Why On Sky News This is Sharry.
Good Evening tonight, Susan Lee fails her first test as opposition leader with a weak and uninspiring shadow cabinet accusations. Tonight she's demoted any woman who poses a threat to her. More on that in a moment. The Liberal Party has been asked to stump up a six figure loan to stop John Pisuto from going bankrupt. Well, shouldn't these funds be used to fight justinto Allen at the next election.
I'll discuss this with Michael Kroger and Richo shortly.
Farmers, Well, they'll have to sell up to pay Labour's unrealized capital gains tax. The head of the Farmers Federation will be on the show to speak about this a bit later, and Holocaust survivor Eddie Bois joins me ahead of Australia's biggest ever reunion.
Of Holocaust survivors.
Well, that's all coming up and it's a big show tonight with Brendan O'Neill, Dave Sharma, Gray, Iane Richardson and Michael Kroger. Well, the shadow cabinet was our position leader Susan Lee's first test and she comprehensively failed.
It's a hit job on high profile women.
The coalition's top female talent have been dumped or demoted. This includes Sarah Henderson who's been dumped, Jane Hume dumped, Claire Chandler dumped, and Justina Nampa. Jimper Price demoted, and Jacinta has been dumped from the Shadow Cabinet and given
a more junior portfolio of defense industry. Clearly, it's a mistake not to have Jacinta in the shadow cabinet, to think that she's no longer part of that crucial grouping that decides coalition policy, while for example, carry Anne Little has been included.
Well, it's just bizarre.
And Jacinta made her disappointment clear on Kredline tonight. Be honest to say that they're probably some appointments that have not been predicated on.
Experience or merit.
But this is what this is the team we have to work with that we're working.
With going forward.
And you know, I mean, I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not disappointed that I'm not within cabinet itself. And she also spoke about some of her colleagues who'd also been dumped, and one of them Sarah Henderson.
It's just illogical that Sarah Henderson has lost her front bench position. She's capable, competent, smart and hard working, a great media performer and a tireless senator. Now Sarah put out a statement this evening that criticized Susan Lee for demoting women. She said, I regret that a number of high performing Liberal women have been overlooked or demoted in.
The new ministry.
Then there's Claire chand she was in the shadow cabinet previously, as in the portfolios of Government Services, Sciences and the Arts, but now she, like Sarah Henderson, has no portfolio at all. She's talented, another great performer, and you'll recall Tony Burke and Creative Australia had to intervene and sack the controversial artist karl Ed Sabsabi as a result of her questioning
when she was Shadow Arts Minister. And meanwhile, Jane Hume has been punished for coming up with the working from home policy for public servants that cost the coalition severely.
At the election.
Yet she wasn't the only one who supported it, the whole team did.
But she's been the scapegoat again. She's well known to Australians.
She regularly takes up the fight to labor ministers on live television. Now, in Susan Lee's new team, there's not even a woman in the roles of education or early child education. I mean early childhood education is now held by a man. I don't want to be sexist here, but there aren't many men working in preschools, so that's a bizarre choice. Yet, this is what Susan Lee has decided in her first move as Liberal leader, to hold back for talented, ambitious women, and it looks worse for
her than it does for them. It looks like she's threatened by other women and that's what coalition insiders are saying as well. Anyone can see that the likes of Jacinta has a bright future ahead of her. She's not going to be held back forever by Susan Lee. It's only a matter of time. Yet, Susan Lee was all smiles for the cameras today.
Well, good afternoon.
Today, David and I have reached agreement formally to reform the Coalition and we can announce our new Coalition Shadow Ministry. I want to thank you David for the respectful and productive way that you and I have engaged throughout this process and I know that we will be a great partnership going forward.
The shadow cabinet that she's assembled is not a winning team that has a chance of defeating Alban easy or even cawing back significant ground. While there are some good moves like Andrew Hasty and Home Affairs, the overwhelming.
Makeup is weak. I mean, there are hardly.
Any Liberals left in Parliament. Susan Lee should at least elevate the most talented ones to key positions, but she hasn't done that. She's in such a shaky position herself with half the party supporting Angus Taylor, that she hasn't promoted according to talent.
She simply promoted.
Those who voted for her for the most part, and that's a key factor in how she she won their vote for the leadership in the first place. They knew that they wouldn't have a shot at being in shadow cabinet ordinarily, so they were reportedly offered key positions in return for their vote. Now Teed O'Brien was talented in energy against Chris Bowen, but will he be able to take the fight up to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who's a polished,
experienced and sophisticated performer. It's unlikely James Patterson works with him as Shadow Finance Minister. Now, Patterson is the best performer in the coalition and it's good for.
