Speaker 1: Shari, It's good evening well tonight to our continuing expose
Speaker 1: of Anthony Albanesi's history as a pro Palestinian activist. I
Speaker 1: can reveal Albanzi met with the late Palestinian President Yasser
Speaker 1: Arafat two years before he Albanzi protested against Israel during
Speaker 1: the Second into Fada, and that was the violent Palestinian
Speaker 1: uprising that included terror attacks. Our now prime minister took
Speaker 1: part in Iralian Sydney, where Israeli and American flags were burned.
Speaker 1: Albanzi also met with Arafat, the terrorist turned president of
Speaker 1: the PLO, in Ramala two years earlier in nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1: Unlike other politicians who met with Arafat, Albanzi did not
Speaker 1: meet the Israeli Prime minister at the time. It was
Speaker 1: Benjamin Nettanyahu the Israeli President Aza Weizman. On his trip
Speaker 1: to the Middle East. Albinizi was on a trip sponsored
Speaker 1: by the Palestine Liberation Organization and it was all expenses paid,
Speaker 1: including flights and accommodation. Saurcers who knew Albanesi at the
Speaker 1: time told me he was starry eyed and fawning at
Speaker 1: the prospect of meeting Yasser Arafat. Here is a photograph
Speaker 1: that captured that moment. You can see Albanesi sitting on
Speaker 1: the far left of the screen. Next to him is
Speaker 1: a farmer labor MP Leo McLay who was strongly anti Israel.
Speaker 1: Then in the center there's Arafat. To the right of
Speaker 1: Arafat is one of his advisors, who then sits next
Speaker 1: to the former Palestinian delegate or ambassador in inverted commas,
Speaker 1: Ali Kazakh. And then on the far right of your
Speaker 1: screen is Joe Hockey, who was also on the tri
Speaker 1: Joe Hockey's father was born in the Palestinian territories, and
Speaker 1: he and Alberizi set up the Australian Parliamentary Friends of
Speaker 1: Palestine Group together. National Party MP Peter mc Peter mcgarren,
Speaker 1: who'd worked on a kibbutz in Israel and had visited
Speaker 1: Israel on many occasions, was also present. I asked the
Speaker 1: Prime Minister's office about the meeting, and a spokeswoman said
Speaker 1: it was a widely reported cross parliamentary trip to Egypt, Jordan, Gaza,
Speaker 1: West Bank and Israel. The majority of people on the
Speaker 1: trip were Liberal and National MPs were During the Palestinian
Speaker 1: sponsored trip. Albanesi and the group also went to a
Speaker 1: dinner in Gaza, which I'm told was attended by about
Speaker 1: sixty PLO officials or men. As I mentioned, the group
Speaker 1: did not meet with the then Israeli Prime Minister or
Speaker 1: Israeli president. At the time, Albanzi was an activist for
Speaker 1: the Palestinian cause. Two years later, while Arafat was president,
Speaker 1: the Second Into Farda rocked Israel. More than a thousand
Speaker 1: Israelis were killed in the violent uprising, which included Palestinian
Speaker 1: terror attacks where suicide bombers killed innocent families, including a
Speaker 1: busload of people. There was also violence and threats against
Speaker 1: Jewish institutions here in Australia. But during the Second Into Farda,
Speaker 1: according to left wing news website Criche, Albanizi joined pro
Speaker 1: Palestinian protests against Israel, where American and Israeli flags were burned.
Speaker 2: Israel. Trum Oh Well.
Speaker 1: Projects now that vision we first obtained here on this show,
Speaker 1: but Kriikee placed it to during the Second inter Farta,
Speaker 1: and as you saw, that was Albanesi yelling into the
Speaker 1: megaphone at the protest when Israelis at the time, during
Speaker 1: the second into Farta, Israelis were being killed in suicide bombings.
Speaker 1: In a speech Albenzi gave that same month again during
Speaker 1: the second inter Farta, Alberzi in parliament spoke about Israeli aggression.
Speaker 3: Palestinians lived with restrictions.
Speaker 4: Every day.
Speaker 3: Gaza in the West Bink are regularly closed, preventing Palestinians
Speaker 3: from going to work and creating a subsequent resentment. Roadblocks
Speaker 3: occur at regular intervals. The hotel in Ramala, the city
Speaker 3: Inn where I stayed with Peter Nugent, who's present here
Speaker 3: in the house, and also Joe Hockey, Peter McGowan and
Speaker 3: Liah McLay has been occupied by the Israeli Defense Force
Speaker 3: and used by snipers on the West Bank. Palestinians did
Speaker 3: not have equal rights in the Middle East.
Speaker 1: So as you saw there. In that parliamentary speech in
Speaker 1: October two thousand, Albanzi referred to his trip two years earlier,
Speaker 1: but as far as we can see, he's not in
Speaker 1: recent years referred to his meeting with Arafat. But in
Speaker 1: the wake of October seven, the former Palestinian delegate Ali Kazakh,
Speaker 1: who took alber Easy to meet Arafat and was featured
Speaker 1: in that photograph were he made the picture public. He
Speaker 1: published the photograph taken of the meeting and wrote under
Speaker 1: the image, and he wrote this on October the twenty first,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, and I quote in Gaza's Hour of need?
Speaker 1: What would President Arafat today make of Albanesi's one sided
Speaker 1: support for Israel's right to defend itself a denied to
Speaker 1: Palestinians in decades of Israeli occupation Gaza's hour of need? Well,
Speaker 1: that was October the twenty first, twenty twenty three, just
Speaker 1: weeks after the brutal and barbaric Hamas attacks of October
Speaker 1: the seventh. Albanese's views at the time were out of
Speaker 1: step with many of his labor colleagues. Just a year
Speaker 1: before Alberize, he met with Arafat. The former Deputy Prime
Speaker 1: Minister Tim Fisher had invited Arafat to visit Australia, but
Speaker 1: then he was forced to rescind the invitation, and the
Speaker 1: invitation was described by Labor MP Laurie Brereton as an embarrassment.
Speaker 1: Have a look at this footage from nineteen ninety seven.
Speaker 5: Acting Prime Minister. Would you agree that consistency is an
Speaker 5: important element in the conduct of the nation's foreign relations.
