1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: To Australia. We go, Stephen, good morning to you, Good adad, 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: good morning. I was going to ask you about this, 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: funnily enough, and you happen to be in Adelaide for 4 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: us this morning. I was watching the supercars racing over 5 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: the weekend, which was on the streets of Adelaide, which 6 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: would be well aware if you're in Adelaide, and they 7 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: did one of those aerial shots where you sort of 8 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: pull out and look around. It's a beautiful looking area, isn't. 9 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 2: It used to be the Victoria Park race course, and 10 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,479 Speaker 2: then of course it was transformed into Australia's first well 11 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 2: the rebirth of Formula one in Australia because it was 12 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 2: the Formula one race for about ten years and then 13 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 2: Melbourne pinched it off Adelaide. But you can sit This 14 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 2: will make you feel happy about life. You can sit 15 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 2: on the upstairs outdoor veranda of a hotel, drinking South 16 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 2: Australian beer, watching the cars go past below you under 17 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 2: your feet. Unbelievable. 18 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: That's incredible. And you're there for your mum's ninetieth What 19 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: are you doing for a ninetieth? What does she do? 20 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: Little type tipple? 21 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 2: See your money and money and horses and boats I 22 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 2: had to pay for very expensive. There was fifty five 23 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 2: people over the age of eighty on their walking frames 24 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 2: turned up at the golf club and I fed them 25 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 2: and applied them with booze for four hours. 26 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: Good on you, Well, aren't you a nice son? So 27 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: she's obviously at ninety, in fine fettle and out there. 28 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: Did she play eighteen after lunch? 29 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 2: No? No, we didn't play golf. We just drank an eight. 30 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 2: But she just lost their license for the first time. 31 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 2: Only because they do an eye test in South Australia. 32 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 2: I don't know if you do this in New zeal And. 33 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 2: She was deemed it not to be able to continue 34 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 2: to drive, which is a big wrench for someone of 35 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 2: that one. 36 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: Hundred percent couldn't agree more so she got a car 37 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: to sell or what happens there. 38 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 2: I'll give it to one of the kids. 39 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: I think, are you going to ask her or are 40 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: you just going. 41 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 2: To it won't be in the garage when she wakes up. 42 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: It back to Melbourne. How did elbow go at Apeck? 43 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 2: Well, he's still there and you know you and I've 44 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 2: talked about he's in a bit of trouble in the polls, 45 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 2: and he's not seen as a particularly strong leader. I 46 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 2: think most Australians, if you polled them, would say, look, 47 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 2: if we're going to be in conflict, we don't want 48 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 2: this blow, particularly as our boss. He's not a strong 49 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 2: prime ministry, shrunk into the job. I've said that to 50 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 2: you before, but he's piled on top of his problems. 51 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 2: The Chinese leader Jijin King, she has said he's Anthony 52 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: Albaneze is a model for all the rest of Western leaders. 53 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 2: They should all look at him and copy the way 54 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 2: he does things and their countries will be better off. 55 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 2: That's not the sort of praise you really want. I 56 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: don't think. I mean, G's obviously over there glad handling 57 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 2: everyone before Donald Trump takes over in January in the 58 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 2: United States and Australia is a major trading partner with 59 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 2: the Chinese. We sell him a lot of stuff that 60 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: we dig out of the ground. And so Gi and 61 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 2: Alba apparently got a love affair going on. 62 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: Oh interesting, this Maya's Christmas window. How is I mean 63 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: this applicable for so many things in life? How has 64 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: it come to be this way? 65 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 2: Well, we don't demand that people who protest get a 66 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: permit for a start. In Victoria, they've refused. The very 67 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: hard left labor governments refused to do that. The My 68 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 2: Christmas windows are normally viewed by about two million people. 69 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: It's the biggest thing that happens in Melbourne. After the 70 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 2: Spring Racing carnival, they unveil these department stool windows. They're 71 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 2: nowhere near as good as the ones in New York 72 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 2: are in London, but they've always been the tradition, so 73 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 2: they always opened them on a Saturday. They had to 74 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: cancel the opening because of pro Palestinian protesters who said 75 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 2: you cannot celebrate Christmas while children are being massacred in Gaza. 76 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 2: Now that is just completely ridiculous. So what happened about 77 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 2: ten people, one dressed up as a fake police officer 78 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 2: turned up there, started ranting and raving. There was no violence. 79 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 2: Police protected the windows, but the families just didn't come. 80 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 2: And this is part of the problem. You come to Melbourne, 81 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 2: you know what I'm talking about, when the city can 82 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 2: be dead. The reason it's dead is no one wants 83 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 2: to ruin their weekend by coming in here and being 84 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 2: overrun by a protest. 