and their life is what this is about.
Well, the Coalition and the Business Council say that these new laws are unnecessary and a major productivity drain at a time when slow productivity growth is a factor in inflation remaining high and in terms of Australia staying competitive, will we need to go toe to toe with companies globally? Do you see governments in China, the United States or India forcing their workers to knock off at a certain time.
It's absurd government regulation in the business sector and this comes at a time when AI is already challenging human productivity. But why I want to speak about this tonight is because these laws have a much bigger drawback from a societal perspective. One major issue with these laws is that they will inevitably put a handbrake on mothers returning to work after having children. Women have been fighting for flexible
working hours for decades. One of the only good things to come out of the pandemic is that it showed that working from home was entirely feasible. How to get women to return to the work force after kids has
been a major political discussion point for years. The Albanezer government claims the answer is free childcare, but not all mothers want to leave their babies in childcare for an entire day while they go to the office, and many mothers want to be there to pick their young children up from school in the afternoon and be there to
help with the homework. Flexible working arrangements mean that mothers can return to work while still being able to juggle the demands of children, and many mothers work while their kids are at school and then they log back on when they're asleep at night. It's working in a way that suits parenting. This doesn't only apply to mums, of course, and I'm sure you can see the same but I see more and more dads doing school pickup and turning up for book parade, book Week parade like there was
last week and other activities. But this is now all under threat thanks to Anthony Albanese's new laws. Bosses could get hold into court, they could be fined if they contact workers after hours, so it very clearly threatens flexible working arrangements. Albanize's new laws work to enforce a return to strict nine to five hours because that's when bosses are allowed to speak to their staff email them without
any confusion. Now, this isn't great for parents and certainly not great for young children who enjoy having their parents their mums around in the afternoon. It's obvious that if employers know that they can't contact after five or six o'clock at night, then they're going to put pressure on that individual to complete the work before that time. This means that flexibility disappears. No matter what the Prime Minister all the unions say about it, this will be the reality.
It just can't be any other way now. Of course, every person in every job has a different circumstance and not every job allows for flexible working arrangements, but there are a lot that do, and I know personally speaking without flexible working arrangements. There's no way I could have returned to work with very young children, even with babies. Instead, I was able to work flexibly. I could contribute to society while still feeling like my kids weren't missing out
and having their mum around. But the Prime Minister is far removed from what women or working parents want. He's only thinking about men without responsibilities. Well, watching the footy with a beer on a Friday night.
But what kind of impact do you think being on call all the time and always wide into work and.
Be available does have on our mental health?
Do you worry about that with the stranes.
I certainly do it. It means you can't relax. You can't be sitting there watching the footy on a Friday night without thinking that you're potentially going to have to check your emails and check what's going on.
The Prime Minister is living in the past. He still thinks people work nine to five jobs. Listen to this.
The idea that you should be on call at ten o'clock at night if you work a nine to five job isn't reasonable and that will lead to better relations in the workplace.
And the Prime Minister claimed that he knew people who were waking up all through the night to reply to work emails. Well, those people are probably his own staff. Of course, there'll be the odd unreasonable boss who emails excessively after hours. But you don't set new laws that will impact on the entire economy, the whole country and a whole generation of parents for the odd bad apple.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also very worried about the impact that these laws will have on productivity.
From a business point of view, we think it's unnecessary. We really think this is a solution that's in search of a problem in the first place. A lot of this could be dealt with through common sense. We don't think we needed to have legislation here for this. We are concerned about the productivity impact and we are concerned about the impact eventually on small business.
The reality is these are laws that appease the unions. It's a point Peter Dutton made today.
You know, labor is slowly destroying the Australian economy costs her up for everything. We're talking about electricity blackouts, insurance premiums have gone through the roof, and most employers do the right thing by their employees. But at the moment, I think the government's creating an environment of animosity and tension between employers and employees where it doesn't need to exist. Why are they doing that because that's what the CFMAU and the other big unions tell them to do.
And the unions did celebrate the ACTU president Michelle O'Neil called today an historic day because of the new laws. She's out Australian unions have reclaimed the right to knock off after work. Well, what rubbish knockoff after work? They're literally appealing to people in their twenties. No one else knocks off after work. Life is a constant juggle for parents and grandparents. I mean who is knocking off after work and going to the pub? Literally, no one that
I know. And for the young people who are knocking off, well, this idea that they need mental health time away from their phones is ludicrous and by the way, that is what the PM suggested. Have a listen.