Speaker 5: Why did you invite the Palestinian president, mister Yasser Arafat
Speaker 5: to visit Australia as a guest of government when you
Speaker 5: met with him in Bethlehem on the thirteenth of March.
Speaker 5: Did you obtain the agreement of the Prime Minister before
Speaker 5: you extended the invitation to mister Arafat? Is it not
Speaker 5: a fact that last Thursday the government withdrew that invitation?
Speaker 5: Acting Prime Minister, what has changed since you met mister
Speaker 5: Arafat on the thirteenth of March, and how do you
Speaker 5: explain this latest embarrassment to our international relations.
Speaker 6: With regard to Yes Arafat? Yes, I extended invitation is
Speaker 6: not convenient or suitable to process or progress that at
Speaker 6: this time, and there's no inconsistency whatsoever.
Speaker 1: As you heard there that invitation was referred to as
Speaker 1: an embarrassment of international relations by a labor politician, Laurie Breton,
Speaker 1: an embarrassment. Well. Just today in Parliament, Albanezi admitted that
Speaker 1: he had been an advocate for the Palestinian cause his
Speaker 1: whole life. He was angry that protesters had been outside
Speaker 1: the office of MPs and that they were undermining that
Speaker 1: very cause, the cause of the Palestinians. That's what he
Speaker 1: seemed most angry about today. Have a look.
Speaker 3: I've supported justice for Palestinians my whole life and still do.
Speaker 3: It is tragic that the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian
Speaker 3: people are undermined by some people engaging activity that completely
Speaker 3: alienates the Australian public due to the nature of that.
Speaker 3: No one should be targeted for who they are. The
Speaker 3: targeting of people because they are Jewish because people disagree
Speaker 3: with some of the actions of the net and Yahoo
Speaker 3: government are completely unacceptable. Political debate must be respectful.
Speaker 1: Again. Albanezi can't seem to mention antisemitism without also speaking
Speaker 1: about Islamophobia and justice for Palestinians. Have a look again
Speaker 1: at this from today.
Speaker 3: There's no place for any Semitism, prejudice of any sort, Islamophobia.
Speaker 7: Well.
Speaker 1: By contrast, Peter Dutton responded to the anti Semitism that's
Speaker 1: gripped Australia in a very powerful way today. He gave
Speaker 1: a remarkable and moving speech that expressed utter dismay for
Speaker 1: what Jewish Australians are dealing with, and he also referred
Speaker 1: to the event that we it Sky News held and
Speaker 1: took part in on Sunday evening. It was to fight
Speaker 1: anti Semitism. It was held at a Jewish school. Peter
Speaker 1: Dutton came and I interviewed him at that event, and
Speaker 1: that was part of his speech in Parliament today.
Speaker 8: Last week I was at a school in Sydney where
Speaker 8: armed guards have a permanent presence to protect young children
Speaker 8: going to school, to protect young kids going to day
Speaker 8: care centers. Not because they've done anything wrong, not because
Speaker 8: they're families have done anything wrong or stand for any
Speaker 8: bad cause, but because they are Jewish. That's why. And
Speaker 8: that has no place in our country whatsoever. It's not
Speaker 8: with any precedent in any other part of the country
Speaker 8: and it needs to be condemned. And what the Prime
Speaker 8: Minister does today in condemning the actions of those who seek,
Speaker 8: for their own political purposes and their own political advancement,
Speaker 8: to pour fuel on this fire, deserve condemnation of this chamber.
Speaker 1: That speech was very powerful, went for five minutes. That
Speaker 1: is leadership on anti Semitism, and that is the leadership
Speaker 1: we should have seen on this scourge from the Prime
Speaker 1: Minister since October seven instead, we have a pro Palestinian
Speaker 1: activist himself as Prime Minister, someone so radical that he
Speaker 1: protested on the side of Palestinians during the Second into
Speaker 1: Fata and is now leading our country down a dangerous
Speaker 1: path where social cohesion is eroding fast. Now tonight I'm
Speaker 1: going to hear from Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson
Speaker 1: about this topic. We're going to bring him on live
Speaker 1: later in the show and heal express his view about
Speaker 1: Albanese's past as a pro Palestinian protester. That's going to
Speaker 1: be a very strong interview coming up in the show.
Speaker 1: Also tonight, Australia's GDP hits, COVID lows, confirming that we're
Speaker 1: in for a long per capita recession, and the woke
Speaker 1: e Safety Commissioner finally drops the absurd court battle against
Speaker 1: Elon Musk. This is a win for free speech. We'll
Speaker 1: have more on that coming up. Well, let's go now
Speaker 1: to the economic data we saw today, the weakest economic
Speaker 1: growth rate apart from COVID since the nineteen ninety one recession.
Speaker 1: The latest figures show GDP only grew by zero point
Speaker 1: one percent in the first quarter of the year. Joining
Speaker 1: me now Tonight's political Panel Labor MP Andrew Charlton, a
Speaker 1: National Senate leader, Bridget Mackenzie Andrew Bridget, welcome to you both.
Speaker 1: Look Andrew, we've avoided a technical recession so far, but
Speaker 1: there is a per capita recession for ordinary Australians. How
Speaker 1: tough is it at the moment? And what else does
Speaker 1: this data tell us?
Speaker 9: Well, you're right, Shari, per capita GDP growth has been
Speaker 9: low in Australia and it was low again this quarter.
Speaker 9: But I think it's important to remember about per capita
Speaker 9: GDP that it is quite a volatile series and countries
Speaker 9: right around the world have been struggling with low per
Speaker 9: capita GDP growth since before COVID. If you compare Australia
Speaker 9: to other peer countries over that timeframe, Australia actually does
Speaker 9: much better on a per capita GDP basis than Britain,
Speaker 9: than Japan, then New Zealand, than Canada, than the Euro Area.
Speaker 9: So I think those per capita numbers do speak to
Speaker 9: the struggle that many families are experiencing at the moment,
Speaker 9: but it's certainly not a problem unique to Australia or
Speaker 9: unique to this time. More broadly, on the economic numbers.
Speaker 9: I think it shows that the government has its fiscal
Speaker 9: settings right. You know, we received a lot of criticism
Speaker 9: around the budget that we hadn't cut enough, that the
Speaker 9: budget surplus wasn't big enough that we should have gone further. Well,
Speaker 9: now we can see that since the economy is as
Speaker 9: weak as it is, it actually would have been a
Speaker 9: terrible mistake to take that advice, and instead the government
Speaker 9: with a modest, prudes prudent surplus, got the balance right
Speaker 9: between bringing down inflation and making sure that we didn't
Speaker 9: push the economy under.
