May 13, 2025 • 49 mins
Peta’s take on what’s happening behind closed doors as Sussan Ley becomes the Liberal Party leader. Plus, Airbus Albo is back with plans to travel to Indonesia and Rome.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Pedo Krandler live on Sky News Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good evening, Welcome to the program. What a day. Here's
what's coming up on Kredline.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Susan leader leader lives in a ballot that went down
to just four votes between her and Angus Taylor. A
long press conference today, some interesting words from the new leader.
I'll give you my take and what's really happened today
behind closed doors in a moment, airbus albow back to
jedoff tomorrow morning. Two international trips on the card Indonesia
and Rome, as the Prime Minister of the Ministry was
(00:35):
fought in today at Government House. Speaking of the PM's
trip to Rome, there's now a common theme emergent when
it comes to the PM's Catholicism. It feels very transactional
to me, to say the least. We'll get into that
in a moment. And another day too of fight our
farmers taking their fight to the depths of Victorian Parliament
as the Allen government expects him to foot the bill
for their poor management of the regional Fire Service.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
This is just going to break down out right.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's criminals who keeps.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Parties with busas we're not telling out a whole year.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Who will find a way to keep paying these bills?
Speaker 6 (01:13):
What it does mean we're not making any more money,
so we have to take the money from somewhere else.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
The Victorian Liberal leader Brad Batton's coming up in the program.
But first let's go to camera, to the to the
Federal Liberal Party leadership. Today there the party room elected
its first female federal leader, twenty four year parliamentary veteran
Susan Lee, who won over her colleagues twenty nine votes
to twenty five rankus Taylor. Now Lee is a mix
(01:41):
of contradictions. A Liberal who won a National Party seat
and held it for over two decades. Someone who's been
in the Parliament for years but who outside of Canberra
is virtually unknown, who has a unique backstory. Someone too,
who was once a big pro Palestinian supporter but now
has changed her tune.
Speaker 7 (02:02):
Following my appointment as deputy, I took a trip to
Israel and I spent a lot of time seeing what
was happening on the ground, and then, of course the
hideous events of October the seventh in Gaza have changed
my thinking on the entire subject.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Now Good on today she took that issue head on.
It was a lengthy press conference. I have to say
I thought Susan Lee acquitted herself very well.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
She was directing her responses.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
She didn't let the camera press gallery walk all over
her either.
Speaker 7 (02:40):
We have to recognize that we need a strong country
that is committed to a manufacturing base that relies on cheap,
reliable energy. To walk away from next to you your
pretty words in my math, Andrew, no policies have been
adopted or walked away from.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Now, make no bones about it.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
I would have preferred Taylor as leader given his economic experience,
but it was good to see that the Liberal Party's
first female leader was elected rather than installed by the factions,
as was the case remember with Labour's Julia Gillard. But
that's not to discount Susan Lee's factionalism here. She's a
moderate out of the party's left wing faction that was
(03:22):
forced to do a deal to save a preselection in
twenty twenty two and in New South Wales.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
It is that.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Very factionalism that's the reason why the federal executive was
forced last year to intervene and put the party into administration,
with a committee of party elders running the show, including
former Federal Party president, former Howard government minister Richard Austen,
whom I spoke with here last night.
Speaker 8 (03:47):
There are six hundred and eight people who have been
refused membership of the party. There have been four or
half thousand people who have let their membership lapse in
the last few years. No new branches been created since
twenty sixteen. It's just appalling, and it's because the factions collude.
(04:07):
Any fool can write an article about someone wants to
go left some day. That's complete nonsense. I mean, the
reality is people want good policy. It's not a left
or right thing.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Now on that Richard Austen nailed it. For too long,
the Liberal Party's left wing faction is argued it needs
to be just a nicer version of the Labor Party
to win office. And look where the party have tried
that you heard, Richard. No new branches since twenty sixteen.
That coincides with the advent of Malcolm Turbule, and under
Malcolm Turble in that election, the Liberal Party lost fourteen seats,
(04:42):
one seat short of losing government in Wa Well. The
Libs had a climate policy there at a state level.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
It was even.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Greener than that of the Greens and they were then
reduced to a rump of just two MP's in the
Lower House. In South Australia, after seventeen years of Labor rule,
the Libs won and then under the moderate Stephen they
stood for nothing and then they then got thrown out
of office after just one term by Peter Malanowskis In Victoria, well,
(05:08):
all the factional brawling that's gone on there for years
has meant that the Liberals for twenty five years have
been in almost permanent opposition, but for just one single term.
What wins you government is good policy and good politics.
Get the policy right and the politics will then follow.
When politics trump's policy, then that's the surest way in
(05:32):
my experience, to be shown the door by the Electric. Ultimately,
it wasn't a factor as to what faction Peter Dutton
might have been at the recent election. His policies or
lack of them, are what to let the Liberals down,
and the fact that they seem to almost give up
on attacking Labor by failing to call out Labour's lies
or defending the character of their leader as the former
(05:55):
Deputy here Susan Lee, Well she doesn't have clean hands
in any that, nor does Angus Taylor. Indeed, every frontbencher
should take responsibility for the fact that the work was
not done, or if it was done, it was never released. Now,
these are sort of basic campaign errors that must be addressed.
To rebuild from here, the party must have a fedek
(06:18):
and review that does more than just sit on the
shelf and gather dust.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
But at the same time, in signaling a wholesale.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Review, MPs need to be careful that those with vested
interests don't hold sway over Lee or her new deputy
Ted O'Brien.
Speaker 9 (06:35):
And having federal government own nuclear power stations, is that going.
Speaker 8 (06:38):
To be your position do you think going forward?
Speaker 7 (06:40):
Well, just here in this party room only a couple
of hours ago, I committed to my colleagues that there
would be no captain's calls from anywhere by me, And
I also committed during the discussions I had with them
this week that we would work through every single policy issue.
We would canvass the different views and we would take
the time to get it right.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
So nuclear is up for grabs.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yesterday, though, when the same question about nuclear energy was
asked to the newly recollected Nationals leader Dave little proud
there was no such fence sitting.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
We've had the courage on nuclear energy, something that our
party room has believed in for a very long time,
and all renewables approach won't work. But it was our
party room from many people before us, that had the
courage to come forward.
Speaker 10 (07:28):
But it was us.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
It was our party room.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
That delivered it. Now, as I've been reporting for the
past couple of days, the push is on by so
called moderates, primarily out of New South Wales, to get
the Libs to dump nuclear and just roll over and
adopt holes Bolus Chris Bowen's energy plan, even though if
they've done nuclear, there's no reasonable prospect of Australian meeting
any emissions targets. At the same time, is keeping us
(07:53):
a first world economy if the New South Wales moderates
get their way. And let's not forget Matt Kean Labour's
knew yesmount On Climate was once the factional leader up
until recently that the Liberals will be in the wilderness
for a very long time because without a baseload option
and with a grid that's just wind and solar, Australians
will not be able to afford their power bills and
(08:14):
industry and jobs.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Will desert our country.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
On a couple of other important issues today, Lee didn't
throw the baby out with the bath water, and that's
a good thing.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
We should.
Speaker 7 (08:26):
We should unite under the one Australian flag. That is
my firm view, and this with respect to welcome for country.
It's simple. If it's meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates,
then it's in the right place. If it's done in
a way that is ticking a box on a team's meeting,
(08:46):
then I don't think it is relevant.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
All credit to Susan Lee today. She spoke with a
lot of clarity across a lot of topics. Pretty impressive.
On the issue of more women in the party room
and more women attracted to the Liberal cause, well no
one could disagree with this.
Speaker 7 (09:05):
It is true that the numbers of women who are
supporting US is declining, and I want to rule a
line under that. I don't want to see that decline
for one more day. And that means a genuine, serious
engagement with a new leadership team and a new agenda,
and one that I will personally drive.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Now On the vexed issue, though of quotas. This is
where there will be a huge fight if the moderates
try and force them on a party that was founded
on the principle of merits, that merits and effort should
be the only criteria for advancement.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
Quote as the targets in twenty twenty one and twenty
twenty two, I think forty and fifty percent, respectively.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Do you still believe in that?
Speaker 7 (09:49):
With respect to my comments about women in the Liberal Party,
I want to say right here and now, we need
more women in our party now. At the end of
the last election, there was a review done extremely wealth
and I will certainly re engage with all of those
different organizations within our party to absolutely understand how we
can improve that trajectory.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Now, Targets are what you aspire to, Quotas are what
you demand and you enforce, and quotas are demeaning. To
divide us by gender is just as offensive as it
was to try and divide us all by race in
the voice and doesn't leads very elevation to the Liberal
leadership without a quota in sight. Proved just how obsolete
(10:34):
this whole.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Idea is anyway.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I mean, here we are in twenty twenty five, still
having a debate about what is a woman at the
same time as we're saying we need special spots for
women because they're so hardly done by in politics. For
the past three years, Susan Lee was a Liberal Party's
shadow Minister for women, something a journalist today grabbed hold of.
You were the shadow minister for women in the last term.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Women obviously abandoned the Liberal Party for consecutive elections. To
what extent do you have.
Speaker 11 (11:06):
To take responsibility for giving you a part of the
leadership team and you had that portfolio so clearly not
having reached them.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
A fair cop.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
I mean, do you really think a quota is going
to make a woman in pen with Penrith a vote
for the Libs rather than policies than make.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Her life better?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Well, of course not, good policy is what matters, not
the gender of its proponents.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Look at the Labor Party.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
They have had a massive landslide win to a party
led by a male leader and a male deputy. Now
let me just remind some of the idiots sprouting these
pro quota lines that the last Liberal leader to pick
up more than forty percent of the female vote in
this country was Tony Abbott. Tony Abbott got forty five
percent of the female vote. Certainly wasn't Malcolm Turnbull the
(11:54):
Left Light to think he was such a winner with women.
Yet under turbule, the party's share of the female vote
dropped under forty for the first time, down to a
shocking thirty five percent. That's ten points lower than Abbott,
and it's been falling and falling ever since. In putting
together the new shadow ministry, susanly needs to preference front
(12:15):
bench capacity over factional rewards.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
I mean this idea that the former.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Essays Captain Andrew Hasty should now be dumped to let
bother boy Alex Hook get the job as a bit
of a thank you for doing Lee's numbers as the
Defense shadow. Well, that would set this new team off
to a shocking start. To survive, Lee and O'Brien needs
to put the best team they can together because with
Labour's ninety three seats to the coalition's forty two, it's
(12:44):
a long way back for the Coalition. At its most simple,
the job of opposition is to not make weak compromises
with the bad government. The job of opposition is to
be a clear alternative and that means more fighting the dog,
more willingness from the Liberal to create a contest with
their opponents in the washer from its election loss. The
(13:07):
real problems for the Liberals, aside from a failure to fight,
the real problem was the party had had it with
less to do about more women, or less women, or
more migrants, any of that. It was that it had
too few supporters, too few members full stop. Now that's
in part because of factional warlords to rather keep party
(13:28):
branches small and under control than inviting everyone and anyone
who would normally vote Liberal and are interested in genuinely
debating policy and supporting good candidates.