But what it will do is take that pressure off people to be constantly checking their devices. It is it is a scourge in so many ways.
Okay, so young people don't need to feel the pressure anymore to constantly check their device. Most people, and especially young people, are inseparable from their phones. You can't make them put them down. They're constantly attached to their devices. So who are these laws actually help. They're hindering small business that will have to spend money on red tape and compliance. They're going to force parents back into the dark ages. Mothers might have to stop working. It seems
to be a soft to the unions. The Prime Minister's rules are a return to a bygone era. There are a handbrake on the flexible working arrangements that all major companies globally are moving towards. And if you're still on show if these laws are a good idea or not, you only have to look at the most forward leaning tech companies globally that are renowned as the best places to work. They're more often they're not unicorn tech companies that know how to attract and retain talent, and they
know how to innovate while maintaining productivity. All of them are encouraging flexible working hours and none of them are cutting off emails post five pm. It's the reverse. It's allowing flexibility, allowing employees to choose their own hours while still getting the job done. Now. Over the weekend came the news that the Taliban had banned women's voices and faces in public banned.
According to the new rules, which cover all aspects of Afghan society, women are not allowed to sing, recite, or read aloud in public. They are required to cover their faces.
This is the Taliban regime that Joe Biden wrongly believed had miraculously transformed into a modern movement when he pulled American forces out. Yet the Taliban is more repressive and brutal than ever, banning women's voices and faces. But here's what I want to know. Where were the protests? Where were the marchers on the streets of Sydney, London, New York? Where were the rallies at college campuses around the world. This exposes that it's truly not the plight of Muslim
women or children that the Left cares about. The pro Palestinian movement should really be called an anti Israel or anti Zionist movement, even an anti Jew movement, because how else to explain the stunning hypocrisy when not one person stood up to march for the women in Afghanistan? Meanwhile, the Albanezi government is still struggling to explain to Australian voters why it's allowing Hi Must supporters into the country.
Defense Minister and Deputy PM Richard Miles was asked four times why visitor visas were being used from a terrorist hotspot instead of other visa classes that have rigorous security vetting. Well, he just couldn't answer.
Why did the government decide to give visit of visasat year and not some sort of temporary humanitarian visa?
Well?
Can I just this has been a total distraction that has been run by the opposition over the course of the last two weeks. That's actually what's going on in the Parliament right now.
Andrew why visitor visas?
What there is is an attempt to distract from the fact that the opposition have nothing to say.
Mister Miles except they were never coming as visitors, were they? They weren't coming to see the opera house. They were fleeing a war zone. So why wasn't there a humanitarian visa in place?
Again, I just come back to the fact that the I mean, everyone has their own story in terms of the circumstances on which they are coming to Australia. But whatever that is, there is a security assessment which is done.
Are you satisfied then none of the people coming on those visitor visas will be a risk going forward.
I'm satisfied that all the security checks are in place in respect of this cohort as have applied to any cohort who have come to this country. Yes, I am.
That was a great interview by Andrew Clenell. And then you had Bill Shorten who did concede that Palestinians coming from Gaza could be Hermas supporters.
People coming from Gaza. I don't know. I've never had the misfortune to live under a terrorist regime.
I don't know, David.
If you lived in Gaza and you had to do a survey when you might depend on your food and the government does a survey, and so do you support Hamas.
I don't know what you'd.
Say, David, but you'd probably way up the interesting your family. The reality is the Hamas question is I think superseded by the way that the governments of both sides have handled this issue, which is is someone a security risk?
And those questions on the weekend came after Anthony Alberisi refused to say in Parliament on Thursday that support for hama Us wouldn't preclude someone from being granted an Australian visa. If you missed it, here was that telling Exchange.
Prime Minister does supporting Hamas past the character test for an Australian visa.
Everyone who applies for an Australian visa is subject to the same security standard except by the same agencies and the same personnel as under the former government.
