WEBVTT - Sharri | 25 September 0:00:01.600 --> 0:00:05.559 Why on Sky News This is Sharry. 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:11.480 Good Evening will tonight Anthony Albinizi has lost his composure 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:15.960 when grilled about breaking his promise on negative gearing. That 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:20.520 was bad enough. Now the explosive story that labor insiders 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.680 are calling for the Prime Minister to be rolled to 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:26.880 stop the party losing. I'll bring you that full story 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:31.040 in a moment and it will rattle the PM. Also tonight, 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:34.520 it's the tragedy Petty Wong and the international community keep 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:41.240 forgetting about twelve Israeli children murdered by Hesbelah while playing soccer. Well, 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.920 one mother whose beautiful little girl was killed will join 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.080 me live on the show tonight. You don't want to 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:52.040 miss this. And Tel Aviv hit by an unprecedented Hesbela 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:56.160 ballistic missile. I'll take you live to Israel for the latest, 0:00:56.880 --> 0:01:00.280 but first tonight. An under pressure prime minister has apt 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:04.080 while being grilled about plans to change negative gearing and 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:09.320 capital gains tax. After facing scrutiny all day, Albanezy this 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:13.600 afternoon lost his call. In a heated interview, he admitted 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:18.080 he had no idea whether his treasurer had requested modeling 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:22.480 on changes to the controversial tax policies here. He was 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:25.960 on ABC Radio with Richard Glover this afternoon. 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:32.840 The department, like all departments, look at various things at 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:37.840 various times. Is this government policy or government request to 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:43.200 examine potential policy announcement? No it's not. 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:46.160 But it's a fair question to ask you whether you 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.400 or your treasurer has requested this this study. 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:51.640 Sure, and I've answered that you've asked. 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:53.680 You've answered it for yourself, but not for the treasurer. 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:56.160 Well, I'm not the treasurer. 0:01:57.840 --> 0:01:59.800 You must have said to hey, Jim, did you ask 0:01:59.840 --> 0:02:00.400 them to do this? 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:01.240 No? 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:03.480 No, not at all. 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.800 Sorry, you don't know whether your treasurer has asked them. 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:08.520 To do this work or not. 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.720 Well, I don't know because I'm not the treasurer, and 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.120 the Treasurer is on his way to China as we speak. 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:21.720 But what we have done is to concentrate on our 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:22.920 homes for Australia Plan. 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:28.040 So he doesn't know whether his own government is re 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:31.880 examining negative gearing policy. That was a train wreck interview 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.640 and that is what a Prime minister under pressure looks like. 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:39.520 And he's certainly feeling the heat. Along with bad polls, 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:43.000 there are now even calls within Labor for his removal 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:47.560 as PM. Senior Labour figure from er Queensland State Secretary 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:51.280 Cameron Milner wrote a public article saying that it was 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:54.480 time for the Labor Party to take the nuclear option 0:02:54.880 --> 0:03:00.000 and force Albanese's exit. Milna writes that Albaneze he criticized 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:03.280 the extreme Greens, but his only viable plan to remain 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:07.680 PM will see him govern with the extreme Greens. Labour 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:11.880 simply can't let him do that to our party. So 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:15.200 to reanergize the base, lift the Labour primary and put 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:18.080 it in a position to win a second term in office, 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.800 they need to take the nuclear option. Albenizi has tried 0:03:21.840 --> 0:03:24.920 his best, but his best isn't good enough. 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:26.519 Well. 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:30.480 With concern growing about Albanesi's ability to lead the country, 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:34.040 it's likely we're going to see more of his temper, 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:37.480 more of him losing his call over the next few months. 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:41.119 Ahead of the election, the Prime Minister is frustrated that 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:46.320 pesky journalists keep asking questions about tax policy, questions that 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:50.600 are clearly in the public interest, questions that are legitimate. 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:55.400 Given Labour's flip flopping on policies like negative gearing over 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:59.720 the years, the reality is Labor is obsessed with class 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:04.760 war and as such has always despised negative gearing. Ahead 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:08.680 of the twenty nineteen election, Labor promised to scrap it. 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.800 You've invested under the cool of tax laws. 