Speaker 8 (13:40):
You're always going to have left and right, progressive, moderate conservative,
whatever as how it said broad Church. But when they
get together and exclude people, you know, mother Teresa turns
up says she's available, I'd say sorry, you're not in
the right faction.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Last year the Liberal Party Federal the Executive intervened in
New South Wales because factional maneuvering when the party had
failed to nominate its local government candidates in time. Now
there will be a lot of pressure now on Susan
Lee to end that intervention so that the factional warlords
can get back control.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Of the party in New South Wales. So this will
be a big test for her.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Does she stand firm and get the reforms done by
extending the term of this intervention, letting them rewrite the
New South Wales Liberal Party a constitution, or don't she
now just sack Richard Austen or Alan Stockdell and.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
The others and give in to the factions.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Because in the end, the first job of a broken
opposition is to unite. It's to understand why you lost,
to listen and rebuild. It's about articulating the Liberal Party's
values and beliefs and then putting forward solutions to the
challenges facing our people and our country. And to make
sure that the party is not controlled by factional manipulators,
(14:59):
even though who might have supported you into the top job.
That's the start of the Liberal comeback our country needs.
As I said, a huge jacamba today on both sides
of politics. Let's go there now for the headlines, the
Sky News political reporter Cam Reddin.
Speaker 10 (15:20):
A diminished Liberal Party convenes for the first time since
it's crushing election defeat.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
To be back in editon I don't miss the icing mornings.
It's good to have a debate with colleagues.
Speaker 10 (15:31):
Your relationship today. Oh look, democraphy Democracy delivering a female
leader for the first time in the party's eighty year history.
Speaker 7 (15:40):
The numbers of women who are supporting us is declining,
and I want to rule a line under that. I
don't want to see that decline for one more day.
Speaker 10 (15:49):
First elected in two thousand and one, Susan Lee prevailed
twenty nine votes to twenty five over Angus Taylor, the
former Shadow treasurer, locked out of the top job. Future
on the front bench is uncertain.
Speaker 12 (16:02):
Angus, if you're watching this, you need to be there.
Speaker 7 (16:04):
He would have been a fine leader of the Liberal
Party at this time.
Speaker 10 (16:09):
Ted O'Brien, who led the coalition's pitch for nuclear power,
will serve as deputy.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
These values which unite the Liberal Party are the very
values that have the capacity to unite the nation.
Speaker 10 (16:21):
Just in to Nampa, jimper Price has failed in her
beard for a leadership spot after defecting from the Nationals.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Has the work of switch center. Price will be making
comments in.
Speaker 10 (16:31):
Jip course up the road at Government House. The Prime
Minister's new ministry has been sworn.
Speaker 13 (16:36):
In I, Anthony Norman Albanesi too solemnly and sincerely affirm
and declare that I will well and truly serve the
Comwealth of Australia, her Land and her people in the
office of.
Speaker 10 (16:50):
Prime Minister Cameron Reddin's Sky News Canberra, as I.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Said ecty day, join him now from Canada, the pluk
or of what you just saw there, Can Reddin and
a Daily Telegraph journalist James Willis.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Gents, welcome.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
We'll start with the Prime Minister because clearly Cam now
that is one. He's got that great big seat buffer.
He's not scared about being airbus elbow again. He heads
off to Indonesia tomorrow, then he heads off to Rome
for the Pope's inauguration on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And you're going with him. What can we expect? Yeah?
Speaker 10 (17:21):
Good for me, I suppose, Peter. My European summer not
quite starting a little bit early. But I did check
it six months to today since his final or his
last overseas visit that was to the Apex and g
twenty summers at the middle of November last year, so
he did notably put them on hold throughout the campaign.
Clearly there was an election to win Peter, and perhaps
a bit of feedback that, look, you need to stay
on home base while that election is there to be won.
(17:43):
But it's going to be the start of a busy period.
When it comes to the overseas trips, we can expect
that to extend to the G seven. I think that's
in June in Canada, potentially a trip to the White
House as well. One to really watch will be on
Sunday when, in amongst all the swearing in or the
curation of the new Pope, will there be some kind
of face to face between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanesi.
(18:06):
We still don't know for certain that the President will
be there in the Vatican over the weekend, but with
so much attention on this event globally, you wouldn't put
it past him rocking up and potentially Peter finding a
bit of time for some chats with the world leaders
on the side. So will that be the time that
Anthony Alberanzi finally meets the President of the United States?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah, I am going.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
To watch him very closely in Rome, I have to say,
can because he's made a lot of comments about, you know,
finding his Catholicism and he's spending a lot of taxpayers
money to get that jet all the way to Italy.
But I noticed today when he was sworn in with
the Governor General. I'll come back to this with my panel.
He did not swear on the Bible. He took the affirmation.
So that's a bit interesting to me. Let's go to
(18:51):
Liberal Party leadership. Susan Lee, as I said, four votes
ahead of Angus Taylor in the final numbers. Ted O'Brien
of course elected deput ages Inter Namba Jipi Price. She
did not run in the end. I think you're a
bit tough on her there to say she was defeated
in her bid to be deputy camp she didn't run.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Are they going to unite now? Oh?
Speaker 10 (19:12):
Well, unity will be the test, I suppose, Peter. And
that's one observation that both sides have made here is
that the Liberal Party was united under Peter Dutton for
the best part of three years. They really put up
that united front and whatever factional friction there might have
been was put to one side. But we saw a
little bit of the sunlight going in today and that
vote was quite close, as you know, twenty nine to
(19:33):
twenty five. So it would only take a few changing
their mind to change the leadership. Susan Lee says she'll
be there for three years. She certainly begins with that endeavor.
I think the real question, and you alluded to this
in your opening remarks, Peter, where will they fall on
some of those key policy issues, because that is ultimately
what the Liberal Party and ultimately the National Party two
(19:54):
will need to decide. Do they not only stick with
nuclear power, but did they stick with it in this form?
Do they water it down and say we'll just repeal
the moratorium, We're not going to commit to this state
owned nuclear plan that Ted O'Brien was spearheading. What do
they do on the economic narrative as well? That's going
to be a really key narrative shift there. We saw
Angus Taylor as the Shadow Treasurer. There was a bit
(20:16):
of an attempt to put some of the failure of
the coalition's message at his feet on that election defeat.
And what now too? For Jane Hume, we know she
didn't put her hand up in the end either for
a leadership role in the Senate. Will she continue as
the Finance Minister or will they attempt to completely redraw
the board and put some new faces in those two
portfolios to hit the hard reset button if you like.
(20:39):
So all that to be sorted out overcoming weeks, Peter.
But really with the shift of personnel, it's where they
land on the policy and that's what will decide whether
they can unite around that at all.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I think.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
We just saw images there on the screen of Andrew
Hasty walking into the party room for the vote today, James,
and I have to say, given that Alex Hawk is
talked about as being given the job of Andrew Hasty
in defense, I only fell off my seat today when
I heard that Hawk, who is a factional ally of
Susan Lee, was out there doing her numbers. When he
(21:12):
had this to say in the morning heading into the Parliament,
who are you backing?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Well, I'm going to think about it.
Speaker 9 (21:20):
I've got a few more conversations with colleagues and I'll
make a decision like everybody else.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Mate, he's been on the blower for the last four
or five days doing the numbers.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
I mean, give me a break.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
And of course you broke that story this morning that
one of Hawk's own staff has been stacking out branches
in Angus Taylor's electorate.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
What can you tell.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Us that's right? And this happened over a six month
period last year. Peter where, a twenty one year old
who resides at St. Andrew's at Sydney University, is an
advisor slash speech writer for Alex Hawk. A guy called
Coculan Samtha Kumar has effectively coordinated a massive branch recruitment
(22:02):
drive from other parts of Sydney, from the Blue Mountains,
from Penrith, a couple of a little bit close, but there's
some that are eighty kilometers away to fall into a
branch which was on its knees with four or five
members in Camden. All of a sudden, in six months,
it goes from about five members to thirty. I've had
five or six young Liberals tell me that this Hawk
(22:23):
staff coordinated this and said we've got to save the branch.
Everyone's going to come on board. It now looks like
the Hawk staff is going to be president of that branch.
And this was a factional play to basically grow control
of an area which is in Angus Taylor's electorate effectively
could be voting in pre selections in the future. It's
not significant enough to decide Angus's pre selection. But it's
(22:44):
certainly a factional play that happened between June and December
last year. Now what's interesting about this is that everything
that we know about Alex Hawk and his involvement in
counting numbers for Susan Lee, I put this to Alex
Hawk and said, mate, this stuff from your office. Has
he been recruiting people for another branch? Alex Hawk says,
(23:05):
I don't know anything about it, and he also insists,
and I want to be very clear on this, Peter,
he insists that his electoral office in the seat of
Mitchell is not used for Liberal Party factional dealings, and
I just want to put that on the record. Alex
Hawk says there is no factional dealings in his office
and he knew nothing about what the staff was up to.
So that's where things are at. In the twelve hours
(23:26):
since that story came out, Peter, I've had a mountain
of correspondence from young Liberals about a much wider issue
across Sydney where members are being recruited. There is some
talk of members being recruited and offered possibly jobs in
MP's staff for officers, and this includes recruitment right through
to the school system before people finish their HSC. So
(23:46):
there's a lot more to come on this, but certainly
this happened in Angus Taylor's backyard, and we revealed that
as he was vying for the leadership against Susan Lee
and against the person that was counting her numbers, Alex Hawk.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
I'm fanning my face, gents, because I need smelling salts
after hearing that sort of.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Furfy thrown at me that.
Speaker 7 (24:11):
Time.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
I tell you what memo to all of them.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
You know, the first thing I did when I became
chief of staff to the opposition leader was actually to
hire a bit of gray hair. I hire people that
were policy experts that you know, could read a balance sheet,
knew how to do a costing. I could understand, you know,
on a map where Akina Fasu was, who weren't just branchstackers.
It will be interesting how she puts her office together
(24:37):
will be telling as to what sort of leader Susan
Lee will be. I'll leave it there, including a chief
of staff, but there's rumors about that tonight a certain
failed senator's putting in her hand up goodness bank, gents,
there you go something to race down and see if
you can turn that into a story.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
I'll leave it there.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Let's go to Victoria today, more than four hundred farmers
and see if they Volunteers gathered on the steps of
Victorian Parliament last ditch bid to stop the other labor
government imposing and you one point six billion dollar emergency
services tax.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
On all Victorians.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
The state's upper House was due to this amendment today,
but that's now been pushed back until Thursday because I'm
being told that Labour's numbers have collapsed. Now this is
a staggering example of just how out of touch the
labor government is with all the enormous pressures facing our
farmers who are not just struggling with this tax, but
drought that is ripping across the state's southwest. Brag McDonald
(25:32):
was one of the many farmers there today. He's a
thirty five year old sheep and crop farmer from sananad
pleased to say, he joins me now, Bred, welcome to
the program. I'm obviously going to talk to politicians about this,
but I want to talk to people at the cold face.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
What was it like there for you today?
