The Bolt Report Podcast

00:15 Tonight, Exposed. The real agenda of the ugly protesters trying to disrupt Pauline Hanson's rally right now. 00:22 And why the ABC is in danger from Gina Reinhardt after screening a vile attack on her. 00:28 And wait until you hear what Olympic great Dawn Fraser said in Reinhardt's defence, the language. 00:36 Plus, Anthony Albanese today breaks yet another promise. When will it stop? And, of course, why this invasion of illegal immigrants to a Spanish city has terrified the West. But first, it's been a very big day for One Nation and a bad one for the Albanese government. 00:54 It's not just that the latest Redbridge poll shows One Nation back as the most popular party in Australia ahead of the government. Look also at the Coalition, up four points. So some good news there as well for Conservatives. And how lovely to see the Greens, meanwhile, lose nearly a third of their support. 01:12 Labor would still probably win on preferences, but it should now be very worried that it's managing to throw away the huge majority it won just a year ago. But also significant today were the moves that One Nation made to become more serious. 01:29 First, the organisational genius of One Nation, you just saw him a few minutes ago, Hanson's Chief of Staff, James Ashby, has appointed someone to replace him, Chris Taylor. 01:40 Tate has a very impressive hiring. He has been chief of policy of the Australian Banking Association. Before that, was a senior advisor to Prime Minister Scott Morrison. 01:49 Ashby himself is going to become One Nation's party director, which is a new role. He's going to be overseeing campaigning around the country. He'll play to his particular skills. I mean, this guy's the best political operator I've ever seen. 02:01 Now, normally, I wouldn't bother you with who's who in the party machines, but this tells you two things. 02:08 One Nation is becoming a lot more professional, with professional operators prepared to bank their reputation on working for it. And One Nation now has the money to do all that. 02:20 Now, we also saw One Nation in Victoria being made more battle-ready today, up to a point. 02:27 Victoria is actually One Nation's next big test, the state election there, in less than four months. If One Nation does badly there, that's really going to hurt its momentum. 02:37 And, you know, the latest news poll in Victoria did show it had dropped back to the third most popular party in Australia's reddest state, down to 19%, which is huge for where it was, you know, a couple of years ago, but still less than what it needs. But as I said last week, I mean, what else do you expect when in Victoria it's had no leader, almost no policies, and just one declared candidate? 03:03 Well, today Pauline Hanson started to change that. She announced One Nation's leader in Victoria would be former Army engineer Warren Pickering, who stood for One Nation in the Senate. 03:14 We intend for this to be November to remember and we are contesting to govern. 03:21 Now, Hanson also announced her candidates for Victoria's Upper House. The Low House ones will be revealed later. The ones today included a lawyer, an office manager, a Geelong councillor, Chris Burson, former Premier Daniel Andrews, ex-bodyguard, claims to have some secrets, and a human resources manager, plus a guest I'll talk to in a minute. 03:44 And there was also Colleen Harkin, who used to be a member of the Victorian Liberals Administrative Committee, so quite senior, and is Director of Education Programs at the Institute of Public Affairs. 03:56 I'm very comfortable and confident my core values and my principles haven't changed. 04:02 So that's not a bad list, but I think Hanson will be a bit disappointed it hasn't got a real star. 04:11 She actually wanted the Victorian leader to be the former chief minister of the Northern Territory, Adam Giles, now top executive of billionaire Gina Reinhart, but he eventually turned her down, which might actually be a smart move because I'm not sure that the Reinhart links would have helped in Victoria. 04:30 And I have to say that while Warren Pickering is a second choice and largely unknown, he did perform better today than I had expected. He was quite good, actually, despite sweating a bit from the nerves. 04:45 It's not lost on us the gravity of this undertaking in Victoria. It's really not. As the boss alluded to, we are on the precipice of social and economic collapse and anybody who doesn't believe that is simply not paying attention. 04:57 As such, we've engaged in a concerted effort to cultivate talent from within the community. We are of the firm belief that it's politicians that got us into this mess and we're sure as hell not going to leave it to politicians to get us out. It's also not lost on us that this is the biggest state campaign in the party's history. 05:15 as we contest this election to govern what is arguably the most fiscally and morally bankrupt state in Australian history. Our primary intention will be to deliver a policy document that proves to Victorians that one nation, Victoria, can govern in its own right, or at a minimum, become the conservative opposition that's been lacking in this state for a decade, that has been the cause of all our woes. 05:42 So, yes, it's been around for a while. So a workman like Stark today, but it wasn't a barn burner. It wasn't, you know, here's a real camera magnet, apart from Pauline Hanson, and there's still a few policies. But Hanson, she was on blast. 05:58 You have escalating crime. You have kids on the streets. You've got, you know, 62% break-ins, carjacking's 58%. You've got the problems with the young youth in the state. They haven't been under control. You've got kids that are dragged through the courts, released on bail to re-offend again. So you've got a real problem in the state. That's why people are not happy with the opposition or the Labor government that allowed it to get to the state. 