Well Columbist Chris Mitchell today wrote about the fact that almin Easy couldn't definitively declare that support for a prescribed terror group would deny someone access to a visa, and he said this is the real fault line in this left faction led government that is unlike all previous labor governments. And Columbist Henry Ogas on the weekend brilliantly explained how ludicrous the accusations of racism are against Peter Dutton and he wrote it is hardly racist to oppose the entry
into this country of genocidal races. And Henrio a Gas also points out the hypocrisy of the Albanesi government, which has claimed that anti Semitism has no place in Australia. That's what the Prime Minister has said. But yet, as henrio Gas writes, how then could it possibly issue visas to people who sympathize However, rhetorically, with a movement based on a psychotic hostility to Jews, is this country social cohesion worth so little that it deserves to be shredded
for the sake of a few votes. Well, it seems that under the Albanese government that is indeed the case. And it's not just social cohesion that's being shredded, but national security and community safety are at peril. Two reckless and grave risks to take simply to help labor hold onto marginal seats. Well, to discuss all of this and more, bring in our Minday panel sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand and Sky News host Steve Price. Welcome both. Joe, I
want to start with you. Let's start with the right to disconnect laws. What do you think about the impact that this will inevitably have on working parents.
Yeah, I'm actually inclined to and I agree with you. I'm all over the place half the time. I've picked up the kids and dropped them off today and it was sort of working in the middle and sort of working now, even though I would do it for free cause I love it so much, and I would not do it for free. Sky News please kay. But but I think we're except I think we think about these things from the point of view of a journalist, from point of view of someone who is doing a job
they really love. I think for other employees for who work is a bit of a drudge, is a bit of a drag, I think they would probably be more grateful that. I don't know how much it actually happens.
I suspect the Chamber of Commerce guy with actually create when he said, this seems like a solution in search of a problem, And I think if you have, you know, I think the most important thing in the world probably is in many ways is respect in the workplace and having a good relationship with your colleagues and your employer, because working is sort of the one thing that you might not actually want to do in life, and so you have to make it as kind of it.
It's not just respect. I think Steve that bosses will now be grouped with confusion about can they email someone after hours or not. I mean, it's just ridiculous to put these laws in place. And then there's the flexible working arrangements point that I've made at the start of the show, that this is going to have an impact on working mothers.
It doesn't reflect modern Australia, does it. I mean, that's the nonsense of it. And I heard a great talkback caller forgive me. I was listening to ABC Radio today. I don't know why I was doing that what I was And one of the callers rang up and said, Okay, I run a small business. If I can't contact my employees after hours, can I then ask them not to be on their phones during working hours in the office, looking at Instagram, face Book and doing all of their
private business. I mean, if I can't talk to them after ours, why are they sitting there doing their own private stuff during the week. I thought you summed it up beautifully, Shari. I would pull you up on one point. Joe and I are definitely two people who would knock off work and go to them.
That's exactly right, That's exactly right. We'd probably checking our emails over.
The school, so you would like to go to the part. But you are picking your children up from school. You are a modern.
Day yeah, all the time. That's my job. Will be completely impossible. You know. It would be a brave man who told my editor that he couldn't contact me after hours, and I wouldn't want him to. He said, you know, we've got to get Joe on this thing. And someone said I've got his number, I can call him. He goes, no, no, no, I'll call him and I know he'll always answer the phone.
All right, Well, let's look at that other topic. What did you think of a start with you, Steve Richard Miles's inability to answer for straightforward questions to Andrew Clenell.
Great great interview by Andrew. And Andrew ask the question five different ways, but they were all completely legitimate, and Richard Miles just stat there, putting up the facade that oh no, well, and the best question Andrew asked was, well, they were never coming here to visit the opera house. They were coming here because they were escaping a war zone and they had no intention of going home again.
I mean, Labor has just dug itself into this massive hole over this issue, and they think that the wider public is just going to sit back and go, oh, well, there's nothing to see here, you know, they've all been checked out beautifully and we can't be worried about any of them. No one believes that, and the government really needs to start to be honest with itself and with the Australian public.
And it is a border security issue, Joe, This is what it actually is resonating with voters. Even though Albinizik and the other ministers keep saying, oh, why is the opposition wasting its time on this? Well, it plays into that perception that the Prime minister's soft on national security.