Speaker 5 (25:50):
It was sort of a bit of sweet because there
was lots of familiar faces, people who travel big distances.
But it was sort of frustrating too that we've got
to go to Melbourne to try and get out voice
is heard, and like people have given up feeding sheep
and sitting on the track to getting their crops in
setting them up for the next year, and yeah, we've
got to go down to the steps of Parliament to
try and be heard.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
You're a farmer, as I said, but you're also a
volunteer for your local fibergate. I mean, how do you
feel when you volunteer to keep your company, country and
community safe, but you've also got a copper bill going
into tens of thousands of dollars.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Yeah, well it makes you pretty angry when you're Yeah,
you're expected to foot the bill for the increased risk
of what the gunman is doing to us, like farmers
are copy it from every which way at the moment,
with transmission lines to win turbines, solar panels, mines and
then the dry seasons rough out in some places. Yeah,
and then you're expected to put the bill for it.
(26:49):
It's just not right.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
What do you currently pay and what will your new
bill be? Do you know.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
I'm not too sure about that a hat little but
one of our rates notices there before, and it's on
the rates notes I looked at. It was about twenty
percent and the increase will take it to about forty
percent of the rates bill. But that's that's just one
parcel and it was, Yeah, it was about two and
a half grand just on that one. But there's failures
that there'd be yeah, numbers that would go into the
(27:20):
hundreds of thousands of dollars, no doubt that. Yeah, we're
sort of little fish, but yeah, we still don't need
this extra bill.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
And of course I mentioned the top the drought. I
know my sister's down the Terrang Way. They're on a
dairy farm and they're feeding out that they've got basically
no grass left. If they don't get rain in the
next couple of weeks, it'll be too cold terrain. What's
drought conditions like up your way?
Speaker 5 (27:48):
Oh, it's pretty dry like it's most of themes are
nearly empty with hand feeding sheep on a daily basis,
but hopefully it'll rain. It's yeah, it's the time of year.
Word it's about due to rain.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
With it.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
When it does rain, it's probably going two cold so
it won't rain grass overnight. So yeah, feeding will continue
for a period of time, but hopefully the yeah crops
will grow and we'll see how the year pan's out.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
What staggers me is that the premier is from Bendigo.
You think that she would get it, that she'd be
sympathetic to what farmers do, but what the CFA does,
clearly that's not the case.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
What would be your message to her.
Speaker 5 (28:29):
Ah, don't bite the hand that feeds you. But she
needs to learn to live within her means. Like they
can't just keep on slugging people taxes and jacking up
yeah levees and fees and everything all around the place
because they can't manage money, like, they need to look
at how they spend the money and what really needs
to be done in Victoria before they go slugging everyone
(28:53):
for it.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
And scratch on a railway and a row that no
one wants. I'll leve it there, Brad, thank you for
joining me. All the best Up the break, I'll just
put what Brad's had to say to the opposition leader
Brad Baton and see if they're going to stand up
to the Allen government. Plus we'll get into a whole
lot of issues in a moment, BLOCKA bangs still to calm.
(29:17):
The UK is finally seen the light when it comes
to open borders. Is this just Kia Starmer running scared
as Nigel Farage gets more popular the first Today, Victorian
Opposition leader Brad Baton joined the National Party and hundreds
of farmers as you just saw on the steps of
Victorian Parliament to protest against legislation result in the fire
(29:37):
levy in the state tripling. It was an expression of
frustration from a community fed up with governments that are
seemingly not interested in the needs of Victorians beyond the
suburbs of Melbourne. Victorian leader Brad Batton joins me now, Bred,
thank you for your time. I know it is a
busy sitting week. I've just played the footage of what's
happening there on the ground today at the Parliament building.
(30:00):
Talk to me about the levees and your position on it.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
Yeah, we came out today and thank you very much
for having us on, Peter. But we came out today
and met up with the farmers. And it's not just farmers.
This is a tax on every person who has infrastructure
across this state. But the farmers are the ones need
to get hit hardest and first. And as you said,
and I listened to Brad before when you were talking
to him about farming at the moment and the challenges
they've got when it comes to a drought. We've got
(30:27):
the people on those farms who are volunteer firefighters, and
now we've got a government that to repay them and
thank them, they want to go out of their way
to add an extra tax to them. It is absolutely
appalling that farmers tax is going to increase up to
one hundred and eighty nine percent some more in some
cases that's the average across the state. At the same time,
they're already struggling when it comes to drought, lack of
(30:48):
support from government, and now we're seeing they have to
travel into Melbourne to raise their points. That's why we
went out and listened to them.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Brad.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
What's the point of this increase? One hundred and eighty
nine percent is enormous? Is this to pay for the
botched merger of the Metropolitan Fibergate and the CFA.
Speaker 6 (31:10):
Well, this is a problem for the government at the
moment because they haven't explained really what the money's for.
They're trying to say this is to cover for emergency services.
They even tried to put it through Parliament and call
it a volunteers tax. Well, it is a volunteers tax
because it's taxing volunteers. And now it's going to pay
for things like triple zero, which the government should deliver
without any issues FRV, the Fire Rescue Victoria.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
As you mentioned, all of these extra.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
Costs are now put into this two point one billion
dollar income stream that is coming from all Victorians, particularly farmers.
These are core parts of business. The Victorian government have
and always continued to pay for things like the fire services,
the emergency response to triple zero out of the funding
they've already got. So now they're doing this so they
can save two point one billion dollars elsewhere. And I'm
(31:55):
sure it's going to go to things like the SRL
in Melbourne to cover this urban rail loop or worse
to go off, and they're going to try and pay
off their debt with this because labor cannot manage money.
And now they're taxing our farmers to cover up their waste.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Just the other day though they announce something like three
hundred and fifty million dollars to upgrade that the Formula
one track at Albert Park. I mean, surely paying for
fire services is core business of government that should be
done first and find slug me a levee. But I
don't volunteer on the weekend. Surely, if you're volunteering in
(32:31):
the fibergate on the weekend, it shouldn't have to pay
the levee.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
Yeah, there's not a person watching your show at the
moment that things. Volunteers should be slugged an increase tax
for those that go out where I get caught out
at midnight and go out and fight fires, whether it's
for an hour or two weeks, they go and do
it each and every time without question. And as you
just said, then every single person with a budget at
home has to take priorities of where they're going to
(32:56):
spend their money. And this government has the wrong priorities continuously.
And I know you mentioned about the f one grand
prix and the three hundred and fifty million, there's one
section worse than that. Not only have they gone out
and negotiated a new contract which is costing an extra
three hundred and fifty million for the upgrade, they've also
allowed f one Grand Prix Association to take over the
(33:17):
most profitable part of that they track, which is the
hospitality section within the paddock. This is something that Victorian
businesses used to have a chance to go in get
some income and ensure that they could survive. That's now
been sold off. So the government spent taxpayers money to
stop Victorians.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Had an opportunity.
Speaker 6 (33:34):
That's continuation of how this government operates across the state.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
And who pays.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
It's the farmers, it's everyone who owns infrastructure.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
They're continuing to pay the price.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
All right, that's been really really clear. Then to voters tonight,
where do you stand on this levee.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
Our priority right at the moment, Peter is we do
not support this levee. Our goal is to make sure
it does not go through this Thursday.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
We have said to every person that was here.
Speaker 6 (33:58):
Today that I've spoken to commitment to them. We need
to work exceptionally hard to stop it going through this
week because farmers won't survive to the next election if
this goes through, If the government gets the numbers and
the Greens or the Animal Justice Party or any of
those other minor parties fold or give up something else
and sell out farmers. We will then go and meet
(34:18):
with the farmers and find the best way forward. So
we've got a fair attack system. But right at the
moment we must stop it. That is our priority. I've
promised that to the farmers that will work to do
this week and that is my commitment to them.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
All right, Brad, thank you for coming on the show.
I know you've got to go back to the Parliament.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Let's cross now to South Australia. We're a thirteen year
old transgender girl, so a biological boy has broken a
number of girls records at a recent sports day. This
has led to parents to the private Catholic school to
express their anger and disappointment. One dad told news dot
com do AU that parents failed and I quote the
school was wronging their kids in the name of fairness.
(34:55):
They were making it completely unfair for ten or fifteen
or twenty other girls in Liberal Senator Leah Blithe has
released a statement calling for an immediate action to protect
fairness in girls' school sports. I'm pleased to say the
Senator that will Leah b Live joins me. Now, well, Senator,
you know how on earth is this fair?
Speaker 11 (35:17):
It's a great question, and something that I ask myself
is how is this fair? If we are encouraging young
girls to play sport and we say to them, train hard,
work hard, and we should be able to offer them
a level playing field, It's not fair for them to
have to compete against boys who have a clear biological
advantage over them. And I'm really concerned. I'm the mother
(35:40):
of two girls, and I'm really concerned about the message
that this sends to all girls in terms of participation.
I don't want any girls feeling like they don't want
to compete because there's no point.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
At the last election and during the campaign I spoke
to Peter Dutton about and he said all the right
things behind closed door, and then had a position that
you know, caged in common sense terms, but didn't really
do anything about it, to never put a bill up
in the Parliament. I know your colleague and Senator Claire
Chandler had put a billion to protect girls' sports, so
(36:14):
it didn't go anywhere. Is this something you're going to
prosecute now, particularly you've got a female leader in Susan Lee.
Surely this has got to be back on the table.
Speaker 11 (36:27):
I think it has to be Peter, and I think
looking at the recent Supreme Court decision coming out of
the UK, we have to get back to sex based
rights and in Australia, let's be honest, if we can't
define what a girl or a woman is and we're
not willing to use biology to define that, then we
(36:48):
have no sex based rights in this country. And I
think it is at the detriment or to the detriment
of all girls and women particularly that are trying to
play sport in our country. So I think for me
it is certainly back on the table. I've been inundated
with contact from families, mums, dad's, grandparents from all across
(37:10):
South Australia who were sharing very very similar experiences that
was reported here over the weekend.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Senator Blithe, thank you. See that little example there shows
exactly what mockery quotas is. If we've got a school
sport race, we've got a biological boy running around as
a transgender girl, that's okay. We've got to have quotas
to get women into parliament.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
Give me a break.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
After the break the progars a candidate who's actually calling
for segregation of sexes in the UK. Plaus We'll talk
about the Starma government and this big backflip of assorts
on visa rules. Is this fair income or is this
about Nigel Faraj? Welcome back, Adam Crichton, Terry Barnes coming up.
(37:56):
We'll get into productivity and a whole lot of issues
around today. Let's go to the UK where where former
Prime Minister current Prime Minister Sekis Starmer has unveiled sweeping
reforms to slash migration. So he says he's promised to
bring down numbers significantly by the end of his parliamentary term.