06:24 Now, Hanson is so correct about feral Melbourne. I mean, just on the weekend, a bunch of kids out shoplifting, allegedly attacked people that tried to stop them running away. 06:37 One of the people that tried to stop him, a shopkeeper, 60 years old, two children, was allegedly stabbed and is expected to die from his wounds. Victoria Today. 06:48 Now, Hanson also created the headlines today by banning the ABC in The Guardian Australia from a press conference, as well as the left-wing age, it turned out, a move that will delight her big donor, Gina Reinhart, who's been a real ABC target, another one, Hanson too. 07:04 Reinhart was vilified in a film that the ABC showed fantasising about sodomising the billionaire with a stick. 07:12 ABC were denied entry into here and The Guardian. I'm not putting up with their rubbish. I'm not putting up with their spin, their lies whatsoever. I want truth and honesty. You get it from me, I expect it back from the media. I'm not putting up with the spin, gotcha moments, wanting to have a go at me or treat us totally different to what you do at the other major political parties. 07:36 I'm really not so sure about that ban, although heaven knows the bias of the ABC and Guardian in particular has just been too much. I mean, yeah, look, I agree, they must be made to pay. 07:48 And Hanson banning them is another sign of a growing confidence in authority. I mean, journalists are going to grumble about this. Well, nation supporters, I think, will cheer. But there's a price, of course, because some voters are going to think that Hanson is running from scrutiny. 08:03 But she is... 08:06 of course, undoubtedly correct about Victoria's shocking decline under Labor. Yet for all that, I do think the Coalition's going to keep the front running there in Victoria. The Coalition will, as Labor's main opposition. 08:20 One Nation, I think, left it too late to put a team in the field, left a vacuum. 08:25 Still, it has finally taken the field and should pick up seats, I think, including Labor ones. 08:33 But nationally, at least, I have to say, Hanson's party is becoming so formidable. And even more frightening for Labor and the Liberals there is that their attacks on Hanson just seem to make us stronger. Ditto the ABCs. Who would have thought that One Nation would just, you know, succeeded like this, overcome all the little setbacks that we've been talking about over the last couple of weeks. People who thought it would burst like a bubble are facing instead a juggernaut. 09:05 And I have to say, after watching Hanson gut the ABC and The Guardian today, the critics who say her party is just about anger and grievance, I'm not so sure. Because I have to admit, One Nation is also just fun to watch, isn't it? 09:22 as it finally smites the unrighteous. 09:31 Do you know, it's becoming clearer by the week that the Albanese government is economically incompetent, especially this week. House prices have been falling for four months now, with falls in every capital city except Darwin. 09:46 Every capital city except for Darwin is starting to see consistent price falls. The fallout from the federal budget, it's still unravelling. 09:55 Yes, the budget is a big cause of that collapse in prices, albeit off huge highs. Cutting the capital gains tax discount, cutting negative gearing, moves that the government claimed wouldn't cut house prices at all. You know, no, it's modelling. The modelling said house prices would still rise. 10:14 Treasury estimates are that there'll be an increase in the value of homes, but it'll be slightly lower than it would have been without these measures. 10:27 Instead, value is dropping for four months already and no sign of hitting bottom. And today, Treasurer Jim Chalmers was once again, this guy's got so much form, blaming everything except his policies for most of it. 10:43 For example, interest rate movements earlier this year, higher fuel costs that we've been talking about, the heat to confidence from the war in the Middle East, as well as changes in the budget. And so all of those things together are playing a role here. 11:03 You know, I'd be wondering, the government's models, oh, no, prices won't fall down, fall for houses. Do you think maybe... 11:11 they're no good? Because you remember, you know, Anthony Albanese also claimed to have consulted models, more models that showed his green policies would cut your power bills by $275 instead of sending them through the roof. 11:24 I don't think I know. I know because we have done the modelling. The modelling is available. We're releasing it here today. That is the average... 11:35 reduction in power prices from today as a result of the suite of policies which Webb announced. 11:45 Those models are pretty shite. Joining me is Michael Kroger, former President of the Victorian Liberals, and Steve Conroy, former Labor Senator and Cabinet Minister. Michael, how much can you blame the government for house prices in Melbourne and Sydney, especially crashing by 4% or more in just four months? 12:04 Well, I blame them entirely, Andrew. They have no idea what they're doing. I mean, Jim Chalmers, who you know I've never rated, is now with Jim Cairns. 12:13 He's at that level of economic competence. These people have no idea what they're doing. That's the frightening thing. Tanya Plobicek said this morning, isn't it great, 260,000 people have availed themselves of the 5% deposit scheme and bought a house. Well, she doesn't realise they've lost the 5%. Their equity's been wiped out. Matt Thistleswate, who's the Assistant Minister for Trade, he's got an economic portfolio, says because people are making their mortgage payments, there's clearly not a negative equity. 12:41 This guy's got no understanding of basic economics. It's on the front page of The Australian Tonight. This guy has no... These people have no understanding. Albo says, oh, Treasury, tell me this. Why doesn't Albo get out of the way? We cut out the middleman, Andrew, and just let Treasury run the country. This bloke's always relying on other people. What does he know himself? 