Live on Sky News. This is Shari.
All good evening and welcome to the program. I'm James Macpherson filling in for Shari. Coming up tonight, outrage over a Muslim independence social media posts seemingly glorifying the October seven attacks, But will it be condemned by his rival Tony Burke. Liberal MP Julian Lisa will join me in the studio to discuss. Also tonight, Labor hesitates to reveal its new climate targets, as a major car company ditches its promise to go all electric. Of people finally starting
to wake up. Plus, the BBC prepares to acts five hundred jobs in a major cost saving exercise, but they've got millions of dollars to spend on. You guessed it a diversity and inclusion. Push that story with my panel in just a moment. But first, Bill Shorten is leaving politics. If I was tasked with fixing the NDIS, I'd be leaving too. But it gives you you an idea just how bad this government is. That when Bill Shorten announces
his resignation, well everyone is sad. Not sad because Shorton is going, but sad because Bowen isn't nor Charmers, nor Giles, nor Plebasec, nor Burke, nor wong Am I forgetting anyone. You've probably come up with six names already. Shorten's resignation comes just two weeks after he said he would absolutely contest the next election.
You got the federal election, presumably early next year, you're recontesting.
It's my aim to keep fighting as long as I can on the causes which.
You'll want to every mean's running again.
Sure at this stage, absolutely absolutely contesting the next election. Two weeks later, absolutely not. And we're absolutely stupid if we believe anything these people say. Mister Shorton's achievements include helping to topple Kevin Rudd, helping to topple Julia Gillard, and helping to topple the National Accounts, by which I mean helping to create the NDIS. As one of the architects of the NDIS, mister Shorton told us the scheme would cost around thirteen billion dollars a year and be
fully funded. It now costs forty two billion dollars a year, and the cost is growing by twenty percent annually. I wish my superannuation had that kind of growth. Having created the NDIS, behemoth. Shorten was tasked with fixing it, and having failed to fix it, Shorten is now moving on to become vice chancellor of a university so he can pass on his knowledge to the next generation. Don't you
love how this country works? He'll also lobby for more international students, just as soon as his wage doesn't require him to insist on fewer international students.
Let me trump an incoming vice chancellor with a current Cabinet minister. I support the government's propositions. I'm supporting the government's changes and that is as it should be.
So Bill Shorton rides off into the sunset where a one point eight million dollar or thereabouts job at Camberra University awaits, and genuinely I wish him well. He doesn't finish up immediately, though the Prime Minister has insisted mister Shorten's stay on in his seat until February. He and I agree there is important work still to be done to put the National Disability Insurance Scheme on a sustainable footing, which really means ensuring there's no need for a by election.
Oh and sure, a sustainable footing for the NDIS. Speaking of the ndis shortens departure now leaves an opportunity or is it a poisoned chalice for an MP with more ambition than sense, which, let's face it, could be anyone in the Labor caucus. There's now an opening for a
new minister for the National Disability and Insurance Scheme. All you have to do is turn around a runaway train that former Labour Treasurer Wayne Swann described as out of control and completely unsustainable, descriptors which could also be used for the Economic portfolio, the immigrationfoliolio and the Energy portfolio,
any takers. While Anthony Albinezi is contemplating who shortens replacement might be, I can well imagine Labor MPs looking down to avoid eye contact when walking past the PM in the parliament corridors. Shortens colleagues and opponents, Well, they were gracious and complementary. Today former PM Tony Abbott tweeting Bill
Shorten's retirement is a loss for our parliament. Yes, he'll continue to serve our country, but we need more people of courage and conviction in our public life and Bill has been a striver for the higher things in his time in the Parliament. Well, I don't think anyone would disagree that Bill Shorton has been a striver, he said today, he'd always strive to make Australia better.
But there's something else that aw members have taught me. In the end, we're all just passing through. What matters is whether we leave the place better than we found it.
And how's that going? Would anyone agree labor have left the place better than they found it? No, well, Bill Shorten does.
I think we're doing a good job, and.
That's why it's time.
To go, day.
To go.
Well, every now and then you get a horrible reminder of why you no longer watch the ABC. This week, I had the misfortune of watching the seven thirty program, so that you don't have to you can thank me later. Host Sarah Ferguson went digging for dirt on Donald Trump. She interviewed Trump's former communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted just eleven days in the job before being fired. Seriously, is that the best they could come up with? Anyway?
In a nine minute interview, that's almost a full minute for every day Scaramuchi actually worked for Trump, one and a half minutes was spent on this topic.
Does Trump really wear a girdle?
Hang on?
Sorry?
Rewind the tape and say that again.
Does Trump really wear a girdle?
