1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:01,800 Speaker 1: Well, we're just going to have to pony up and 2 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: buy a couple of new planes, aren't we, Because come on, 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: this is the second time this year that this plane 4 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: has broken down on Chris Luxen, and if he keeps 5 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: on insisting on using these old girls, it's definitely not 6 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: going to be the last time that it's happened. Al Gillespie, 7 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: I Reckon made the best argument today for why we 8 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: should have a plane that works rather than just having 9 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: you know, the option which is being mooted as well, 10 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: of flying the Prime Minister around the place commercially instead. 11 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: And his argument basically is that when our prime minister 12 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: turns up in another country, it's generally because we want 13 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: something from that country, right, either we want to trade 14 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,919 Speaker 1: with them increase trade, or we want them to do 15 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: what we want them to do politically. So we're there 16 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: to impress them, and we have to impress them, which 17 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 1: is the whole point of a trip like this, Right, 18 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: you go on a trip like this, everybody has to 19 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: dress up in their best suits, look like they mean business. 20 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: Prime minister collects a group of smart and powerful people 21 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: with them to impress the host, bring them media along 22 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: to look like he's popular and a big deal, and 23 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: you arrive on your own plane. That's part of thing, right, 24 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: It's part of the whole kind of charade, is you 25 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: arrive on your own plane. Because what you want is 26 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: countries like Japan to look at us arrive and go 27 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: whoof ballers, Yeah, ballers with influence in the South Pacific. 28 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: You don't want them to look at us and go, oh, 29 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: it's that Pavo country next to Australia. Again that no 30 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: one wants to listen to that country. But you look 31 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: like a baller in the South Pacific, Suddenly people want 32 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: to spend time with You. Got to look like your 33 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,279 Speaker 1: meaning business, in which case you turn up in your limo, 34 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: you don't turn up in your taxi. Particularly, I would 35 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,320 Speaker 1: say that is important at a time when this part 36 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: of the world is contested and a show of strength 37 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,839 Speaker 1: will go a long way. Now, even if that doesn't 38 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: convince you, even if you do not care, particularly for 39 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: diplomacy or trade, economically, we would be better off buying 40 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: a couple of new planes. I saw a quote for 41 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: a Boeing similar to the ones that we fly. I 42 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: mean it will be used, but it's sitting somewhere with 43 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: thirty years flying, still left in it, and it's sitting 44 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: somewhere around thirty five to forty million dollars, right, sound 45 00:01:57,720 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: like a lot to you. So you're gonna you're gonna 46 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: be spending seventy to eighty million dollars to buy a 47 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: couple of those planes. The planes that we are flying 48 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: at the moment that keep breaking down cost us seventy 49 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: million dollars in maintenance just in the last two years. 50 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: That's two new planes right there. Every year that we 51 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: keep on flying these old birds, we're wasting the money 52 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: every year that we could buy a new plane with. 53 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: So every single year that we continue to fly them 54 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: from here on in, that's a new plane. Flush down 55 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: the toilet. Because we insist on being povos. So we 56 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: just need to stop doing this, Stop being cheap, Stop 57 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: trying to sweat the last bit of life out of 58 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: these planes, which is now becoming more expensive than just 59 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: buying new ones. Stop pretending that we can fly the 60 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: Prime Minister commercially. Just buy two new planes. For more 61 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: From Heather Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to news talks. 62 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 63 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.