13:02 Does he have any skills or knowledge himself? It's always reputex say this, treasuries say that. What does he know? He knows nothing. 13:10 And they have plunged the housing in the country into crisis and he's wiped off hundreds of billions of dollars out of people's assets, Andrew. 13:20 And it's going to get worse. 13:21 Well, Stephen, I've heard you snorting, sighing and laughing and also laughing through that. But listen, just about 10 years a sec, Stephen... 13:31 Stephen, just about Tonya Plibersek, before I let you have your say, you know, she was telling us today to look on the bright side, you know, like nearly 12 million people that own homes, most of them have seen their house prices fall. But don't worry, you know, like a quarter of a million young Australians, they're OK because they can buy a property if they can actually find one anymore. Here she is. 13:53 Not in my lifetime has there been a better time to be a first home buyer in Australia. 14:01 All right, Stephen, is that true? And does this make this fall in prices a good thing and we should thank the government? 14:08 Well, it's absolutely true. 14:10 It is a very good time to be looking to buy a home. But, like, some of this economic analysis... Not to sell it, though. ..is just drivel, just drivel. Like, this is a policy, allegedly, that is causing a problem that doesn't come into effect for nearly another 10 months. What an incredible policy impact it's having... Except people know what's coming. ..when it isn't even in place. It's not even in place. So then let's get to the nub of the real argument, which is the Liberals and, you know, Conservatives have been crying about how hard it is. 14:43 Bank of Mum and Dad, no-one can get a house... 14:47 And as soon as prices don't rise or fall, it's suddenly all we care about is incumbents. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot walk both sides of the street on this argument. You can't pretend you care if kids can't buy a house and then defend the status quo. And that's the problem the Liberals have got. They're actually defending the status quo, which has completely screwed any kid trying to buy a house. But we flip quickly to... 15:17 You're causing all these people who've got houses to lose value. You can't have it both ways. Choose. You've got to take one side of the political argument. If you want to abandon kids trying to buy a house, good on you. 15:28 Good on you. 15:29 And then we have the economically illiterate argument about negative equity. Stop stealing from an American housing market. No-one is trying to buy a house today and sell it tomorrow. Therefore, they've suffered the fall. Absolute drivel. And anyone who wants to try and steal from the American language to try and pretend that it's happening here in Australia, people have got negative equity. OK? Different mortgage market. Stephen, you're better than that. Absolutely not. 16:01 Absolutely not. You're better than that, Stephen. Michael? Andrew, last month, Tanya Plebysik said there's never been a better time to buy a house for young people, first-time buyers. I remember her saying that a month ago. Well, if they'd taken her advice a month ago, they would have lost more money. The question is, when do house prices stop falling? One of the reasons there's no auction clearances at the minute, they're down to 30% if you take out properties taken off the market, is because a lot of the young people and first-time buyers, investors, have backed off the market because no-one knows how far the property market is going to drop. 16:34 And it's been dropping now, Stephen. As an economist, you make a great lawyer, Michael. So, Stephen, what? So, is the bottom of the market now a young person who's putting down 5%? Oh, my God. Is their 5% at risk? Should they buy today? Should they buy next week, next month? 16:46 They should absolutely get into the market while they can. And they're doing the government supply side, giving them some money and the reduction in demand. Right. 16:56 That's called supply and demand. Stephen, anyone that's bought a property in the last four months has lost money and it's going to continue to go down. Yeah, continue. That's right. 17:04 They'll be giving houses away for free soon. Michael Kroger, the price of houses will not stop falling. Mark down today's time and date. Guys, guys. 17:13 Can I just move? I have to say, you know, all this... Isn't it wonderful for the few that want to buy a house when a lot of houses are not now being offered... The few, yeah, the young people. ..as opposed to the millions... ..the millions who have seen their house prices fall. I just think we need to also have a little think about them as well. But, Stephen, the One Nation out leading in the latest national poll, it also announced its leader in Victoria and its upper house candidates there. What are you expecting from them? 17:44 Yeah, look, I wasn't as bearish a few weeks ago when One Nation's polls were coming down. I'm not as bullish now. 17:51 I think you got a little bullish there in your intro about, you know, the steamroller coming through of One Nation. 18:00 But I think that if you under... 18:02 If Labor underestimates the impact that One Nation will have at the Victorian election, New South Wales election, the next federal election, they will pay a price. But as you saw from National Conference, Labor take One Nation very, very seriously. 18:16 And I know from some of the work being done around the country, people are very focused on what is the best way to appeal to Labor's traditional voters that are thinking about voting for One Nation at the next elections. And there's a lot of work being put into that. So I don't think Labor are taking it lightly. 18:33 It still continues to be a bigger problem, an existential crisis for the National Party. They're going to struggle to survive at all. And the Liberal Party... Oh, so it is a juggernaut. 