WEBVTT - The Rita Panahi Show | 1 October 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:04.519 On scorn Lous Australia. 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:07.280 This is the Reader Panalty Show. 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:11.719 Good evening and welcome to the Reader Panety Show. Coming 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:15.800 up tonight. The Victorian Liberal leader under renewed pressure can 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:20.560 John Persuto survived the latest self made crisis. Senator Alex 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:23.600 Antique will be with me to discuss the Albanese government's 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:25.560 latest assault against free speech. 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:27.160 Josh Hammer with the. 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:31.680 US report including some surprising whole numbers for Donald Trump. 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:34.720 And later in the Hour of Prayer, Leach on Pina 0:00:34.800 --> 0:00:38.000 Dutter's call for those who displayed terrorist flags to be 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:42.320 deported or jailed after pro hat bull up protests in 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:46.360 Melbourne and Sydney. And of course we never forget Lefty's 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:47.120 losing it. 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:48.600 We could all use a. 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:55.120 Laugh, guess what. By the way, the fact the matter 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:59.640 is the rich don't day their fair share. 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:05.120 But first, the Victorian Liberal Party is in crisis again. 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:09.080 More a Deeming's defamation case against leader John Persudo is 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:13.320 seeing more and more MPs agitate for a leadership change. 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:16.920 According to the Herald's side, several Liberal MPs are set 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:20.200 to pressure John Persudo to resign in order to avoid 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:22.000 a messy leadership. 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:23.280 Leadership challenge. 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:27.600 Sam Groth, Brad Batton and James Newbury are all said 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:32.000 to be potential contenders. Today, John Persudo said he plans 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:34.920 to lead the Liberal Party into the twenty twenty six 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:38.759 state election. When he was asked about his position, he said, 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:40.520 it's safe, very good. 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:44.520 I speak to my colleagues regularly. I've got no concerns 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:45.400 in that area. 0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:47.840 Joining me now for more on there's this News Corps 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:52.440 senior writer Patrick Carlyon. Patrick sounds like he's got the 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.720 full support of the board there. I mean, surely, on 0:01:55.760 --> 0:02:01.640 a serious matt note, he cannot survive this case. Whichever 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:06.520 way the case falls, Surely his position is untenable. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:09.480 Well, I think the problem read it with this, besides 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:11.720 all the other obvious problems, is that this case is 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:13.960 going to be drawn out into next year. It's been 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:16.920 going since March twenty three. This whole issue, it was 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:18.639 a small issue. It should have been put to bed 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:21.000 one way or another back in the days and weeks 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:24.480 after it happened. John Pursudo was understand I think for 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:27.079 four days last week, and you can understand the frustrations. 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:29.800 I mean, it's such a distraction from his real job, 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:32.720 and his real job should be prosecuting a government which 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:36.240 is really falling down in so many areas in Victoria 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.200 at the moment, it's really on the ropes. But instead 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:41.960 the Liberal Party is eating the Liberal Party. This has 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:43.520 been going on for years and years. 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:46.040 But they have so much to work with. 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:50.160 In this state, the labor government has been hopelessly inept. 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:55.680 We've got the biggest deficit of any state in the country. 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:56.639 It's biting. 0:02:56.680 --> 0:02:59.120 People are feeling that because a lot of times people 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:00.000 don't really take no. 0:03:00.280 --> 0:03:01.760 Of the state debt. 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:07.320 But anyone who pays land tax pays payroll tax, rents. 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:08.720 The rents have gone up. 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:11.560 Because of all the property taxes, so it really is 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:15.040 so they have so much material to work with, and 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:18.520 yet I think if there was an election today just 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:20.280 into Alan would romp it in Well. 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:22.640 It's interesting. I mean, look you drive around Melbourne. We 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:25.560 drive around Melbourne, there are so many potholes on the roads. 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:29.440 Literally it is a state in disrepair because we cannot 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.560 afford to fix the potholes. That's how bad it is. 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:36.440 Whether it's health debt, the. 