Him to have economic experience.
I have no doubt that in this role he will still manage to shine above those in more prominent and technically senior positions. Dave Sharma again, he's also one of the brightest and yet he's been sidelined in a very junior role. He's an assistant shadow minister, not even a shadow assistant.
It's disappointing.
And then on the national side, Barnaby, Joyce and Michael McCormack have been dumped. Matt Canavan again is an in shadow cabinet. Nationalist leader David Little Proud says this is about renewal fresh faces, but you.
Also need experience.
Barnaby and McCormack are two former party leaders who have that experience. They're well known to the Australian public. Yet they aren't in shadow cabinet and they've got no formal role to play in the coalition at all. Now, when the task at hand for the coalition is so significant to win back between thirty and forty seats. The coalition has today not put its brightest talent front and center.
The reality is the coalition.
Is so irrelevant right now and it's becoming even more so with this weak shadow cabinet that was not appointed on merit that in two years time Susan Lee won't be the Liberal leader and this shadow cabinet will take another form, and you have to say the Susan The sooner that Susan Lee falls over and someone with true leadership material steps up, the better it is for the country, because it's not in anyone's interest to have an ineffective,
bland opposition with zero chance of winning the next election. It means Australians will be subjected to Albanese's radical, high taxing left leading government for even longer. Now, in breaking news this evening, former Victorian former Victorian Liberal leader John Persuto has asked the Liberal Party and the Cormack Foundation to loan him the money for his two point three million dollar legal bill. Now, this is money they should be using to pay for the campaign against the Alan
government at the next election. The Liberal Party needs this funds, it needs to take the fight up to the Allan government and it needs to win well. John Persuto's supporters have some hide doing this, asking the Liberals to pay his fee.
A court ordered that Pursuito is liable.
To pay Moi Redeeming two point three million dollars after he lost the defamation case where he falsely accused her of being part of a Neo Nazi rally.
In fact, as you.
Know, it was a women's a women's rights rally that was later gate crashed by neo Nazis.
Pasuto didn't have to continue the case. He chose to do that.
He could have apologized to Moi Redeming and readmitted her to the Liberal Party without going to court at all.
He could have accepted that he kicked.
Her out of the party on a false basis, but he refused to do that. He chose to fight this case in court and now he's liable. And even before this, months and months before the trial, Moi Redeeming offered Pursuito to settle for ninety nine thousand dollars, no apology, nothing, and he ignored it again. He chose to go to trial. He could have settled the case like any commercial dispute. Instead, he arrogantly fought the case, telling everyone that he'd win, and in doing so he racked up a two point
three million dollar legal bill. He can't walk away from that amount now that he's lost. And now an email was sent to Liberal politicians this morning asking for the Party to loan John pursuito the funds. The email, which I've got, says, and I'm quoting, failure by Persuto to meet this costs order by Friday, thirtieth of May twenty twenty five will result in bankruptcy proceedings being commenced against him and him being rendered ineligible to see in the
Victorian Parliament as a consequence. And that in the letter they're asking for a loan of seven hundred and sixty nine thousand dollars from the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party and an equal amount of seven hundred and sixty nine thousand dollars from the Cormack Foundation. Now do you think if Moyer Redeeming lost this legal case, she'd be in any position to ask the Party to pay her legal bill? Of course not. They would have been happy
to bankrupt her. So why should Pezuto be rescued as a result?
Of his own poor decision making.
All right, let's get into all of this and more big show coming up for joining me now former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger and labor legend Graham Richardson.
Welcome to you both.
Well, Richard, this is all self inflicted for Perzuto, isn't it. I mean he could have readmitted are redeeming unavoided quote entirely. Who should feel sorry for him that he's made these decisions and now he's dealing with the consequences.
I don't feel sorry for him. I mean, it's unfortunate for anyone to get stuck with a bill like that, but he just allowed arrogance and pride to get in the road. I mean, when you're sitting there knowing what your bank account is and knowing that it's not going to ever reach to two point three midion, then you've got to be a bit careful about how far you want to pursue these things. You've got to be realistic.
And he just somewhere on the line completely lost realism, and I think, in some sort of fantasy world, decided he could push on. I don't think that any of us were the thought of a two point three million dollar. That's a massive sum. Two point three million dollars about to hit you. You'd run a mile, but not air and me he decided, I'm a tough guy. Well, some tough guys make it some dot. He's not going to it.