18:43 No, it is a juggernaut over the top of the National Party. So it is a juggernaut. You were just thinking as far as the Labor Party is concerned. 18:49 Hang on, I've just got to give Michael a turn before we run out of time. Michael, what do you expect from One Nation in Victoria? Where is it? 18:56 I was underwhelmed by the candidates today, Andrew. All good people, no doubt. I'm sure the leader's a good man. But to ask the Victorian public to vote for someone to be Premier who's never been a member of parliament is a stretch. 19:08 But on the other hand, I think Pauline Hanson was good at a press conference when she ignored those people campaigning in support of racism and fascism. 19:17 Those campaigners outside, the racists and the fascists outside, she gave them short shrift and good honour. 19:26 Yeah, absolutely. More to say about them after the break. 19:30 But I do agree. They desperately did need, I think, in the end, Adam Giles or someone like that who's got parliamentary experience. But... Adam Giles. Yeah, but... He didn't want to do it, and that's that. Michael Kroger, Stephen Conroy, thank you very much to you both. After the break, we'll be joined by One Nation candidate Mark Nicholson, who's braved those protesters outside the One Nation event tonight, and we shall talk to him from that. 20:02 I'm Shannon Maldonado. I'm a founder of IAWI, a souvenir store with artisans and pieces selected by artists. 20:11 I chose Shopify because, after experimenting with other platforms, this was, undoubtedly, one of the most intuitive. For me, it was important to think about where we would be in the future. All the elements to analyze sales, like the inventory, are there, on our dashboard. 20:27 Start your free review at shopify.com. 20:33 But there was something very ugly on this big day for One Nation, and it wasn't Hanson's party. It was the protesters against it, the kind of people who've made it physically dangerous at times to be a Conservative in Victoria, as I found out myself when I was attacked in the street by far-left activists on my way to launch a book. 20:54 I must say the activists who jumped me found out that that was dangerous too. For years I have warned of Victoria's violent left and of the Labor government's refusal to take that violent streak seriously. And here they come again. A group calling itself the Coalition Against Racism and Fascism organised another anti-Hanson protest that are Meet the Candidates event in Melbourne that's going on right now. 21:22 And I've got to say, this group has formed. It openly says it wants to challenge the growth of the far right early to directly confront them in the street and prevent them from controlling public space. 21:36 Now, confronting the public in the street and the public spaces sounds violent, and of course it is. I mean, last October, the same group organised a street battle against the March for Australia, and many there attacked police, pelted them with rocks, sending two to hospital, attacked police cars as well. 21:57 And this wasn't some, you know, random brain spasm, violence, as we soon learned. 22:06 And that meeting was held at Melbourne University. Shame on it, Victoria. 22:29 Now, this coalition says that speaker, oh, it was just a guest speaker. It wasn't us. You know, yeah, right. Of course, when you look deeper at this supposed coalition against racism and fascism, you'll find that it's just another front for the socialist alternative, a hardline Marxist group. which provided the Coalition's spokesman for an interview on 3W this morning, just as a clue. And it's behind, of course, many of the anti-Israel protests that you see, particularly in Melbourne, and it runs the Red Flag magazine that Sydney's notorious professional protest that Josh Lees writes for. 23:03 Its co-founder, Mick Armstrong, says its aim is to destroy free markets in Australia. 23:10 This alternative calls for a working class revolution to overthrow the whole of the exploitative capitalist order. 23:20 Now, the socialist alternative hasn't won a single seat in any parliament and election. The people don't want it. So street fighting is the only way to enforce its will. That's what it's about. And it's done this for years in Melbourne with near impunity. Now, Pauline Hansel was today asked about the heavy security that she and her candidates now need simply to stand for an election in a democratic country and in a state that has hosted so much political violence from the left. 23:49 There's an enormous amount of security around this event today. 23:52 How concerned are you about the ability of One Nation to campaign freely in the Victorian state election? 24:00 Look... 24:03 You're saying myself personally or our candidates? And three candidates. It is. Chris, it is going to be tough, but there's still a lot of support out there. People want to see us. And these people, you know, they understand what it's like out in the streets, and I'm sure they've received a lot of support from their family and friends. If they thought it was, you know, too dangerous to put up your hand, it tells you more so what the state is like. 24:29 Now, you might have seen there on the left of the screen, one of the candidates, Hanson, announced today, who's had the guts to defy the socialist thugs, who are the real fascists, by the way. Here's Mark Nicholson, a former lawyer. You've seen him often on Chris Kenny's show. Mark Nicholson is a former lawyer and now co-director of the Melbourne animation studio Stepmate Studios, which produces the Please Explain cartoons, a very popular satirical series published by... One Nation. Mark Nicholson joins me now from that very meet the candidate function the socialist alternative is targeting tonight. 