Speaker 1: Bridget What do you think do you think the economic
Speaker 1: data today shows that the government did get the settings
Speaker 1: right in the budget.
Speaker 10: Well, I think we've got anemic growth at the moment.
Speaker 10: We heard from the Reserve Bank governor today in Senate
Speaker 10: Estimates who made it very very clear that she.
Speaker 11: Wasn't looking at bringing it interesst rates down.
Speaker 10: Anytime soon, which means for way journers and mortgage holders
Speaker 10: in Australia, they're still going to feel the pinch for
Speaker 10: a long long time to come. And the reason is
Speaker 10: because we know inflation is now homegrown by this government's
Speaker 10: record spending twenty seven point six percent of GDP, highest
Speaker 10: on record, even the peaks through COVID, which means there
Speaker 10: is no incentive for the Reserve Bank governor governor to
Speaker 10: actually put downward pressure on interest rates. And that's the
Speaker 10: thing that's really killing everyday Australians in our suburbs and
Speaker 10: regional capitals.
Speaker 11: And if you like everything else is index.
Speaker 10: Your pension's index, youth allowances index, et cetera. All these
Speaker 10: other government payments are indexed. The only people that aren't
Speaker 10: getting index relief here in the face of inflation our
Speaker 10: way journals and mortgage holders.
Speaker 11: And the government needs to get it spending under.
Speaker 10: Control instead of flooding the economy with money.
Speaker 11: Which is exactly what they've been doing.
Speaker 10: And I did note that there were Labor senators today
Speaker 10: seeking to shame and blame shift the woes of our
Speaker 10: economy onto the shoulders of Michelle Bullock from the Reserve Bank.
Speaker 11: She wasn't having any of it.
Speaker 10: She's not going to be making political decisions on interest
Speaker 10: rates to suit.
Speaker 11: Jim Chalmers, sure if I could just jump in there.
Speaker 9: You know, it's great to be back on the show
Speaker 9: with Bridget, but what she just said is really confused.
Speaker 9: On the one hand, she's saying that the economy is
Speaker 9: really weak, that we've got anemic growth was the words
Speaker 9: that she uses point But on the other hand, she's
Speaker 9: saying that labor has got a big spending budget and
Speaker 9: can't control the spending. So she's suggesting that we should
Speaker 9: be spending less and is she willing to cop the
Speaker 9: consequences of what that would mean for a country in
Speaker 9: anemic growth?
Speaker 11: For your she's trying to say.
Speaker 10: Patronizing, Yeah, that's true, let's get bridgie, let's get only leavers.
Speaker 11: The only lever that is actually left is to see
Speaker 11: a rise in unemployment.
Speaker 10: So the strategy actually underlying the Labor Party at the
Speaker 10: moment is that they're hoping and their policies will actually
Speaker 10: result in people losing their jobs to actually ensure that
Speaker 10: the fiscal settings work in a way that will bring
Speaker 10: interest rates down quicker than I think Michelle Bullip would.
Speaker 11: Be planning to do so. And it's not me, it's
Speaker 11: the economists.
Speaker 1: All right, let's move on to another topic. Defense ministers
Speaker 1: Richard Miles and his junior Matt Keo seem to be
Speaker 1: have some struggles today. Put it that way, keeping their
Speaker 1: stories straight. There were mixed messages on which foreign residents
Speaker 1: would soon be able to join the Australian Defense FOSS.
Speaker 1: Let's have a look.
Speaker 7: Well, in terms of who we're focusing on, we've really
Speaker 7: articulated that New Zealand, Five Eyes the Pacific. But what
Speaker 7: we're focusing on is New Zealand, five Eyes and the Pacific.
Speaker 11: The first of January twenty twenty five.
Speaker 8: It'll apply to other five ized countries and permanent residents
Speaker 8: from any other.
Speaker 1: Countries, many other countries. Andrew Charlton, instead of allowing foreigners
Speaker 1: to join the ADF, why not do a better job
Speaker 1: at improving the organization so that it appeals to young Australians.
Speaker 9: Well, I think we have to do that as well, Jari.
Speaker 9: You know, for the last nine years, the recruitment into
Speaker 9: the ADF has not been where it needs to be
Speaker 9: and that has left us with some capability gaps that
Speaker 9: we need to be acting to fill. And that means
Speaker 9: making sure that joining the armed forces is an attractive
Speaker 9: proposition for young Australians, that they are supported, trained and
Speaker 9: given career pathways through the armed forces. That means that
Speaker 9: we can attract the best young people in to defend
Speaker 9: this country. And what the Defense Minister is saying is
Speaker 9: now we're also looking at options to use people who
Speaker 9: have been in Australia for a long time from New Zealand,
Speaker 9: from other like minded countries and not preventing those people
Speaker 9: from joining the armed forces if they meet the criteria
Speaker 9: that are set out for them.
Speaker 1: Bridget, do you agree with the proposal to allow like
Speaker 1: minded countries America, New Zealand, Canada, other Five Eyes nations
Speaker 1: to join our adf.
Speaker 10: Well, I think the Australian citizenry is the most precious
Speaker 10: gift that you can give somebody. We should all be
Speaker 10: prepared to do everything in our power to defend our
Speaker 10: country and we need to make sure the Defense Force.
Speaker 11: To Andrew's point, and I agree.
Speaker 10: With him on this, is that the selection criteria needs
Speaker 10: to be broad enough to make sure that more young
Speaker 10: Australians not only seated as an attractive.
Speaker 11: Career, but also you can get in.
Speaker 10: We got evidence in Senate estimates an hour or two
Speaker 10: ago where finally you're going to let people who have braces,
Speaker 10: have had braces into the Defense Force, et cetera. So
Speaker 10: remove some of those barriers I think is could. But
Speaker 10: at the end of the day Shari. We're not the
Speaker 10: foreign legion. I don't think we need to be bringing
Speaker 10: in non Australians to help us defend our own. We
Speaker 10: need to make sure the ADF is fit for purpose
Speaker 10: and employing Australian citizens.