Now maybe it's just me, but for a billion dollars a year, I'm expecting better US election analysis than questions about Trump's underwear. Can you imagine the outrage if a reporter asked about special underwear worn by Kamala Harris. Anyway, having inflicted the question on you, I'm going to go full ABC and inflict the answer on you as well on certain days. Yes, what's that about?
He's a you know, he's an image oriented guy. He's a television entertainer.
He does it.
Heats taking pictures of him from the side because he just looks too fat from the side. He looks depictures had.
On Donald Trump is self conscious about his weight. I'm not sure he's Robinson Caruso on that one. But there's more.
He spends a lot of time in his hair. It's like a sort of a weave thing that he does up there.
Trump also spends time on his hair. Now, some of us wish we needed to spend more time on our hair, But it raises the question, with all that fussing about with his hair, would he even have time to close the border, sort out the economy, or deal with Putin. But let's not bother ourselves with those puerile topics. We're talking about the future of the free world.
He's got a certain orange war paint that he wears, he's got two inch heels, lifts and shoes him. And though he's a reasonably tall person. There's insecurity there, you know, there's the hyper massculinity is a tell for how insecure the guy actually is.
Wait, so Trump wears heels, but he's not a Democrat, or maybe the two inch heels of why some believe Trump will destabilize the world order. As for hypermasculinity, well, some masculinity wouldn't go astray in the West right now. But if the hypermasculinity is a tell for how insecure Trump is, the puerile commentary by Scaramucci is a tell for why he lasted only eleven days in his job.
Wasn't much of an insight into Trump, but a definite insight into his former communications director, and the reminder of what you and I get for a lazy one point one billion dollars a year on our ABC. Well, as I said at the top of the show, former labor leader and current NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has announced his retirement from politics.
My English family said it would be unimaginable to my grandma the idea that her grandson would have the opportunity to serve in a parliament and to indeed run for prime minister. I don't worry about what it hasn't been. I think I'm really despite the ups and the downs, there is not a single day I would hand back in seventeen years.
Bill Shorten has landed a job as vice chancellor at the University of Canberra. Let's take this to my panel, National Senator Matt Canavan and Perth Mayor Basil Zemplus. Gentlemen, thanks for joining me. Matt. This is just what our country needs, isn't it yet another left to running a university.
Well, look, good luck to Bill Shorten. You know, I'm not too worried about what his next job is I suppose, although you know he's got a pretty big pay increase there.
I think so good on him.
Not against people making a good buck in life, but it does put him in an interesting position with the government looking at capping university numbers as numbers here and the university sector up in arms about that. So you wonder if this is a strategic move by the universities to push back against that move. I certainly think we have to take steps to reduce the number of people coming to this country. We just don't have enough homes for Australi and so we've got to focus on that.
And look Bell, you know, he always wish people best on the way out. I think unfortunately he will be remembered for that time that he lost the election. He partly lost that because he couldn't bring himself to support the Danni coal mine up here in North Queensland. That cost him dearly in this day. And it doesn't look like Labor parties learnt its lessons. It's now stopping a gold mine in New South Wales and I just don't think they realize how many people in that mining sector
there are up here in central Queensland. It's a topic of discussion what the Labor Party's doing to a gold mine there, because all the workers know that decisions like that threaten their livelihoods too.
Basil you'd think Bill Shorton would be dying to get out of Canberra, but he's going to relocate there permanently with the university job. Maybe that's how bad Victoria is.
Well, he loves Camber obviously, and he's got to stay in his current role. We heard the Prime Minister say until February because there is work still to be done. Like everybody, congratulations and good luck to Bill Shawnton. Bill shorton seventeen years in the Federal Parliament. He has been, as Theodore Roosevelt told us, the man in the arena,
and for that he deserves the credit. We congratulate him in twenty sixteen, twenty nineteen, appreciate his words today and stoic and noble, but you don't become the opposition leader and lead your party to an election and then hope not to win it. And certainly twenty nineteen will burn and hurt. But he's moving on. We wish him all the best. And yeah, he likes camera. He's going to be staying in camera for a bit.
Longer indeed, and we do wish him all the best.
Well.
The Australian is reporting that the Albanezy government could be having second thoughts about unveiling its twenty thirty five emissions reduction target. Now the target's supposed to be made public in February next year, but it sounds like the government has not convinced it would be a good idea to announce the target prior to the election. Matt Tai, I wonder why the government would balk releasing an emissions target.
Well, I think the main reason here is the Labor government is preparing for minority government. They're keeping their powder dry on issues like this so they can keep some things in the bottom drawer to pull out when they think inevitably may have to negotiate with Teals and.
Greens after the election.