25:08 Mark, any sign of those socialists or can you hear them from where you are? 25:14 well thanks andrew for having me and yeah they're here they're here they're uh they always make themselves known but to be honest i've traveled around the country with with pauline for the super progressive movie this is pretty commonplace sadly um this morning's press conference was supposed to be on the stairs of parliament that's where we originally intended to have it but we were told that we couldn't do that for safety concerns Those steps belong to the people, that's the people's house, and we were told that we couldn't be there for safety concerns. 25:47 Well, that just shows just how sad and sorry this state has become. 25:54 They have totally hijacked, not only this government, the socialists left have hijacked this government, they've hijacked the entire parliament and the root and the rots The rot goes very deep. But honestly, this is only charging us further. We are not afraid of these people. They are banshees. They are violent. And we are fighting against them. And their stranglehold over this government is over. They're on notice as of today. Today is the beginning of the end of their stranglehold over the state of Victoria. 26:26 Mark, tell me about your own political journey, because obviously as a lawyer you went to universities, which are hotbeds of leftist academia, et cetera. How's your own thinking evolved? 26:44 Mate, I started... I went to Monash University. I've got an honours degree in law there. I was indoctrinated, like everyone else was, to be progressive when I was there, and then I entered the real world. As a criminal lawyer, I stood in courtrooms where I saw criminals not treated as criminals. They were treated as patients, and they were patted on their head and told that they were sick. I saw the beginning of the end. I was at the Department of Justice. When Rob Holes was there, I saw the beginning of the end of the criminal justice system. 27:12 And then you slowly open your eyes. I started a small business. I've experienced what it's like to have government pushing down on you, stopping you from employing people and growing. I've had Screen Australia. I've had institutions trying to tell me that this industry is not for me. And then, of course, I found my home with One Nation. But really what's enlightened me is that I've seen that these are real people. Pauline Hanson is the real deal. 27:38 Every decision she makes is in the best interests of Australia. That's the most important policy of all, is that you can act in the best interests of Australia, and that's what we intend to do here, is act in the best interests of Victoria at all times. 27:51 What do you think One Nation's chances are realistically in Victoria, given the latest news poll shows that there One Nation is just 19% of the vote? 28:04 Honestly, mate, that is just the beginning. We only started hitting the hustings as of today. 28:09 I think 19% is just the very bottom. Other than the small vocal minority that's banging their drums out the front there, I really do think we could win 100% of the vote. 98% of the vote then. Because we're coming out with common sense policies, mate. We are delivering three key promises to the state of Victoria. We are going to restore prosperity. We're going to get rid of this ridiculous government spending. We're going to restore safety back into the state so people can walk around the streets once again. 28:40 And we are going to restore trust in government by being truly accountable. We're real people. This is a revolution. This is a movement. 19%, that's the bottom, mate. We're only just beginning. 28:53 And yet, you know, the candidates, I thought there were a couple of good ones there, yourself included, but no political experience, zero political experience with any of the ones, people that stood with Pauline Hanson saying, well, you know, this is the alternative government. How's that supposed to work? 29:12 Well, mate, if the current class of politicians that I'm seeing in the Victorian Parliament are supposed to know what they're doing, well, we're in a very sad, sad place. Representative democracy is all about people stepping up. 29:27 Every single candidate that's been up there, myself included, has been put through the ringer and made sure that every decision we make will be in the best interest of Victoria. At the end of the day, that's the only characteristic that matters. And if, honestly, mate, if these are the people that apparently know what they're doing, let's give someone else that doesn't know what they're doing a chance for once. Come on. This is what it's all about. Mark my words, we'll be back on the stairs of Parliament. On the 28th of November, we'll be back on those stairs, but we'll be going inside. 29:59 Mark Nicholson, thank you so much for your time. Good on you. 30:05 After the break, the invasion of a Spanish city by illegal immigrants. Why Europe has freaked at these scenes. 30:17 Spain has just given Europe, and also the left in particular, I guess, a huge wake-up about mass immigration. 30:25 And last Thursday, between 50,000 and 60,000 illegal immigrants rushed the border between Morocco and CETA, the Spanish enclave on the tip of North Africa, most of them swimming around the fence by sea. As far as streets filled with young foreign men demanding food and water and passage to mainland Spain, some shops were looted and the sea beach and streets and... 30:49 Everything, they were filled with discarded junk because, of course, strangers tend not to look after land they invade. And tragically, 57 people drowned. Now, several events created this disaster. First, you had the socialist prime minister of Spain, Sanchez in January offering potential citizenship to more than a million illegal immigrants already in Spain. An ex-Spain Supreme Court four weeks ago said, oh, the government, it can't instantly deport illegal immigrants anymore that come by sea, therefore the swimming, of course. 31:22 And finally, Sanchez last Monday infuriated Morocco by visiting Algeria, which supports a claim... 