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:15.600 They're the rules that will apply going forward. Our changes 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:17.400 to negative gearing are prospective. 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:20.200 This is the most generous property tax concession in the world, 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:21.520 in effect, very few. 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:22.160 Countries do it. 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:26.919 And Albanez he mounted the case himself as well, saying 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:30.680 that scrapping negative gearing was a priority. His word priority, 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:32.960 you'll hear it in a minute, and the right thing 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.640 to do here. He was making those remarks on both 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:39.359 The Today Show and on Sky News ahead of the 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:40.839 twenty nineteen election. 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:43.520 Well, where about line, Lisa. 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:48.320 Our policies, including the quite controversial policy according to Christopher, 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:52.160 of doing something about housing affordability, for example, in terms 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:55.600 of changes that we would make to negative gearing and 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:59.080 to capital gains in terms of those concessions, that's pretty 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:00.520 brave for an opposition to do. 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:03.440 But it's the right thing to do gearing policy. 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:06.880 I see that there's another report that's come out claiming 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:08.200 that it will put downward. 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:09.080 Pressure on house prices. 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:10.960 That's what label wants, though, isn't it for it to 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:12.840 put downward pressure on house prices? 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:13.479 That's the purpose. 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:18.120 Well, I think what it will clearly do is mean 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:21.640 that the increase in housing prices will be less than 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:26.040 they would have been without this, and I believe it's 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:27.000 a strong policy. 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:32.880 That election was considered unlosable for Bill Shorten, yet lose 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:36.640 it he did thanks to voters roundly rejecting tax changes 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:40.559 like on capital gains and negative gearing, because it turned 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:44.480 out that it wasn't only the wealthy who had investment properties. 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:48.039 Many Australians do and it would have been a hit 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:52.080 to the hip pocket for one point two million voters. 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:56.040 That's how many people negatively gear their properties. 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:56.920 Well. 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.640 In the wake of Bill Shorton's crushing loss, he sees 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:05.240 the Labor leadership and dumped the party's radical tax plans, 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.760 and suddenly he was arguing there'd be no change to 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:10.640 negative gearing. 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:16.000 Gearing now gliding without help to buskiing. Negative gearing is 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:18.359 a good thing, but it wasn't the years negative gearing. 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:20.880 We had a policy that we took to the election 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:22.760 where we were not successful. 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.360 Why was negative gearing and capital gains tax breaks a 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:27.680 bad idea in twenty nineteen, and a good idea in 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:28.160 twenty twenty. 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:32.279 Seen, well, we've found a better idea arrange of them. 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:36.680 But now it seems this may be another broken promise 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:40.719 because we learned today that Treasury is examining options to 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:44.719 change negative gearing. The Herald reporting that federal officials have 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:48.120 started work on options to scale back negative gearing and 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.760 capital gains tax concessions, preparing the ground for a bold 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:56.520 new housing policy that could define the federal election. They 0:06:56.560 --> 0:06:59.599 report that a request for modeling on the potential change 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:02.080 to negative of gearing has been made and that it 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:06.400 could canvas changes to the concessions on capital gains tax well. 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:10.040 When asked about this explosive report today, the Prime Minister 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:11.360 didn't deny it. 0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:15.280 I've seen those reports and what we do is we 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.440 value the public service, so from time to time, I'm 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:21.320 sure the public service are looking at policy ideas. 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:26.160 But then by this afternoon his message was confused, and 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:29.240 he all but admitted he had no idea if his 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:32.680 Treasurer or anyone else in his government was re examining 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:36.080 negative gearing. In the past week, the Prime Minister was 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:39.240 asked several times if he was looking at changes to 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:42.880 this policy, and he was annoyed at the ABC for 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:44.440 even asking. 