Speaker 1: Now, just before we go, we've seen elections in India. Look,
Speaker 1: this is an area a foreign policy that you follow
Speaker 1: particularly closely, Andrew Charlton. Prime Minister ner Andre Modi will
Speaker 1: now have to rely on coalition partners, it's been reported
Speaker 1: to form government. Are you surprised, Andrew by this result?
Speaker 9: Look, I think the results certainly defied the exit polls,
Speaker 9: and they defied many people's predictions. You've got to remember
Speaker 9: that an Indian election is really a marvel of logistics.
Speaker 9: It takes many weeks. There are nearly a billion people
Speaker 9: who are eligible voters. And I think, for me, one
Speaker 9: thing that this result shows, which was much closer than
Speaker 9: people predicted. It certainly wasn't the walkover by a Prime
Speaker 9: Minister Modi that had been expected in some quarters. It
Speaker 9: shows that Indian democracy is alive and well. They have
Speaker 9: a strongly contested democracy, vigorous political parties and an election
Speaker 9: process which was free of claims of fraud or interference,
Speaker 9: and has delivered a return of the Modi government, albeit
Speaker 9: with a smaller majority.
Speaker 1: Apart from an economic textbook, You've actually written in a
Speaker 1: book on India, Andrew, haven't you.
Speaker 12: That's right.
Speaker 9: Yeah, I wrote a book about Australia's engagement with India
Speaker 9: and the importance of that relationship to Australia in the future.
Speaker 9: The point of the book is that I don't think
Speaker 9: there are many other nations in the world that will
Speaker 9: shape Australia's future as much as India. It is the
Speaker 9: largest country in the world by population, It is about
Speaker 9: to become the third largest economy in the world. It
Speaker 9: has the fastest growing military capability, and it's on track
Speaker 9: to become a full blown superpower that will shape our
Speaker 9: region and Australia within it.
Speaker 10: And unlike other superpowers, it's actually a democracy, which I
Speaker 10: think is super exciting. And I think Modi's whole vision
Speaker 10: to make India a developed country by its independence centenary
Speaker 10: in twenty forty seven, I think is something the Indian
Speaker 10: public want to see achieved.
Speaker 9: Bridget and I agree.
Speaker 1: Tonight. For once, Andrew Charlton Bridget Mackenzie, thank you both
Speaker 1: so much. For your time now. As we've been talking about,
Speaker 1: our economy is at a stound steel growth, falling to
Speaker 1: zero point one percent in the March Quieter, the weakest
Speaker 1: growth in decades here was treasurer at Jim Chalmers today.
Speaker 13: The primary cause of this very weak growth in our
Speaker 13: economy was higher interest rates, but in combination with moderating
Speaker 13: but persistent inflation and global economic uncertainty. Over the past year,
Speaker 13: something like three quarters of OECD economies have recorded a
Speaker 13: negative quarter, while Australia has avoided one to date.
Speaker 1: And IRBA Governor Michelle Bullock wand and Senate estimates that
Speaker 1: any decision to raise interest rates would be driven by
Speaker 1: the data. Here, she was if it.
Speaker 14: Turns out, for example, that inflation starts to go up again,
Speaker 14: or it's much sticky than we think, we're not getting
Speaker 14: it down, then we won't hesitate to move and raise
Speaker 14: interest rates again. In contrast, if it turns out that
Speaker 14: the economy is much weaker than expected and that puts
Speaker 14: more downward pressure on inflation, then we'll be looking to ease.
Speaker 1: All right, Harold Sign's business legend Terry mccron joins me now, Terry,
Speaker 1: great to see you again. What's your analysis of this
Speaker 1: data today? And I'm sure you would have heard the
Speaker 1: views of Andrew Charlton and Bridget mackenzie just a minute ago.
Speaker 15: Well, Chie, I think that Michelle, I'm is glad that
Speaker 15: you showed the full quote because the meda is turnded
Speaker 15: only focus on the first part of what she said
Speaker 15: that she wouldn't hesitate take to raise interest rates if
Speaker 15: inflation proved sticky or went up. But she also said
Speaker 15: that she wouldn't hesitate to cut interest rates if the
Speaker 15: economy was sicker than she believed it was. So that's
Speaker 15: very important to bear in mind because we have a
Speaker 15: very messy economy. We have an economy which is very sick.
Speaker 15: It's not performing, it's not growing, as you've indicated, it's
Speaker 15: basically standing still despite this massive inflow of migrants, which
Speaker 15: dramatically add to demand or should be boosting the economy,
Speaker 15: but it's also got this persistent inflation problem. This is
Speaker 15: not a conventional situation showing where the economy is either
Speaker 15: in recession and inflation is low, so you cut interest
Speaker 15: rates to boost the economy, or the opposite, where inflation
Speaker 15: is up but the economy is booming, so you try
Speaker 15: to slow things down. This is a very messy situation,
Speaker 15: and it's not caused as charmers were suggesting by the
Speaker 15: result they put out interest rates. Certainly that's been a negative,
Speaker 15: But the real problems are what the government has been doing,
Speaker 15: what has been doing to energy, what has been doing
Speaker 15: to costs, what has been doing so damagingly to employers
Speaker 15: in business, not just small business, but business across the board.
Speaker 1: You're talking about productivity here, you're talking about the slow productivity.
Speaker 15: All of that charity, all of that charity exactly the
Speaker 15: sort of things that are anti productivity, anti growth, anti
Speaker 15: encouragement to business to actually make investments and to employ people,
Speaker 15: and to really think that the only thing that counts
Speaker 15: in this economy is building more and more roads and
Speaker 15: rail and infrastructure to house all those migrants. And also
Speaker 15: you know the mad rush to renewable energy.
Speaker 1: I mean, we weren't expecting this, were we. There was
Speaker 1: a lot of discussion that we'd be even seeing rate
Speaker 1: cuts later this year. That seems to be disappearing fast.
Speaker 9: Well.
Speaker 15: As Michelle Bullet made very clear, the reserve bankers trying
Speaker 15: to balance and sit on this very narrow path gently
Speaker 15: putting pressure on inflation. She's prepared to have inflation take
Speaker 15: till the end of next year to get back into
Speaker 15: its target because she doesn't want to sound unemployment rocketing
Speaker 15: up very sharply, and by and large she's managed to
Speaker 15: succeed in that so far. The jobless rate is still
Speaker 15: around four and a half percent, and interest rates in
Speaker 15: Australia are actually lower than they are in other countries,
Speaker 15: in most of our comparative countries. So yes, yes, at
Speaker 15: the side of the many economics are predicting rate cuts.