Oh very much so. And I think you know that law and order. The immigrant detainees were released by the High Court recently and the government didn't seem to have anything ready to stop them. I think all of that is part of Peter Dutton sort of suite of his armory if you like that. He's chucking at the government, and that's what opposition leaders are paid to do. I don't understand why the government just doesn't go, Look, we gave them visit of visas because there was no third
country to process them. Because Egypt, Jordan, all these Arab countries surrounding Israel are not pulling their weight. Australia has always been a country of high migration. We have always been a country with a high humanitarian intake, even compared with much larger countries like the US and US. But
that's right. But the reason why they have to use visit of visas clearly is because the length of time it would take to process a humanitarian visa would make it untenable for anyone actually applying from Gaza because they're in the middle of a hot war zone, So unlike being in a refugee camp outside the borders of Syria or in Lebanon or something like that, where you can be in relative safety and wait the months and months it takes to get as juanitaryan visa proceeds.
Defend explaining this, but this is this is this is what you would say.
This is what you would say, rich and ironic. No, I'm explaining exactly why they've done it. They obviously have.
To say they've done it.
Seed is more important, yes, because you're getting someone You're not getting someone out when morey g camp getting more important than.
Security, are you well.
Most of the refugees that we would take from war zones would have gone to a third country or a UN refugee camp. First, which means that you could take.
The time an easy government should have done, no Steve. If they were.
Desperate that there are the borders are shut, they can't get.
They can set a camp up somewhere in Egypt or somewhere else. If they desperately take these people in, do the security checks, do every security check possible to make sure Hamas supporters are not coming to they might pose a security The.
Whole point is that those Arab nations around Israel are not doing that, and that should be emphasized. They are not pulling their weight, they're not playing their part. They're doing it because they want Palestinians to be trapped in Gaza as human shields.
So what are you going to say, Joe, when we import someone What are you going to say, Joe, when we import someone from Palestine who is Ahama sympathizer and God forbid does something that they shouldn't do, You're going to say, oh, well, we had to hurry them through because there was no other way to do it.
I'm just saying, clearly, that's making clearly that is the rationale. But this is what dare not speak its name. Clearly, that is the rationale that the government has applied, and it should at least basically say that this is the rationale that's applying, instead of just pretending that there's nothing there. I mean that they seem to me, basically ironically enough to be using visitor visas in place of temporary protection visas, which of course lot exists.
But let's move on to another topic, and we're going to look at the very sad funeral today of Herald's Son journalist Sam Landsberger. He was farewelled by hundreds of mortars at a service today. He was a talented, much loved football journalist. He was hit and killed by a truck last week. Steve, you're in Melbourne where Sam lived. Beautiful tributes pouring in for him. This is very tragic.
You know, his family have done interviews and he was on the phone to his mum at the time when the accident happened.
Such a tragic story. And just coincidentally, on that same day when Sam was cut down by that truck, I had walked down exactly the same street in Richmond on a long walk that morning. I got back and this story broke in the Herald Son and I just could not believe it. I mean, to be on the phone speaking with your mother. You then get hit by the truck and you know, the driver's being interviewed by police.
The person who came to his aid, a passer by, picked up the phone, realized that it was still live and said to the mother whom I'm speaking to, I mean, I can't think of anything worse. And being a parent and having someone telling you that your child is dying in front of you, it's just beyond.
Horrible, absolutely heartbreaking.
Yeah, just start macturney. I couldn't better read a war of it, but I did obviously read a lot of it, and that particular moment was just phenomenal, but an incredible, incredibly moving moment in the community. But just I can't better think about it.
Thought, No, just terrible.
And it's a great young journo too. He was destined for good things. They were talking about him being the next number line to become the Herald Son's chief football writer and that's a massive job in Melbourne. It's the biggest job in sport in this town. And he was the next one in line and no longer. Sadly, yeah, and.
We send we wish long life to Sam's parents. Tonight. All right, Steve Price, Johood around.
Thank you so much.
Now, a conflict in the Middle East escalated over the weekend. As we saw, there were Israel and Hasbellar trading fire on Sunday. This is being described as a major flare up. Hesbelah launched a barrage of attacks at Israel over the killing of a top commander last month. Israeli Prime Minister benjaminetta Yahu said that it wasn't going to be the end, and Israel then launched a series of preemptive strikes on Hezbela. Let's bring it now. IDF International spokesperson Nadav Shoshani, Nadav,
thank you very much for your time. Look what is the latest at the moment. Where is the situation at right now?