And so it'll be if you vote for the Labor Party at this election, you'll be giving them an effect a blank check to after the election write out a massive io you to the Greens and till parties. And
I don't think that's fair to the Australian public. But you know, the Australian public have a chance to see through that and not vote for a Labor party that cannot commit to what they'll actually do with the next term of government because they'll probably deform government need the support of Greens and Teals, And of course the Greens and Teals will want that emission's target to be as
high as possible now. I think what we just need to do though over all issue here is let's just drop all of these targets.
It's just absolutely absurd.
We have economy tanking, we have massive geopolitical risks on our door store step. None of those countries the north of US are taking climate target seriously. It's about time we drop these climate change observe climate change targets and focus on the only target that matters right now, a cost of living target to bring down inflation for people and get our standard living back up to a reasonable level.
Well, taking you up on that point, Basil, I wanted to ask you, if Trump wins and pulls out of the Paris Agreement as he did last time he was in power, and if the rise of conservatives in Europe continues, then Australia could set an ambitious emissions target only to end up out on a limb all on its own.
Yeah, that's absolutely correct, and I think the ambition on its own is fine. The ambition to get towards net zero no problem. We should all be striving for a more sustainable future, no argument with that, but locking ourselves into targets that are more than likely going to be unachievable. Does nobody, including the industry that is there to try and help us get to those targets any good. Our best bet is to work our way towards net zero, keep the lights on, keep the costs down, and get
there when we do. Locking ourselves into unachievable targets does nobody any good at all?
Yeah? Well, I mean the other point you make there, and it's the point well made unachievable. We're barely going to make or barely on track to make the twenty thirty targets. The cost of power is through the roof. We're being warned about potential blackouts. So for the government prior to the next election, then to trumpet a brand new target of whatever it's going to be, sixty percent or whatever is only going to frighten everyone even more
so I can understand their reticence. More on the subject of targets, Swedish carmaker Volvo has become the latest big name manufacturer to scrap its screen energy dream. They've dropped their promise to go all electric by twenty thirty. Volvo are known for the safety of their vehicles, but clearly they don't want to take a risk with renewables and electricity and their business plan going forward.
Well, I'm just glad James that the principle that the customer is always right is re establishing itself. I mean, that's the way it should work. That's the way a good, well functioning market should work. Is that the car companies, the manufacturers of any good are actually there to serve the interests of the customers, not there to serve the interests of governments, not there to serve the interests of activist green movements that want to establish arbitrary targets on
different numbers. What Volvo should be in the business of doing is producing cars that people want to drive. And look, some people are happy to drive an electric vehicle. Good luck to them. There's no problem with that. It's a free country. But clearly these electric vehicles are not suitable for many people, large families, people with long commutes, people have to in the bush up here, have to travel long distances often to and from work and anywhere else
they want to go. It's just not going to work. So we need to have a proper market that just delivers for consumers. So I think that is re establishing itself. And like all of these ridiculous targets. We're going to see them four like dominoes in the years ahead, because the promises we were being made will soon be bitten by that inevitable dog called reality. That'll happen, and when reality catches up with a lot of people will be very embarrassed.
One of the interesting things that Volvo said in this announcement was that they wanted stronger government policies to support electrification. Isn't it just a fancy sounding admission that people won't buy evs without government coercion, precisely what it's saying.
And these big car manufacturers and Bobo, by the way, are not the first one to go down this path. We've seen a reversing of stated ambition from a number of the big manufacturers. They're not mugs. They're in the business of making cars and making money. And if they're backing away from full electric, that tells you one thing and one thing only, it's not sustainable financially for them in the current environment. And again it's another reason why
targets just don't work. If we're going to get there, let's get there when we get there, But trying to get there ahead of time can only cause these sorts of problems, and I think what was And the other point, of course is we don't really know what happens at the end of the life of the battery that's in
the electric cars. Yet most people are now starting to tell us you're going to have to throw the battery away and probably get a brand new cars, not like you can take the battery out and put it in. And where does the battery go then, and what happens to the rest of the car.
There's all of those.
Things to deal with, and that's what happens when you're just racing ahead to targets.
Yeah, very well said. I couldn't agree more. The dust is finally starting to settle after big after Jim Chalmer's big day out yesterday where he spun those disastrous GDP figures as if they were some kind of achievement. But for all the treasure's hard work, I don't think anyone was buying what he was selling. The reaction to the
data has been less than enthusiastic. You could say, Matt, can you claim to be winning by keeping the country out of recession by record spending that's fueling inflation?
Well, you can't.
You can't, James, You can't because every Australian household knows that what the Treasurer is trying to sell matches nothing.
Like the reality they're facing.