Says a lot about his judgment as well, Michael, Victorians are doing it so tough under that Allen government. I mean, shouldn't the Liberal Party be keeping its funds to fight the next election instead of pay for legal bills.
Well, the important thing is to work out what's the main priority of the party, and the main priority is for Brad Batton to be elected premier in November next year. He needs an eight point one percent swing to win, which is a pretty hefty number chari As you know, eight point one percent in a general election is a massive number. So Brad and the team need everything to
go right for him to win. And today is actually the seventieth anniversary of the election of Henry Bolty to the premiership in Victoria twenty eighth of May nine and fifty five. Polt He was elected with a fourteen percent swing. That's the last time there was a swing Victoria of more than eight percent so the Victorian Liberal Coalition would be breaking seventy years of history to win, and they need everything to go in their direction.
The tide needs to go with them.
So obviously these are metas for people who are running the party. Well, let them do that, but sooner, sooner, we'll only simply say state the obvious, which is the sooner this is resolved, the better, because it's been going on for two years now and it shouldn't go on for much longer.
No, exactly.
And the other point that we haven't raised is imagine liberal donors who gave their heart earned to support the Victorian Liberal Party because they're so sick of the Daniel Andrews just into Alan show. I mean, how would they feel about their money not being used for campaigning and being used to pay John Persuto's legal fees and you know it is alone, but who knows how long it would take to pay it back if this decision is made.
All right, let's return to the shadow ministry. Now look highly factional, as I said, with Susan Lee's backers rewarded and those who didn't vote for her dumped despite their clear talent. Rich I mean, I've got Dave Sharma and shortly. But wouldn't he have been better in foreign affairs instead of Michaylia Cash who has no interest in foreign policy and I'm told she was happy to stay as Attorney general.
Oh look, I find these these selections in the shadow ministry bizarre, just playing bizarre. Of course Sharma would have been better. Sharma's not only someone with a tremendous record in foreign affairs as an example, but also someone who can speak on anything. He's one of those very talented guys. And I'm amazed that they would would would would downplay somebody as good as that. But that seems to be a pattern this. If I can use a terrible swear word this whole.
Let's swear on live television, not actually swear on live television to be us out.
You can handle it. It's us up, that's the problem with it.
I can handle that. That's all right.
Yeah, that's as far as I'm going. But that's what it is. You know, they just turned things upside down and it looks wrong, and it looks wrong, you're never going to fix it. Things are hard enough in politics if they look perfect. If they just look terrible, then I think you're in all sorts of strife. So I don't know. Dave's a great friend of mine, a great fella, but they're going to have to look after him better than this.
No, I agree, you're on fire tonight, rich O, making really good points, Mike.
It's true though, isn't it.
I mean, it's pretty brutal and politically unwise that four talented women have been dumped or demoted.
No, I don't agree with any of that. No, I don't agree with Richie either.
Come I, well, of course some talented women have been demoted, with some talent women have been promoted as well.
So I think Susan Lee's done a pretty good job.
I mean, in difficult circumstances, you're you're always going to have people unhappy. And John how used to famously allegedly said once that ministerial shadow ministerial reshuffles are never good for the political health of the leader because those you promote don't give you unique credit because they think they should have been promoted years before. Those you leave in their positions are unhappy because they think they should have
been promoted. And of course those you don't promote, they're angry. And those and those that don't get on the ladder at all. They're angry too so and then you get all the commentary around, you know, you know riches, Sha likes Dave and Bertha likes Fred and I mean, you know, these are not this is not science, it's not two plus two. These are matters of opinion. And I think overall,
Suasan Le's done a pretty good job. Obviously, there are disappointments, and friends of mine have been promoted, some friends that might have been demoted. That's that's that's just politics, you know, Paron ask Susan's done a very.
Good job in a very very difficult climate.
Look, I take that you probably don't want to publicly criticize the Liberal Party on live television as well, Michel. So I'm guessing there's an element of that.
In there, because I don't think I need to because I don't agree with you, because.
Because we're doing it for you, we're doing it for.
I agree with you. I think Susan Lee's done a very good job. By the way, that's what I'm not criticizing.
All right, all right, fair enough, Well, there's also the question of how long she'll actually be in her job with so many enemies and with half the party not supporting her in any case, David Little proud as well. I mean, we know Susan Lee upset a lot of key Liberals today. On the national side, there's Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan and Michael Cormack.