31:29 by the Polisario Front to the Western Sahara, which Morocco says it owns. So cue some reprisals. Social media suddenly filled with posts saying Spain is open. Videos show Morocco's Royal Gendarmerie doing nothing while trucks unloaded hordes of young men by the border and many European leaders battling mass immigration damn Spain's weakness. 31:53 Even though the illegals there in Sweden, they've got no legal right actually to go on to mainland Europe. And once they'd worked it out, more than 50,000 just went home. The Moroccan ones leaving a few thousand illegal immigrants to sub-Saharan countries still refusing to leave. Where would they go? 32:09 But Spain's socialist prime minister still praised diversity as a strength that old left lie, even after sending in the army to chase out most of those illegals. 32:20 me atrevo, lógicamente, con todo el respeto institucional que le tengo al presidente de la Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta, hemos hablado muchas veces de la importancia de la convivencia en esta ciudad. Creo que esa también, su diversidad, es uno de sus principales atractivos y también de sus fortalezas. Y eso es algo que creo tenemos que preservar todos los gobiernos. 32:42 Joining me is the country's top foreign affairs writer Greg Sheridan of The Australian. Greg, always great to talk to you. Look, most of those illegal immigrants, as I said, have since gone home. So why has this caused such a strong reaction among many European countries, particularly Italy and Denmark and from Donald Trump? 33:02 Well, Andrew, great to be with you. You've got to admire Georgia Maloney. She immediately suspended the Schengen Agreement as it applies to Spain. So if you come to Italy from Spain now, you're going to have to get a visa or line up at the airport or something. Good on her. I mean, Spain is a very bad outlier in European policy. It's... 33:23 Its government defines itself by being anti-Trump and it doesn't disagree legitimately with the things Trump is wrong about. It just tries to be a left-wing mirror image of Trump. So the thing that attracts illegal immigrants is saying you'll make them citizens straight away and the court saying you can't deport them. Now, I'm in favour of legal immigration, and I think rich, wealthy countries like ours have a responsibility to have a generous refugee program, but we decide who the refugees are and how many and where they come from and all that. 33:59 But this phenomenon of illegal immigration has absolutely blighted Europe. Ten per cent of France's population is now Islamic, and a large proportion of that hates France and is not integrated. 34:15 sensible centre-left governments like the one in Denmark have controlled their borders. 34:20 Andy Burnham, like Keir Starmer, can't control the borders in England because the courts won't let him send people back. This is a civilisational crisis throughout Europe. And those 50,000 or 60,000 people who just ignore the rule of law for a day between Morocco and Souto, they are just the latest symptom of this absolute breakdown of Europe being able to control its own borders. 34:49 Well, I have to say that's the closest reenactment to The Camp of the Saints, that famous book by Jean Raspé that I've ever seen in front of our eyes. You know, so many people arriving at once. 35:01 US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, I feel I can't remember how often I've said this. I feel like I'm in a groundhog day. He's called off his planned big strike against Iran and for about the 10th time says he's not going in hard now because he's close to a deal. 35:19 Greg, I've got to say, he is looking weak and irresolute now, and this is a very dangerous signal. What's going on? 35:27 Well, you're absolutely right, Andrew, and I don't want to keep harping on this, but we've often explored in our discussions when Trump announces a big military action, it almost never takes place. When he does big military actions, it's almost always with no pre-announcement. You know, he initially bombed Iran while they were conducting negotiations with the United States. He didn't announce that he was going to go in and take Venezuela's Maduro. 35:54 I think Trump desperately wants to get out of this war. He's not prepared to take the kind of sustained military action which would destroy the regime. He was never prepared for that. He seems never to have planned for the things that happened in this war. I want Trump to win. Of course, there's no moral contest between Iran and the United States. I want the United States to win. But Trump is desperately keen to get out and he offers Iran a very, very good deal. But as I wrote at the weekend in The Weekend Australian, Iran now has what The Wall Street Journal is calling escalation dominance in this conflict. 36:32 It is escalating itself. It's calling Trump's bluff over and over again. And it's not going to give up control of the Strait of Hormuz. And it's certainly not going to give up its enriched uranium. 36:44 And I think in the end Trump will... 36:47 I hope this doesn't happen, but I think eventually he'll just leave with Iran effectively in control of the Strait of Hormuz. I very much hope that doesn't happen. 37:00 Greg, I'm trying to think of excuses, right? I think you're absolutely correct. 37:06 Ooh, I think we've lost Greg. Now, Will, that's a pity. But I have to say, what I was going to say to him, are there... 37:13 I'm trying to imagine some excuses for Donald Trump. One is that the Gulf states no longer trust him to keep his word, you know, and they're worried that if they're too... They're being attacked because they've got American bases on their soil. They are Islamic countries. And some of them would be worried about their populace, thinking, why are we being attacked to save America? So they may want an end to this war. Right? And Trump has to go along with that because otherwise he'll lose those US bases which are so critical. 