85 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: Exactly. Shame and speaking of Melbourne the twenty billion dollar 86 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: rail so Dutton says that's off. 87 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, a suburban rail loop. The federal government's only put 88 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 2: two billion in and hasn't even written the check yet 89 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 2: because they say they haven't seen a business model that 90 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 2: would mean that that money would be well spent. This thing, 91 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 2: I've told you before, it goes from somewhere no one 92 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 2: wants to be to somewhere no one wants to go. 93 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 2: They've started digging holes, they've written contracts, and now Peter 94 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 2: Dutton's going to make it a federal election issue. And 95 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 2: he said, look, if we win, we won't be putting 96 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 2: any money into that thing at all, So go your hardest, 97 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 2: but it's not going to happen. So what we're going 98 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 2: to see, and I write a column in the Herodson 99 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 2: about this at the weekend. You're going to see two 100 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 2: very expensive holes at each end of this project with 101 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 2: money poured into them, and no rail line ever compared 102 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 2: to Sydney's new Metro. And I urge all your listeners 103 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 2: the next time they're in Sydney to ride the Metro 104 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 2: in Sydney, which is a driverless train one hundred k 105 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 2: an hour under the Harbor just fantastic Melbourne. It's just 106 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 2: an ongoing woe when it comes to big projects. 107 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,039 Speaker 1: In flying as I'm assuming you did to Adelaide. I 108 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 1: read a report the other day. I think it came 109 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: from the Triple CA or the Triple A or whatever 110 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: the hell they call themselves in Australia, since Rex and 111 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: bonds a fell over the price of going in one 112 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: of the routes I think was from Melbourne to Adelaide. 113 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: It could have been Sydney to Adelaide. The price of 114 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: airfares has gone through the roof. Is that your experience? 115 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I drove, but you're right, and particularly because the 116 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 2: vights were on here this weekend, airfares are just through 117 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 2: the roof. Domestic travel in this country, it always happens. 118 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 2: Everyone tries to set up a third airline. We've had 119 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 2: all sorts of different operators and they all go broke. 120 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 2: Because Quantus and Virgin which is now going to be 121 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 2: largely owned by the Katari Airline, they just jacked the 122 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 2: fares up to make it impossible for a third competitor 123 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 2: to survive. But domestic affairs, I don't know about New Zealand. 124 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 2: I don't think it's much better there, I know domestic 125 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,200 Speaker 2: affairs through the roof. By the way, I'm in New 126 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 2: Zealand from Boxing day. I tried to rent book a 127 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:16,480 Speaker 2: rental car out of Auckland Airport on twenty six. Well, 128 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 2: if I'm prepared to pay half a million dollars to 129 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 2: get a car for ten days, I'm fine. It's ridiculous. 130 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: Where are you going. 131 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 2: New Plymouth first and then golfing around somewhere? I don't know. 132 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: Okay, so you you so that you're telling me the 133 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 1: cost of the car you can get a car at 134 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: the cost of the car is too high. 135 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 2: Oh, somebelieved it's like two hundred dollars or two hundred 136 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 2: and fifty dollars a day to rend a car. 137 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: Is that like a Mercedes? Where is there a Toyo? 138 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:52,720 Speaker 2: No? It was for us. No, it's just a normal car, 139 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 2: a Yarus. And I didn't even know what a yarras is. 140 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: Oh, you don't want to know what a yarras is. 141 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:00,839 Speaker 1: If they're honestly quoting you tw hundred and fifty dollars 142 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: a day for a yearis there's something seriously has gone wrong. 143 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 2: I'll do some more investigating. 144 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: Keep us in touch. Appreciate it very much. If it's 145 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: a Years Cross, if it's a Yarra's Cross, that's a 146 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: completely different experience. That's a completely different experience. 147 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 2: More I'm more and more leaning towards the Yarras Cross. 148 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's what you see three months ago. And 149 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: when I asked you the other day, have you brought 150 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: you in the UK well known fact that purchasing a 151 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: car takes a long time? Is it? How many months 152 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: in counting? 153 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 2: It's not like you where missus Husking Hawksby is afraid 154 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 2: to let you leave the house because you're just come. 155 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: Back with it with the car. Actually, I ordered a 156 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: part the other day for a car, which I haven't 157 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: done for In fact, I don't think i'd ever. No, 158 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: I've only ever once in my car owning life, ordered 159 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: a part for a car and it was a nineteen 160 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: sixty nine Mark one Daimler and they didn't have the 161 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: brakes in the country and so they had to go 162 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: and order it from Britain. So that was exciting. That 163 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: was about forty years ago. 164 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 2: But you didn't order it. They ordered it. 165 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: Of course they ordered it. I didn't order it, but 166 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: I was involved in the ordering that they said, shall 167 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: we order one, and I said yes, and so then 168 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: but then the other day I had to actually, for 169 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: the first time in my entire life, chase down a 170 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: part and find a source for the part and order 171 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 1: the part all by myself. And it'll be only successful 172 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: when it arrives. It's coming from the other side of 173 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: the world, so we'll see how that goes. 174 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 2: For more from the Mi Casking Breakfast, listen live to 175 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 2: news talks. 176 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 177 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.