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:40.960 Commonwealth games, which embarrassingly couldn't afford, so now we're paying 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:42.520 for Scotland to hold. 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:42.800 Them that's right. 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:46.560 There are so many riches to smash out of the park, 0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:50.160 and instead John Pishido is talking about being in court 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.120 and whether his colleagues have confidence in him. 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:54.560 I can understand their frustration. 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:59.040 And he's in court in large part because he believes 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:01.960 a view held by Mora Deeming, which I would say 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:06.600 is held by the overwhelming majority of Victorians, is somehow 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:09.920 so controversial that it would be damaging to the Liberal Party. 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:14.680 That's how out his political judgment is. I mean to 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:18.080 me that alone is disqualifying for him to be leader. 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:22.159 The fact that his political judgment is so hopelessly poor. 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:24.240 Now let's talk about the ABC. 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:28.560 Last night we showed you their shockingly biased reporting of 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:32.000 the pro Hasbula protests in Melbourne and Sydney over the weekend, 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.160 and it has now been revealed that the public broadcaster 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.719 has been hit with multiple complaints, including one from the 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:43.520 Executive Council of Australian Jury. Their legal counsel wrote the 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:50.160 segment presented was inaccurate, impartial, offensive, intimidating, an inflammatory content 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:55.440 that lauded Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazreela, assassinated leader of Hezbela 0:04:55.600 --> 0:05:01.760 and utterly failed to contextualize Israel's military actions against Hezbollah. 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:04.919 That was part of the complaint. Let's have a quick 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:06.840 look at just some of that coverage. 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:10.599 You are again, then, forever on the wrong side of history. 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:14.119 Damn Australian policies when it comes to the Middle East. 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:17.560 A sentiment they'll project even louder next week as to 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.320 complete the year of weekly protests. 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:26.080 Patrick, this was a remarkably biased news report, even by 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:27.200 ABC standards. 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.160 And I emphasized the word news there because. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.960 This wasn't part of an opinion show. It wasn't a 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:38.240 host sharing their personal opinions. It was supposed to be unbiased, 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:42.200 straight down the line, impartial news reporting. 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.000 Well, I would argue the ABC actually missed the story. 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:49.479 Here are all these people waving flags of a terrorist organization. 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:51.680 Why aren't you going up to them and saying what 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:53.800 are you about? Why are you doing this? That was 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.960 a story and followed by what happens to these people? 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:59.320 Are they visa holders? Are they going to be charged 0:05:59.320 --> 0:05:59.920 with crimes? 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:02.599 That's the story And look, I can, to be fair, 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:05.240 been a journalist on the ground at times you can 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:07.560 only see what you can see. There should have been 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.360 wiser heads back in the office and h Q sort 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:13.000 of saying, well, hang on, this isn't right because there 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.839 was a complete lack of context. Having said that, I 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:17.880 mean you look at the Foreign Minister Penny Wong. I 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:19.880 mean she gives speeches to the UN and there's a 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:23.040 complete lack of context. This is a sort of infectious 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:25.200 disease almost that has afflicted. 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:26.360 But at least that's. 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:28.760 Her point of view, that sort of opinion, and it 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:31.480 seems to be those lines between news and opinion and 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:35.520 have been completely blurred. At the ABC, their charter is 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:41.240 an afterthought and this report it looked at in its entirety, 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.240 it was completely devoid of balance. There was not one 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:48.679 coalition MP. There wasn't one pro Israel person. There wasn't 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:53.320 one person critical of hes Bulah or supportive of these strikes. 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:56.680 It was just all one way traffic. Now, in a 0:06:56.720 --> 0:07:01.159 massive blow for Quants' market dominance, Qatar Airways is said 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:04.280 to buy a twenty five percent stake in Virgin Australia, 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:08.560 which is sure to strengthen Virgin's position Patrick. This also 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:12.640 puts the Albanese government in a tricky position. They previously 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:17.960 blocked Qatar, but they want greater competition in this sector. 