WEBVTT - Credlin | 12 October 0:00:02.450 --> 0:00:08.050 Peter Credlin, live from News 24. 0:00:08.110 --> 0:00:10.410 Good evening. Welcome to the program. Here's what's coming up 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:11.360 tonight on Credlin. 0:00:11.890 --> 0:00:16.360 Tonight, more on the international terrorism probe linking the fly-to-buy 0:00:16.420 --> 0:00:20.560 hijacked pilot to an Islamic centre here in Australia. The 0:00:20.579 --> 0:00:23.680 Melbourne imam connected to the claims broken his silence this 0:00:23.780 --> 0:00:27.920 afternoon over his alleged links claiming he is the victim 0:00:28.060 --> 0:00:32.300 of false allegations. Plus a lot of fine words yesterday 0:00:32.340 --> 0:00:35.430 from the Prime Minister to mark the 25th anniversary of 0:00:35.470 --> 0:00:39.830 Australia's mission in Afghanistan. But what of the parents whose 0:00:39.890 --> 0:00:42.750 son was killed on the front line? who didn't even 0:00:42.950 --> 0:00:47.550 receive an invitation. That shocking snub tonight as David and 0:00:47.570 --> 0:00:51.390 Mary McCarthy joined me live, the proud parents of fallen 0:00:51.470 --> 0:00:53.690 hero signaler Sean McCarthy. 0:00:54.390 --> 0:00:56.510 Meanwhile, Labor was back at it today. 0:00:56.310 --> 0:00:59.210 Trying to convince you the digital duty of care laws 0:00:59.270 --> 0:01:01.150 are about protecting children online. 0:01:01.550 --> 0:01:02.150 But it's not. 0:01:02.670 --> 0:01:07.880 It's government-controlled censorship. and free speech at risk. We'll be 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:12.459 joined by our global free speech fighter, Michael Schellenberger. And 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:17.030 mounting public pressure, which started right here on Credlin, confirmation 0:01:17.069 --> 0:01:20.750 today the Royal Commission into Antisemitism will be extended for 0:01:20.830 --> 0:01:22.250 additional hearings. 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:25.920 Pauline Hanson, though, she says... It could be too little, 0:01:26.260 --> 0:01:27.020 too late. 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:30.610 They are still not going far enough. 0:01:31.050 --> 0:01:34.230 It's about radical Islam in the country and we've got 0:01:34.250 --> 0:01:34.690 to call it. 0:01:34.709 --> 0:01:35.350 Out for what it is. 0:01:37.390 --> 0:01:39.550 We will stay with that issue of radical Islam because 0:01:39.630 --> 0:01:42.520 over the weekend, news broke out of the United Arab 0:01:42.670 --> 0:01:45.500 Emirates that the co-pilot at the centre of the flight 0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:50.660 of I-911 would-be style attack had been in a Melbourne 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:54.440 Islamic centre or in and around issues. managed by prominent 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:59.180 Muslim leader Samir Matadi, also known as Sheikh Abu Hamza. 0:01:59.860 --> 0:02:05.310 On Saturday, UAE Attorney General Hamid Saif al-Shamzi stated that 0:02:05.350 --> 0:02:09.630 the co-pilot had confessed that during his time in Melbourne, 0:02:09.690 --> 0:02:14.970 he became acquainted with individuals associated with My Centre, a 0:02:15.030 --> 0:02:21.760 northern suburbs Islamic facility managed by Mr Matadi. The findings indicated, 0:02:21.780 --> 0:02:25.280 this is the Attorney General, the findings indicated that signs 0:02:25.340 --> 0:02:29.440 of his drift towards extremism and terrorism first emerged in 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:33.590 2017 while he was studying in Australia. During that period, 0:02:33.610 --> 0:02:39.010 he was influenced by Takfiri ideology through reading extremist literature 0:02:39.490 --> 0:02:45.830 and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks. 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:52.060 said the UAE Attorney General, this influence subsequently developed into 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:58.220 the adoption of ideas advocating violence and terrorism. He also 0:02:58.380 --> 0:03:02.510 drew inspiration, he said, from the 9-11 September attacks and 0:03:02.530 --> 0:03:05.990 the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an 0:03:06.070 --> 0:03:11.669 aircraft became firmly established in his thinking. Well, as we know, 0:03:11.710 --> 0:03:13.890 the tragedy was only averted by the quick thinking of 0:03:13.930 --> 0:03:16.790 the injured Indian pilots who, opened the door of his 0:03:16.850 --> 0:03:23.359 cockpit to Israeli passengers who then overwhelmed the alleged would-be terrorist. 