37:45 So I think that might be actually one reason why his hands to a certain extent are tied. And the other is that he's dealing with so-called moderates, they're actually butchers, but there are worse butchers in charge of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran that is actually doing the firing of the missiles. And maybe he thinks he can do a deal with them and they will get on top of the IRGC. 38:07 I don't think that's actually gonna happen, so it is a disaster. After the break, the ABC scandal deepens as Gina Reinhart says she's gonna sue the two deaf and blind ABC bosses who still won't say sorry to her. 38:28 The ABC bosses have now dug themselves so deep in the Gina Reinhart scandal, so deep, cover themselves in so much shame that I think they can only get out of it by sacking someone. Someone's going to have to lose their job. I broke the story about how the ABC violently abused moaning billionaire Gina Reinhart, a couple of weeks ago I broke that, by screening this short film. 38:51 Cause when the revolution comes, will you hide under your bed? 38:56 Or will you know exactly how? To shove a stick right up Gina Reinhart's butthole, stirring it round, mixing her guts up nice and smooth. 39:09 After a week or more, the filmmaker eventually did issue a partial apology, but the ABC management still refuses to do the same. And the fact that she's apologised but they haven't puts the ABC in a very sticky spot. In fact, it's made worse by the fact it first defended the segment. and then eventually said it won't be commenting further while its ombudsman takes a second look when the whole thing became too obviously bad. You know, as if Chairman Kim Williams and Managing Director Hugh Marks, as if they actually need an expert to tell them that talking about sodomising a woman with a stick is actually, you know, not very good. 39:48 And Reinhardt is now up the stakes by issuing a statement warning that she's going to sue, saying her company has formally placed ABC Chair Kim Williams, Deputy Chair Lisa Caffery, who must be packing it at the moment, and Managing Director Hugh Marks, on a notice of detailed... 40:07 allegations of serious contraventions of multiple Australian criminal and civil laws. 40:14 And what's more, the Prime Minister and his top female ministers, well, they have said nothing, so more shame on them. But, and I think the ABC is starting to feel, whoa, we're getting a bit deserted by our mates here. In the past couple of days, some Labor right-wing frontbenchers And men have finally spoken out against the ABC, adding to the pressure on the national broadcaster to say sorry. 40:41 It's pretty revolting and it's not the sort of thing I think we should see on TV. Enough of this kind of violent imagery towards, particularly to women or vulnerable people, because that is an indicator in society where, you know, people might not see it as comedy, they might see it seriously as something that they could follow and that's just unacceptable. 41:02 Joining me, Lisa Goddard, former foreign correspondent and founder of Adoni Media and News24 host, Danica DiGiorgio. Lisa, can the ABC now get out of this without sacking someone for such a gross and sustained error of judgment, not just in the first instance by screening it, having actually checked the footage and then put it to air, but then defending it and still not apologising for it? 41:28 Well, Andrea, what they're doing right now is just hiding behind the process. In that film, the filmmaker said it was about someone hiding under a bed. Well, that's exactly what ABC management and the chair is doing at this exact point in time, which is completely outrageous. They need to stand up and own this mistake and apologise because, you know what, I think what is forgotten in all of this, Mrs Reinhart may be a billionaire. She's a great Australian, but what people forget is she is still a person. Forget anything else. Put all of that aside. She is still a person who has been violated by our national broadcaster. 42:04 And you're right. You don't need an ombudsman. You don't need a six-month inquiry for someone to tell you that what you did was not just bad taste because it's a very polite way of saying it. It was absolutely disgusting. And I'm glad she's holding them to account because I can tell you, I think she'll be waiting a very long time for an apology. Look back to the Heston-Russell case where they edited in those gunshots. I don't think anybody lost their job. And it took him over two years to get an apology. 42:30 Yeah, but I think there's just so... And you make a really good point. Look, I like Gina. I know her. I mean, I disagree with her very strongly about a couple of things lately. But still, I consider her a friend. And I know, I don't want to say too much, but I know she can be quite sensitive to very personal attacks. And this was as savage as it gets. 42:49 You know, Danika is as if they forgot she is a woman. Right? It's just outrageous. They would know. Kim Williams would know if it was about his wife. 42:59 There wouldn't be any, I must go and consult an expert to see whether this was, you know, unacceptable. He would know. 43:08 Yeah, he would know. You're spot on. And perhaps our audience don't know, with segments like this, before they go to air, it's a pre-recorded segment, they genuinely get checked by different areas of management. So it just strikes me as bizarre, Andrew, that not one person... Not one person at the ABC thought to say, gee, you know what? This is really inappropriate. This cannot possibly go to air. And as we know here at Sky, when they are these pre-recorded segments, they actually go through a legal department. 43:41 Did anybody in the legal department go, again, this is not to be broadcast on air? Not one person. The fact that the ABC... have not apologised to Gina Reinhart is quite frankly sickening. Had this been anybody else, imagine had it been one of their own, had it been Grace Tame while we were talking about Brittany Higgins here, the ABC would have been up in arms from day dot. The reality is that Gina Reinhart is a fantastic businesswoman in this country. Her company is the backbone for mining in Australia and And to imply sexual assault, because in my view, that's what it was, and think that it's okay and just say, oh, well, the contestant on the show has issued an apology. 