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:21.640 So everyone's going to be looking at what the reaction 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:22.480 is going to be to this. 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:22.880 Oh. 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.640 Absolutely, and look it has to go through the checks 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:27.040 and balances as these things do. 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:28.120 This is big business. 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.600 Anything that brings more competition, as this seems likely to do, 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:35.560 is a good thing. Because nobody cares about Quantus anymore. 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.440 I mean, Quantus lost the crowd last year. There is 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:42.960 no loyalty to Quantus. It was a national aricon for generations. 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:45.760 Now it's sort of seen as his company that ripped 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:50.160 off so many people brazenly. I think most people would 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:54.240 embrace just the competition. Some competition is good, More competition 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:56.880 is better, and if it means cheaper airfares, that's where 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:58.160 people's loyalties lie. 0:07:58.200 --> 0:07:59.960 I think they want the cheapest fares they can. 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:04.400 I'm hearing a lot of chatter about, well, we can't 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:08.560 allow Qatar to take a part of Virgin Australia because 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.440 you look at the human rights abuses, you look at 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:14.360 the way they treat some of their staff, the way 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:16.440 they treat female workers. 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:18.320 What do you think about that argument? 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.960 Because I would my response to that be that's a 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:23.280 dangerous game to play. I'm not saying it's not a 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:27.160 valid point, but you look at Quantus and Emirates partnership 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:30.600 and some of the laws in that country and some 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:33.680 of the treatment of their people. So if you want 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:38.199 to be pure, you're going to have to see changes elsewhere. 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:41.439 You can't just have that attitude to Qatar and no 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:42.160 other company. 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:43.280 Where do you draw the line? 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:45.440 I mean, I think you've written columns before talking about 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:47.840 Admirates sponsoring the Sydney Swans. 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:49.960 I think it's actually Qatar is a Caitar. 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:52.720 And where do you draw the line? 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:56.880 I mean, there are there are issues that are dreadful, 0:08:56.920 --> 0:09:00.959 that are anti Western, anti democratic. It'll always be multinational 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:03.959 type companies. If you're going to start drawing a line there, 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:05.880 then you're going to start looking at a lot of 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:06.920 other things as well. 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:08.640 The way of accepted for a long time. 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:10.560 I'm not saying I know what the answer is, to 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.640 be fair, but it is a slippery slope. 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.160 Now, this is a cute story. 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:20.359 Donald Trump has celebrated the success of his wife, Milani's 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:24.760 newly released book called Milania, after it became the number 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:28.680 one best seller on Amazon. Milani also gave a rare 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:30.640 interview to Fox News recently. 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:31.480 Here's some of that. 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:36.400 If we compared these four years under this administration compared 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:40.720 to four years under my husband as commander in chief, 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:51.080 he was leading the country through peace through strength, and 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:56.559 the border was safer than ever before. We didn't have 0:09:56.600 --> 0:10:02.120 any wars. People were prospering, they had jobs, they could 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:07.440 support their families. So I think American people need to 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:09.959 decide what they really want. 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:10.360 Ah. 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:15.040 This is interesting because she's really not been particularly outspoken. 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:19.000 Here she's talking about She talked about costs of living, pressures, 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:24.439 the border crisis, the fact that things were a lot 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:25.480 better under her husband. 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:27.080 It was quite an extensive interview. 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:30.720 She talked about the lawfare against him, having her home raided. 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:32.760 Do you think this is going to help her? 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:38.840 Some would say she's not exactly relatable, she's so beautiful, 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:41.079 and she's not your. 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:42.640 Typical politician's wife. 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:45.400 But do you think it helps Trump's image to have 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:47.959 her out there talking about these issues? 