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:28.120 But mass murder was clearly his intention, says UAE officials, 0:03:28.620 --> 0:03:34.400 with recent reports that 29-year-old Omani-born co-pilot had planned to 0:03:34.500 --> 0:03:39.300 crash the fly-to-buy flight into the terminal at Israel's Ben 0:03:39.340 --> 0:03:43.940 Gurion airport. Now, if this had occurred, the loss of life, Well, 0:03:43.980 --> 0:03:47.480 it would likely have been in the thousands. Disaster on 0:03:47.500 --> 0:03:50.100 the other side of the world averted, but now the 0:03:50.140 --> 0:03:54.460 real risks are heading home to Australia with the alleged 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:58.040 connection of this would-be killer to Melbourne and a group 0:03:58.060 --> 0:04:02.190 of Muslim leaders in Melbourne who are already well known. 0:04:02.170 --> 0:04:03.850 For all the wrong reasons. 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.900 The leader of the Islamic Centre linked to the co-pilot, 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:12.460 as named by the UAE government, is Melbourne Muslim leader 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:16.520 Samir Maqtadi, also known as Sheikh Abu Hamsa. 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:18.820 Now, in the past, this. 0:04:18.900 --> 0:04:22.760 Imam has branded Zionists, so anyone who supports the existence 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:28.580 of Israel, as scavengers, as bloodsuckers, after calling on Allah 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:32.560 to cast terror into the hearts of Zionists. 0:04:33.660 --> 0:04:35.500 We don't believe in a state called Israel. 0:04:36.660 --> 0:04:38.440 And I swear by God, the Almighty, it's just a 0:04:38.460 --> 0:04:42.760 matter of time before Palestine will only have one state, 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:44.960 only one state, the. 0:04:44.860 --> 0:04:47.520 State of Palestine. I've always said and I've always believed 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:52.169 that these Zionists are not normal. They're blood-sucking human beings. 0:04:53.610 --> 0:04:57.390 They're scavengers. They're not humans, I swear by Allah. 0:04:59.770 --> 0:05:02.930 Samir Matadi, who you just heard from there, is behind... 0:05:03.110 --> 0:05:07.090 an almost $ 7 million push to build an Islamic facility, 0:05:07.550 --> 0:05:10.890 including new separate schools for boys and girls, in the 0:05:10.950 --> 0:05:15.540 northern suburb of Mickleham, Decatur for Melbourne's burgeoning Muslim population. 0:05:16.020 --> 0:05:18.260 And that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms 0:05:18.300 --> 0:05:22.020 of taxpayer money that's now been thrown at groups associated 0:05:22.100 --> 0:05:26.339 with this man and others like him. The Melbourne suburb 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.720 of Micklem is in the Labor-held federal seat of Colwell, 0:05:30.110 --> 0:05:33.430 and that's important. This is a seat where, according to 0:05:33.450 --> 0:05:39.010 the 2021 census, almost 24% of residents have identified as Muslim. 0:05:39.750 --> 0:05:41.029 At the last election, this. 0:05:40.970 --> 0:05:43.890 Seat suddenly became a real problem for Labor with the 0:05:43.950 --> 0:05:50.310 emergence of two Muslim-specific political players, Muslim Votes Matter and 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:54.450 the Muslim Vote. which could partly explain the taxpayer funding 0:05:54.790 --> 0:05:57.810 that's been poured into the Muslim community in this area 0:05:58.250 --> 0:06:01.750 by Labor governments, both state and federal. But back to 0:06:01.770 --> 0:06:05.010 the sort of man Sheikh Abu Hamza has shown himself 0:06:05.089 --> 0:06:10.060 to be as evidenced by radical speeches and social media activity. 