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:49.480 Are you saying negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:51.600 are absolutely off the table for you. 0:07:52.400 --> 0:07:53.960 Well, they're tax policies. 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:58.160 But are those tax policies? Are those tax policies completely 0:07:58.200 --> 0:07:59.120 off the table. 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:04.360 For you, Patricia, I don't answer the sort of those 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:05.200 sort of questions. 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:11.680 In another ABC radio interview, Albaneze seemed to rule out changes. 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:17.880 Well, one analysis is certainly the Property Council argue that 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:19.840 that would have a negative. 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:20.440 Impact on supply. 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:22.960 So that is one of the reasons why we're very 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:24.080 cautious about that. 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:28.600 So at the same time Albaneze was all but ruling 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:33.560 out negative gearing changes, Treasury was reportedly looking at options 0:08:33.559 --> 0:08:38.280 to do precisely that. It's incredible how Lucy is with 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:41.120 his word ruling it out at the same time as 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:45.560 his government considers major change. This is misleading to the 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:49.400 public and it says a lot about Alberneze's character. He's 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:53.040 already once lied about the changes to Stage three tax cuts. 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.400 As you know, he pledged over and over again that 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:59.760 he wouldn't touch them until the day he changed them dramatically. 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:04.040 Now clearly Albin Eazy is worried about the Greens taking 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:07.480 votes off labor thanks to the perception that they care 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:12.080 more about the housing crisis. But if he does go 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:15.720 ahead with this broken promise, it would unleash a world 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:20.559 of political pain on Albanzi. Peter Dutton's Liberal campaign team 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:25.040 is already thinking about reprising this advert from the shot 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:25.400 in era. 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.800 Bill Shorten's new housing tax would take a wrecking ball 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.680 to the economy. Some experts believe it could even lead 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:35.920 to a recession. With their higher capital gains taxes and 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.960 ending negative gearing as we know it, labor would cut 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.719 the value of your home and push up rents. A 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.600 softer housing market means now it's the worst time for 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:48.960 Labour's housing tax. Labour can't manage money. That's why they're 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:53.840 coming after yours, labor. It's the bill Australia can't afford. 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:57.960 Yep. That would be a scare campaign, But the reality 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:02.120 is that changes to negative gearing have two immediate consequences 0:10:02.440 --> 0:10:05.840 that would be detrimental to our economy and the housing market. 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.360 It could lead to a collapse in house prices and 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:13.120 it would decrease the value of people's own homes, and secondly, 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:16.959 it wouldn't help renters because rents inevitably would go up. 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:19.440 In terms of the hit to the hip pocket for 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:23.840 families it'd be massive, and the budget revenue wouldn't be 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:28.400 immediate because the scheme would have to be grandfathered. This 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:32.560 debate and uncertainty over tax policy comes at a time 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:36.880 when the Australian economy is already stagnant. But there was 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:41.439 good news today that inflation has come down dramatically. Headline 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:45.520 inflation has fallen to two point seven percent last month, 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.400 while underlying inflation fell from three point eight to three 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:53.080 point four percent, and this was welcomed by the Treasurer. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:57.840 The new inflation numbers for August showed that headline and 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:02.440 underlying inflation both went down substantially. These are very welcome, 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:05.679 very encouraging and very heartening numbers. 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.320 RBA Governor Michelle Bullock made the point this week that 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.520 headline inflation has been driven down temporarily by the government's 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:18.680 energy rebate, and this will rise again by around half 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:22.760 a percentage point when the rebate ends. The RBA isn't 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:26.160 expecting inflation to return to the target band until late 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:29.920 next year, and Michelle Bullock doesn't expect it'll be at 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:33.440 a sustainable level until mid twenty twenty six. 