That's still four and a bit years away. Now he's
talking a big game, but it's hard not to see
(38:18):
this as a bit of a cynical ploy, given he's
losing ground rapidly to Nigel Faraj's Reform Party. Joty renown
to unpack this, ad More sky New's contributor, of course,
the wonderful author Iron Herciali. I aren't welcome to the program.
How genuine is this attempt by Starmer to regain control
of Britain's borders?
Speaker 14 (38:40):
Peter Lovely to see you. I think this is just
empty words. I see this because I compare Donald Trump campaigned,
for instance, on closing the southern border, and if you
look at the results, you compare those of the Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom Kiosk, who made the exact
(39:01):
same noises several times that he was going to crack
down on immigration. But in the first quarter of twenty
twenty five, the small boat crossings into the UK went
up by forty percent compared to last year around the
same time. Trump has been in office for only one
hundred days and the crossings through the southern border have
(39:22):
gone down by ninety two percent. And so that is
if you know, elections have consequences, and what we are
seeing with Keir Starmer is that the last local election
when Labor lost and lost badly and the Reformed Party
of Nigel farajwon, he's gone back to again deploying that
(39:43):
rhetoric that he thinks speaks to the average person in Britain.
But the policies, this is, the actions speak louder than words,
and it just tells us that his words are quite empty,
specially compared to President Trump, who has been in office
for only one hundred and managed a ninety two percent drop.
Speaker 2 (40:04):
In border crossings.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
We look at all the polls in relations the Poles
in relation to Nigel Varaj and those significant wins they
had in the local council elections.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Do you see this issue as.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
One of the driving issues for reform.
Speaker 14 (40:18):
It's absolutely, it is the driving issue. It is immigration
and Islam, and it is the British people, like many
other Europeans, who haven't been consulted about what many of
them feel to be an invasion. They don't even call
it immigration anymore. Feels like an invasion. And these politicians
(40:39):
saying the right things when they think they need the electorate,
but once they come into office doing the exact opposite.
And so this is exactly what's driving it. And we're
going to see everywhere we're seeing populist parties and new
parties on the rise, and I think that's what's driving
Kirstamus rhetoric.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
Talk to me about this progas I can who want
to stay in the council election campaigning for gender segregation.
This is in Lancashire and it rises. I think real
concerns about sectarianism but parallel value systems. And now we've
talked about Sharia law, but I mean this is an
eighteen year old candidate. She wants Buslim men and women
(41:19):
not to mix freely.
Speaker 14 (41:21):
In Britain, well, immigration also has consequences, and in Britain,
the Muslim brotherhood especially is very well established and their
tactic is to gain power one council at a time
through elections. This woman was made to stand for elections.
And what she is proposing is sharier law through the
(41:44):
front door, Sharia law that is going to eat. We've
seen this in Michigan and Hamtrakt where the entire council
gets a majority of the Islamists and the Islamists wants
to introduce Sharia law and they vote on that. So
basically what she's proposing is let's segregate men and women.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
She said, or she is.
Speaker 14 (42:04):
I haven't heard her say this, but I've read some
of the quotes that Muslim men, Muslim women don't like
to be around Muslim men. And the question is why
is that I interpreted this as we've had this explosive
debate about the rape gangs and the implication and many
Imams have said this previously. If you don't want women
(42:26):
to be raped and assaulted and attacked, then we have
to have gender segregation. In other words, it's the sharier solution,
and they say ISLAMI is the solution and that's what
this woman is implementing.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
It harks back to time in Australia where we had
an imam say that women who don't cover up when
they're out in public, this is non Muslim women.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
Basically they're asking for it.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
The quote went to uncovered meat or something like that.
It was a huge outcry at the time, but I
thought we'd moved on from all of that. Ian Hessy, Ali,
thank you. We'll catch here soon. Halfter the Breakdownald Trump
hails this reset of relations with China. This is about
tariffs and a deal. What is it and how long
will it last? Plus concerned the government has moved the
NDIS out into.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
The Health portfolio. Critics say it will undermine the scheme.
Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
I want to return to the PM's trip to Rome,
and I make again the fact that at the swearing
inn at Government House today he made an affirmation, not
an oath, so no Bible have a look him.
Speaker 13 (43:35):
Anthony Norman Albanezi, do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare
that I will well and truly serve the Comwealth of Australia,
her Land and her people in the Office of Prime stuff.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
It's fine.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
A lot of the labor people, probably most of them
now don't touch the Bible. But contrast this with how
he was speaking about his trip to Rome for the
Pope's inauguration.
Speaker 15 (44:02):
My mum would be pretty pretty chuffed at the idea
that her son will be going as prime Minister to
see the inauguration of a pope in the Vatican City.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Let's bring in my paddle.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
Senior fellow and chief economist of the IBA Ad and
Crichton and a columnist at The Spectator, Terry Barnes, Well.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
It doesn't sit comfortably with me. I'm a Catholic, right
and we all know everyone's faith is private and it
ebbs and flows. But he put his faith out there
front and center all the way during the campaign. I'd say,
cravenly to pick up the votes of people out.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
In Western City, Western Melbourn who.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
Have a strong faith but gets there to be sworn
in and doesn't want to touch the Bible like it's kryptonite.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Isn't amazing. I mean, this is a bloke.
Speaker 12 (44:46):
When Pope Francis died said that his mum the same
mum you're talking about gave him three great plays, a
Catholic Church, a Labor Party and South Sydney Rabbitots. Now,
when it comes to it, as you say, he was
out there trying to put his faith on his sleep
and tell everybody he's a good, good, faithful, moral person.
But when he has the chance to actually swear to
(45:07):
go buy a while to God, he doesn't. So it
seems to me that all he wants to do is
actually get on the plane, go to Rome, be a well,
basically a sleep.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
I've had a con tourist at a con tourist talk
to me about the US and China and this what
we call it a approchemont.
Speaker 2 (45:24):
Do we call it a deal on tariffs? What do
we know? Well, look, a's certainly great news.
Speaker 4 (45:27):
I mean the tariffs we're going to be one hundred
and forty five percent on one side and one hundred
and thirty percent on the other, and they've come down
to thirty and I think ten respectively or twenty. So
that's a massive production. It's equivalent to hundreds of billions
of dollars of extra stimulus between those two economies. It's
a great thing, but it's just for ninety days. So
I know Donald Trump calls it a total reset, but
he's the great exaggerator, as you know. And I think
you're going to find more heat and light, you know,
(45:49):
in the next eight basically after eighty days when they
come to innegotiate, we're going to see more. I don't
think the chor issues have been resolved, but it's a
good thing, and it's very good for Australia. He's anything
bad for China is very bad for our exports.
Speaker 3 (46:00):
What do we make at the Live A Party of
Leadership today, Well.
Speaker 12 (46:03):
I didn't have much confidence either candidate, to be honest
with you, Peter, I mean, but look, I'll give Susan
Lee a chance, but my expectations of her performing are
actually very low in terms of policy, in terms of
being able to reunite the party, in terms of keeping
the coalition together. But certainly I think she has eighteen
months and no more in terms of getting the coalition
(46:23):
back on an even keel, but actually showing that the
coalition both parties have the policy chops to do the job,
which they didn't show in the debarcle on the third
of Bay. But the other thing is neither she or
Angus Taylor actually took responsibility for that debarcle. I think
that's something they have to own up to.
Speaker 3 (46:42):
Yeah, they can't just throw this all at Peter Dunn.
I mean she was the deputy leader, right, so she's
basically admitting if she's not taking responsibility, she was admitting
that she was a fig leaf, you know, a feather duster,
that she had no say in the room. That's not
what you want in the leadership contender. And of course
she's now the leader. And I have to say, observing
leaders Terry, as you've done too, there's often no right answer, right,
(47:02):
there could be for right answers. You've got to make
a judgment call. You've got to back yourself and this
will be the test. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (47:07):
Look, I think the worry for Susan here she's been
in the Parliament. I think it's just one and I
really don't know what she stands for. I should know something,
so I'm very interested as to you know, what a
stance is on immigration, fiscal policy net zero, But we.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
Don't know yet.
Speaker 4 (47:20):
But I think a leader has to be malleable and
then she's going to have to work out what's you know,
you know what is you know, what is politically saleable
and and you know, the lead the party back from
the brink that zero.
Speaker 12 (47:30):
Think but even today she was saying, look, I will
consult with my colleagues. I mean she's going to be
led by them or is she going to leave them?
Speaker 2 (47:35):
Well, the factions, Terry, you know how it works in
your south right.
Speaker 4 (47:38):
So well, it's a national party really at the moment
where all the policy development is. I mean, they are
seemingly going to dump net zero, you know, thank goodness,
and I think that they may even drag the coalition
away from that zero, the Liberal Party rather from net zero.
You know, we've got this extraordinary situation where we have
Tony Blair on the same side as the National Party
when it comes to.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
Next zero at Labour and the Liberal Party potentially over there.
Speaker 4 (47:59):
So look, if you know, if net zero is not
good enough for Tony Blair, the former Labor Prime Minister,
then it shouldn't be good for the Liberals I think,
and that is where they're going to end.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
I think they should jump out composing oh.
Speaker 4 (48:07):
Yeah, because it gives them an economic framework to take
to the next election. Then they're clearly not willing to
campaign on tax form or welfare reform because that's just
too hard. But I think something yes, and very expensive,
but net zero is something that I think they can
link the cost of living, which is clearly a big issue,
and that's you know, that's the direction of the world's going.
I mean, the so called transition is slowing down despite.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
All rhetoric, and sixty five percent of countries in terms
of the bigger minitary not even in net zero. So
where the poor old monkey is going down the garden path.
Speaker 12 (48:36):
Well, that's right, we've been cutting out of noses off
the spelled our posts. With net zero, I think the
National Party has got the right did David Liberal Proud
took it on board yesterday. Now he's got to take
it up to Susan Lee and her party. I mean
it's a religion really.
Speaker 4 (48:48):
I mean, I think humans are responsible for four percent
of emissions and Australia one percent of that and we're
going to reduce that one percent of the four percent.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
So it's just big jam gym I call him.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
He's got some pressure now with some people coming in,
you know Dan Alino, which is great from the Ale.
Andrew Charlton, Cabinet Secretary we might see some pressure on Charmers.
Speaker 4 (49:06):
Look I hope so. I mean Charmers, to his credit,
has said that he wants to make productivity the centerpiece
of this term, but he's also said he thinks that
he can't do it for six years.
Speaker 2 (49:14):
Well no, I think he has done it now.
Speaker 4 (49:15):
I mean, you know, he's They have a big mandate
and they really shouldn't waste you know, they should do
hard things. A Productivity Commission is going to release a
report later this year to recommend stuff, some of which
will be difficult, you know, the competition policy, speeding up approvals,
things like that. So I just hope the Labour Party
seizes it because the country needs it. We're in a
productivity crisis. I mean, you know, it fell one point
(49:36):
two percent last year. You know, living standards are fall
and ten percent and the main reason is the appalling
productivity experience they've had.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
Gents, not wrong, I'd see you both things. Wait, that's
even me. See tomorrow night.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
Here's Andrew
Pedo Krandler live on Sky News Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good evening, Welcome to the program. What a day. Here's
what's coming up on Kredline.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Susan leader leader lives in a ballot that went down
to just four votes between her and Angus Taylor. A
long press conference today, some interesting words from the new leader.