0:06:10.700 --> 0:06:13.900 In 2009, a recording of a lecture he delivered in 0:06:13.900 --> 0:06:20.560 2003 resurfaced, generating criticism after Sheikh Abu Hamza suggested that 0:06:20.620 --> 0:06:24.740 men could compel their wives to have sexual intercourse and 0:06:24.820 --> 0:06:29.339 physically discipline them, beat them if they disobeyed. In the 0:06:29.380 --> 0:06:32.679 lecture titled Keys to a Successful Marriage, this imam argued 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:37.880 that Islamic law permitted a husband to strike his wife 0:06:38.260 --> 0:06:41.170 as a last resort, provided the act did not cause 0:06:41.230 --> 0:06:46.800 bleeding or bruising. At the time, The remarks drew Nass condemnation, 0:06:47.070 --> 0:06:51.440 as they should, including from then former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.960 But still, Labor leaders after Rudd have continued to throw 0:06:55.080 --> 0:07:00.479 money at organisations linked to this man, despite those offensive comments. 0:07:01.310 --> 0:07:04.430 Samir Maqtadi had earlier come to the attention of authorities 0:07:04.850 --> 0:07:11.050 during the court proceedings around Operation Pendennis in 2008. Central 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:15.510 to this terrorism investigation was an individual known as Abdul 0:07:15.570 --> 0:07:19.550 Naisa Ben-Brika, who Maktari admitted in evidence to the court 0:07:20.030 --> 0:07:23.930 that he had known for some 15 years, describing their 0:07:23.970 --> 0:07:27.550 relationship as close and that he had learned a lot 0:07:27.590 --> 0:07:32.630 about Islam from Ben-Brika. What's more, he admitted to watching 0:07:32.690 --> 0:07:35.530 videos of Beheri to the court, he admitted this in 0:07:35.570 --> 0:07:39.440 the court, And he agreed under cross-examination that Osama bin 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:43.520 Laden had been regarded as a good man by many Muslims, 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:48.510 including himself. Ben Breaker, the man at the centre of 0:07:48.550 --> 0:07:53.910 the trial, born in Algeria, was ultimately convicted of intentionally 0:07:53.950 --> 0:07:58.420 being the leader and member of a terrorist organisation in Australia. 0:07:58.820 --> 0:08:00.140 He was jailed for 15 years. 0:08:02.020 --> 0:08:05.360 And in 2020, prior to his release from prison, Ben 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:10.000 Bricker's citizenship, Australian citizenship, was cancelled by the Morrison government. 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:14.100 But in 2023, Ben Bricker won his case in the 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.960 High Court to have it restored. While in prison, I 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:22.620 might add, Ben Bricker continued to have influence on jihadist 0:08:22.740 --> 0:08:27.140 ideology and a number of his associates and relatives died 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:32.190 fighting for Islamic State. So understand the sort of individual 0:08:32.270 --> 0:08:35.990 we are talking about here. And it's no surprise that 0:08:36.050 --> 0:08:38.950 officials in Dubai have warned that Australia has a problem 0:08:39.350 --> 0:08:43.710 with extremist Islam. As the UAE Attorney General said on 0:08:43.790 --> 0:08:49.510 Saturday to the Emirati news agency regarding this alleged co-pilot's time, 0:08:49.570 --> 0:08:53.040 a terrorist co-pilot's time in Australia, he said, and I quote, 0:08:53.059 --> 0:08:57.199 the suspect admitted that while studying in Australia, he regularly 0:08:57.300 --> 0:09:01.640 attended a mosque affiliated with with the RMIT, Royal Melbourne 0:09:01.660 --> 0:09:05.480 Institute of Technology. Through these visits, he became acquainted with 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:10.200 individuals associated with a centre known as My Centre. He 0:09:10.260 --> 0:09:12.900 stated that the centre was managed by a Lebanese man 0:09:12.940 --> 0:09:16.839 known as Abu Hamza and allegedly received support from an 0:09:16.900 --> 0:09:21.610 association linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. He also said that 0:09:21.670 --> 0:09:26.790 he had prepared himself both psychologically and physically to carry 0:09:26.870 --> 0:09:31.170 out the plot by intensifying his exposure to material promoting 0:09:31.230 --> 0:09:34.670 terrorism and training in boxing under. 0:09:34.570 --> 0:09:35.510 A private coach. 