Speaker 15: I remember one economs predicting we'd get a ray cut
Speaker 15: in February. Didn't happen, and you certainly can't predict it
Speaker 15: from what Michelle had to say today. But I have
Speaker 15: a set shari that we're going to see in the
Speaker 15: next couple of months this economy breaking one or two ways.
Speaker 15: Either that inflation pressure will become so persistent that Michelle
Speaker 15: Bullock will have to hike, or in fact the economy
Speaker 15: really will snap. Because we're very close to this economy snapping.
Speaker 15: Businesses out there are in very tough times, and businesses
Speaker 15: out there are going broke, as you know, by numbers
Speaker 15: which we haven't seen for decades. So this is an
Speaker 15: economy which is really teaching on the brink, and it's
Speaker 15: not an economy in which the government should be sitting
Speaker 15: there as a spectator. The government should be doing the
Speaker 15: things to relieve the cost of living pressures, and not
Speaker 15: just with a three hundred dollars energy handout, serious measures
Speaker 15: which will actually make this economy more productive.
Speaker 11: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Look, there's no question cost of living is the major issue.
Speaker 1: A lot of families are really struggling. Terry mccran, thank
Speaker 1: you very much for your analysis and we look forward
Speaker 1: to reading you in the Herald's sign. Now coming up,
Speaker 1: the E Safety Commissioner gives up her fight against Elon
Speaker 1: Musk plus Israel gears up for an offensive as Hesblah
Speaker 1: says they're ready for all that. Well more on that
Speaker 1: and the ABC not only refusal to cover the antisemitism crisis,
Speaker 1: but its criticism of arcads Sky for covering it. All
Speaker 1: of that with James Patterson and Colin Rubinstein. Next Welcome back.
Speaker 1: We Israeli is bracing for war against the terror group
Speaker 1: Hesbela on its northern border with Lebanon. IDF Chief of
Speaker 1: Staff Hertzi Hallivi announced that they have strong defense, readiness
Speaker 1: to attack and are approaching a decision point. This would
Speaker 1: mean Israel is fighting two Iran backed terror groups at
Speaker 1: the same time, Hamas and Hesbela yet across the globe,
Speaker 1: but we're seeing media bias, misinformation about Israel's military tactics
Speaker 1: and rising antisemitism. Over on the ABC, which claims to
Speaker 1: care about racism, will they continue to ignore the major
Speaker 1: problem of anti Semitism And shockingly, the ABC has even
Speaker 1: criticized us at Sky News for covering the crisis.
Speaker 2: So what was Sky Off the Dark discussing? On Monday Night?
Speaker 2: Chris Kenny and Robert Gregory from the Australian Jewish Association
Speaker 2: were focused on the rise of antisemitism in Australia. On
Speaker 2: our account, it's around the thirtieth time it's been discussed
Speaker 2: on Kenny's show since the war began.
Speaker 1: Well, I actually think it's much more than that. I
Speaker 1: would be surprised if Chris Kenny doesn't cover it every
Speaker 1: single night as I do on this program. Yet the
Speaker 1: ABC refuses to cover in any meaningful way the explosion
Speaker 1: of antisemitism in Australia since October the seventh. Many people
Speaker 1: have said that Sky that Josh Fredenberg Sky documentary, an
Speaker 1: important piece of journalism documenting the unprecedented racism we're seeing
Speaker 1: in Australia, should have been broadcast by the ABC. It's
Speaker 1: a point that former ABC director Joe Gersh made when
Speaker 1: he came on this program last month.
Speaker 16: My concern which is why has it fallen to Sky
Speaker 16: News and Josh. That's not a criticism of Sky News
Speaker 16: or Josh, but it is a matter of deep concern
Speaker 16: to me, as a member of the Jewish community, as
Speaker 16: a former ABC director, and as an Australian citizen that
Speaker 16: our national broadcaster has not fully understood and dealt with
Speaker 16: what I believe has reached crisis proportion, which is anti
Speaker 16: Semitism in this country.
Speaker 1: Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson joins me now along
Speaker 1: with Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Executive Director Colin Rubinstein.
Speaker 1: Welcomed to you both. Look, James, I mean we make
Speaker 1: this point over and over again. The alban Easy government
Speaker 1: has no control over what happens in the Middle East,
Speaker 1: but they can control what happens on our street, so
Speaker 1: they can influence it. That is one of the most
Speaker 1: shocking things I've seen Paul Barry over on the ABC
Speaker 1: criticizing us at Sky for covering the anti Semitism crisis.
Speaker 1: Shouldn't here be examining why the ABC hasn't covered it
Speaker 1: in any in depth.
Speaker 17: Way, Shary, I thought it was a very bold call
Speaker 17: by Paul Barry and the ABC to attack Sky News
Speaker 17: for being too focused and too concerned about anti Semitism,
Speaker 17: which has reached an unprecedented crisis in our country over
Speaker 17: the last eight months. When bodies like the Executive Council
Speaker 17: of Australian Jury track a seven hundred percent increase in
Speaker 17: anti semitism, when Victoria Police report massive increases in anti
Speaker 17: Semitic incidents, ten times in the frequency of anti Islamic incidents,
Speaker 17: I think we should all be concerned about that, and
Speaker 17: we should be focused on it. But the ABC has
Speaker 17: shown a lack of curiosity, a lack of interest, and
Speaker 17: a lack of concern about this issue. In fact, the
Speaker 17: most tangible thing they've done on this issue in the
Speaker 17: last few months is to produce a documentary on Anthony Lowenstein,
Speaker 17: a Jewish anti zionist activist in Australia. Not focusing on
Speaker 17: the mainstream and broadly represented Jewish community who are deeply
Speaker 17: concerned about what's happening in our country. When we have
Speaker 17: Holocaust survivors say they've never felt less safe in their
Speaker 17: own country in Australia, that's a national disgrace and the
Speaker 17: fact our national broadcaster is so uninterested in that is
Speaker 17: a great shame to them.