I'll give you my take and what's really happened today
behind closed doors in a moment, airbus albow back to
jedoff tomorrow morning. Two international trips on the card Indonesia
and Rome, as the Prime Minister of the Ministry was
(00:35):
fought in today at Government House. Speaking of the PM's
trip to Rome, there's now a common theme emergent when
it comes to the PM's Catholicism. It feels very transactional
to me, to say the least. We'll get into that
in a moment. And another day too of fight our
farmers taking their fight to the depths of Victorian Parliament
as the Allen government expects him to foot the bill
for their poor management of the regional Fire Service.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
This is just going to break down out right.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It's criminals who keeps.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Parties with busas we're not telling out a whole year.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Who will find a way to keep paying these bills?
Speaker 6 (01:13):
What it does mean we're not making any more money,
so we have to take the money from somewhere else.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
The Victorian Liberal leader Brad Batton's coming up in the program.
But first let's go to camera, to the to the
Federal Liberal Party leadership. Today there the party room elected
its first female federal leader, twenty four year parliamentary veteran
Susan Lee, who won over her colleagues twenty nine votes
to twenty five rankus Taylor. Now Lee is a mix
(01:41):
of contradictions. A Liberal who won a National Party seat
and held it for over two decades. Someone who's been
in the Parliament for years but who outside of Canberra
is virtually unknown, who has a unique backstory. Someone too,
who was once a big pro Palestinian supporter but now
has changed her tune.
Speaker 7 (02:02):
Following my appointment as deputy, I took a trip to
Israel and I spent a lot of time seeing what
was happening on the ground, and then, of course the
hideous events of October the seventh in Gaza have changed
my thinking on the entire subject.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Now Good on today she took that issue head on.
It was a lengthy press conference. I have to say
I thought Susan Lee acquitted herself very well.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
She was directing her responses.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
She didn't let the camera press gallery walk all over
her either.
Speaker 7 (02:40):
We have to recognize that we need a strong country
that is committed to a manufacturing base that relies on cheap,
reliable energy. To walk away from next to you your
pretty words in my math, Andrew, no policies have been
adopted or walked away from.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Now, make no bones about it.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
I would have preferred Taylor as leader given his economic experience,
but it was good to see that the Liberal Party's
first female leader was elected rather than installed by the factions,
as was the case remember with Labour's Julia Gillard. But
that's not to discount Susan Lee's factionalism here. She's a
moderate out of the party's left wing faction that was
(03:22):
forced to do a deal to save a preselection in
twenty twenty two and in New South Wales.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
It is that.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Very factionalism that's the reason why the federal executive was
forced last year to intervene and put the party into administration,
with a committee of party elders running the show, including
former Federal Party president, former Howard government minister Richard Austen,
whom I spoke with here last night.
Speaker 8 (03:47):
There are six hundred and eight people who have been
refused membership of the party. There have been four or
half thousand people who have let their membership lapse in
the last few years. No new branches been created since
twenty sixteen. It's just appalling, and it's because the factions collude.
(04:07):
Any fool can write an article about someone wants to
go left some day. That's complete nonsense. I mean, the
reality is people want good policy. It's not a left
or right thing.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Now on that Richard Austen nailed it. For too long,
the Liberal Party's left wing faction is argued it needs
to be just a nicer version of the Labor Party
to win office. And look where the party have tried
that you heard, Richard. No new branches since twenty sixteen.
That coincides with the advent of Malcolm Turbule, and under
Malcolm Turble in that election, the Liberal Party lost fourteen seats,
(04:42):
one seat short of losing government in Wa Well. The
Libs had a climate policy there at a state level.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
It was even.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Greener than that of the Greens and they were then
reduced to a rump of just two MP's in the
Lower House. In South Australia, after seventeen years of Labor rule,
the Libs won and then under the moderate Stephen they
stood for nothing and then they then got thrown out
of office after just one term by Peter Malanowskis In Victoria, well,
(05:08):
all the factional brawling that's gone on there for years
has meant that the Liberals for twenty five years have
been in almost permanent opposition, but for just one single term.
What wins you government is good policy and good politics.
Get the policy right and the politics will then follow.
When politics trump's policy, then that's the surest way in
(05:32):
my experience, to be shown the door by the Electric. Ultimately,
it wasn't a factor as to what faction Peter Dutton
might have been at the recent election. His policies or
lack of them, are what to let the Liberals down,
and the fact that they seem to almost give up
on attacking Labor by failing to call out Labour's lies
or defending the character of their leader as the former
(05:55):
Deputy here Susan Lee, Well she doesn't have clean hands
in any that, nor does Angus Taylor. Indeed, every frontbencher
should take responsibility for the fact that the work was
not done, or if it was done, it was never released. Now,
these are sort of basic campaign errors that must be addressed.
To rebuild from here, the party must have a fedek
(06:18):
and review that does more than just sit on the
shelf and gather dust.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
But at the same time, in signaling a wholesale.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Review, MPs need to be careful that those with vested
interests don't hold sway over Lee or her new deputy
Ted O'Brien.
Speaker 9 (06:35):
And having federal government own nuclear power stations, is that going.
Speaker 8 (06:38):
To be your position do you think going forward?
Speaker 7 (06:40):
Well, just here in this party room only a couple
of hours ago, I committed to my colleagues that there
would be no captain's calls from anywhere by me, And
I also committed during the discussions I had with them
this week that we would work through every single policy issue.
We would canvass the different views and we would take
the time to get it right.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
So nuclear is up for grabs.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yesterday, though, when the same question about nuclear energy was
asked to the newly recollected Nationals leader Dave little proud
there was no such fence sitting.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
We've had the courage on nuclear energy, something that our
party room has believed in for a very long time,
and all renewables approach won't work. But it was our
party room from many people before us, that had the
courage to come forward.
Speaker 10 (07:28):
But it was us.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
It was our party room.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
That delivered it. Now, as I've been reporting for the
past couple of days, the push is on by so
called moderates, primarily out of New South Wales, to get
the Libs to dump nuclear and just roll over and
adopt holes Bolus Chris Bowen's energy plan, even though if
they've done nuclear, there's no reasonable prospect of Australian meeting
any emissions targets. At the same time, is keeping us
(07:53):
a first world economy if the New South Wales moderates
get their way. And let's not forget Matt Kean Labour's
knew yesmount On Climate was once the factional leader up
until recently that the Liberals will be in the wilderness
for a very long time because without a baseload option
and with a grid that's just wind and solar, Australians
will not be able to afford their power bills and
(08:14):
industry and jobs.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Will desert our country.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
On a couple of other important issues today, Lee didn't
throw the baby out with the bath water, and that's
a good thing.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
We should.
Speaker 7 (08:26):
We should unite under the one Australian flag. That is
my firm view, and this with respect to welcome for country.
It's simple. If it's meaningful, if it matters, if it resonates,
then it's in the right place. If it's done in
a way that is ticking a box on a team's meeting,
(08:46):
then I don't think it is relevant.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
All credit to Susan Lee today. She spoke with a
lot of clarity across a lot of topics. Pretty impressive.
On the issue of more women in the party room
and more women attracted to the Liberal cause, well no
one could disagree with this.
Speaker 7 (09:05):
It is true that the numbers of women who are
supporting US is declining, and I want to rule a
line under that. I don't want to see that decline
for one more day. And that means a genuine, serious
engagement with a new leadership team and a new agenda,
and one that I will personally drive.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Now On the vexed issue, though of quotas. This is
where there will be a huge fight if the moderates
try and force them on a party that was founded
on the principle of merits, that merits and effort should
be the only criteria for advancement.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
Quote as the targets in twenty twenty one and twenty
twenty two, I think forty and fifty percent, respectively.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Do you still believe in that?
Speaker 7 (09:49):
With respect to my comments about women in the Liberal Party,
I want to say right here and now, we need
more women in our party now. At the end of
the last election, there was a review done extremely wealth
and I will certainly re engage with all of those
different organizations within our party to absolutely understand how we
can improve that trajectory.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Now, Targets are what you aspire to, Quotas are what
you demand and you enforce, and quotas are demeaning. To
divide us by gender is just as offensive as it
was to try and divide us all by race in
the voice and doesn't leads very elevation to the Liberal
leadership without a quota in sight. Proved just how obsolete
(10:34):
this whole.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Idea is anyway.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I mean, here we are in twenty twenty five, still
having a debate about what is a woman at the
same time as we're saying we need special spots for
women because they're so hardly done by in politics. For
the past three years, Susan Lee was a Liberal Party's
shadow Minister for women, something a journalist today grabbed hold of.
You were the shadow minister for women in the last term.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Women obviously abandoned the Liberal Party for consecutive elections. To
what extent do you have.
Speaker 11 (11:06):
To take responsibility for giving you a part of the
leadership team and you had that portfolio so clearly not
having reached them.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
A fair cop.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
I mean, do you really think a quota is going
to make a woman in pen with Penrith a vote
for the Libs rather than policies than make.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Her life better?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Well, of course not, good policy is what matters, not
the gender of its proponents.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Look at the Labor Party.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
They have had a massive landslide win to a party
led by a male leader and a male deputy. Now
let me just remind some of the idiots sprouting these
pro quota lines that the last Liberal leader to pick
up more than forty percent of the female vote in
this country was Tony Abbott. Tony Abbott got forty five
percent of the female vote. Certainly wasn't Malcolm Turnbull the
(11:54):
Left Light to think he was such a winner with women.
Yet under turbule, the party's share of the female vote
dropped under forty for the first time, down to a
shocking thirty five percent. That's ten points lower than Abbott,
and it's been falling and falling ever since. In putting
together the new shadow ministry, susanly needs to preference front
(12:15):
bench capacity over factional rewards.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
I mean this idea that the former.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Essays Captain Andrew Hasty should now be dumped to let
bother boy Alex Hook get the job as a bit
of a thank you for doing Lee's numbers as the
Defense shadow. Well, that would set this new team off
to a shocking start. To survive, Lee and O'Brien needs
to put the best team they can together because with
Labour's ninety three seats to the coalition's forty two, it's
(12:44):
a long way back for the Coalition. At its most simple,
the job of opposition is to not make weak compromises
with the bad government. The job of opposition is to
be a clear alternative and that means more fighting the dog,
more willingness from the Liberal to create a contest with
their opponents in the washer from its election loss. The
(13:07):
real problems for the Liberals, aside from a failure to fight,
the real problem was the party had had it with
less to do about more women, or less women, or
more migrants, any of that. It was that it had
too few supporters, too few members full stop. Now that's
in part because of factional warlords to rather keep party
(13:28):
branches small and under control than inviting everyone and anyone
who would normally vote Liberal and are interested in genuinely
debating policy and supporting good candidates.