I mean, the treasure is effectively in the business now of telling people to ignore their lying eyes. They can see themselves their stand of living falling. And if you look deeper into the economic statistics on a per person basis, the standard living of the average Australian household has fallen back to levels we hadn't seen haven't seen since twenty eleven. We've gone back in just two years of this Labor government. We've gone back thirteen years and that's never been just
an unprecedented reduction. And everybody can feel that. Treasure I was trying to say, no, you've never had it better. You've got a great government's doing great jobs.
It's not going to work.
I just think, I mean for that, I'm not in the business of giving the Labor Party advice, but I do think it would be better if we could find some leaders who would tell us the truth, level with us and then come up with real solutions, not handouts, not little sugar hits, but real solutions that could get us out of this hole. And the longer the Treasurer continues to try and tell us fairy tales, the sooner he's going to find himself having a pretty nasty ending.
Yeah, Basil record spending and just bringing more and more people into the country hardly sounds like a financial plan.
It's adding to inflation. We know that.
In nice blag Jim Chalmers, I'm tempted to say I feel a bit sorry for him. There are some jobs from the other side of the fence that probably look like they're pretty easy when everything's going well. I'm not sure that Treasurer of this country is one of them. But I tell you what, when things aren't going so well, it doesn't look like an easy job then, and right now, Jim Chalmers looks like he's got the hardest job in the country and that he is not enjoying one bit
of it. This is a tough sell and he's not doing a very good job of selling our financial position to the Australian public at the moment. Because what everyday Australians understand is the cost of living, and.
Is the cost of living.
Is the cost of their everyday existence going up?
Yes, it is.
That's the language every day Australians understand. And on that score he's being marked with a big cross.
Now I've got to go to a break but before I do, Basil, I want to get your tip. I know you're an AFL lover. Who's going to win the premiership? The final start today? Who's going to win?
Five teams can win it? I reckon, But Sydney have been the best team all year. So Sydney, but they're going to need a little bit of luck.
There you go, all right, I'll hold you to that tip and we'll check in a few weeks whether or not you are right. Thanks, gentlemen, appreciate your time stick with us. Coming up after the break outrage over the social media history of an independent candidate running for our federal parliament, how could we allow someone who seemed to celebrate the October seven massacres go anywhere near Canberra? Plus Meta abandons all pretense of supporting its Jewish users. Julian
Lisa will be on the show next well. As some of you may be aware, there's a man running for office at the next federal election who appears to have supported the murder of Israelis. On October seven. This man, a Muslim doctor named Ziad Basioni, is gunning for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's seat in Western Sydney. Now it's unthinkable to me that someone who shared social media posts seemingly celebrating the murders of twelve hundred Israelis could end
up with a seat in the Australian Federal Parliament. And yet that's exactly what could happen. Five days after the October seven attack, Basione shared this post with his one hundred thirty two thousand followers on Facebook. It appears to celebrate the graduation of Palestinians from throwing rocks at Israelis to being able to paraglide into the Nova Music festival with machine guns, murdering four hundred young people in cold blood. The caption reads dreams, my friend come true for those
who seek and work to make them come true. The guy sharing this disgusting post now dreams of sitting in our parliament. Liberal MP Julian Lisa is with me in the studio. Julian, thanks for joining me. It's just a few days ago that Azoboss Mike Burgess said anyone celebrating October seven or supporting October seven attacks on social media. Is not fit to come into this country. And yet this guy dreams of sitting in Federal Parliament.
Well, I think he's not fit to sit in the Federal Parliament.
James.
If this isn't.
Glorification of terrorism, I don't know what is. How could any Australian citizen possibly celebrate the murder of twelve hundred innocent people by putting up this post and think that their contribution to the Federal Parliament in any way will add to the social cohesion of this country.
I think this is a disgrace.
I think this man is unfit for parliament and I hope the electors of Watson do the right thing and dispatch him.
Well, I hope the electors do the right thing as well. He's running against Tony Burke, speaking of doing the right thing, he's battling to retain the seat. There's a high Muslim population in that seat. But Tony Burke has not come out and condemned this gentleman or his posts.
Well, that's exactly right.
Tony Burke should come out and condemn this person. Tony Burke is the Minister for Home affairs. He has the social cohesion of our country as part of his responsibility. Tony Burke has protecting Australians and keeping them safe as part of his responsibility. Tony Burke needs to stop thinking about what's going on in his electorate and start thinking about the national interest. So I want to hear Tony Burke condemn this man loudly and clearly for glorifying a terrorist.
Act absolutely now. Sky News previously reported that Basioni used a separate Facebook post to share videos of people celebrating the attacks on October seven. They were celebrating in Western Sydney. These attacks have listened to what he said when asked about that, it's.