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:50.200 Look, she has been sort of so invisible for this 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:52.920 entire campaign until now, which I think is sort of 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.199 more noticeable than what she's doing now. 0:10:56.280 --> 0:10:58.160 It did strike me. The blurb for the book talked 0:10:58.160 --> 0:10:58.720 about her. 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:02.240 Inspiring story and overcoming adversity. I don't think it's a 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:06.640 very relatable story. She's glamorous people who are interested in 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:10.160 glamorous people, and I think that probably explains why the 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:14.520 book is selling so well. Politically, I'm not sure. I mean, 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:17.040 it's a good question. Does this actually help Donald Trump 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:18.000 or is it a distraction? 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:19.679 I think it helps him. 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:24.600 I think it helps him in that as much as 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:29.760 she's not exactly relatable, people really do like her, and 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:33.720 she's intriguing and she's compelling, and I think it's certainly 0:11:33.800 --> 0:11:37.640 something that elevates his image and perhaps elevates it in 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:43.280 the eyes of some women. But yeah, I can understand 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:45.920 why people say, yeah, she's not the girl next door, 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:50.120 she's not the typical politician's wife. Now, finally, I'm sure 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:53.880 you've all been told to keep changing those passwords regularly 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:58.560 to keep your online accounts secure. But US government security 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.680 experts I now recommend against this approach. They're saying, actually, 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:04.960 this is not the way to go, because this is 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:08.559 bane of my existence, constantly having to change passwords. Can 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:11.720 never remember what they are, you have to constantly reset them. 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:16.960 And apparently now the advice is don't keep changing them. 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:20.080 I like that advice like you like any someone. 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.640 Tell the news corp bosses about that and just circulate 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:25.640 that to everyone who makes us change them every month. 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.280 There's so many levels of security now, and that's probably 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:30.640 a good thing, but yes, it trips you up every 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.760 single day, whether it's your phone or your Google or 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.880 Amazon workspaces, whatever, and everybody is in the same position. 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:41.000 Yes, I've lost track. I like that advice. 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:43.080 I like that advice to Patrick Carlin and thank you 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:46.640 so much for your time. Joining me now is Federal 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:50.400 Liberal Senator Alex Antique. Alex, let's start with Labour's proposed 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:54.760 Misinformation and Online Safety Bill. The window for public submissions 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:58.040 has already closed, with a report on the public's verdict 0:12:58.120 --> 0:12:59.760 on the new laws to be delivered by the end 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:04.559 of night November. Now, the Coalition is formally opposing this bill, 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:07.840 but is it going to pass the Senate? Are the 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:11.640 likes of Jackie Lamby and David Pocock going to back 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:13.760 such an Orwellian measure? 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:14.640 Yeah? 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:17.679 Well that is the million trillion dollar question reader. I 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:22.440 hope they don't. The Labor government introduced this bill several 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:25.240 weeks ago and in the last sitting week of Parliament 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:29.280 shipped it off to a committee which had seven days 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:31.040 for submissions. If you can believe that this is one 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:35.400 of the most expansive overhauls of free speech in this 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:39.480 country we've seen in living memory probably and seven days 0:13:39.520 --> 0:13:43.000 were given. Look, this just the message needs to get 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.400 through to the cross bench. This will all hinge on 0:13:45.480 --> 0:13:48.439 those five or six senators who sit on the cross bench, 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:53.240 people like David Pocock and Jackie Lamby, Fatima Payman and others. 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:56.920 And what I would say to them is what is 0:13:56.960 --> 0:13:59.199 good for the left of politics can also be good 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:02.080 for the right. And so this is a bill which 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.160 should be defeated for the sake of free speech in 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:07.680 this country. If this bill passes and we give bureaucrats 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.160 and the courts the ability to tell us what's true 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:13.280 and what's not online, then free speech in this country 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:15.079 is dead now. 