Speaker 8 (13:40):
You're always going to have left and right, progressive, moderate conservative,
whatever as how it said broad Church. But when they
get together and exclude people, you know, mother Teresa turns
up says she's available, I'd say sorry, you're not in
the right faction.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Last year the Liberal Party Federal the Executive intervened in
New South Wales because factional maneuvering when the party had
failed to nominate its local government candidates in time. Now
there will be a lot of pressure now on Susan
Lee to end that intervention so that the factional warlords
can get back control.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Of the party in New South Wales. So this will
be a big test for her.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Does she stand firm and get the reforms done by
extending the term of this intervention, letting them rewrite the
New South Wales Liberal Party a constitution, or don't she
now just sack Richard Austen or Alan Stockdell and.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
The others and give in to the factions.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Because in the end, the first job of a broken
opposition is to unite. It's to understand why you lost,
to listen and rebuild. It's about articulating the Liberal Party's
values and beliefs and then putting forward solutions to the
challenges facing our people and our country. And to make
sure that the party is not controlled by factional manipulators,
(14:59):
even though who might have supported you into the top job.
That's the start of the Liberal comeback our country needs.
As I said, a huge jacamba today on both sides
of politics. Let's go there now for the headlines, the
Sky News political reporter Cam Reddin.
Speaker 10 (15:20):
A diminished Liberal Party convenes for the first time since
it's crushing election defeat.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
To be back in editon I don't miss the icing mornings.
It's good to have a debate with colleagues.
Speaker 10 (15:31):
Your relationship today. Oh look, democraphy Democracy delivering a female
leader for the first time in the party's eighty year history.
Speaker 7 (15:40):
The numbers of women who are supporting us is declining,
and I want to rule a line under that. I
don't want to see that decline for one more day.
Speaker 10 (15:49):
First elected in two thousand and one, Susan Lee prevailed
twenty nine votes to twenty five over Angus Taylor, the
former Shadow treasurer, locked out of the top job. Future
on the front bench is uncertain.
Speaker 12 (16:02):
Angus, if you're watching this, you need to be there.
Speaker 7 (16:04):
He would have been a fine leader of the Liberal
Party at this time.
Speaker 10 (16:09):
Ted O'Brien, who led the coalition's pitch for nuclear power,
will serve as deputy.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
These values which unite the Liberal Party are the very
values that have the capacity to unite the nation.
Speaker 10 (16:21):
Just in to Nampa, jimper Price has failed in her
beard for a leadership spot after defecting from the Nationals.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Has the work of switch center. Price will be making
comments in.
Speaker 10 (16:31):
Jip course up the road at Government House. The Prime
Minister's new ministry has been sworn.
Speaker 13 (16:36):
In I, Anthony Norman Albanesi too solemnly and sincerely affirm
and declare that I will well and truly serve the
Comwealth of Australia, her Land and her people in the
office of.
Speaker 10 (16:50):
Prime Minister Cameron Reddin's Sky News Canberra, as I.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Said ecty day, join him now from Canada, the pluk
or of what you just saw there, Can Reddin and
a Daily Telegraph journalist James Willis.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Gents, welcome.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
We'll start with the Prime Minister because clearly Cam now
that is one. He's got that great big seat buffer.
He's not scared about being airbus elbow again. He heads
off to Indonesia tomorrow, then he heads off to Rome
for the Pope's inauguration on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And you're going with him. What can we expect? Yeah?
Speaker 10 (17:21):
Good for me, I suppose, Peter. My European summer not
quite starting a little bit early. But I did check
it six months to today since his final or his
last overseas visit that was to the Apex and g
twenty summers at the middle of November last year, so
he did notably put them on hold throughout the campaign.
Clearly there was an election to win Peter, and perhaps
a bit of feedback that, look, you need to stay
on home base while that election is there to be won.
(17:43):
But it's going to be the start of a busy period.
When it comes to the overseas trips, we can expect
that to extend to the G seven. I think that's
in June in Canada, potentially a trip to the White
House as well. One to really watch will be on
Sunday when, in amongst all the swearing in or the
curation of the new Pope, will there be some kind
of face to face between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanesi.
(18:06):
We still don't know for certain that the President will
be there in the Vatican over the weekend, but with
so much attention on this event globally, you wouldn't put
it past him rocking up and potentially Peter finding a
bit of time for some chats with the world leaders
on the side. So will that be the time that
Anthony Alberanzi finally meets the President of the United States?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah, I am going.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
To watch him very closely in Rome, I have to say,
can because he's made a lot of comments about, you know,
finding his Catholicism and he's spending a lot of taxpayers
money to get that jet all the way to Italy.
But I noticed today when he was sworn in with
the Governor General. I'll come back to this with my panel.
He did not swear on the Bible. He took the affirmation.
So that's a bit interesting to me. Let's go to
(18:51):
Liberal Party leadership. Susan Lee, as I said, four votes
ahead of Angus Taylor in the final numbers. Ted O'Brien
of course elected deput ages Inter Namba Jipi Price. She
did not run in the end. I think you're a
bit tough on her there to say she was defeated
in her bid to be deputy camp she didn't run.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Are they going to unite now? Oh?
Speaker 10 (19:12):
Well, unity will be the test, I suppose, Peter. And
that's one observation that both sides have made here is
that the Liberal Party was united under Peter Dutton for
the best part of three years. They really put up
that united front and whatever factional friction there might have
been was put to one side. But we saw a
little bit of the sunlight going in today and that
vote was quite close, as you know, twenty nine to
(19:33):
twenty five. So it would only take a few changing
their mind to change the leadership. Susan Lee says she'll
be there for three years. She certainly begins with that endeavor.
I think the real question, and you alluded to this
in your opening remarks, Peter, where will they fall on
some of those key policy issues, because that is ultimately
what the Liberal Party and ultimately the National Party two
(19:54):
will need to decide. Do they not only stick with
nuclear power, but did they stick with it in this form?
Do they water it down and say we'll just repeal
the moratorium, We're not going to commit to this state
owned nuclear plan that Ted O'Brien was spearheading. What do
they do on the economic narrative as well? That's going
to be a really key narrative shift there. We saw
Angus Taylor as the Shadow Treasurer. There was a bit
(20:16):
of an attempt to put some of the failure of
the coalition's message at his feet on that election defeat.
And what now too? For Jane Hume, we know she
didn't put her hand up in the end either for
a leadership role in the Senate. Will she continue as
the Finance Minister or will they attempt to completely redraw
the board and put some new faces in those two
portfolios to hit the hard reset button if you like.
(20:39):
So all that to be sorted out overcoming weeks, Peter.
But really with the shift of personnel, it's where they
land on the policy and that's what will decide whether
they can unite around that at all.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I think.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
We just saw images there on the screen of Andrew
Hasty walking into the party room for the vote today, James,
and I have to say, given that Alex Hawk is
talked about as being given the job of Andrew Hasty
in defense, I only fell off my seat today when
I heard that Hawk, who is a factional ally of
Susan Lee, was out there doing her numbers. When he
(21:12):
had this to say in the morning heading into the Parliament,
who are you backing?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Well, I'm going to think about it.
Speaker 9 (21:20):
I've got a few more conversations with colleagues and I'll
make a decision like everybody else.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Mate, he's been on the blower for the last four
or five days doing the numbers.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
I mean, give me a break.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
And of course you broke that story this morning that
one of Hawk's own staff has been stacking out branches
in Angus Taylor's electorate.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
What can you tell.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Us that's right? And this happened over a six month
period last year. Peter where, a twenty one year old
who resides at St. Andrew's at Sydney University, is an
advisor slash speech writer for Alex Hawk. A guy called
Coculan Samtha Kumar has effectively coordinated a massive branch recruitment
(22:02):
drive from other parts of Sydney, from the Blue Mountains,
from Penrith, a couple of a little bit close, but there's
some that are eighty kilometers away to fall into a
branch which was on its knees with four or five
members in Camden. All of a sudden, in six months,
it goes from about five members to thirty. I've had
five or six young Liberals tell me that this Hawk
(22:23):
staff coordinated this and said we've got to save the branch.
Everyone's going to come on board. It now looks like
the Hawk staff is going to be president of that branch.
And this was a factional play to basically grow control
of an area which is in Angus Taylor's electorate effectively
could be voting in pre selections in the future. It's
not significant enough to decide Angus's pre selection. But it's
(22:44):
certainly a factional play that happened between June and December
last year. Now what's interesting about this is that everything
that we know about Alex Hawk and his involvement in
counting numbers for Susan Lee, I put this to Alex
Hawk and said, mate, this stuff from your office. Has
he been recruiting people for another branch? Alex Hawk says,
(23:05):
I don't know anything about it, and he also insists,
and I want to be very clear on this, Peter,
he insists that his electoral office in the seat of
Mitchell is not used for Liberal Party factional dealings, and
I just want to put that on the record. Alex
Hawk says there is no factional dealings in his office
and he knew nothing about what the staff was up to.
So that's where things are at. In the twelve hours
(23:26):
since that story came out, Peter, I've had a mountain
of correspondence from young Liberals about a much wider issue
across Sydney where members are being recruited. There is some
talk of members being recruited and offered possibly jobs in
MP's staff for officers, and this includes recruitment right through
to the school system before people finish their HSC. So
(23:46):
there's a lot more to come on this, but certainly
this happened in Angus Taylor's backyard, and we revealed that
as he was vying for the leadership against Susan Lee
and against the person that was counting her numbers, Alex Hawk.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
I'm fanning my face, gents, because I need smelling salts
after hearing that sort of.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Furfy thrown at me that.
Speaker 7 (24:11):
Time.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
I tell you what memo to all of them.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
You know, the first thing I did when I became
chief of staff to the opposition leader was actually to
hire a bit of gray hair. I hire people that
were policy experts that you know, could read a balance sheet,
knew how to do a costing. I could understand, you know,
on a map where Akina Fasu was, who weren't just branchstackers.
It will be interesting how she puts her office together
(24:37):
will be telling as to what sort of leader Susan
Lee will be. I'll leave it there, including a chief
of staff, but there's rumors about that tonight a certain
failed senator's putting in her hand up goodness bank, gents,
there you go something to race down and see if
you can turn that into a story.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
I'll leave it there.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Let's go to Victoria today, more than four hundred farmers
and see if they Volunteers gathered on the steps of
Victorian Parliament last ditch bid to stop the other labor
government imposing and you one point six billion dollar emergency
services tax.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
On all Victorians.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
The state's upper House was due to this amendment today,
but that's now been pushed back until Thursday because I'm
being told that Labour's numbers have collapsed. Now this is
a staggering example of just how out of touch the
labor government is with all the enormous pressures facing our
farmers who are not just struggling with this tax, but
drought that is ripping across the state's southwest. Brag McDonald
(25:32):
was one of the many farmers there today. He's a
thirty five year old sheep and crop farmer from sananad
pleased to say, he joins me now, Bred, welcome to
the program. I'm obviously going to talk to politicians about this,
but I want to talk to people at the cold face.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
What was it like there for you today?