Speaker 1: Absolutely and well, said Colin Rubinstein. We've been reporting here
Speaker 1: on Sky and even left wing media outlet Criche has
Speaker 1: been reporting about how Anthony Alberizi, in his early parliamentary
Speaker 1: career in the year two thousand, joined pro Palestinian protesters
Speaker 1: at a rally in Sydney where Israeli and American flags
Speaker 1: were burned. Do you think his history as a Palestinian
Speaker 1: activist has prevented him from calling out some of the
Speaker 1: aggression and violence that we've seen at protests around the
Speaker 1: country and from taking a stronger position on anti Semitism.
Speaker 12: Well, Charry, thanks for having me on. I mean, the
Speaker 12: Prime Minister's history is no secret. You've divulged, as have others,
Speaker 12: and the Prime Minister himself today said again he's been
Speaker 12: a longstanding passionate supporter of the Palestinians and meeting with
Speaker 12: Arafat in the nineties. I don't think that's original sin.
Speaker 12: Many people met with Arafat during the Oslo process in
Speaker 12: the hope that the Palestinians would actually move forward except
Speaker 12: the reality of Israel and the two state outcome. Of course,
Speaker 12: the great tragedy is as we saw in the explosion
Speaker 12: of the Intifada, the rejection of the Barak and President
Speaker 12: Clinton initiatives for two state outcome. We saw the Palestinians
Speaker 12: lynch towards continued extremists in wanting their own state, not
Speaker 12: alongside Israel than peace, but instead of Israel, which has
Speaker 12: remained a continuing problem ever since rejecting the Peace Office
Speaker 12: the two state outcomes that have been offered repeatedly by
Speaker 12: Israeli leaders, be It Olmert, President Olmert, even President Prime
Speaker 12: minist Prime Minister Olmitahu. So the pity is that while
Speaker 12: the Prime Minister has mellowed somewhat over the years, he
Speaker 12: opposes the BDS, he accepts the Ira definition of antisemitism,
Speaker 12: which is criticism of Israel is legitimate, comparing Israel to
Speaker 12: Nazi Germany, or wishing for the elimination of Israel from
Speaker 12: the river to the sea, and an into Fada is inappropriate.
Speaker 12: He accepts those positions, but I don't know that he's
Speaker 12: understood the realities of the situation over the last two decades.
Speaker 12: That the reason we don't get to do a state
Speaker 12: outcome is the continuing extremism of the Palestinians and the
Speaker 12: need for him to focus on that rather than giving
Speaker 12: three kicks to the Palestinians in terms of possible recognition,
Speaker 12: which will only reinforce that extremism, rather than encourage the
Speaker 12: moderation that is essential for moving forward to a resolution
Speaker 12: of christ.
Speaker 1: Let's bring James Patterson back in James so Earlier in
Speaker 1: the Evening I revealed that Alberizi met with the late
Speaker 1: Palestinian president Yasser Arafat in nineteen ninety eight in an
Speaker 1: all expenses paid sponsored trip by the PLO. He didn't
Speaker 1: meet with Israeli leaders on the same trip two years later.
Speaker 1: He then joined pro Palestinian protests during the Second inter Fada,
Speaker 1: when there were terrorist attacks against Israeli's innocence were killed.
Speaker 1: Alberzi joined those protests, flags were burned. What's your reaction
Speaker 1: to these revelations, Well.
Speaker 17: Shari, I can't say I'm very surprised that a Prime
Speaker 17: minister who only a few years ago thought it was
Speaker 17: appropriate to post selfies with an avowed anti Semite in
Speaker 17: Jeremy Corbyn has been paleling around with and indeed worshiping,
Speaker 17: Yaser Arafat and taking all expenses paid trips by the
Speaker 17: Pulsy and the Uratian organization to visit the Middle East.
Speaker 17: And I want to be fair to him and say, yes,
Speaker 17: he met Yaser Arafat in nineteen ninety eight. It was
Speaker 17: before the second into Fada except shari. As you've demonstrated
Speaker 17: in your program, Anthony Ebenese's views didn't change after the
Speaker 17: setcond into Farda. In fact, if anything, they just got worse,
Speaker 17: they hardened even further. And let's remember what the second
Speaker 17: Intafarta was and what it involved. A fifteen year old
Speaker 17: Australian citizen, Malki Roth, was at a pizza restaurant in
Speaker 17: Tel Aviv mining her own business when a Palestinian terrorist
Speaker 17: walked in and blew him himself up, blew her up
Speaker 17: and fourteen other innocent people. That's what the second Intofata was.
Speaker 17: And yet in response to the Second Intovada, Anthony Albernezi
Speaker 17: thought that the right thing to do was to turn
Speaker 17: up to rallies where they burned Israeli flags and American flags,
Speaker 17: where he indulged some of the extremists in the pro
Speaker 17: Palestinian movement in this country. And he's done it ever since.
Speaker 17: And I said it on your program on Monday night.
Speaker 17: He's the most anti Israel Prime minister we've ever had.
Speaker 17: I don't say that lightly. I think it's well supported
Speaker 17: by evidence, and you've just provided further evidence.
Speaker 9: Of it tonight.
Speaker 1: Just a quick follow up there before I go back
Speaker 1: to Colin, how do you think this has impacted on
Speaker 1: his leadership in Australia since October seven?
Speaker 17: Well, I mean, on the one hand, I think a
Speaker 17: lot of Australians to assume he's a weak Prime minister
Speaker 17: and he's terrified of the Green's political party, and that's
Speaker 17: why he's been unable to unequivocally condemn anti Semitism on
Speaker 17: its own without linking it to Islamophobia or owner issues.
Speaker 17: But actually I think he has a deep seated sympathy
Speaker 17: for the Palacian cause which goes far beyond a genuine
Speaker 17: humanitarian sympathy for Palastinian people, which we should all have,
Speaker 17: and really goes into anti Israel bias and hatred, and
Speaker 17: I think that is reflected over a long period of time.
Speaker 17: Some of his statements in the House of Representatives have
Speaker 17: been filled with bile, have been shockingly biased against Israel,
Speaker 17: have been totally unbalanced, and I think that has really
Speaker 17: impacted his ability to stand strong as Prime Minister against
Speaker 17: a moral crisis in our own country of anti Semitism.