Obvious that this post was related to Palestinians celebrating being out of the cage.
They've been under dures for twelve years, so there's his explanation. Meanwhile, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, who advertise that they stand for human rights and justice, well, they declined to comment when asked what they thought about these posts.
I think it's a disgrace James that they've failed to comment. I think we know exactly what they think about these posts. Some of the statements by Apan in recent months. I'm saying that from the river to the sea is an acceptable phrase, talking about Israel as a claiming of state
and denying the importance of a two state solution. In fact, rejecting a two state solution says that they're not playing an important role which they should be playing, which is advocating for Palestinian people, but doing so in a way that matches our foreign policy and our national interests and the social cohesion of this country.
I just don't understand organizations that advertise they stand for human rights and justice but then can't condemn what appears to be people celebrating murder and terrorism. Julian does you says sorry.
Often when we talk about human rights and justice in the world today, particularly among so called human rights advocates, it's human rights for everyone else other than Jewish people. And that's the tragedy that we're seeing around the world today.
Indeed, we've got numbers of Muslims saying they're going to run as independence at the next federal election. Effectively they're running on one issue, and that's Gaza. I just want to ask you about what's happening in the UK because I think that's instructive. The labor government there has just put restrictions on sales of weapons to Israel in response essentially to domestic political pressure where they've had a lot of Muslims run for local government and at the most
recent elections. My question, Julian, is are we seeing Western political systems being hijacked by a particular religious group to prosecute a foreign war against one of our own allies.
James, as an Australian, I want to see my foreign policy, the foreign policy of my government based on values, and that means that Australia, like Britain, should stand with Western democratic allies like Israel, who believe in democracy, in the rule of law, in equal rights for men and women. These are some of the fundamental issues that our foreign policy should be based and we should be standing by
those allies in their time of need. And we shouldn't be weakening our foreign policy to appeal to one group or another. Should be basing them on the broad, historic and enduring values of this country.
We should be, but that's evidently not what's happening in the UK. My fear is we're going to experience that same trend here.
Well, I think the government has been weak on these issues and I want to see the government be strong. And I don't think government members would be facing the political threats that they're facing in Western Sydney if they've been very clear, if they've been very clear from the outset that our foreign policy will not bend the noisy minorities, that it will remain traditional for Australian foreign policy, which
is standing by ally Israel. But unfortunately, even before the seventh of October, we know the government has been backsliding on Israel. We know they changed the capital, we know they were renewed funding to UNRA, and of course employees were involved in the seventh of October terrorist attacks. The
main headquarters was the communications center for Hamas. We know also that they've changed Australia's votes at the un This government has been backsliding on Israel long before the seventh of October because of their own intern Labor Party constituency. This is why we really need Peter Dutton and the Coalition back in charge, because only the Coalition will guarantee that Australian foreign policy will always be based on our enduring values and interests.
I want to ask you just one more question before we let you go. It's not only Western governments who appear to be abandoning Israel. Meta, who own Facebook, have just ruled that the slogan from the river to the Sea is not hate speech. The tech giants independent Oversight Board has given a free pass to Facebook and Instagram users to continue using that phrase in their posts. I love this as long as the posts don't glorify a
mus or incite violence. So you can say death to Israel as long as you say it nicely.
This is the most ridiculous decision of Meta. And as we know, social media companies do not have the interests of communities and countries like Australia at heart. They are just interested in profit and interested in controversy.
But this is a terrible thing.
To allow to continue. This is a violent phrase from the river of the sea. It calls for the violent destruction of Israel. It's not about having two people in a two state solution. And when you actually go to the original Arabic, it means from water to water, Palestine will remain Arab.
That's what it means.
It's not about being free, it's about being one unitary Arab state and that's not what Australia has been looking for.
That's not what I've.
Been looking for, that's not what the world's been looking for. And this is a hateful phrase. It calls for the violent destruction of the Jewish people. The Prime Minister is right to call it out months ago. The Senate, in a bipartisan resolution that was opposed by the Greens, was right to describe it as such, and Meta as a laggard, as they are in so many areas.
Indeed, Julian Lisa, thanks so much for joining me tonight.
Thanks James.
Well still to come. I'll cross live to the United States to discuss the latest in the presidential election with Adam Crichton. But first the bizarre way the BBC is trying to save money firing hundreds of its staff and replace them with diversity hires. I'll discuss that with my panel right after this short break. Welcome back. Lots more to get through tonight, so let's jump straight into it with commentator Jason Morrison and The Australian's National Affairs editor
Joe Kelly. Gentlemen, thanks for joining me. I want to return to today's main story, the shock retirement of Bill Shorten. Here were his passing words on his legacy achievements.