Speaker 5 (25:50):
It was sort of a bit of sweet because there
was lots of familiar faces, people who travel big distances.
But it was sort of frustrating too that we've got
to go to Melbourne to try and get out voice
is heard, and like people have given up feeding sheep
and sitting on the track to getting their crops in
setting them up for the next year, and yeah, we've
got to go down to the steps of Parliament to
try and be heard.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
You're a farmer, as I said, but you're also a
volunteer for your local fibergate. I mean, how do you
feel when you volunteer to keep your company, country and
community safe, but you've also got a copper bill going
into tens of thousands of dollars.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Yeah, well it makes you pretty angry when you're Yeah,
you're expected to foot the bill for the increased risk
of what the gunman is doing to us, like farmers
are copy it from every which way at the moment,
with transmission lines to win turbines, solar panels, mines and
then the dry seasons rough out in some places. Yeah,
and then you're expected to put the bill for it.
(26:49):
It's just not right.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
What do you currently pay and what will your new
bill be? Do you know.
Speaker 5 (26:58):
I'm not too sure about that a hat little but
one of our rates notices there before, and it's on
the rates notes I looked at. It was about twenty
percent and the increase will take it to about forty
percent of the rates bill. But that's that's just one
parcel and it was, Yeah, it was about two and
a half grand just on that one. But there's failures
that there'd be yeah, numbers that would go into the
(27:20):
hundreds of thousands of dollars, no doubt that. Yeah, we're
sort of little fish, but yeah, we still don't need
this extra bill.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
And of course I mentioned the top the drought. I
know my sister's down the Terrang Way. They're on a
dairy farm and they're feeding out that they've got basically
no grass left. If they don't get rain in the
next couple of weeks, it'll be too cold terrain. What's
drought conditions like up your way?
Speaker 5 (27:48):
Oh, it's pretty dry like it's most of themes are
nearly empty with hand feeding sheep on a daily basis,
but hopefully it'll rain. It's yeah, it's the time of year.
Word it's about due to rain.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
With it.
Speaker 5 (28:02):
When it does rain, it's probably going two cold so
it won't rain grass overnight. So yeah, feeding will continue
for a period of time, but hopefully the yeah crops
will grow and we'll see how the year pan's out.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
What staggers me is that the premier is from Bendigo.
You think that she would get it, that she'd be
sympathetic to what farmers do, but what the CFA does,
clearly that's not the case.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
What would be your message to her.
Speaker 5 (28:29):
Ah, don't bite the hand that feeds you. But she
needs to learn to live within her means. Like they
can't just keep on slugging people taxes and jacking up
yeah levees and fees and everything all around the place
because they can't manage money, like, they need to look
at how they spend the money and what really needs
to be done in Victoria before they go slugging everyone
(28:53):
for it.
Speaker 3 (28:55):
And scratch on a railway and a row that no
one wants. I'll leve it there, Brad, thank you for
joining me. All the best Up the break, I'll just
put what Brad's had to say to the opposition leader
Brad Baton and see if they're going to stand up
to the Allen government. Plus we'll get into a whole
lot of issues in a moment, BLOCKA bangs still to calm.
(29:17):
The UK is finally seen the light when it comes
to open borders. Is this just Kia Starmer running scared
as Nigel Farage gets more popular the first Today, Victorian
Opposition leader Brad Baton joined the National Party and hundreds
of farmers as you just saw on the steps of
Victorian Parliament to protest against legislation result in the fire
(29:37):
levy in the state tripling. It was an expression of
frustration from a community fed up with governments that are
seemingly not interested in the needs of Victorians beyond the
suburbs of Melbourne. Victorian leader Brad Batton joins me now, Bred,
thank you for your time. I know it is a
busy sitting week. I've just played the footage of what's
happening there on the ground today at the Parliament building.
(30:00):
Talk to me about the levees and your position on it.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
Yeah, we came out today and thank you very much
for having us on, Peter. But we came out today
and met up with the farmers. And it's not just farmers.
This is a tax on every person who has infrastructure
across this state. But the farmers are the ones need
to get hit hardest and first. And as you said,
and I listened to Brad before when you were talking
to him about farming at the moment and the challenges
they've got when it comes to a drought. We've got
(30:27):
the people on those farms who are volunteer firefighters, and
now we've got a government that to repay them and
thank them, they want to go out of their way
to add an extra tax to them. It is absolutely
appalling that farmers tax is going to increase up to
one hundred and eighty nine percent some more in some
cases that's the average across the state. At the same time,
they're already struggling when it comes to drought, lack of
(30:48):
support from government, and now we're seeing they have to
travel into Melbourne to raise their points. That's why we
went out and listened to them.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Brad.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
What's the point of this increase? One hundred and eighty
nine percent is enormous? Is this to pay for the
botched merger of the Metropolitan Fibergate and the CFA.
Speaker 6 (31:10):
Well, this is a problem for the government at the
moment because they haven't explained really what the money's for.
They're trying to say this is to cover for emergency services.
They even tried to put it through Parliament and call
it a volunteers tax. Well, it is a volunteers tax
because it's taxing volunteers. And now it's going to pay
for things like triple zero, which the government should deliver
without any issues FRV, the Fire Rescue Victoria.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
As you mentioned, all of these extra.
Speaker 6 (31:33):
Costs are now put into this two point one billion
dollar income stream that is coming from all Victorians, particularly farmers.
These are core parts of business. The Victorian government have
and always continued to pay for things like the fire services,
the emergency response to triple zero out of the funding
they've already got. So now they're doing this so they
can save two point one billion dollars elsewhere. And I'm
(31:55):
sure it's going to go to things like the SRL
in Melbourne to cover this urban rail loop or worse
to go off, and they're going to try and pay
off their debt with this because labor cannot manage money.
And now they're taxing our farmers to cover up their waste.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Just the other day though they announce something like three
hundred and fifty million dollars to upgrade that the Formula
one track at Albert Park. I mean, surely paying for
fire services is core business of government that should be
done first and find slug me a levee. But I
don't volunteer on the weekend. Surely, if you're volunteering in
(32:31):
the fibergate on the weekend, it shouldn't have to pay
the levee.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
Yeah, there's not a person watching your show at the
moment that things. Volunteers should be slugged an increase tax
for those that go out where I get caught out
at midnight and go out and fight fires, whether it's
for an hour or two weeks, they go and do
it each and every time without question. And as you
just said, then every single person with a budget at
home has to take priorities of where they're going to
(32:56):
spend their money. And this government has the wrong priorities continuously.
And I know you mentioned about the f one grand
prix and the three hundred and fifty million, there's one
section worse than that. Not only have they gone out
and negotiated a new contract which is costing an extra
three hundred and fifty million for the upgrade, they've also
allowed f one Grand Prix Association to take over the
(33:17):
most profitable part of that they track, which is the
hospitality section within the paddock. This is something that Victorian
businesses used to have a chance to go in get
some income and ensure that they could survive. That's now
been sold off. So the government spent taxpayers money to
stop Victorians.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Had an opportunity.
Speaker 6 (33:34):
That's continuation of how this government operates across the state.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
And who pays.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
It's the farmers, it's everyone who owns infrastructure.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
They're continuing to pay the price.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
All right, that's been really really clear. Then to voters tonight,
where do you stand on this levee.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
Our priority right at the moment, Peter is we do
not support this levee. Our goal is to make sure
it does not go through this Thursday.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
We have said to every person that was here.
Speaker 6 (33:58):
Today that I've spoken to commitment to them. We need
to work exceptionally hard to stop it going through this
week because farmers won't survive to the next election if
this goes through, If the government gets the numbers and
the Greens or the Animal Justice Party or any of
those other minor parties fold or give up something else
and sell out farmers. We will then go and meet
(34:18):
with the farmers and find the best way forward. So
we've got a fair attack system. But right at the
moment we must stop it. That is our priority. I've
promised that to the farmers that will work to do
this week and that is my commitment to them.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
All right, Brad, thank you for coming on the show.
I know you've got to go back to the Parliament.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Let's cross now to South Australia. We're a thirteen year
old transgender girl, so a biological boy has broken a
number of girls records at a recent sports day. This
has led to parents to the private Catholic school to
express their anger and disappointment. One dad told news dot
com do AU that parents failed and I quote the
school was wronging their kids in the name of fairness.
(34:55):
They were making it completely unfair for ten or fifteen
or twenty other girls in Liberal Senator Leah Blithe has
released a statement calling for an immediate action to protect
fairness in girls' school sports. I'm pleased to say the
Senator that will Leah b Live joins me. Now, well, Senator,
you know how on earth is this fair?
Speaker 11 (35:17):
It's a great question, and something that I ask myself
is how is this fair? If we are encouraging young
girls to play sport and we say to them, train hard,
work hard, and we should be able to offer them
a level playing field, It's not fair for them to
have to compete against boys who have a clear biological
advantage over them. And I'm really concerned. I'm the mother
(35:40):
of two girls, and I'm really concerned about the message
that this sends to all girls in terms of participation.
I don't want any girls feeling like they don't want
to compete because there's no point.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
At the last election and during the campaign I spoke
to Peter Dutton about and he said all the right
things behind closed door, and then had a position that
you know, caged in common sense terms, but didn't really
do anything about it, to never put a bill up
in the Parliament. I know your colleague and Senator Claire
Chandler had put a billion to protect girls' sports, so
(36:14):
it didn't go anywhere. Is this something you're going to
prosecute now, particularly you've got a female leader in Susan Lee.
Surely this has got to be back on the table.
Speaker 11 (36:27):
I think it has to be Peter, and I think
looking at the recent Supreme Court decision coming out of
the UK, we have to get back to sex based
rights and in Australia, let's be honest, if we can't
define what a girl or a woman is and we're
not willing to use biology to define that, then we
(36:48):
have no sex based rights in this country. And I
think it is at the detriment or to the detriment
of all girls and women particularly that are trying to
play sport in our country. So I think for me
it is certainly back on the table. I've been inundated
with contact from families, mums, dad's, grandparents from all across
(37:10):
South Australia who were sharing very very similar experiences that
was reported here over the weekend.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Senator Blithe, thank you. See that little example there shows
exactly what mockery quotas is. If we've got a school
sport race, we've got a biological boy running around as
a transgender girl, that's okay. We've got to have quotas
to get women into parliament.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
Give me a break.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
After the break the progars a candidate who's actually calling
for segregation of sexes in the UK. Plaus We'll talk
about the Starma government and this big backflip of assorts
on visa rules. Is this fair income or is this
about Nigel Faraj? Welcome back, Adam Crichton, Terry Barnes coming up.
(37:56):
We'll get into productivity and a whole lot of issues
around today. Let's go to the UK where where former
Prime Minister current Prime Minister Sekis Starmer has unveiled sweeping
reforms to slash migration. So he says he's promised to
bring down numbers significantly by the end of his parliamentary term.
That's still four and a bit years away. Now he's
talking a big game, but it's hard not to see
(38:18):
this as a bit of a cynical ploy, given he's
losing ground rapidly to Nigel Faraj's Reform Party. Joty renown
to unpack this, ad More sky New's contributor, of course,
the wonderful author Iron Herciali. I aren't welcome to the program.