Are pretty unhappy. Richo.
In all seriousness, who do you think Alban Easy will be fighting at the next election, Susan Lee or someone else.
I think there's more chance of in having to fight Hasty than there is anybody else. Hasty is young, yes, and many might say too young, but he's very talented, looks the part, sounds the part. I think he'd like a pretty good show of it.
Michael, would you agree this is a placeholder team? Unlikely Susan Lee will actually take the Liberal Party to the next election.
No, I don't agree with that at all.
You beware the underestimated leader. I mean, you know, no one thought Tony Abbott would be leader. No one thought Reagan could win an election, no one thought Balty could win an election, Bilkie Peterson, no one thought John Howard.
Would be Prime minister. I mean, these sort of predictions.
Two weeks after she's got the job, She's been through a very difficult personal situation obviously, and we're dealing with these nets.
Who lost the plot.
There for a few days. I think Susan Leed has done a very good job in this climate. To be honest, I think she'll be there at the next election. What we've promoted a woman, everyone's getting stuck into her.
You know, she's got three the full leadership.
This is not a genus.
Three full of the leadership team are women.
Michael, and she's done.
A very good job.
Mike, I really don't want to be personally unkind, but I mean, Richo, I'll ask you to do it.
Then, Richo, what do.
You think of Michael Kroger's comparison just then between Susan Lee and Ronald Reagan, Tony Abbott and John Howard.
It's a bit of a joke, that has to be. Michael's a very funny fella, and I think he's demonstrating this sense of humor that he has because if it's not, if he's not saying it as a sense of him, God help him, he's in all sorts of trouble.
Well, Richie, you know.
Better than anyone.
John Howard's career was over after the eighty seven election, he was mister eighteen percent.
Everyone raided him off.
They said he had no chance at all of ever being leader or Prime minister, and look what happened to John Howard. I'm not comparing Susan Leader to Ronald Reagan, by the way. I'm just making the point that there have been many center right leaders over the generations who have been written off by the experts we have in the political world.
You know, these career as journalists who are experts.
In politics, and they've been surprised on many occasions, and I think they'll be surprised by Susan Lee.
Look if she beats Albanezi at the next election, no one would.
Be happier than I would. So good luck to us.
Let's have a look at what Santos boss Kevin Gallagher said today. He compared investing in Victoria to a totalitarian state. He told a conference, have a look.
But if I think about Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, these are actually very supportive jurisdictions. They're very development friendly. Victoria, Victoria, North Korea, They're in a different categories altogether.
Rich O Business investment in Victoria is becoming a major problem under just sent Alan.
I think that there's a bit of truth in that. I think her predecessor went a little bit too far, and I think she's been reluctant to undo anything Andrews did. But I think this is one she needs to look at. There needs to be I think some easing up of regulation. I think there needs to be a change of heart, change of mind. Labor's got to be seen to be able to help. Development has to be If you have seen the retard development, then you've got Buckley the winning an election.
Victoria. Mike, I mean, how bad is it getting in Victoria at the moment.
Perpect?
No, it is. It is very bad.
Almost half the taxi comes from the property's secret. It's the highlst in Australia. The worrying thing, Sharry is the gross debt in Victoria looks to me like it's going to get to around three hundred billion dollars by the end of this Decade's that's.
The gross debt.
The official figures are sort of two sevity, but they're built on some rosy assumptions that saw these Lake has pulled apart in the financial view on the last few days. So Victoria is an economic basket case. You know, Alan Bond and Chris Gate would be looking down and saying, well done, my child. Did you said she's bankrupted this state. It's not business friendly. The property taxes are through the roof.
The property sector will slow in Victoria because there are just no margins for them and we have to to riche you'll remember it. Former Labor centenator Robert Ray once described Victoria as the Albania of the South Pacific. So we've gone from Albanian out of North Korea. So I don't know whether that's a step up or a step down, but yeah, Shari, it's a down.
Here, no indeed.
All right, Well, you are quite funny tonight, Michael, Michael Croker, Gray Rich not intending to be.
I would just stay tuned, Shari. I think certainly Will Will will defeat all of the critics, and so far she's done a very good job.
Hey, you are being funny.
Well we'll be.
Here next week.