Well, currently the tension have slowed a bit, but I wouldn't say normal. But the fighting is still going on in North Krisbada is still threatening to fire us to villas. We are still acting, importing any we can see coming taking out the units. But at the moment the tensions have lowered. Both sides are assessing the situation and waiting
to see what goes on. For us, the goal remains to thwart terror and to bring back our people home to their houses in northern Israel not under an iminent threat of terror.
There's also been an expectation that Iran would launch a series of attacks on Israel. Do you think the presence of United States warships in the Middle East has prevented that from taking place so far?
Well, we have a large group of allies that are working with us behind the scenes and in front of the scenes, working together operationally and also in other aspects, supporting us in this and we value their support a lot. As we were speaking yesterday about the visit of the US chairman of their military and we are ready, as we were ready to attack from Krisba, to attack from Iran. But it's important to say we are attacked by Iran.
In the last ten months. Iran is the one that funds and directs Kamas, chizbala UTIs and Yemen and a lot of terror organizations in the Middle East, all targeted towards Israel in the West, and we are facing, whether directly or not directly, Iran.
The rockets yesterday from.
Krisbala are funded, some of them are even from Iran.
Absolutely look We're a very closely following the plight of the remaining hostages who are still being trapped in Gaza, we presume in tunnels held captive by Hamas. Do you believe many of them are still alive or are you concerned there are very few who are still alive.
Well, everyday counts. This is why we're working around the clock to either get a deal or bring the hostages home within our operational event.
And this is.
Why every moment counts and every moment is support. And I'm currently in the Jewish communities outside of Gaza visiting the families the people who were hurt by this October seven massacre. They are still waiting for the loved loved ones to come home, and we believe dozens of them, a lot of them are still alive waiting to come home in horrible conditions with hamasteris keeping them, some of them in tunnels without the daylight. For soon, it's going to be a year I know will.
Indeed, Nadavsha Shany really appreciate your time. Thank you now. After the break. Major questions tonight over the appointment of pro Palestinian Senator Marine Ferruki on a university anti Semitism Committee. Sarah Henderson will join me to discuss this next, plus why Australia has become a world leader in shooting itself in the foot Welcome back.
Well.
There are questions over Green Senator Marine for Ruki's place on an Anti Semitism at Campus Committee. Executive Council of Australian Jury CO Chief Executive Alex Rifchen told The Australian that her position compromises the integrity of the commission an exposes victims of antisemitism to further harm. He said it could also deter victims from actually giving evidence. Well to discuss, let's bring in now Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Henderson. Sarah,
great to see you again. Great to see you, thanks Sherry. Now, given Marine Feriki's history in this space, and she did vote against so she voted against emotion that would have condemned the phrase from the river to the sea, we know what that phrase means. That she supported the pro Palestinian protesters at university who've created a very hostile environment for Jews, and that is at universities, which is the
subject of the legislation that you put forward. Is it appropriate for her to sit on this committee.
Well, I'm very concerned about it, and Julian Lisa, who's also brought forward a Private Senator's Bill to establish a judicial inquiry into anti Semitism at Australian Unversity, shares those same concerns. So this is an inquiry into my private Senator's bill and hopefully this book bill will be passed by the Parliament. That's what we are urging the Parliament to do. But it is quite concerning that Senator Fariki
has been substituted into this inquiry into the bill. We are hoping there will be a public hearing and we want Jewish students and staff who've endured so much distress and harm on certain university campuses to feel confident to be able to come and sit before the inquiry and tell us their stories. And that's extremely difficult in that sort of environment.
So she's going to be sitting there potentially asking tough or hostile questions towards Jews who are giving evidence.
What I'm really hoping is that the Senator in charge of the Greens and the Senate Larissa Waters might reconsider this and that they might actually read in state. Senator shoe Bridge onto.
The Count's what you're calling for tonight.
I would like to see this situation fixed. I believe it is inflammatory. We have seen Seneferuki involved in some other very controversial incidents, including holding up that she was actually standing next to a sign which was posted on her social media which obviously showed the Star of David going into the rubbish bin. Now she did take that down, but that was very distressing. I think a lot of Jewish groups are very distressed by the prospect of her
being on this committee. So I do hope sherriot can be rectified.