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:38.160 I think the point I would make is that if 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:41.959 tomorrow we get an inflation number which has got a 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:43.960 two in front of it, so it's back in the band, 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:49.240 that doesn't mean that we've got inflation under control. It 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:52.080 doesn't mean that inflation is sustainably back within the band. 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.520 It just means it's back there at the moment. 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.560 And in the media there's been criticism today of the 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:04.200 Treasurer for art officially or temporarily lowering inflation. But the 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.240 point is this, Jim Chalmers was trying to find a 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:11.760 way to provide cost of living relief without contributing to inflation. 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:17.800 Any cash handout would certainly have been inflationary. Energy rebates 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.520 were quite a genius way to offer relief, and the 0:12:21.559 --> 0:12:25.000 beauty of it was that, yes, it temporarily reduced inflation. 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.040 But as the IBA governor said, inflation is persistent, it 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.480 is sticky, and this means there won't be a rate 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:35.760 cut anytime soon, and possibly not before the federal election. 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:38.760 And you can bet that if there's no rate cut, 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:42.440 Albanezi will point the finger, will point the blame at 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:46.600 his treasurer. Political editor Simon Benson writes that ironically, to 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:50.439 guarantee inflation and rates come down would require the government 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:54.439 to do the exact opposite of what it's doing spending, 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:57.920 and with an election campaign to think of, the government 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:02.240 is hardly likely to do that, And that's the catch. 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:06.760 The Treasurer has managed to mostly stop his radical and 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:10.680 ambitious colleagues from going on a massive spendeth on in 0:13:10.720 --> 0:13:15.840 their own portfolios. That's notwithstanding that eighty two million dollars 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:19.680 Penny Wong has given to the terrorist controlled Gaza. But 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:22.800 with the election coming up, it's not clear how long 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.439 he'll be able to hold them off, with Labor and 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:30.000 PAS clearly caring more about staying in office than bringing 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:36.240 down the cost of living. All Right, it's a jam 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.920 packed show tonight. We've got a lot of news coming up. 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:41.520 But right now let's bring in my regular Wednesday panel, 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:45.640 former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger and former Labor 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:50.920 Minister Graham Richardson. Welcome to you both. Mike, I want 0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:54.080 to get your reaction to the comments that I've just 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:58.160 made there and also this idea that alban Easy Today 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.880 has refused to rule out changes to negative gearing. What 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:02.800 do you think about this? 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:09.360 Well, this is a disastrous idea. You know, as Richo knows, 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:13.840 at least in my lifetime, Labor have only one election 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:15.800 on tax at a federal level. That was in ninety 0:14:15.840 --> 0:14:19.160 three when they opposed a new tax. But I don't 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:22.040 think Labor have ever won an election by proposing a 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:24.280 new tax themselves, which is what they're doing here, an 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:28.760 increase in tax, a change in tax. As Albanezy has 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:34.280 hinted at today, this is electorally disastrous for Labor. As 0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.800 I said, They've never won an election proposing. 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:36.920 A new tax. 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.760 And the bigger issue I think is this, it's a 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:44.000 question of trust. I mean, I can see the federal 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:47.120 Liberal Party running a brilliant campaign on can you trust 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:50.440 this bloke? I mean, he promised no changes to super, 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:54.480 He promised no changes the tax stays, three tax cuts. 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:56.240 He promised he wouldn't. 0:14:55.880 --> 0:15:01.320 Bring in changes to negative gearing. He promised that, and 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:04.360 we've seen the clips tonight. He promised the Aboriginal community 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:08.680 the oral statement in full. Never promised changes to the 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:10.880 IR system, which is now done. Et cetera, et cetera, 0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:15.320 et cetera, this bloke can't keep a consistent line because 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:18.400 he gets pushed and pulled. These two weak and so 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:20.520 a campaign based on that, you can't trust a word 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:23.880 this bloke says, is going to defeat alban easy. Maybe 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.520 not seventy two seats for Dutton, maybe a few more 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:26.840 than that. 