44:25 It was a half-baked apology and it wasn't even directed at Mrs. Reinhardt, Andrew. So I think somebody has to be sacked for this. Heads have to roll because, quite frankly, it's unacceptable. 44:39 Now, you mentioned the silence of Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister, and the Labor women in his ministry has been extraordinary. Even the Communications Minister, Annika Wells, today again refused to say the ABC should apologise these years. 44:54 News 24 asked me a number of questions about this last week in a press conference and my view has not changed. I think it's a good and righteous thing that the ABC has referred it to the Ombudsman. As the Minister for Communications, I take their editorial independence really seriously and I respect their processes. So it is now with the Ombudsman. I think that is a good thing. 45:14 The Olympic swimming great Dawn Fraser is a friend of Hanson, of Gina Reinhart. She is cut loose. She shredded Anthony Albanese for saying nothing, writing, you are a spineless imbecile, Albanese, and you get more disgusting as the days go on. To let this vile crap, excuse the language, on ABC go to air and not come out and say anything against it shows the insipid little degenerate that you are. And Reinhart then posted that on her website. Very harsh words, but Lisa, what do they tell you? 45:49 Well, she didn't miss him, did she? She saw her target and she went for it. And it's not the first time. Remember, she called him spineless when he wouldn't call a Royal Commission after the Bondi massacre. She was the one that was... Everyone in the country was talking out about it, but she hit him right between the eyes with that. And here we are again. And you're right, the language is much tougher, and so it should be. There was an article I read just over the weekend where Albanese was interviewed, and he described Gina Reinhart as being very right-winged. and that her agenda is all lined with Pauline Hanson and One Nation. 46:20 So you can't tell me that this isn't political. The reason we haven't heard, and it's three weeks now that we've been discussing this, we're now in our third week, that he has not come forward and said what the ABC did was despicable, there should be an apology, and it should be taken down. It should not still be sitting there while they wait, while they go through whatever this process is. And as for Annika Wells, she's a woman... She should be out there like she would for any woman on the left who was attacked like this and be outspoken about it and demanding an apology at the very, very least. 46:52 I think some of these women will look back at their silence here and be utterly ashamed of themselves one day. Awful. Speaking of Albanese, Danica, he's broken yet another promise, this time the one he made last year, to always turn up as Prime Minister to the annual Gama Festival in the Northern Territory, the festival where he launches his disastrous crusade for a race-based voice to Parliament. Here he is last year. 47:17 I commit here that every single year that I have the great honour to be Australia's Prime Minister, I will be here and engaged with you. 47:29 He'd always come back as Prime Minister. The very next year, he failed to turn up. The festival ended today. No Albanese showed up. Nor has he commented on the disastrous Closing the Gap statistics, an Aboriginal disadvantage released last week. 47:48 What is it with this Prime Minister and promises, Danika? 47:51 Is that a rhetorical question, Andrew? Gee, he's got a track record, hasn't he, of broken promises? Do you want me to start listing some? $275, no new taxes? Look, I could go on and on. And now, of course, he can't go to Garma because he was on holidays. That's the latest excuse, just like he didn't fall over, he was in the car, he was on a plane. Look, we've heard it about 1,000 times, and yet the reality is here we are still in 2026 and outcomes for Indigenous Australians are still going backwards, yet we were dragged in front of the polls and... in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis to separate us by the colour of our skin. 48:24 We all voted no. And nothing has changed. $1.3 billion, Andrew, was allocated in the budget to improve outcomes. Again, nothing has changed. 48:34 We make all these commitments. Nothing has changed. 48:37 So, you know, yep, another broken promise. But the reality is, is Anthony Albanese is all talk when it comes to Indigenous Australians. 48:48 Lisa, what do you make of it? I mean, a man's entitled to his holidays, but you make a solemn promise like that and not turn up in the very first year, your promise gets tested. It's a bit odd. 48:58 Well, he retired as a Cobra. He didn't need it anymore. He didn't need the audience anymore, would be my read on this. It was nothing more than a marketing tool for him because he went on the year that he was going to announce that there will be a referendum. Then he went to launch the referendum. And then the next year that he went, it was pretty much, I've got to try and save face here. That's what it looks like. And now, no, sorry, I'm not going. And Danika, I don't very often disagree with you, but there have been some improvements. If you look at that report, you know what the improvements were? The improvements were there's been improvements in access and legal rights over land and over sea. 49:33 Yeah, good point. 49:34 Good to go. 49:35 And also... That's it. 49:36 And also, if you look at the 95%... Ladies, I've got to go... No, Shari's watching and waiting, and I can't hold her up. Lisa Goddard and Danika DiGiorgio, thank you very much. As I said, up next, this is Shari Markson. Good night.