All right, thank you both, And let's continue with that conversation about the coalition's shadow ministry. Now ready spoken about the women who were dumped and tomted, but let's return to this bad decision over Dave Sharma, I mean, one of the coalition's sharpest minds and brightest figures. He's the former Australian Ambassador to Israel. He's got business, diplomatic and political experience, not to mention his score of one hundred
back when he did the HC. Yet instead of being given a prominent portfolio, Susan Lee appointed him the Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition.
Charities and Treasury.
He would have been better, as we just spoke about, in foreign affairs. He's not even in shadow cabinet and he's on the same level as Josell Captirian, who hasn't even won the seat of Bradfield against a Deeal. The recount is still going on and Dave Sharma, who I'm sure will be blushing from that introduction, joins.
Me now, Dave, ah sure.
Look, it's impossible to say this is a good shadow cabinet. It's not based on merit but on politics. That's disappointing, isn't it.
Look I respectfully, I don't agree. Putting together a shadow cabinet is not an easy thing to do. You've got to balance, you know, state gender, you know, ideology in many respects to put forward the most diverse and competent and capable cabinet you can. And of course there are always going to be people that are disappointed. They are always going to be decisions you can second guests or individual portfolios that you could say she'd gone to one
person or another. But I think in the circumstances and given the pull of people she had to draw from, Susan Lee's done a good job.
I mean the issue is that the coalition needs the best possible team to try win back more than thirty seats. And I don't mean to put you on the spot, but it must surely be frustrating for you personally, off for those who support you, knowing that you have so much to contribute and knowing that you have the ability to do so, but again you're not being given the responsibility.
Look, I'm privileged to be a senator for yourself well, so it means I can speak on any number of issues, as I'm.
Sure we will tonight.
I'm looking forward to getting into the portfolio of competition and charities, because I do think the lack of competition in the Australian economy has been not only a contributor to our cost of living crisis, but a huge shag on productivity, a huge burden on households. It's been to the detriment of workers and ultimately is to the detriment of our nation. So I think it's a substantial area of policy, and I'm can to get my teeth.
Stuck into it.
All right, Well, let's speak about one of the areas of your expertise, foreign policy. I read an excellent Wall Street Journal editorial today which summarizes the difficulties Trump is dealing with on the international stage, and it says he faces crucial decisions on Russia, Iran, and China. Those adversaries are increasingly working together against American interests, and it asks
will the President send a message of deterrence or weakness? Now, Dave, I mean, Trump seemed to think that he himself, being in the position of president would be enough of a deterrence.
But that's not what's eventuated.
No, I think the test is really looming large now, Cherry. Will Trump back up his rhetoric and his stated policies with actions. I mean, you know, with the Ukraine War, he first said it would be finished within a day now and really took him at his word for that, but then he said within one hundred days, well one hundred days past. I think about thirty days ago now, and it's clear that to me at least, that Russia and President Persian are not taking US proposals for a
ceasefire seriously. And they just unleashed one of their largest barragea Zilon Kiv, Ukraine's capital, over the last three days, involving cruise missiles, drone another lethal weaponry.
They do not seem interested in talks.
Of course, you know, Zelenski agreed to go in person to talks in istanable two weeks ago.
Putin was a no show. He didn't intend to go along.
So I think on that file, but also on the Iran nuclear file, you know, people are sort of watching with bit of breath to see.
What happens if the talks break down.
What pressures will the US president bring to bear on Iran to make sure that they return to the negotiating table or participate in negotiations in good faith. So I think, you know, increasingly the credibility of American power, but also the Trump administration has been tested.
He you mentioned the area Loslot from Russia this week. And there's also reports that Russia's preparing a big summer attack against Ukraine. So Trump's going to have to decide whether to fund Ukraine's ability to re arm or else Putin will take Ukraine and then we'll be emboldened, and and there's the question of what message that would send to Beijing.
David, just want to ask you.
Before you go about the breaking news reports in the New York Times today that US intelligence believes Israel could be preparing to carry out an attack on Iran. The New York Times is reporting as the Trump administration tries to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, Nadin Yahoo has been threatening to upend the talks by striking Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities. And they say this is according to
officials briefed on the situation. Now, Dave, we don't know if these reports are true, but I mean, you can see really that the Israeli government has been frustrated that Trump hasn't acted in a stronger way to slow down or stop the Iranian nuclear program up until this point.
Well, look at Israel has now conducted two sets of strikes against Iran. Over the past six to nine months, both of which were largely directed at disabling arms air defenses and making it more vulnerable to future attacks, but also sending a clear message that Israel had the capability to carry out these attacks. So I think the message
has been sent already. And you know, it's a regular part of israel planning exercises to consider all scenarios, including this one, and what they would do, what a military option against Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities would look like. Now, you know, I wish to see that come about. I'm sure the US president doesn't wish to see it come without either, but they are watching these negotiations quite closely.
