The Country 13/03/25: Chris Russell talks to Jamie Mackay

Our Australian correspondent comments on ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Trump, tariffs and Dylan Brown. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's heresy. Correspondent Chris Russell based out of suddenly, Chris,
let's go up the road, awe bit to the Gold Coast.
How's the wash up or the cleanup going after tropical
cyclone Alfred.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, so it's the cleanups well and truly underway. They've
really been. It's more about rain than it is about wind.
It's actually depreciated as a wind force as it came
over the top of Morton Island, but by jear dropped
a lot of rain, you know, three quarters of a
meter of rain dropped over the Gold Court coast and
in Brisbane, so there's a lot of water damage, water everywhere.

(00:33):
Twenty two thousand insurance claims have already been lodged, and
two thousand I think they call them fast claims have
already been paid to get people out of the immediate trouble.
But yeah, a lot of water, happily not as much wind.
And happily, Liz Wore was saved by its now raised
wall that goes around the outside, which looks a bit

(00:54):
like one of Trump's walls into Mexico, except it's got
no holes in it and it's He'd save the day
in terms of any downtown flooding of Lismore, which they're
very grateful about. They didn't have to go through the
twenty twenty two experience. Again.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Now you mentioned Donald Trump as he shafted elbow.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
I think he shafted Australia. I think that he doesn't
like Albo. He doesn't like our commissioner in the US now,
Kevin Rudd, because he called him an idiot once before.
We had former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was the
one who secured our exemption on the last occasion he

(01:34):
threatened on the Trump won pregnancy pregnancy presidency, and he
does not any of those people, so I think he's
such an egotistical guy. He said no, they can come
and do their still processing over here, and he's not
accepting anyone. So it is a kick in the guts
and I'm not sure if it's redeemable or not. Any
of you just wouldn't know. He's just someone go over

(01:56):
shout him a nice hamburger and a sweet talking from men.
He may well change his mind, but certainly the head
of our navy here we are, Admiral Barry, is saying
he has real doubts about the orcus treaty actually being realized,
and whether Trump will in vac say no, we need
to keep all our submarines for us. We can't afford
to sell anyto Australia. And despite all the planning and

(02:19):
all the work and the fact we've already put five
hundred million and promised three point two billion to help
pay for their Virginia class submarine factory, but he'll walk
away and say no, sorry, we need all our submarines here,
you can't have one. So they're now for the first
time calling for a Plan B and that may well
interestingly involve the French again, because England's not in a

(02:40):
much better position about building their astute class submarines, which
was our second choice.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Jomie, Hey, Chris, do you think agriculture's next? Trump's making
noise about April to second It won't be good for
either Australia or New Zealand obviously.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Look, he's getting a lot of pressure, particularly from the
LAMB produces in America, to put a tariff on Australian
or particularly Australian also New Zealand lamb because of the
fact that they just can't compete over there with what
we can get it into the country. For I wouldn't
be surprised at all if we didn't see some effect

(03:16):
on that. The only thing that's in it working against
a little bit us having too much effect is our
low dollar. So of course our dollars drop down to
around sixty two cents now from twenty and sixteen I
think was the high where we're up around seventy five
seventy six cents, So you know, it's been up and
down all over the place. So that's certainly helping us.

(03:38):
But I don't think anyone's assuming anything with Trump. He's
just as lately to improse that tack that tax despite
the fact that Erricker is screaming for our hamburger meat
in particular, and we in fact are sending record amounts
over there at the moment. We just can't keep up
with demand, Jomie. So the short answer your question is no,

(03:58):
it's not safe. I wouldn't put any money on the
fact that he won't impose some sort of attacks or
tariff on our imported agricultural product.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Let's finish very quickly on sport. You're a big Paramotta
fan and the NRL have been a supporter of the club.
All your life, for most of it. Anyhow, Chris Russell,
Dylan Brown's gone. He's going to go to Newcastle. Fourteen
million over the next ten years. Not bad money if
you can get it.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
No, and everyone is surprised that even Dylan Brownham said
to us he had no intention of leaving the Eels.
The never intended to do that. He's played been associated
with the Eels ever since he came from New Zealand
as a fifteen year old. But how can he knock
back fourteen million dollars? And more important him is security

(04:48):
the fact that he's now guaranteed an income of one
point four million dollars a year for the next ten years.
And I think his managers will be saying, mate, he'd
want rocks in your head, not to take that sort of.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Chris Russell, thanks for your time, catch you again.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Next week, No worry. Sheby