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:18.280 One interested citizen who did make a submission is former 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.360 Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatesworth, and he was in 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:24.760 that crucial role during the height of the COVID era 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.400 and he has shared this and I want to read 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.680 from it because I think this is really important. Doctor 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:34.040 Coatesworth wrote the Branding of legitimate debate on COVID as 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:39.000 misinformation both during the pandemic and ongoing has provoked me 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:41.960 to write a submission to the Senate Committee overseeing the 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:47.000 Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill. This bill should be rejected 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:52.840 in its entirety. In the Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill's 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:57.280 definition of serious harm, the following phrase is used harm 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:02.160 to public health in Australia, including the efficacy of preventative 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:06.320 health measures in Australia. It's quite astonishing to me that 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:10.240 after the pandemic, when we're all becoming acutely aware of 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:14.160 facts that changed over the course of the pandemic, yes, 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:18.200 including the nature of airborne spread, amongst many others, that 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:21.840 we would find our Parliament debating a bill where any 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:25.800 number of legitimate concerns about public health policy could be 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:31.400 branded misinformation by the government or the scientific orthodoxy of 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:35.960 the moment. Alex he put it perfectly, is one hundred 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:42.440 percent right about the word misinformation, the word disinformation being 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:45.760 weaponized as a means to shut down debate. 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:49.760 Yeah, look at a point well made and will received 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:53.720 too from somebody that knows the bureaucracy, certainly in the 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:57.040 health care sector as much as anyone could and the 0:15:57.080 --> 0:15:59.800 points are one hundred percent right. I mean this is 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.720 we will see if this bill passes, what is true 0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:05.520 and what is not will become a matter for the 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:08.680 so called expertocracy, and in my view, that's where the 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:12.480 real misinformation and disinformation lies. I mean, you know, we 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:15.400 saw that through the pandemic, and we saw the Department 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:19.200 of Home Affairs pulling down or requesting posts from Australians 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:22.560 to be pulled down that were actually true and demonstrably 0:16:22.600 --> 0:16:24.640 true even at the time, I would say, but certainly 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:27.600 after the fact. So it's important that we get people 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:31.280 like doctor Coatsworth to make statements like this. I think 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:33.320 his voice will carry a lot of sway. I think 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.600 people will listen to it and they'll understand. And it 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:39.560 is one hundred percent right. This bill will seek to 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:43.360 politicize free speech and it will shut down important information 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:47.920 being given to the Australian public. We know why this 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.640 is being done. There is a global push on censorship 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:54.240 at the moment. The World Economic Forum, by the way Reader, 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:59.200 in their Global Risks Report for twenty twenty four, hold 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.360 out mis information as the number one risk to the 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:05.159 globe to the globe at the moment, So you know, 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:07.520 there are people in very high places that are very 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:09.880 keen to push this through. In my view is that 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:13.560 some of the people inside the Labor Party may even 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:15.720 not understand what they are playing with at the moment. 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:16.600 They're playing with fire. 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:22.840 That absolutely playing with fire, and I think this is 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.359 going to become Obviously, cost of living right now is 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:28.040 the number one issue and probably will be at the 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:32.199 next election. But this is a fundamental issue. This is 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:36.960 like the Voice referendum, where people have to understand the 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:40.240 significance of this legislation and what it will mean to 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:44.800 their day to day lives and how it will change Australia. Now, Alex, 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:48.000 you've been asking questions about a visit to Australia earlier 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:51.520 this month by Nina Jankowitz, the former head of the 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:56.800 US government's disinformation Government Border that only lasted for about 0:17:56.840 --> 0:17:59.800 a month in twenty twenty two before being dissolved. It 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:03.400 was are widely mocked and criticized. Do we know if 0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:07.199 she met with our a Safety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.080 while she was in the country. 