I think the US around talks are now in their fourth or fifth round, and undatively there are elements of concern within Israel about whether an agreement will be rich and what level of uranium enrichment capability in stockpiles, if any, such an agreement will allow.
All right, we'll keep on that evolving story. Dave Sharma, really appreciate your time.
Thank you.
Now Still to come, farmers seeking out saying they'll have to sell up to pay labors super tax on unrealized capital gains. Plus Brendan O'Neil breaks down the misinformation on Israeli aid going into Gaza.
He'll be live after this quick break. Welcome back.
Well, let's turn to Liverpool, which is reeling after a minivan plowed through a crowd of celebrating football fans. Eleven are still in hospital. The man who allegedly drove the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drug driving. Now to discuss this, Spiked onlines. Chief political reporter Brendan O'Neil joins me. Now, Brendan, good to see you again. So what do we know now about the man driving the vehicle and why he did something so shocking.
We don't know all that much. We know that he's fifty three years years old. We know that he's white and British. That's an unusual thing to know this soon on. But the police made the very unusual decision to tell us the ethnicity of the suspect, which they don't normally do. They don't do that after radical Islamist attacks. They never say that the person is brown skinned or from a
Muslim background. So they took this incredibly unusual decision because they were so worried about the reaction of ordinary people. They thought we would go mad, spread conspiracy theories, maybe take to the streets. So it was driven by a kind of suspicious impulse on the part of the police to release that information so quickly. But that's really all we know. We know that's his age, his ethnic background, and that he is suspected of drug driving. That's about
all the information we have. We don't know his name yet or we don't know if there was any kind of motive or anything like that, so it's up in the air. It's a terrible time for Liverpool. This was a gathering of complete joy to celebrate Liverpool Football Club's winning of the Premier League trophy. So for this to happen is horrendous. It's an obscene assault on working class Liverpudlians who were celebrating their team, and really has shocked.
The whole nation.
Yeah, it's just been terrible and actually shocked the whole world. And it's something that could happen anywhere in the world. You know, a celebrating crowd, unsuspecting and then a van trambles through now.
Brendan as usual.
You've written a brilliant piece on the response to Israel's new initiative to feed the people of Gaza without looting from Hamas and without involvement of the United Nations. And you write that you would think the activist class would be pleased that this news alas, you would be wrong. They hate this initiative. Why because Israel is behind it, and in their twisted minds so aduled by Israeli phobia, everything it does is evil.
I mean, like you say in the.
Piece, this should be a positive development that's welcomed more aid getting in.
You know, we have seen israel derangement syndrome on full display over the past twenty four hours because Israel is doing something extraordinary, something almost unheard of, which is that it is at war with a neo fascist militia in Gaza i e. Hamas. But at the same time, now it is bringing in tons and tons of food and other essentials to try and assist the civilians of Gaza. That is an extraordinary thing for any nation to do. And yet the anti Israel set across the Western world
are attacking Israel for bringing this aid in. They're attacking it for circumventing the UN They say that Israel is militarizing aid. They say the way it's doing aid is wrong. This is just staggering. When Israel enforced a siege on Gaza over the past few months, it was accused of pushing people towards famine, which by the way, is not true. Now that it's feeding the people of Gaza, it's accused of militarizing AID and making the situation worse. Israel can't
do right for doing wrong. Everything it does in the eyes of these people is a crime. I think it really demonstrates how psychotic Israeli phobia has become, where it's just driven by this pure hatred for the Jewish state.
You just expressed that so beautifully.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed listening to that answer so articulate.
Brendon.
We're also seeing so much misinformation. This lie that fourteen thousand babies were starving in the next forty eight hours were about to die. It was completely false. The UN had to withdraw it. And then we see attacks like in Washington, DC last week, when too young israelis one of them, not Jewish by the way.
It were killed.
You know, how much do you think this misinformation leads to the sort of extreme anti Israel sentiment that ends in a terror attack like that, there.