0:09:36.570 --> 0:09:39.550 Now, to be clear, News 24 is not suggesting that 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:43.960 these comments from the accused are proven or that McCarty 0:09:44.580 --> 0:09:48.760 was involved in the alleged plot or the radicalisation, just 0:09:48.820 --> 0:09:53.240 that the UAE Attorney General has reported them publicly as 0:09:53.260 --> 0:09:57.380 the confessions of the co-pilot accused in the fly Dubai 0:09:57.500 --> 0:10:01.990 terrorist incident. Note that references here to the Melbourne centre 0:10:02.050 --> 0:10:05.770 known as My Centre, well, it has a big board 0:10:06.250 --> 0:10:09.179 and on that board are a number of men, including 0:10:09.540 --> 0:10:14.860 Sumia Maktadi, Sheikh Abu Hamza. Then there is this man too, 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:20.179 the principal of My Centre's affiliated high school project, It's 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:24.120 called My College, and this man I'm speaking of now 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:29.680 is Tarkadian Mokhtari. Now, he is also worth a second look, 0:10:30.210 --> 0:10:36.030 given his clear rejection of Australian values, values about gay 0:10:36.070 --> 0:10:40.510 Australians and about women, including that the women's soccer team, 0:10:40.530 --> 0:10:44.820 the Matildas, well, that they should not be supported in 0:10:44.900 --> 0:10:47.560 any way. As far as I can make it out, 0:10:47.580 --> 0:10:51.620 and I am still digging, last year this organisation, by 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:57.939 an offshoot called My Centre, received almost $ 70, 000 from Tony 0:10:57.960 --> 0:11:02.679 Burke's Home Affairs Department for community language funding, so Arabic 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:07.480 language funding. Earlier, the Allen Labor Government in Victoria gave 0:11:07.540 --> 0:11:13.380 My Centre some $ 393, 000 despite serious concerns raised at the 0:11:13.420 --> 0:11:17.070 time by Liberal MP Jade Benham about the leadership of 0:11:17.110 --> 0:11:21.130 the organisation in June last year. This builds on other 0:11:21.170 --> 0:11:23.620 funding too that they have received from Victorian Labor in 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:29.520 recent times, $ 58, 000 in that instance. What also deserves attention 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:32.780 too is an announcement made by Anthony Albanese just a 0:11:32.900 --> 0:11:37.930 few days before last year's federal election to put $ 25 0:11:37.330 --> 0:11:43.000 million into community language schools announced in Melbourne. Now, I'm 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:46.940 yet to confirm that any of the organisations linked to 0:11:46.980 --> 0:11:52.620 Samir Mahtadi are in receipt of funds from this funding announcement. 0:11:53.490 --> 0:11:56.530 But the very fact that $ 25 million announced by Albanese 0:11:56.570 --> 0:12:01.390 is so opaque, well, that begs the question. Surely questions 0:12:01.450 --> 0:12:04.810 must also keep being asked of ministers like Tony Burke, 0:12:05.610 --> 0:12:10.819 given these revelations by officials in Dubai. Surely Australians need 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:15.489 assurance that no taxpayer dollars are inadvertently involved with or 0:12:15.630 --> 0:12:19.689 used to train or radicalise anyone in the cause of 0:12:19.770 --> 0:12:23.589 extremist Islam. We know tonight that the Australian Federal Police 0:12:23.630 --> 0:12:27.510 have confirmed to News24 they are now investigating links between 0:12:27.580 --> 0:12:32.270 Australia and the co-pilot. But where is the press conference 0:12:32.309 --> 0:12:36.890 from the Prime Minister to reassure Australians that this very 0:12:37.070 --> 0:12:42.050 serious matter has his full attention? Where is the confirmation 0:12:42.490 --> 0:12:45.930 that the National Security Committee has met, that all the 0:12:45.970 --> 0:12:50.500 resources that our intelligence agencies and police say they need 0:12:51.140 --> 0:12:54.079 are being provided to get to the bottom of these 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:59.540 serious claims from the UAE Attorney-General? Now, I would like 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:04.820 to hope that every taxpayer dollar allocated to organisations connected 0:13:04.900 --> 0:13:08.050 to this man and the claims he has had made 0:13:08.150 --> 0:13:13.470 about him see that money immediately suspended. But when Burke 0:13:13.510 --> 0:13:17.070 can't answer questions, as we saw yesterday with my colleague 0:13:17.090 --> 0:13:21.890 Andrew Clennell, then I think all Australians are right to 0:13:21.929 --> 0:13:22.890 be concerned. 0:13:24.179 --> 0:13:25.300 News24. 