Now I'm going to bring now an exclusive update to a story that I broke earlier in the year. That story was that Tel Aviv University officials were locked in a room with pro Palestinian activists at the University of Sydney. So University of Sydney security officials actually locked tel Aviv University offish in the same room as pro Palestinian activists. Well, we've obtained now an exclusive letter that Tel Aviv University
sent to Vice Chancellor Mark Scott after that incident. The letters from the president of Tel Aviv University, Professor Ariel Porat, and it states that the Tel Aviv officials and I quote found themselves trapped in a room while the protesters sorry trapped in a room with the protesters while the
university's security team refrained from intervening. Two women representatives of Tel Aviv University were forced to endure an extended period in a room with aggressive protesters, while the management of the University of Sydney seemingly did nothing and Professor Porat described the situation as appalling in his letter to Mark Scott, he said it was a violent instance of verbal assault
against two women. He demanded a detailed explanation from Mark Scott about what he called extreme neglect by the university for failing to take responsibility for this shameful incident. Sarah, as far as we know, Mark Scott hasn't responded, but that letter shows just how hurtful, how damaging and distressing that incident was to these visiting officials who were invited by the university to take part.
Or Sharry, you broke that story and it was an absolutely terrible incident where these two visiting academics were effectively trapped in a room and the University of Sydney did
not take any action. Security guards were outside, and as the president of Tel Aviv University has said in his letter to Mark Scott, this is an example of extreme neglect by your university, and he is actually even saying I would appreciate answers to these questions to determine whether we wish to continue our academic relationship with our university.
Now.
Hopefully, if this public hearing goes a hea for our inquiry into the bill to establish this judicial inquiry, I will be calling Mark Scott and we will be seeking a full explanation because this is a terrible incident of shocking anti semitism at the university and as I say, this is unacceptable.
And what do you think of Mark Scott's leadership during this entire crisis that we've seen at the University of Sydney.
Look, I have raised ongoing concerns about his leadership and about many appalling actions which occurred at the University of Sydney, including the decision not to take action against HITS but to hear members who are menacing students and protesting for weeks. The university took no action for many weeks. It didn't comply with its own university rules. I mean, it was just appalling. And this is one of the incidents. And this is another reason, Shari, why we need judicial inquiry.
We cannot have our international reputation impacted by incidents like this. And the vice chancellor Owes tel Aviv University a full explanation, including whether that relationship will even continue and how he's going to remedy it. I mean he has actually said, what steps have you taken to show that there will be consequences for this sort of action?
He says, have you even investigated? And I mean it's shocking in a way to see how quickly Mark Scott capitulated to demands from the pro Palestinian activists but hasn't even answered a letter as far as we know from the president of tel Aviv University. You know that they have a partnership and collaboration with It's appalling. Sarah Henderson, really appreciate your time.
Thanks Sherry.
Now still to come, why major political parties, particularly the Albanezy government, is being accused of ignoring the nation's energy crisis. Plus why a commentator is saying that Bill Shorton would
make a better prime minister than Albanesi. My Political Insiders panel would join me next well, lots more to get through tonight, so let's jump straight into it with my Political Insiders panel GXO Strategies Director, former Chief of Staff to Bill Shorten, Cameron Milner and DPG Advisory Solutions David Gazzard. Welcome to you both. Look one commentator tonight, the editor of The Nightly, Christopherdore, is saying that maybe Bill Shorton
would make a better prime minister then Anthony Albanesi. It's an interesting question, he writes, at the end of a week in which Albanesi stood before rural women, had a brain explosion and mocked in some weird as supported attempt at humor the sheep farmers. He's ruining to win over inner city voters. Albanizi trundled up to Townsville to speak at a bush summer. If only irony could be dug up and exported. Camen, you were Bill Shorten's form a
chief of staff. What do you think about the maniflaws that dare outlines in this column.
Well, it's a long list, isn't it, Shari, And let's face it. I mean, Albanese is a terrible prime minister leading a terrible government.
But it's a government in his own likeness. This is the Albanese government. It's not even labor governm any longer. After the union bashing exercise last week against the Sea for MEU, it's not labor government. It's just the Albanese government.