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:31.200 Yeah, it would be very political, politically risky to pursue 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.880 changes to negative gearing, even if it might hold off 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:36.720 the Greens to some extent, Richo. 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.520 Yeah, that looks they're all maybe true, but the reality 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:43.480 is out there in the real world they like Alba. 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:46.120 They're not going to dump Albo at this stage of 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:47.400 the game. No way in the world. 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:48.800 People like this. 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:52.600 Fella, and that likability factor is going to keep him 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:53.520 in government for a while. 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:58.400 Yet you always mentioned this likability factor. I just don't 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:00.840 see it, Richo. But rich think you're gonna like this 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.640 story we're going to talk about now now. As I 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.360 spoke about just then, there are calls by some inside 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:09.960 Labor for the PM to be removed. My regular guest 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:13.000 on this show, Cameron Milner, writes in The Nightly that 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.240 Labour should take the nuclear option and ask Albanesi to 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:20.680 gracefully step aside. Or otherwise blast him out of office 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:24.360 with a caucus vote. And Richo he writes that this 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:27.640 is in fact the same option that Graham Richardson delivered 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.080 to me when I was Bill Shorton's chief of staff, 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:33.400 when he was shilling for Albanezi to take over from Bill. 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:37.760 In February twenty sixteen, just four months before the federal election, 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:43.240 Camra Milna writes that's sitting down at Richo's local Harveside restaurant, Catalina. 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:48.360 Richo opined that Bill has two news polls left. When 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:52.320 he falls shot, he can resign for elbow or will 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:56.640 blast him out with the message delivered Richo that encouraged 0:16:56.680 --> 0:17:00.240 me to order Andre and Maine and proceeded to tell 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:02.640 me what a talent Scott Morrison was. I have to say, 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.520 rich O, it does sound like you. You've taken me 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:10.800 to Catilena before. But on a serious note, Gray and Richardson, 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.919 is this true? Did you threaten to roll Bill Shotton 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:16.439 for Albo? 0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:18.800 That certainly doesn't sound like me. 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:24.160 So I think, as I kept hearing in America once 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:28.640 upon a time, I just don't recall that. 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.439 So you're genuinely denying this because this is you know, 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:34.560 a story that would go down in the history books. 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:37.080 Four months out from the election, did you say that 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:39.040 Bill Shotton had two news polls left. 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:40.320 I don't recall. 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:43.920 Did you did. 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:46.320 Think that Albanezy should replace Shorten? 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.640 That's true, Yeah, that's true. I certainly had that view 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:51.600 for quite a long time. 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:54.520 And you may have made that threat to Cameron Milner, 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:56.480 Shorton's chief of staff at Catalina. 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:58.080 Well, it's possible. 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.760 You remember the lunch you took him. 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:03.760 No, I don't particularly remember the lunch. 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:06.119 I've had so many at Catalina, it's so hard to 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.080 remember them each one individually. 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:14.840 Basically your touch up, Michael Kroger, would removing Albert easy 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:16.880 Hirst or help Labor at this point? 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:22.480 Well, Milner's a very smart blake. Let's let's be He's 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.359 not my politics. He's Labor, of course, but he's a 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:28.920 very smart blake. And he was Albert. He was Shorten's 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:31.879 advisor in the sixteen election, not the nineteen election, the 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:34.240 sixteen election where they almost had a miraculous win. So 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:39.399 he's a very bright blake. Would it help them? Probably not, 0:18:39.560 --> 0:18:43.280 for the reason that historically in Australia, to change leader 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:45.800 if there's going to be an argument. There's always got 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.800 to be one standout. I mean we slapped snedd and 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:53.600 for Fraser Howard Peacock. On labour side, you had you 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:59.080 had Hawk Keating, et cetera. Rud Gillard on this occasion, 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:02.200 You've got alban easy in about eight hours, So who 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.080 would be the leader? You're never going to have a 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:07.479 proper leadership ballot challenge to Albanize, et cetera. When no 