0:13:24.179 --> 0:13:28.300 Com reporting that this My Centre that he was involved with, 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:32.449 the pilot, received a $ 60, 000 grant from the Department of 0:13:32.510 --> 0:13:34.230 Home Affairs. Do you have a reaction to that? 0:13:34.490 --> 0:13:35.370 Sorry, which centre? 0:13:35.730 --> 0:13:40.820 It's a multicultural youth centre in Melbourne called the My Centre. 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:44.360 I don't have more information on that, Andrew. 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:44.780 I'm sorry. 0:13:50.440 --> 0:13:52.720 As I said, that was the day after that news 0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:57.240 out of Dubai from the Attorney-General regarding those disturbing allegations 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:03.170 connecting Australia to the would-be events from the terrorist flying 0:14:03.190 --> 0:14:06.630 that fly-to-buy flight. And still no answers from our government. 0:14:06.730 --> 0:14:09.469 It's now Monday and the clock will stay on this issue. 0:14:09.929 --> 0:14:12.130 Let's go to Canberra now for the headlines. Parliament's back. 0:14:12.670 --> 0:14:13.650 Here is Cam Redden. 0:14:14.710 --> 0:14:15.130 Good evening. 0:14:15.410 --> 0:14:18.820 Support for One Nation has cooled slightly as Parliament returns 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:21.930 to Canberra. The latest news poll shows a slight recovery 0:14:21.990 --> 0:14:26.020 for both major parties. The Coalition now polling at 20%, 0:14:26.020 --> 0:14:29.040 its highest vote since May. But Angus Taylor is yet 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:32.800 to convince the other 80 he has the right policy blend. 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:34.380 That's actually bloody good. 0:14:35.100 --> 0:14:37.480 Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick has been 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:41.580 elected head of the International Parliamentary Union, a global organisation 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:42.760 for national parliaments. 0:14:43.220 --> 0:14:45.600 You are the best speaker that I've seen in my 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:47.230 time in the House of Representatives. 0:14:47.870 --> 0:14:51.630 It's a noble and worthwhile cause. I know you will 0:14:51.670 --> 0:14:54.510 do a magnificent job and you will do our nation 0:14:54.590 --> 0:14:55.790 proud in that job. 0:14:56.270 --> 0:15:01.240 Cameron Redden, News 24, Canberra. All right, joining me now, 0:15:01.300 --> 0:15:04.180 News24 political contributor Chris Yeoman. Chris, welcome. 0:15:04.930 --> 0:15:08.210 I mentioned there Parliament's back, opposition not wasting any time, 0:15:08.250 --> 0:15:11.190 hitting Labor pretty hard on that mess that's emerged now 0:15:11.230 --> 0:15:15.240 for small business following that credit card ban from the ATO. 0:15:15.270 --> 0:15:15.800 Have a listen. 0:15:16.740 --> 0:15:20.940 Since Labor came to power, over 50,000 businesses have gone bust. 0:15:21.180 --> 0:15:22.120 Wow. 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.930 Killed by power bills no one can afford. New taxes 0:15:26.290 --> 0:15:29.830 no one voted for and a credit card ban no 0:15:29.910 --> 0:15:33.690 one was told about. When will this Prime Minister start 0:15:33.770 --> 0:15:37.990 listening to Australians who have a go and stop waging 0:15:38.050 --> 0:15:39.430 war on small businesses? 0:15:39.990 --> 0:15:44.450 Yeah, the PM had skipped out of the country, put 0:15:44.470 --> 0:15:48.550 his Fijian shirt on, Chris, hoped it was all sunshine 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.320 and uplit lands over there. But, of course, here at 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:53.260 home in the last fortnight, it's been a shocker we've 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:57.760 had that historic 16th cash rate increase, the surcharge mess, 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:02.060 the ATO backflip on those credit card payments. I don't 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:05.640 think he can disconnect himself from the reality that this 0:16:05.780 --> 0:16:09.300 budget is now, I think this is the 13th issue, 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:11.170 this budget is a shocker. 