And so we last year we had the albert Voice and today we have the Albo Visa. This is a government in his own likeness, and no one likes it. Public don't want to vote for labor. The public to marked albow down, So I challenged Kristoph Door. I think anyone could be a better prime minister than Anthony Albanese right.
Now, David Gazzard, what do you think I mean, there's no question that voters are losing interest in Albanesi. Look, he wasn't particularly supportive to begin with. The Labour's primary to the twenty twenty two election was an historic low. It's now, according to the polls, even lower than that.
Well, you know, you look at where Anthony Eberneze has come from, and you know he's from the socialist laft factional Labor Party, but he's confronting issues that have nothing to do with that background. It's all about security, it's all about the economy. When I was working for Peter Costello, there would often be skirmishes with the Prime Minister because
John Howard would cut across the budget message. And this was in a government that was running a very very good economy and there were times where there were messages conflicting.
Jim Chalmers must be pulling his hair out because the only issue that voters want to focus on at the moment is cost of living in Security's got, as Cameron successful or correctly says, you've got the prownd Prome minister bouncing around from you know, going after farmers in Wa to mucking around for two weeks in the Parliament on Palestinian visas, to the cfom AU to the Voice, to whatever else distracts him. And the latest thing is his love life in the weekend papers. So people don't want
to hear that. They want to hear about what the government's doing on cost of living and it's not coming through.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Now a great piece by Jeff Chambers in the Australia and he's slammed the major political parties over what he says are their weak gas plans. He says that the obsession with renewables versus nuclear is not the main game. He says. Australia faces a frightening shot to medium turn energy reality unless there's drastic action to increase gas supply, upgrade pipelines and build peaking plants. Cameron, is he right? Do you think that not enough investment has been made in gas?
Well?
I think Jeff Chamis is great and I love his camber insights. He's very insightful in terms of how he writes, and I think his opinion pieces spot on today. I mean, we're blessed with such huge natural resources, yet we're mendicant to other people.
We're mendicant to a war in Ukraine in terms of our oil price.
We should be far more interested in our economic security alongside our national security. Our national defense should be about our national energy defense. And if we're blessed with as much gas as we've got in New South Wales and Victoria, it's locked up because of the politics.
Locked up because of politics, not because we don't know it's there, and that's terrible.
At least Queensland, my home state, is producing more than enough gas for the East coast now. But going forward, when he unlocked those reserves in New South Wales and Victoria and become an energy nation again, not a mendicant nation.
Yeah, and of course a lot of gas is being exploded. David. There's also the issue we're hearing today front page of the paper, that we could be facing blackouts and power bill hikes. I mean, if this comes, particularly this summer, this is going to be a major, major political issue. Yeah.
Right, the gas is there. If you talk to companies like Santos, they've spent much of the last decade with proven reserves trying to get the ability the ability to extract that gas from the ground. If you talk to government departments, they will tell you that gas is an essential transition fuel for the next decade, maybe beyond transition fuel. So we're not talking about long term, We're just talking about moving from fossil fuels to a greater reset of renewables.
That's the government's own departmental advice. But yet we can't, for political reasons, get this gas out of the ground, even though we've got more gas than Katar. So the possibility of blackouts, brownouts, complete outages, I would say, is entirely possible. While the government campaigns to the next election with the need to gain preferences from the Greens.
Look, summers are often a difficult time in politics, but if we are fa blackouts, and especially during a cost of living crisis when Bill's a sky high, that could be a killer issue for Albanezi. Look, Cameron, you mentioned a moment ago that interview that Alberzi gave with the Sunday Papers with Michael Madigan was the journalist at the Courier Mail. He said it was a shock when his ex wife, the former education minister in New South Wales, Carmel Tebbatt, asked for a divorce at the start of
twenty nineteen. He said it made him consider quitting politics. But Cameron, what about this piece on his love life appearing on the very same day. And Albinizi is a clever Politicianiche would have known what he was doing at the same day as this disastrous election result in the Northern Territory for labor.
Look, it's all a fabrication. I mean, you know we've known about Albanze's divorce and look, I don't want to get too personal matters, but you know this is a politician bleeding everything he possibly can of the nuptials that are a had to come with Jody.
We talked about the wedding flowers and the cake and whether his suit fits in next.
I mean, this guy is going to pick every other headline than talking about cost of living every other headline, than talking about gardens seventy five percent of who failed his a little visa test for terror.