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.200 one's got any idea who would take over, they won't 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:12.360 be able to agree amongst themselves, which means Albo will 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:15.360 Albau will stay there. That's that's the main problem with changing, 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:19.040 because there's no one person to gravitate around and labor 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:20.879 and not going to go through months of arguing about 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:23.600 you know, which part of which faction should have their 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:25.639 candidate up against it, and the others will get that, 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:27.800 you know, get chief stuff and say, well we're not 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:30.280 if it's not me, I'm still supporting Albo. So the 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:32.399 whole thing will collapse. So it's not going to happen. 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:36.840 But you know, there are a couple of people who 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:37.440 would do better. 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:41.600 The story is going to rattle alban Eazy, no question. Look, 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:44.240 I want to turn to Israel and Lebanon now and 0:19:44.520 --> 0:19:49.000 specifically Penny Wong's reaction to the latest developments and quite 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:53.840 outrageous comments, Patty Wong has wanned that Lebanon cannot become 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:57.560 the next Gaza. According to a report in The Herald, 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:00.800 as she said, and I'm quoting Penny Wong, now, the 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:05.200 global community is clear, this destructive cycle must stop. All 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:10.119 parties must show restraint and de escalate. Lebanon cannot become 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:11.080 the next Gaza. 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:12.400 Now. 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:15.280 I spoke about Pennywong's approach at length last night and 0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:20.040 the night before. But the Australians cartoonist Johannes Leek summed 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:22.720 it up in one image. Have a look at this 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:25.560 and you might have seen it already. And the cartoon says, 0:20:26.040 --> 0:20:28.760 there's a Taiwan representative there saying, will you put in 0:20:28.800 --> 0:20:31.159 a good word for us at the UN Penny and 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:34.960 Pennywong replies, if you were a quasi state run in 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:38.320 part by terrorists hell bent on the annihilation of your neighbor, 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:42.200 and not a peaceful, vibrant democracy, then maybe I could 0:20:42.200 --> 0:20:45.399 help you. I mean, Richo. She does seem to be 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:49.359 confusing the good guys with the bad guys, doesn't she Oh. 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:52.120 I think that's a bit harsh. I'm a fan of Pennies. 0:20:52.960 --> 0:20:55.440 You got to remember she came from the left. Sometimes 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:57.800 it's hard for them the shit at all. All of 0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:01.040 those views, even if they're as crappy as I think 0:21:01.040 --> 0:21:04.760 most of them are, they'll hang on to them. But look, 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:08.480 she's doing a pretty good job. There's no issue around 0:21:08.840 --> 0:21:11.440 around Pennywong. You don't walk down the street and people 0:21:11.600 --> 0:21:13.080 rush up you and say, gee, you've got to get 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:15.920 rid of her. It doesn't happen. Penny Wong's as safe 0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:17.200 as houses as they say. 0:21:18.320 --> 0:21:21.119 I couldn't disagree with you more. I think Pennywong is 0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:24.040 the worst foreign minister this country has ever had. She's 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:29.240 just abandoned long standing bipartisan policy, particularly when it comes 0:21:29.240 --> 0:21:33.120 to our ally Israel. People do on the street talk 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:37.920 about what about job she's doing. Michael Kroger, Yeah, I 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:38.480 think she's. 0:21:38.359 --> 0:21:41.200 The worst foreign minister ever. I mean, look, as foreign minister, 0:21:41.240 --> 0:21:43.280 as prime minister, you've got to have some moral clarity. 0:21:44.240 --> 0:21:46.639 You know, Australia is a democratic country. We stand with 0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:50.359 democratic countries. Democracies are hard fought gains and you have 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:53.639 to defend democracy, and you've got one democracy in the 0:21:53.640 --> 0:21:58.280 Middle East being a sale by terrorists, countries, organizations, et cetera, 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:00.800 funded by Iran, et cetera. I mean, if you can't 0:22:00.840 --> 0:22:06.679 stand unequivocally with another democracy like Israel, well you know, really, 0:22:07.720 --> 0:22:10.399 you just you're not worthy of being a minister in 0:22:10.440 --> 0:22:13.720 a democratic government in a democratic country like Australia. I 0:22:13.760 --> 0:22:17.359 think Wong's performance has been not just disgraceful, I just 0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:19.480 think it's been discussing and as I've said, he before 0:22:19.560 --> 0:22:21.200 she was in Israel at the same time I was 0:22:21.240 --> 0:22:23.680 there in January, and she wouldn't visit Kafar as Are, 0:22:23.760 --> 0:22:26.560 she wouldn't visit the Nova Music Festival. She went to 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:31.280 Ramala and Jerusalem. Wong has no moral clarity on this 0:22:31.359 --> 0:22:35.280 at all. I think she's been disgraceful. And what another 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:39.560 Gaza hang on Hesbla have been firing rockets into Israel 0:22:39.640 --> 0:22:42.920 four years and eight or nine thousand of them since 0:22:43.040 --> 0:22:46.399 October seven. What do you think Australia would put up 0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:50.120 with someone nearby if there was someone firing rockets, you know, 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:53.000