0:16:13.550 --> 0:16:15.720 I think the real shocker for the government in recent weeks, 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.940 beyond the Reserve Bank putting up the interest rates, is 0:16:19.060 --> 0:16:21.640 that whole thing with the Australian Taxation Office. That was 0:16:21.700 --> 0:16:24.500 really a case of do as we say, not as 0:16:24.590 --> 0:16:27.870 we do. The government has this magical thinking. It believed, 0:16:27.970 --> 0:16:30.670 or it seemed to believe, that when the surcharge was 0:16:30.730 --> 0:16:33.330 taken away, that it would just disappear. But that cost 0:16:33.350 --> 0:16:35.090 has to go somewhere. It has to be borne by 0:16:35.110 --> 0:16:38.480 a business. They clearly expected that business would absorb that cost, 0:16:38.500 --> 0:16:40.990 but then Their own tax office said that it was 0:16:41.090 --> 0:16:44.480 not prepared to absorb that cost. So there's a level 0:16:44.500 --> 0:16:47.900 of hypocrisy in that, which is just breathtaking, particularly when 0:16:47.940 --> 0:16:51.560 you see that being applied by the tax office, which expects, 0:16:51.620 --> 0:16:54.600 of course, small business to cough up money whenever it 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.240 taps them. And by God, I know running a small business, 0:16:57.700 --> 0:17:00.500 you get tapped by the tax office quite often. So 0:17:00.590 --> 0:17:03.450 I think that was really seriously damaging because that's something 0:17:03.490 --> 0:17:05.170 that everybody can understand. 0:17:07.330 --> 0:17:07.770 I think it. 0:17:07.710 --> 0:17:10.820 Also shows just how out of touch the Labor side 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:14.740 of politics is. There are people from small business on 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.900 the Liberal side and certainly on the crossbench and elsewhere. 0:17:17.940 --> 0:17:20.300 But on the Labor side, there's just that pathway coming 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:24.090 up through the unions. And it just, I think, highlights 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:27.210 how out of touch they are. But also the Prime Minister, 0:17:27.230 --> 0:17:30.390 you know, he's in summit season. Pretty much every time 0:17:30.410 --> 0:17:32.350 he's not in the Parliament, he's going to be on 0:17:32.390 --> 0:17:36.870 a plane, Chris. And that's just going to exacerbate this divide. 0:17:39.140 --> 0:17:40.680 Yeah, and look, I think what happens over the course 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:42.560 of the next 18 months is things in the economy 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:44.359 are not going to get better. They are going to 0:17:44.440 --> 0:17:47.860 get worse unless something dramatic changes that you see all 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:50.610 of the sittings are heading south for the government. People 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:52.690 will feel more pain over the course of the next 0:17:52.690 --> 0:17:55.950 18 months. With the electorates really fractured, people are really 0:17:56.030 --> 0:17:58.909 seriously discontented with both major parties. We see that in 0:17:58.930 --> 0:18:00.889 all of the published polling, which we'll talk about in 0:18:00.930 --> 0:18:03.109 a moment. But I think the real fear that I 0:18:03.130 --> 0:18:05.310 would have if I was in the Labor Party at 0:18:05.369 --> 0:18:07.730 the moment is that Anthony Albanese clearly believes that he 0:18:07.770 --> 0:18:10.570 has the measure of the opposition, and that includes the 0:18:10.609 --> 0:18:14.010 coalition and One Nation, that the fracture of that vote 0:18:14.050 --> 0:18:16.860 will deliver government to him. But the closer that we 0:18:16.910 --> 0:18:20.419 get to the next election, more MPs will realise that 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:22.980 they may not make it. The Prime Minister might drag 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.820 his way there, but a whole lot of backbenchers will go, 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:29.540 and then you enter very dangerous political territory as you 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:30.939 head towards the next election. 0:18:32.470 --> 0:18:34.810 Well, you mentioned NewsPoll or you mentioned polling. We'll go 0:18:34.830 --> 0:18:35.310 to NewsPoll. 