Is definitely a relationship between those two things. And if you look at the lie that the UN spread about fourteen thousand babies dying in forty eight hours in Gaza, completely untrued. It was like a modern day blood libel. You know, what they were saying is that the Jewish state was just going to sit back and let thousands
of innocent children die. It was untrue, and it unleashed the worst anti Semitism I've seen over the past eighteen months, really horrible stuff about child's killing, Israel, the demons of Israel, horrendous things. And it's unquestionable to me that that kind of misinformation stirs up anti Jewish racism and stirs up even the kind of violence that we saw in Washington, DC. You know, the really shocking thing Shari at the moment
is that there is a real famine in Sudan. Tens of thousands of children have died there over the past two years from malnutrition and hunger. The world is obsessing over a phony famine in Gaza and ignoring a real famine in Sudan. And if that doesn't sum up the hypocrisy and double standards and outright racism of the anti Israel mob, I don't know what does.
Absolutely and so well said Brendan O'Neil. Thank you very much for coming on the show. Love having you on as always and keep up the amazing writing. You can check Brennan out online now still to come. Far are begging Labor to stop their super attacks. They won just how much it's going to hurt entire community, saying they'll have to sell the family farm.
That's coming up.
Plus, I tell you about the plans for the largest reunion of Holocaust survivors in Australia and the one thing that no one will be allowed to speak about that's next This weekend, Australia will host the country's first ever Holocaust survivors reunion. The event is organized by Holocaust survivor Eddie Bois, the author of the incredible memoir I'm Not a Victim, I'm a Survivor, which touches on the first five years of his life in the bergen Belsen concentration camp.
Now New Southwest Premier Chris Mints will be there. The Israeli Ambassador Emir Maimon two and to discuss Eddie joins me. Now, Eddie's so lovely to see you again. What inspired you to organize this event?
Thank you for inviting me. It all happened at the Australia Embassyember Actually I was speaking there to about thirty ambassadors that the Australian Australian Ambassador invited me to to do. And the same morning I read a newspaper report by the Claims Conference in America about the number of survivors left in this world, which are to another forty five thousand, of two and a half thousand lived in Australia, and so there.
Were two and a half thousand Holocaust survivors in Australia still alive.
Yeah, this is a year ago. I believe it's down to about two thousand something two hundred. So I started to think about all the antisemitism going on in Sydney at the moment, or in Australia at the moment, and I get phone calls from survivors, and I've had phone calls from matters of our children being scared to go, you know, to school by being Jewish. And I thought what I should do is have a reunion with survivors
and let's celebrate. And I started that a totally ambassador and he thought of a terrific idea.
Yeah, and it absolutely is.
And it's great to see that the Premier is supporting it as well. I mean, you know, he has shown leadership on anti Semitism, unlike Albanesi.
Wouldn't you say absolutely? I think, Mike, I'll look at it this way. The Premier speaks from the heart. Albanezi speaks from his brain, you know, as the Premier means what he says. And I had a one on one meeting with him in his office and I've got a well with him and I really like the man. I think he's fantastic and in my opinion, issued be the Prime Minister of Australia.
I agree agree that would be much better situation. Now, there's one thing you've told everyone coming to your lunch or the survivors that they're not allowed to talk about.
What is that?
The Holocaust? We've heard it all. You know there's going to be you know, all of course survivors there and I say, we've been there, done that. You know, I've never read a Holocaust book and I've never seen a Holocaust movie.
You wrote a Holocaust.
I wrote a Holocaust. That's the only one I read.
Wow, because it's just too painful to revisit the memories by watching anything about it.
I'm generally not an emotional person, but I do get a bit emotional when I see and hear certain things. What people say about Jews, you know, and I think there's eight billion people in this world, it's only fifteen million, juice. I just want to know why this antisemitist and what.
It's all about, Eddie.
If there are Holocaust survivors watching and they aren't coming to your event because you've got one in Melbourne and in Sydney on Sunday lunch, how can they find out more information?
Send an email to Survivor's Reunion twenty twenty five at gmail dot com.
Survivors Union twenty twenty five at gmail dot com. All right, and if you didn't get that, hopefully rewind your television. All right, Eddie Bowis really appreciate your time. Thanks, thank you for inviting me.
Thank you now.
Coming up after the break, Desperate farmers speak out about Labour's tax on unrealized capital gains amid fears the family farm is now under threat.
That's next welcome back.
Well, many farmers are going to be hurt by the Albanese government's tax on unrealized capital gains. The National Farmers Federation is so concerned that they're now speaking out warning that a higher tax burden could lead farmers to have to sell up. And joining me now to discuss this is the president of the National Farmers Federation.
David Jokinki.
David, thank you very much for your time.
Now.