Yes, I mean he's talk about the real issues.
He wants to get distracted on sugar hits and Sunday newspaper stories.
About you know, his love life.
Well, you know, I'm sorry he's actually been elected to the Prime Minister of Australia.
For now at least he should act like it.
And painting himself as the victim. You know, poor old guy was left alone by Carmel Tabitt.
Well, imagine if Shari, imagine if how much better Australia would be if Albert taking that advice in twenty nineteen and exit sideways. I mean, being in Parliament for twenty six years by that stage already he could have he could have left.
Good point, all right, Karen Milna, David Gazard, thank you both so much. Now, after the break, the US election takes another turn as the world react to RFK Junior's endorsement of Trump, and will Kamala be rewarded for translating her campaign to the TikTok crowd? Koshergada would join me next, welcome back. Well, let's turn to the United States, where Robert F. Kennedy Junior, as you know by now called time on his independent presidential run and has thrown his
support behind Donald Trump. The announcement has been condemned by other members of the influential Kennedy family, and Robert admitted that even his wife wasn't pleased with the decision. To discuss what's bringing now. Sky News contributor Kosher Gada Kosher, how do you think this is going to play out? I mean, his figures had dropped to reportedly around five percent, So already Kamala Harris had won back some of the Democrat voters who weren't voting for Biden but were going
with RFK Junior. But also his support of Trump might boost Trump's vote as well. How do you see it playing out?
It's potentially a very big deal. So you are right that it is. He was polling as high as eighteen nineteen even twenty percent. That was when Biden was very unpopular, and you're quite right that Kama Harris has naturally been able to take most of that back. However, that five to six percent that he's still including in the seven battleground states is quite material because these are states that have been won and lost in the less several elections
to the tune of seventy thousand votes or less. In that situation, This five to six percent polling that he has, if there's different pollsters that are modeling how those votes would flow across the two candidates, they believe it'll translate into one to two points in favor of Trump just mathematically, that theoretically is enough to swing the election one way or the other. On top of that, I think there's a bigger picture of what his endorsement means. He's one
of the most iconic Democrats in American politics. Is the Kennedy name, and for him to come out and say he's leaving the Democrat Party here's why it is a seering indictment on the Democrat Party. And that as well, I think could play a little bit into making the prospect of voting for Trump a little bit more palatable for people who might still be a little bit on the fence.
Yeah, we're seeing Kamala Harris described as appealing to the TikTok generation. You know, we're not seeing a lot of policy substance from her, no tough interviews, but a lot of glitz and spin that appeals to the TikTok crowd. You know, she's even been described I don't even know what it means as brat. Kamala is brat. What is this whole TikTok TikTok phenomenon around Kamala Harris.
It is interesting. I think something like eight million voters have aged into the electorate right now in this election, and there's forty one million gen zers, people between ages of eighteen and twenty seven right now in the US,
so she's definitely trying to court them. Historically, that crowd, the young crowd, doesn't really have high propensity for voting in the US where we don't have mandatory voting, so who knows how important that will ultimately be, But they are heavy consumers of TikTok, hence why she's using that medium as a way to reach them. You see Trump on the other side, reaching them with all of these podcasts He's doing with YouTubers and streamers that are also
popular with that gen Z crowd. So definitely the battle is on for that group, even though we don't know exactly how much difference it's going to make in terms of turnout.
Yeah, look, just something a bit different. Elon Musks space X is said to be coming to the rescue of two American astronauts stranded in space. Elon Musk SpaceX is going to collect them in February next year, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. They were only meant to be away around a week, but instead by the time that they're eventually collected in February, it would have been eight months.
This is We've only got thirty seconds here, but this is kind of a massive admission that Elon Musk's technology is something the US needs to rely on.
Yeah, it's a remarkable story. It's a humiliation for Boeings Aeronautics and the the technical glitches they ran into. And I think you're right, it does sort of cast Elon Musk in a different light than I think the way a lot of establishment figures are trying to cast him is more of a villain, and he literally is going to be coming to the rescue of these par astronauts.
Yeah yeah, shocking that they're going to be stranded for so long. All right, Koshagada, great to see you again, and that's it for me. I'll see you tomorrow at eight o'clock. And up now, here's Paul Murray.