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:12.240 Well, look, I don't know for sure. I've seen online 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:16.119 reports that she did. My interest is knowing who she 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:18.600 met with, who of the government, who of the ministers, 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:23.600 who of our statutory bodies like the Commissioner for Online Safety, 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:25.919 and what they spoke about. I mean, I think the 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:29.359 timing of this visit is quite interesting. When it happened, 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:32.160 I think a week or so in advance of the 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:37.400 introduction of the Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill. These are 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:41.119 people on the public payroll and I think the Australian 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:44.159 people have a right to know what was discussed and 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:46.360 who she met with. I don't think we can draw 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.800 anything out of that, other than to say it would 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:51.520 be interesting to know what the flavor of the discussion was. 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.119 I moved a motion in the Senate to ask for 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:58.720 those documents to be produced and lo and behold labor 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:02.000 and the Greens didn't want to. I wonder what we 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:02.720 can draw from that. 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:09.560 Yes, precisely, I'll keep my comments to myself on that issue, 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:13.119 but I do wonder why the opposition doesn't come out 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:17.840 and oppose some of the excesses of that office. The 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:22.399 e Safety Commissioner E Karen Julianeman Grant, the way she 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:26.880 has conducted herself in that role is deserving of criticism, 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:31.280 but still some within the coalition, and I'm not talking 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:34.480 about fringe players here. We're talking about the leadership who 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:39.560 expressed support for her despite the fact that she has 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:40.800 politicized this role. 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.320 Yeah well, I mean, I think what it shows is 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:47.239 the trouble with having this office at all. Frankly, I mean, 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:50.879 without making specific comments about the Commissioner herself, I think 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:53.439 rather than playing the man, we look at the role itself. 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:56.600 You have to remember, reader, this started off as the 0:19:56.640 --> 0:20:00.960 Office for protecting online speech against children. She was the 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:04.320 Children's Online Safety Commissioner to start off with, and the 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.000 mission creep on this has evolved to the point where 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:09.159 we are now talking about online safety. We see this 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:13.680 so often with laws that are designed to protect safety 0:20:13.760 --> 0:20:16.919 is always the issue. When we see these, the mission 0:20:16.960 --> 0:20:20.719 creep become real. So look, my concern is for free speech, 0:20:21.080 --> 0:20:24.400 free speech generally, but free speech online as a subset. 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:27.800 And look, I don't want to see those powers broadened. 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:29.879 I don't want to see bureaucrats in the form of 0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:33.399 ACMA having more powers than we currently do if this 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:36.480 bill were to pass. And of course all this overlays 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:39.160 onto the Digital ID framework and the sorts of things 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.639 that people like I and you might say, have been 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:44.720 warning about for years on in which is a surveillance state. 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:46.800 And I think that is where we were headed if 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:50.280 Parliament doesn't start to push back on these laws. 0:20:52.640 --> 0:20:57.040 Now, just finally, the Queensland Liberal National Party is preferencing 0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:02.040 Labor above the Greens and the upcoming election, surely Labor 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.919 must do likewise, they cannot complain about how extreme the 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:11.919 Greens are becoming and then being in effective coalition with them. 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:15.160 Well, it's almost like a sort of a weekly punch 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:19.240 and duty show at in the halls of Parliament here 0:21:19.640 --> 0:21:22.560 in Canberra, where we see Labor pretending to be not 0:21:22.600 --> 0:21:25.800 in lockstep with some of the things the Greens are 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:29.040 doing and vice versa, and they sort of performatively argue 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:32.359 with each other across the chamber in our chamber, and 0:21:32.400 --> 0:21:35.199 of course we know the problems Labor have. Labor have 0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:39.680 problems with their left flank, and they sort of almost 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:41.560 have to be seen to be sympathetic to some of 0:21:41.560 --> 0:21:44.600 these things, whereas you know that, of course is not 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:46.560 the case on the other side of the chamber. Look, 0:21:46.840 --> 0:21:49.119 I think the thing that Labor and the Labor Right 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:51.199 in particular need to understand is this is not the 0:21:51.200 --> 0:21:54.959 Greens of years gone by. That the Greens, Australian Greens 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:58.040 in this country are no longer simply an environmental party. 0:21:58.080 --> 0:22:01.920 They have transformed into something quite differ, and Labor would 0:22:01.920 --> 0:22:05.200