Speaker 1: Look, we've also seen Pennywong just this week refused to
Speaker 1: rule out supporting a Palestinian state even if HERMAS still
Speaker 1: played some role in the government in the governing of Gaza. Colin,
Speaker 1: what's your reaction to this, Well.
Speaker 12: It's a complete contradiction in her position in the government's position.
Speaker 12: On the one hand, they AMAS is a banned terrorist
Speaker 12: organization and extreme organization engage in the worst sort of
Speaker 12: terrorism in recent history, the greatest massacre of Jewis since
Speaker 12: the Holocaust. It's abhorrent, as the Prime Minister said today,
Speaker 12: and they shouldn't have a role in the future that.
Speaker 12: On the other hand, they're referring to the possibility of
Speaker 12: early recognition of a Palestinian state, voting for that UN
Speaker 12: resolution three weeks ago and previous statements to that effect.
Speaker 12: It represents a complete contradiction that Kamas will continue to
Speaker 12: be governing in Gaza and calling for a permanent cease fire.
Speaker 12: So there's a lack of moral clarity and there's a
Speaker 12: lack of recognition of what the facts are. Early recognition
Speaker 12: of Palestinians won't increase the possibility of moving towards the reconciliation.
Speaker 12: It simply reinforces and terrorism and rewards terrorism. And that's
Speaker 12: the tragedy in the current situation. I think it is
Speaker 12: really totally counterproductive to moving towards arisable resolution.
Speaker 1: All Right, well out of time, James Patterson, Colin Rubinstein,
Speaker 1: thank you both very much. Now coming up, Australia abandons
Speaker 1: the cop fight with Elon Musk and you won't believe
Speaker 1: the so called skilled migrants Albinizi is allowing in the country.
Speaker 1: More on that with Holly Hughes and Joe Kelly next. Well,
Speaker 1: the woke and anti free speech e Safety Commissioner has
Speaker 1: finally abandoned her battle against Elon Musk. She was trying
Speaker 1: to get Twitter or x to remove videos of the
Speaker 1: Wakely church stabbing and then today executive Chairman of Newscott
Speaker 1: Michael Miller gave a speech at the National Press Club
Speaker 1: calling for tech giants to be held more accountable.
Speaker 8: These companies have immense power and it is critical that
Speaker 8: they do not undermine Australian's sovereignty.
Speaker 1: No company should be too big to regulate. The Australian's
Speaker 1: National Affairs Editor, Joe Kelly and Lib Will sent to
Speaker 1: Holly Hughes join me now, thank you both so much
Speaker 1: for your time. Look firstly to the e Safety Commissioner, Holly.
Speaker 1: I mean, this was about time. This was an absurd
Speaker 1: fight to make sure that no one around the world
Speaker 1: could play a video of a news event.
Speaker 18: No, it was extraordinary, and I think what made it
Speaker 18: even more kind of distasteful was this It was definitely
Speaker 18: some form of terror attack against Christian It was Muslim
Speaker 18: against Christian and of course that can't be seen. But
Speaker 18: when it's something else, they're all happy to let it go.
Speaker 18: I think it was in a little more ideology than
Speaker 18: the Safety Commissioner would like to acknowledge. But I think
Speaker 18: it's a good move. I wonder how much it's already
Speaker 18: cost the taxpayer in what they were trying to do.
Speaker 18: But X did what they were required to do with
Speaker 18: regards to GOO, you know, moving around so technically in
Speaker 18: Australia couldn't say it.
Speaker 1: Thank you, I'm so technical, Charte.
Speaker 18: But you know they you know, they did what they
Speaker 18: could on the GEO blocking and I don't think Australia
Speaker 18: is allowed to set the laws for everyone else around
Speaker 18: the world.
Speaker 1: What do you think about this, Joan, and how does
Speaker 1: this contrast with what Michael Miller was arguing for at
Speaker 1: the Press Club today, Joe Kelly, can you.
Speaker 19: Hear me, well, Sherry, I'm not getting anything coming through
Speaker 19: at the moment, so.
Speaker 1: Well, we might just stick with difficult. We can hear you,
Speaker 1: but we might just stick with Holly Hughes. Then, Joe,
Speaker 1: what did you think.
Speaker 18: Of, Mike of Michael Miller's comments today with regards to
Speaker 18: what was occurring with the Safety Commissioner and also the
Speaker 18: tech giants, see Shari, we can facilitate.
Speaker 11: Willmen at this work?
Speaker 19: Well, if I'm coming through, I think what happened is
Speaker 19: that Elon Musk has won a victory. But I think
Speaker 19: it's a defeat for common sense. And I think that
Speaker 19: the position that was outlined today by the News Court
Speaker 19: Boss Michael Miller is a sensible position, which is trying
Speaker 19: to bring greater regulation and rules into place for social
Speaker 19: media companies, including x, Facebook and others. He's talking about
Speaker 19: a social license which would require these platforms to ablide
Speaker 19: by community standards and if they don't, there should be
Speaker 19: a punishment for them. And I think that's a common
Speaker 19: sense position which most Australians would agree with.
Speaker 11: I don't think.
Speaker 19: It's a good idea that vicious stabbing attacks are shared
Speaker 19: freely online, all right.
Speaker 1: We have a slight difference of opinion there, but seeing
Speaker 1: as you can't hear me, it would be a bit
Speaker 1: difficult for us to have that debate right now. Holly,
Speaker 1: Let's move on to this downing analysis by Peter van
Speaker 1: Unslin after it's emerged that labor is letting some type
Speaker 1: of skilled migrants into the country but not others. So
Speaker 1: yoga teachers and dog handlers have come in, apparently over
Speaker 1: those who do have quality cations in a trade or
Speaker 1: emergency workers. According to the Jobs and Skills Australia List,
Speaker 1: labor is set to reject migrants who are emergency service workers,
Speaker 1: nurse managers, disability service officers and others including beef and
Speaker 1: sheep farmers. Holly what's the reason given for this bizarre change.
Speaker 18: Well, the funny thing is, Shari, there is no reason
Speaker 18: being given for the change.
Speaker 11: But I was in Estimates today.