0:18:35.330 --> 0:18:38.310 There's one out today and you've got all three major 0:18:38.350 --> 0:18:41.550 parties down and you can't not say that One Nation's 0:18:41.590 --> 0:18:43.990 a major party. You've got Labor, One Nation and the 0:18:44.050 --> 0:18:48.820 Coalition all in the 20% range there. Labor just marginally 0:18:48.859 --> 0:18:51.340 ahead of One Nation on 28. The Libs there for 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:53.960 the first time in a while comfortably on 20. They're 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:57.159 all there in the hunt. I don't think it's a 0:18:57.180 --> 0:18:59.659 strategy to rely on the split on the right at 0:18:59.900 --> 0:19:02.899 all when your government is so fundamentally on the nose. 0:19:04.950 --> 0:19:07.250 Yeah, your primary vote can only fall so far before 0:19:07.290 --> 0:19:09.969 you run the risk of losing government, obviously. But I 0:19:10.030 --> 0:19:12.490 think there's been a tectonic shift in politics, not seen 0:19:12.510 --> 0:19:14.410 in our lifetime, in fact, not seen since the Second 0:19:14.430 --> 0:19:17.840 World War. When you look at minor party challenges to 0:19:17.859 --> 0:19:19.940 the major party system, we can go back to the 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:22.440 Democratic Labor Party, they kept the Labor Party out of 0:19:22.500 --> 0:19:25.020 government for 20 years. three years, but they were never 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:27.740 a seriously large force. They just used the numbers that 0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:29.699 they had to make themselves a real nuisance. We had 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:31.300 the rise of the Democrats. We've had the rise of 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:34.100 the Greens. We've seen the Teals. One nation is something 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:37.139 completely different now. We're seeing a complete fracture of business 0:19:37.200 --> 0:19:39.460 as usual in politics. And what we've seen over the course, 0:19:39.850 --> 0:19:42.790 or really since the Rudd era, is that that major 0:19:42.810 --> 0:19:45.590 party advantage, where once upon a time they scooped up 80% 0:19:45.590 --> 0:19:48.270 of the primary vote, now we've got down to sort 0:19:48.310 --> 0:19:49.250 of 30 and 30, and now it's down to 50%. 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:53.699 of the primary vote going on those numbers. So we 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:56.939 haven't seen this before in our lifetime. Politics is in 0:19:56.980 --> 0:20:00.380 the process of being completely remade and the show may 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:02.820 well be blown up for a while before it comes 0:20:02.900 --> 0:20:03.820 back together again. 0:20:05.680 --> 0:20:07.970 What about the news this afternoon? The Royal Commission will 0:20:08.090 --> 0:20:14.439 reopen hearings. albeit closed, in camera hearings for national security reasons, 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:16.260 I presume, this. 0:20:15.940 --> 0:20:16.530 Month, Chris? 0:20:18.590 --> 0:20:19.790 Well, Peter, I don't know about you, but I find 0:20:19.810 --> 0:20:22.050 this bewildering. I've only just seen this report, and as 0:20:22.070 --> 0:20:23.629 you say, it will be held in camera, so it 0:20:23.650 --> 0:20:25.450 will only be the commission of people who are testifying 0:20:25.470 --> 0:20:27.680 before her, and they will look at the security environment 0:20:27.720 --> 0:20:32.050 around about the time of December 7th, attack. But the 0:20:32.109 --> 0:20:34.070 thing about that is I thought that that would have 0:20:34.109 --> 0:20:36.770 been up front and centre and was up in front 0:20:36.930 --> 0:20:39.520 and centre at the beginning, particularly when Dennis Richardson was 0:20:39.580 --> 0:20:42.540 involved in this before he pulled out. So why is 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:46.240 it at this particular stage, which is really the 11th hour, 0:20:46.260 --> 0:20:49.120 that the Commission decides to reopen hearings to hear this 0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:52.119 particular thing? Is there something deeper going on here? I 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:54.220 can't say that I know what it is, but it 0:20:54.310 --> 0:20:55.050 seems curious. 