How genuine is this attempt by Starmer to regain control
of Britain's borders?
Speaker 14 (38:40):
Peter Lovely to see you. I think this is just
empty words. I see this because I compare Donald Trump campaigned,
for instance, on closing the southern border, and if you
look at the results, you compare those of the Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom Kiosk, who made the exact
(39:01):
same noises several times that he was going to crack
down on immigration. But in the first quarter of twenty
twenty five, the small boat crossings into the UK went
up by forty percent compared to last year around the
same time. Trump has been in office for only one
hundred days and the crossings through the southern border have
(39:22):
gone down by ninety two percent. And so that is
if you know, elections have consequences, and what we are
seeing with Keir Starmer is that the last local election
when Labor lost and lost badly and the Reformed Party
of Nigel farajwon, he's gone back to again deploying that
(39:43):
rhetoric that he thinks speaks to the average person in Britain.
But the policies, this is, the actions speak louder than words,
and it just tells us that his words are quite empty,
specially compared to President Trump, who has been in office
for only one hundred and managed a ninety two percent drop.
Speaker 2 (40:04):
In border crossings.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
We look at all the polls in relations the Poles
in relation to Nigel Varaj and those significant wins they
had in the local council elections.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
Do you see this issue as.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
One of the driving issues for reform.
Speaker 14 (40:18):
It's absolutely, it is the driving issue. It is immigration
and Islam, and it is the British people, like many
other Europeans, who haven't been consulted about what many of
them feel to be an invasion. They don't even call
it immigration anymore. Feels like an invasion. And these politicians
(40:39):
saying the right things when they think they need the electorate,
but once they come into office doing the exact opposite.
And so this is exactly what's driving it. And we're
going to see everywhere we're seeing populist parties and new
parties on the rise, and I think that's what's driving
Kirstamus rhetoric.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
Talk to me about this progas I can who want
to stay in the council election campaigning for gender segregation.
This is in Lancashire and it rises. I think real
concerns about sectarianism but parallel value systems. And now we've
talked about Sharia law, but I mean this is an
eighteen year old candidate. She wants Buslim men and women
(41:19):
not to mix freely.
Speaker 14 (41:21):
In Britain, well, immigration also has consequences, and in Britain,
the Muslim brotherhood especially is very well established and their
tactic is to gain power one council at a time
through elections. This woman was made to stand for elections.
And what she is proposing is sharier law through the
(41:44):
front door, Sharia law that is going to eat. We've
seen this in Michigan and Hamtrakt where the entire council
gets a majority of the Islamists and the Islamists wants
to introduce Sharia law and they vote on that. So
basically what she's proposing is let's segregate men and women.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
She said, or she is.
Speaker 14 (42:04):
I haven't heard her say this, but I've read some
of the quotes that Muslim men, Muslim women don't like
to be around Muslim men. And the question is why
is that I interpreted this as we've had this explosive
debate about the rape gangs and the implication and many
Imams have said this previously. If you don't want women
(42:26):
to be raped and assaulted and attacked, then we have
to have gender segregation. In other words, it's the sharier solution,
and they say ISLAMI is the solution and that's what
this woman is implementing.
Speaker 3 (42:40):
It harks back to time in Australia where we had
an imam say that women who don't cover up when
they're out in public, this is non Muslim women.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
Basically they're asking for it.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
The quote went to uncovered meat or something like that.
It was a huge outcry at the time, but I
thought we'd moved on from all of that. Ian Hessy, Ali,
thank you. We'll catch here soon. Halfter the Breakdownald Trump
hails this reset of relations with China. This is about
tariffs and a deal. What is it and how long
will it last? Plus concerned the government has moved the
NDIS out into.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
The Health portfolio. Critics say it will undermine the scheme.
Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
I want to return to the PM's trip to Rome,
and I make again the fact that at the swearing
inn at Government House today he made an affirmation, not
an oath, so no Bible have a look him.
Speaker 13 (43:35):
Anthony Norman Albanezi, do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare
that I will well and truly serve the Comwealth of Australia,
her Land and her people in the Office of Prime stuff.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
It's fine.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
A lot of the labor people, probably most of them
now don't touch the Bible. But contrast this with how
he was speaking about his trip to Rome for the
Pope's inauguration.
Speaker 15 (44:02):
My mum would be pretty pretty chuffed at the idea
that her son will be going as prime Minister to
see the inauguration of a pope in the Vatican City.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Let's bring in my paddle.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
Senior fellow and chief economist of the IBA Ad and
Crichton and a columnist at The Spectator, Terry Barnes, Well.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
It doesn't sit comfortably with me. I'm a Catholic, right
and we all know everyone's faith is private and it
ebbs and flows. But he put his faith out there
front and center all the way during the campaign. I'd say,
cravenly to pick up the votes of people out.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
In Western City, Western Melbourn who.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
Have a strong faith but gets there to be sworn
in and doesn't want to touch the Bible like it's kryptonite.
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Isn't amazing. I mean, this is a bloke.
Speaker 12 (44:46):
When Pope Francis died said that his mum the same
mum you're talking about gave him three great plays, a
Catholic Church, a Labor Party and South Sydney Rabbitots. Now,
when it comes to it, as you say, he was
out there trying to put his faith on his sleep
and tell everybody he's a good, good, faithful, moral person.
But when he has the chance to actually swear to
(45:07):
go buy a while to God, he doesn't. So it
seems to me that all he wants to do is
actually get on the plane, go to Rome, be a well,
basically a sleep.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
I've had a con tourist at a con tourist talk
to me about the US and China and this what
we call it a approchemont.
Speaker 2 (45:24):
Do we call it a deal on tariffs? What do
we know? Well, look, a's certainly great news.
Speaker 4 (45:27):
I mean the tariffs we're going to be one hundred
and forty five percent on one side and one hundred
and thirty percent on the other, and they've come down
to thirty and I think ten respectively or twenty. So
that's a massive production. It's equivalent to hundreds of billions
of dollars of extra stimulus between those two economies. It's
a great thing, but it's just for ninety days. So
I know Donald Trump calls it a total reset, but
he's the great exaggerator, as you know. And I think
you're going to find more heat and light, you know,
(45:49):
in the next eight basically after eighty days when they
come to innegotiate, we're going to see more. I don't
think the chor issues have been resolved, but it's a
good thing, and it's very good for Australia. He's anything
bad for China is very bad for our exports.
Speaker 3 (46:00):
What do we make at the Live A Party of
Leadership today, Well.
Speaker 12 (46:03):
I didn't have much confidence either candidate, to be honest
with you, Peter, I mean, but look, I'll give Susan
Lee a chance, but my expectations of her performing are
actually very low in terms of policy, in terms of
being able to reunite the party, in terms of keeping
the coalition together. But certainly I think she has eighteen
months and no more in terms of getting the coalition
(46:23):
back on an even keel, but actually showing that the
coalition both parties have the policy chops to do the job,
which they didn't show in the debarcle on the third
of Bay. But the other thing is neither she or
Angus Taylor actually took responsibility for that debarcle. I think
that's something they have to own up to.
Speaker 3 (46:42):
Yeah, they can't just throw this all at Peter Dunn.
I mean she was the deputy leader, right, so she's
basically admitting if she's not taking responsibility, she was admitting
that she was a fig leaf, you know, a feather duster,
that she had no say in the room. That's not
what you want in the leadership contender. And of course
she's now the leader. And I have to say, observing
leaders Terry, as you've done too, there's often no right answer, right,
(47:02):
there could be for right answers. You've got to make
a judgment call. You've got to back yourself and this
will be the test. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (47:07):
Look, I think the worry for Susan here she's been
in the Parliament. I think it's just one and I
really don't know what she stands for. I should know something,
so I'm very interested as to you know, what a
stance is on immigration, fiscal policy net zero, But we.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
Don't know yet.
Speaker 4 (47:20):
But I think a leader has to be malleable and
then she's going to have to work out what's you know,
you know what is you know, what is politically saleable
and and you know, the lead the party back from
the brink that zero.
Speaker 12 (47:30):
Think but even today she was saying, look, I will
consult with my colleagues. I mean she's going to be
led by them or is she going to leave them?
Speaker 2 (47:35):
Well, the factions, Terry, you know how it works in
your south right.
Speaker 4 (47:38):
So well, it's a national party really at the moment
where all the policy development is. I mean, they are
seemingly going to dump net zero, you know, thank goodness,
and I think that they may even drag the coalition
away from that zero, the Liberal Party rather from net zero.
You know, we've got this extraordinary situation where we have
Tony Blair on the same side as the National Party
when it comes to.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
Next zero at Labour and the Liberal Party potentially over there.
Speaker 4 (47:59):
So look, if you know, if net zero is not
good enough for Tony Blair, the former Labor Prime Minister,
then it shouldn't be good for the Liberals I think,
and that is where they're going to end.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
I think they should jump out composing oh.
Speaker 4 (48:07):
Yeah, because it gives them an economic framework to take
to the next election. Then they're clearly not willing to
campaign on tax form or welfare reform because that's just
too hard. But I think something yes, and very expensive,
but net zero is something that I think they can
link the cost of living, which is clearly a big issue,
and that's you know, that's the direction of the world's going.
I mean, the so called transition is slowing down despite.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
All rhetoric, and sixty five percent of countries in terms
of the bigger minitary not even in net zero. So
where the poor old monkey is going down the garden path.
Speaker 12 (48:36):
Well, that's right, we've been cutting out of noses off
the spelled our posts. With net zero, I think the
National Party has got the right did David Liberal Proud
took it on board yesterday. Now he's got to take
it up to Susan Lee and her party. I mean
it's a religion really.
Speaker 4 (48:48):
I mean, I think humans are responsible for four percent
of emissions and Australia one percent of that and we're
going to reduce that one percent of the four percent.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
So it's just big jam gym I call him.
Speaker 3 (48:56):
He's got some pressure now with some people coming in,
you know Dan Alino, which is great from the Ale.
Andrew Charlton, Cabinet Secretary we might see some pressure on Charmers.
Speaker 4 (49:06):
Look I hope so. I mean Charmers, to his credit,
has said that he wants to make productivity the centerpiece
of this term, but he's also said he thinks that
he can't do it for six years.
Speaker 2 (49:14):
Well no, I think he has done it now.
Speaker 4 (49:15):
I mean, you know, he's They have a big mandate
and they really shouldn't waste you know, they should do
hard things. A Productivity Commission is going to release a
report later this year to recommend stuff, some of which
will be difficult, you know, the competition policy, speeding up approvals,
things like that. So I just hope the Labour Party
seizes it because the country needs it. We're in a
productivity crisis. I mean, you know, it fell one point
(49:36):
two percent last year. You know, living standards are fall
and ten percent and the main reason is the appalling
productivity experience they've had.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
Gents, not wrong, I'd see you both things. Wait, that's
even me. See tomorrow night.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
Here's Andrew
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