The Self Managed super Fund Association has told a Senate inquiry that examined this legislation at about seventeen thousand for accounts hold farmland and out of that to about three and a half thousand have more than three million dollars in their super fund. So can you explain how this would disproportionately affect farmers.
Essentially, farmers want to make sure that they're not a burden on society, especially when they retire, and many farmers who have been in the industry for a long time have been working on what they call succession planning. Is that's to make sure they've got their farm in a ready state to hand to the next generation. And as a part of that, they are very concerned about how they will get income when they retire once they've finished farming.
And one of the most legitimate ways, and one of the ways that has been strongly promoted through both the tax system and also through accounting, was to set up your own superannuation fund, put a block of land in that fund, and then use that to retire on by either leasing to your children or the next generation will take over the farm, and then ultimately sell that on.
And this is where it gets interesting when we talk about the proposed tax, is that we believe that any tax should be collected when you gain something out of it, when you have got benefit, and that benefit would be when you crystallize the asset, when you sell the asset. But this current proposal is all about if there is a change in value that you need to pay that gap,
pay the uplift of the value that's occurred. And when we talk three million dollars, that's essentially one block of land, and that block of land is potentially in drought this year in many areas of Australia, we're seeing a very dry pinch in the southeast especially we're seeing second, if
not third dry start to the season. And if it was applied buck it is proposed to be at the start of the financial year, partments would have to stump up an increase that they have no ability to pay and essentially would put their farm at risk.
Put their farm at rest. So do you think that there will be farms that will have to be sold over this businesses that will go under farming businesses?
Well, I have to find money somewhere, and the selling a part of your farm is a very difficult thing when you've been planning to either sell it to the next generation or use it to crystallize the asset at a later date. But to have to sell it to pay the tax is an absurdity. And it's the principle too.
That we're really upset about.
If the principle is that you have to pay a tax when you've got no capacity to pay, just because the paper vay is increased, not because the capacity of the land has changed or you've got the ability to gain money out of it, let's still hold onto the asset. The principle of paying for unrealized gains is just absurd.
And to make it even worse, we're hearing schedules that first of all, this three million dollars won't be indexed, so that block of land will increase in in value over time, meaning that the amount of people that were going to get caught by this legislation will be increased. And then secondly, once again, the sale of that land will have to occur to pay for it, especially these droyes.
But as anybody who's a student been following, the Treasure has given the Prime Minister an exemption to this exact rule for any politician that already has a fund won't be caught up by this, and it's a double standard, it's an absurd rule, and quite frankly, it's something that should never get past the Senate, which last time when it was presented, the cross benches did join together and defeat this bill, and where once again calling on the
Greens and all those cross benches and the Coalition to chuck this out.
I completely understand how perplexed you are about the fact that, because I've been feeling this, and we've been reporting on it this week and a couple of weeks ago, and even during the election campaign as well, the whole idea of taxing an unrealized capital gain. And now as you're warning entire generations of farming families and businesses.
Could be discontinued as a result of this.
If people have to sell their farms to meet a tax liability when their actual farm value hasn't changed, it it's only on paper.
David. There's also the question of valuation. I mean we've only got we've got a minute and a half left.
But the question of valuation, I mean, who's going to come around and value property at a higher rate and then say, well, you'll have to pay a higher tax on this.
Valuation.
And even the mere fact that if the valuation goes down, just just play at the other scenario. You won't get paid in cash. You might get a credit against a future liability, but you've had to pay the tax department when it's increased, but you don't get paid on the decrease like the These are some of the absurdities. And
so who look after the valuation? Who then a ministers or or helps navigate those on the fringe to who are approaching the three million dollars for their succession planning needs. And then even as a legitimate tool for succession planning, that's been taken away from the options once again, It's not that we don't want to pay tax, it's just when that tax is applied and how it can be
made fairer. And taxation should be about productivity. It should be building a nation, not penalizing the people who have worked hard or their farming or even working careers.
Well, one hundred percent couldn't agree with you more. I just want to get your quick response, very quick response. Russ Giddens in the City Morning Herald today said, Ah, this is just rich, old white man complaining about having to pay this tax.
What's your response to that.
Obviously, as they say, the pen is might easy plow when your desk's are a thousand miles away from the reality, your asset doesn't equal your income. In agriculture, you need the block of land.
It's your tool of your trade.
Is just spanner for your mechanic you need.
You can't do without it.
Well said, thank you for speaking up. We'll keep fighting and that's all we've got time for today. I'll see you tomorrow at eight. And here's Paul Murray