0:20:57.230 --> 0:21:00.020 I do like to see these things in camera, if 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:02.080 we can, not in camera, beg your pardon, if we 0:21:02.100 --> 0:21:05.740 can have the ASIO boss, as he did give evidence publicly, 0:21:05.810 --> 0:21:08.389 the least I want to see is prime ministers and 0:21:08.470 --> 0:21:11.150 relevant ministers, Tony Burke and others, and in New South 0:21:11.170 --> 0:21:15.619 Wales too, Chris, hold their testimony in the public domain. 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:17.300 I think this is important for confidence. 0:21:19.430 --> 0:21:20.150 Absolutely. 0:21:20.330 --> 0:21:22.230 And, of course, it all ends at the doorstep of 0:21:22.250 --> 0:21:24.129 the political class. You can send out the head of 0:21:24.210 --> 0:21:25.470 ASIO and you can send out the head of the 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:28.840 Australian Federal Police, but they all actually do report to 0:21:28.880 --> 0:21:32.220 ministers and the Prime Minister. So you would have expected 0:21:32.280 --> 0:21:35.360 that through the course of this inquiry that the Royal 0:21:35.400 --> 0:21:39.460 Commissioner would have called the appropriate ministers, including the Prime Minister, 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:41.879 to come and have a conversation about something which is 0:21:41.900 --> 0:21:45.240 hugely important to Australia, and that is our social cohesion 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:48.119 and what actually happened to help destroy it or to 0:21:48.180 --> 0:21:50.880 rip it to shreds. So those questions should have been answered. 0:21:50.900 --> 0:21:53.810 They haven't been answered. I'm afraid that this Royal Commission 0:21:54.130 --> 0:21:57.110 has been set too short a time and really been restricted. 0:21:57.150 --> 0:21:59.190 I think what the government wanted was to get in 0:21:59.250 --> 0:22:01.550 and out of this as quickly as possible. Didn't want 0:22:01.590 --> 0:22:03.770 a Royal Commission in the first place. It was lumbered 0:22:03.810 --> 0:22:05.970 with one because it was forced on it. Now I 0:22:06.010 --> 0:22:08.990 think it wants that date to come as quickly as possible. 0:22:10.630 --> 0:22:12.010 Right, we'll leave it there. Thank you, Chris Yeoman. 0:22:12.560 --> 0:22:14.869 Let's go now to those revelations I brought you tonight 0:22:14.880 --> 0:22:19.470 in relation to the fly-to-buy co-pilot, alleged terrorist, of course, 0:22:19.570 --> 0:22:22.310 at the top of the show tonight. The investigation also 0:22:22.350 --> 0:22:25.470 revealing that he had been involved. 0:22:25.410 --> 0:22:27.210 In a number of Muslim groups in Australia. 0:22:27.230 --> 0:22:29.850 This has been reported in the UAE on Saturday and 0:22:30.510 --> 0:22:34.990 statements made by the Attorney-General in the UAE that he 0:22:35.030 --> 0:22:39.679 had posted thousands of extremist messages advocating brutal Sharia punishments, 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:44.960 violence against women, and religious fanaticism. He also, as I said, 0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:48.620 spent time here at RMIT in Melbourne, where there are 0:22:48.680 --> 0:22:54.940 significant concerns tonight about his path to radicalisation. Tony Burke yesterday, though, 0:22:55.000 --> 0:22:58.340 the boss of the Home Affairs Department in Australia, was 0:22:58.500 --> 0:23:00.180 fudging things fast. 0:23:00.920 --> 0:23:05.460 News24. com reporting that this MyCentre that he was involved with, 0:23:05.500 --> 0:23:09.590 the pilot, received a $ 60, 000 grant from the Department of 0:23:09.650 --> 0:23:11.390 Home Affairs. Do you have a reaction to that? 0:23:11.630 --> 0:23:12.510 Sorry, which centre? 0:23:12.890 --> 0:23:17.970 It's the Multicultural Youth Centre in Melbourne called the My Centre. 0:23:19.220 --> 0:23:21.520 I don't have more information on that, Andrew. 0:23:21.560 --> 0:23:22.020 I'm sorry. 0:23:22.180 --> 0:23:26.540 It is really important that we use every lever we 0:23:26.640 --> 0:23:31.000 have to be able to make sure that we are 0:23:31.119 --> 0:23:33.360 denying oxygen to people who want to do us harm. 0:23:35.780 --> 0:23:40.320 Joining me now, the Shadow Attorney-General, Senator Michaelia Cash. I'll 0:23:40.380 --> 0:23:43.840 ask you about this, Michaelia. So comments are made in 0:23:43.880 --> 0:23:48.340 Dubai on Saturday by your would-be equivalent, your counterpart, the 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:54.119 UAE Attorney-General. A day later, the Australian minister in charge 0:23:54.160 --> 0:23:58.080