What we did three weeks ago in the Parliament has meant that we will be able to set this on a direction where the scheme will be true to its original purpose, where the shanks and frauds are evicted, and we'll start focusing on outcomes for people. And I'm absolutely positive about the bright horizon for the NDIS. I've had the very very very privileged position to lead labor. I've had the chance to help the victims of robodebt.
So there you go, Bill short riding off into the sunset. Jason, did you see this coming? No? I mean, I'm not going to be smart and so yeah, but I set you up beautiful there. You could have been a great.
That he stopped giving two thirds of you know what a while back when he was confronted with the NDOS and the absolute sandwich that that is. I got the feeling the guy was kind of almost you know, he knew he was fixed, and I sense he thinks they're fixed too, And that's part of it. And you know, if you're at Bill Shorten's agent stage in politics, with probably no chance of being Prime Minister, which you know, if it hadn't been for bow And, he probably would
have ended up Prime minister once upon a time. I would think there's probably just something that goes on your head, you say, there's got to be better things out there. So now he's going off into academia, and aren't we lucky as a country?
You know what?
Can he run a course in the public maladministration or something. It is extraordinary how these people graduate on to bigger and better things all the time, and the good old taxpayer has to sit there and pay for it. But you know, it's an impossible task. The NDI is impossible, and I think he has tried very, very hard, and it's kind of tragic it away because I mean, I know you won't with any friends on the sky and newsed by telling you that Bill Shorton actually is quite
a decent man. And I've always found him to be you all the good qualities you want't a politician, except when it comes to judgment of character. And he has allowed and he allowed himself to get knocked out of the game by promoting a deal like Bowen to where Bowen got to at one stage.
And he genuinely cares about the genuinely believes in it. Joe, let me go to you, what would you say Bill Shorten's legacy will be.
Oh, look, that's a that's a really good question. I think Bill Shorten will be remembered for this overwhelming and expansive sense of political ambition. And while the announcement today I think was surprising from some perspectives, it wasn't really because I think it's an admission that he knows he's never going to be minister. So Bill Shorton came into Parliament in two thousand and seven, He's immediately made a Parliamentary secretary. He then very quickly gets involved in the
leadership machinations, plotting to overturn Kevin Rudd. And when Labour lost the twenty thirteen election, he was in that runoff against Anthony Albanesi. And I actually think if he sat back at that time and let Anthony Albanese go on to lead the Labor Party, I think there's a good chance that Bill Shorton might actually have ended up being Prime Minister today.
So look, I.
Think his career was driven by this sense of aspiration to achievement, and I think that's sort of the defining characteristic of Bill Short he didn't want to leave anything wanting in his political career.
Well, speaking of leaving things wanting, let's talk about local government for second. The City Morning Herald is reporting that misbehaving counselors would face fine, suspensions or disqualification from public office under a proposed suite of reforms aimed at streamlining
accountability and instilling transparency in local government. So basically what they're going to do, Jason, is they're going to come up with a simplified code of conducts Now, that sounds great, but I was amazinges a one pager, Well, it'll be two pages. I was fascinated to read today the existing code of conduct for councilors in New South Wales. It runs to one hundred pages.
Which is not bad because I'd say overwhelming most of them can't read.
We have a remarkable ruling.
Class in this country except in local government. When you realize you think you've got B graders in Canberra or in your state parliament, go have a look at your local council. This is pretty amazing. This will be weaponized, for sure, It'll be weaponized.
If you want to look at.
The bitchiness of politics in its ugliness. You look at local government, they are disgrace full towards each other and throw dung at each other all the time.
And most of the time.
Of course, you know where the financiers of these little games are going with these people that spend time in there talking about the Gaza strip and whatever as opposed to the nature strip. I think it's kind of amusing. And you know what else is amusing. And I'm sorry to get personal on this, but most people should actually google Ron Honig, who is the local government Minister in New South Wales, and look at his local government career.
A man who was not contested as a mayor and sometimes didn't even need to have elections because somehow they figured out a way of scaring all the other candidates away in the local government seat of Botany. It was pretty extraordinary to see that man is now the local government ministry in New South Wales because he knows the game better than anybody else. And when I say the game, I mean the game. It is extraordinary.
Yeah, when you see local governments doing crazy things and you never really see local government ministers getting involved. Joe, I've got an idea. I want to run past you Okay, so thinking about this all day, I want your thoughts. They're saying they're going to have three tests for alleged misbehavior, conduct unbecoming, conduct that brings the Council into disrepute, and conduct that is outside the norms that's expected, but I want to add three more Code of Conduct violations. Give
me your thoughts. Trying to rewrite Australian history, taking positions on foreign affairs, and flying flags other than the Australian flag, they should be Code of Conduct breaches as well.