Speaker 18: One of my shadow portfolios is mental health and Katie
Speaker 18: Gallagher was there representing the minister and when I asked
Speaker 18: her whether or not those workers that this labor government
Speaker 18: says it's prioritizing when it comes to very thin markets
Speaker 18: in mental health. I mean our mental health system doesn't
Speaker 18: have gaps, it has chasms. There are significant issues across
Speaker 18: the board. When I asked her whether or not they
Speaker 18: were prioritizing on the skills list people that could work
Speaker 18: in mental health, or they prioritizing yoga instructors, Katie Gallagher
Speaker 18: got a little snippy with me. I mean she got
Speaker 18: a little bit upset because I don't think they like
Speaker 18: being asked that. You know, what they're prioritizing is not
Speaker 18: what Australians actually want to be prioritized.
Speaker 1: So I had a quick look.
Speaker 18: I did notice we could get an acupuncturist in if
Speaker 18: we need it those sharis, so in between yoga and
Speaker 18: acupuncture will be fine.
Speaker 1: Look I'll stick with you, Holly, seeing as Joe can't
Speaker 1: hear me Mining magnate Gina Reinhart is urging parents to
Speaker 1: take a stand against Australian schools which are teaching radical
Speaker 1: gender ideology. This exclusive from my colleague Caroline Marcus ryan
Speaker 1: Hart said, I understand a rough estimate is that Woke
Speaker 1: Anti Australia and similar propaganda takes up approximately one third
Speaker 1: of the school curriculums. What do you make of Gina's
Speaker 1: intervention in this debate?
Speaker 18: Well, look, I think she's completely correct. I have a
Speaker 18: daughter at an all girl school and I certainly don't
Speaker 18: want her being subjected to this kind of gender ideology.
Speaker 18: I grew up in Perth, so I know Saint Hilda's
Speaker 18: very well. I was across the road down this hill
Speaker 18: at John twenty third. Saint Hilda's was a very conservative
Speaker 18: girls school and I'm sure the parents that send their
Speaker 18: children to Saint Hilda's or I might get in trouble
Speaker 18: for this. Snelders as it was known to the Perth colloquial.
Speaker 18: It was a very conservative school and to see this
Speaker 18: kind of ideology entering is not what parents are paying
Speaker 18: tens of thousands of dollars per year for their children
Speaker 18: to be educated in and I think there was also
Speaker 18: some elements of what was raised by Missus rein Hart
Speaker 18: around the spaces that were available to those teachers who
Speaker 18: were transgender or identified as non binary. I think parents
Speaker 18: have a right when they choose an independent school, when
Speaker 18: they're paying considerable money in private school fees, to really
Speaker 18: understand what the school is teaching, what the school is advocation,
Speaker 18: and not pushing an ideology that those children would not
Speaker 18: be exposed to in their home environment.
Speaker 1: Whether it's private, independent schools or public schools. You'd think that,
Speaker 1: you know, the most important thing is your children actually
Speaker 1: getting an education instead of having one set of ideology
Speaker 1: pushed down their throat.
Speaker 18: Hoally, you know some basic math, real educator, you know,
Speaker 18: basically English in general history. It'd be really nice excarting
Speaker 18: point all.
Speaker 1: Right, Holly Husa and Joe Kelly, if you can hear me,
Speaker 1: thank you both very much. Now, after the break, Harry
Speaker 1: and Meghan snubbed by the palace again, we'll cross live
Speaker 1: to London for the latest with the royal family. Stay tuned,
Speaker 1: welcome back. Well as expected, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Speaker 1: haven't made the cut for the trooping of the color
Speaker 1: the second year in a row. They haven't been invited,
Speaker 1: but there are rumors that Princess Kate might attend the
Speaker 1: ceremony if she feels well enough.
Speaker 9: Well.
Speaker 1: I'm joined now by ITV News Royal editor Chris Ship. Chris,
Speaker 1: do you think there's any merit to this rumor? Because
Speaker 1: we previously heard that Kate would be out of action
Speaker 1: when it comes to public appearances for most of this year.
Speaker 4: That's still the position when it comes to Kate. She
Speaker 4: is still receiving what she calls her preventative chemotherapy, and
Speaker 4: that's basically meant she's been unable to attend any of
Speaker 4: her events. However, there is a particular event this weekend
Speaker 4: which is the kind of final dress rehearsal for Trooping
Speaker 4: the Color, which most people know is the King's official
Speaker 4: birthday parade on the streets of London, and that final
Speaker 4: dress rehearsal was meant to be attended by Kate because
Speaker 4: she's the Colonel in chief of the Irish Guards. We've
Speaker 4: been told she's not going to attend that because of
Speaker 4: her health concerns, but they didn't rule out her attending
Speaker 4: the actual Trooping the Color ceremony a week later. That's
Speaker 4: not to say she'll be there. They just didn't rule
Speaker 4: it out, and that's how this rumor has crept up
Speaker 4: that she might choose trooping the color as her moment
Speaker 4: to re enter the public free. I mean, I have
Speaker 4: to say, I still think that's highly unlikely. You've got
Speaker 4: someone who's having cancer treatment and has had that massive
Speaker 4: operation previously, So it's just that they haven't ruled it out,
Speaker 4: and that's how this rumor's managed to spread.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and of course the most important thing is her health.
Speaker 1: And now reportedly King Charles was miffed when Prime Minister
Speaker 1: Rishi Sunac called a general election. You think he would
Speaker 1: have been advised before Richie Sunac did this, wouldn't you.
Speaker 4: Well, he gets a little bit of notice, But Richie
Speaker 4: Sunac managed to catch out most of his own members
Speaker 4: of Parliament, let alone the rest of the country, when
Speaker 4: he decided to have a surprise general election here in
Speaker 4: the UK in a couple of weeks time. Look, the
Speaker 4: position with the royal family is they can't overshadow the politician.
Speaker 4: So if there's a big event like I'm in France
Speaker 4: at the moment, there are commemorations for D Day, those
Speaker 4: things are still going ahead. Trooping the color we've just
Speaker 4: talked about. That's still going ahead as well, but the
Speaker 4: royal family is having to dial down other things. For example,
Speaker 4: if they were to go to a certain part of
Speaker 4: the country and get breast coverage at the same time
Speaker 4: as a politician.
Speaker 1: All right, christ Hip, we are losing you, but we
Speaker 1: are out of time in any case. Thank you everyone
Speaker 1: for your company tonight. I'll see you tomorrow at eight o'clock.
Speaker 1: And right now, in a minute, here is Paul Murray.