What do you say, Oh, look, I totally agree. I think local government's very important. I think one of the shames is that it often gets left out of the debate. But local government is responsible for steering local communities, you know, roads, rates and rubbish. It's important that we have good people on local councils making these decisions and a lot of the time I think it's sometimes.
Falls through the cracks.
But one of the I think to disturbing things is that there's this tendency to focus on things other than the bread and butter issues, So things like the date of Australia Day, things like what's going on in the Middle East in relation to Israel in relation to Gaza.
So I mean, I don't think that should be the core business of local government, and I think it's a shame that too often we hear local government straying into these diversions when their job is critically important for the basic efficient functioning of our societies and for individual people.
Well, while we're talking about local government, it's a perfect segue into artificial intelligence, Joe. You reported today that Labor is immediately introducing voluntary AI safeguards as it looks at some different measures to mitigate the risks that come when using AI. Just quickly, what are the big risks for consumers now that so many businesses are using AI, and how would a voluntary code as suggested by the government mitigate those risks.
Well, look, I think the main thing firstly is that this is a voluntary code. So they've done another report that will go out for consultation for at least another four weeks, and then the government will have to consider the regulatory response. So this is a very complicated issue. AI will affect all levels of our society, in our economy, and it's going to require a pretty comprehensive regulatory response.
So they're looking at whether there'll be a standalone AI Act or whether you have some sort of other approach to individual legislation where you're adapting individual regulations to adjust for this new revolution. But none of that's happening at the moment. There is a voluntary code of conduct that's being introduced.
So I think the.
Issue is that Ed Husick needs to get his skates on and we should have a plan. And I think it would be ideal if that plan was presented this side of the election.
Whenever they talk about, you know, governments wanting to protect us from AI, all I can think of is the Biden administration appointing Kamala Harris to protect humanity from AI.
God help us set further e Karen E Karen, Yeah, good call' that'll be the the boss of the AI world. And God help Australia. That be leave us being pulled everywhere about it. That'smazing how they want to get involved in everything, but about five years too late.
Yeah yeah right. Let's let's go to the UK where the BBC are saying that five hundred staff will lose their jobs over the next two years to help them with their bottom line. But it's not all bad news for the BBC. They can't afford to pay five hundred staff who there letting go, but they can afford to spend eight hundred million pounds year on diversity programs, you know, the stuff that really matters, eighty million pounds a year.
Sorry, did we say BBC or ABC because this sounds remarkable.
It's just like you've got the currencies. Oh, it's the same all over the world with national broadcasters. Joe, correct me if I'm wrong, But it's the BBC eventually firing staff and just replacing them with newer, woker dei hires instead.
Well, look, we had a similar thing that happened at the ABC when they got rid of Andrew Proben and replaced him with you know, digital producers. I think one of the issues for mainstream media organizations today is that we do have to do more with less.
There are more people.
Tuning out of mainstream media looking at other sources of media. But public broadcasters, compared at least to the private sector, in a relatively luxurious position. And you think that if there are going to be cuts, if they're going to lay people off in journal are going to be out of work, you'd at least think that they're managing their budgets effectively and not wasting it on diversity programs. So those are my thoughts on that.
Well, their diversity programs, Jackson, are very important to them because they want twenty five percent of all their staff to either be ethnic, disabled or from a lower socio economic part of town. Is that a good plan for building a news organization?
Well, look, I can only relate the Australian experience the removal of the was it pale, stale and mails out of the ABC. They did plenty of that and they moved a lot of people on and all that's happened is the organization has gone of the shit. And the whole problem I think with the ABC at the moment is it's got too many people. I mean, they might have a lot of diversity.
But it doesn't have a lot of integrity.
And the diversity they always talk about, it's always about skin color, or it's always about ethnicity or accents whatever. It's never about diversity of views. And you know, I overthink the British public probably would love to see its national broadcast, which by the way, is vastly better than our national broadcast.
With this country and more popular and viewed.
But I think they'd like to see it diverse in its attitude as opposed to just looking at things, because things are a little deeper than skin deep. And you know, it's quite amusing to watch what we know doesn't work in Australia now go on in other parts of the world.
And you know, God help the.
BBC, because it actually kind of matters to the world, the BBC, and it's tragic in a way that they're going to screw that one.
Up to Yeah, it does, Jason and Joe, Thanks for joining me tonight. I appreciate your time. Well still to come. Kamala Harris's running mate Tim Waltz is humiliated as eight family members publicly declared their support for Donald Trump. Plus how the latest poles are playing out. All of that in just a moment with Adam Crichton. Okay, well, let's turn our attention to the US, where Donald Trump has unleashed on Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz during a town hall moderated by Fox News.
Snippet This conjury will end up in a depression if she becomes president like nineteen twenty nine, this will be a nineteen twenty nine depression.
She has no idea what the hell she's doing. So there you go. Let's cross live to Washington, d C. Where I'm joined by the Australians correspondent there, Adam Crichton. Adam, great to see you. It was a pretty friendly event, but it was another opportunity for Trump to blast Kamala, wasn't it.
Well, certainly it was a friendly event, but at least he's doing events. I mean, he's been doing so many interviews recently. And it was no surprise that it was held in Pennsylvania because that state is just so crucial really to this election. I mean, it's a state that Democrats have won in every election since nineteen eighty eight except for twenty sixteen, which of course was when Trump won, and pretty much whoever wins that state this time will
probably win the presidential election. Now, the problem with the vice president is she has a huge shortcoming there.
Because it's a state that's fairly.
Dependent on fracking, and she has said previously that she's opposed to fracking, so that's what Trump is really hammering her over now.
Meanwhile, Harris's running mate Tim Walls hees nursing a Bruce ego after some of his relatives from Nebraska openly declared their support for Donald Trump. They've even posted a family photo wearing Trump shirts. Now, Charles Herbster posted the image of eight family members distant supposedly to the Minnesota governor, wearing matching tops which say Nebraska Waltz's family for Trump. Adam, it's going to be an awkward Christmas if the Democrats lose, isn't it.
Yeah, certainly that is very embarrassing. And the photo was so embarrassing people thought that it might have been fake, but it is apparently real.
You know what's funny about that is.
Most of the media over here is all over the nieces and nephews of Donald Trump, who of course hate him. They're always saying that, but so far they haven't been all over this photo, so they should be. And actually, it's worth pointing out it's not just the Waltzes, it's also Barack Obama's His older half brother has also been tweeting that he'll be supporting Trump. So a few issues with family members on the campaign.
What did I say? You can't choose your family? A new see an End poll has found that there's no clear favorite across all six battleground states, with Harris leading in Wisconsin and Michigan, Trump taking the advantage in Arizona, and voters split almost evenly in Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. There's lots of poles saying all sorts of things. What's your read on the situation as it currently stands.
Yeah, Well, the polls generally show that Kamala Harris is ahead by one or two percentage points, but that is just the margin of error. I mean, personally, I prefer to look at the bedding markets, and if you look at those, Trump is actually slightly ahead. I mean the average at the moment of the major eight.
Bookies in the US that offer odds on.
This he's on forty nine points seven percent chance of winning and she's on forty nine percent.
So it's still extremely close. But it's just.
Important to point out that the betting markets move faster, and they're probably taken into account the Robert F. Kennedy effect, which some of those polls have not taken into account. Of course, he's dropped out and he's joined the Trump campaign. So look just extremely extremely close with two months ago.
I mean, it's really all down.
I think at this point to the debate on Tuesday night next week, that's going to be such an important event for both candidates.
All Right, I want to ask you quickly about Republican former Representative Liz Cheney. She's just announced that she'll vote Democrat at the election. Have a listen, as is the danger.
That Donald Trump poses.
Not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I am voting him from commerce.
Well it's nice, but of course, back in twenty twenty, Liz Cheney was calling Kamala Harris a radical liberal who was further to left than Bernie Sanders. Here she is in.
One foul sweep. Here he has put somebody on the tech whose voting record in the Senate is to the left of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. So I think that, you know, the American people are going to look at the substance of this. They're going to look at what she stood for in the past, They're going to look at what she said during the primary election, and it's very clear she is a radical liberal.
Okay, so you're allowed to change your mind. But what is going on there?
Well, she's probably auditioning for a cabinet spot.
Actually, I would say.
If Kamala Harris wins, I mean, the Vice President said recently that she would have a Republican into her cabinet, and I think Liz Cheney would be the perfect option for her. She's hated Trump for a very very long time, so it was really no surprise that she's come out against him, and I don't think it's going to make any difference at all to the votes.
And we've got about thirty seconds left. I just want to get one final thought. Obviously, the next big event is the debate. What of each candidate got to win and lose from that debate just in thirty seconds.
Well, look, I think all the pressure is going to be on Donald Trump there. The media is going to be very inclined here to say that he lost, so he really has to put in a sterling performance. He can't be too rude, but he can't be too soft, so I think he'd be very anxious about it. So look, I think we're all going to be watching. It's going to be extraordinary.
TV is absolutely going to be must watch television. Adam Crichton, thanks so much for your time. It's always an absolute pleasure. To speak with you. Well, that's it from me. Sharry Markson will be back next week. But don't go anywhere, because coming right up is the wonderful Paul Murray