1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,160 Speaker 1: Happy Monday everyone. My name is Sam Keselowski. Welcome to 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: the Daily OS. It's Monday, the twentieth of September. Around 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: the country, yesterday there were five hundred and seven cases 4 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: of COVID nineteen in Victoria, one thousand and eighty three 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: in New South Wales, and in the Act seventeen cases 6 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 1: were recorded. There were major announcements across New South Wales 7 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: and Victoria, a very busy day of press conferences, culminating 8 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: in a press conference from the Prime Minister. We're going 9 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: to hit all three of these press conferences, Zara, take 10 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: us through the big stories. 11 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 2: Yesterday afternoon the Prime Minister called a press conference and 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 2: everybody knew immediately what this was about. Christian Porter resigned 13 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 2: from the front bench and so he'll now be on 14 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: the back bench in the Morrison government. Here's the Prime 15 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 2: Minister explaining that process. 16 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 3: In relation to Minister Porter. Over the course of the 17 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 3: last few days and in the discussions that we have had, 18 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 3: the inability for him to be able to practically provide 19 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 3: further information because of the nature of those arrangements. If 20 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 3: he were able to do that, that would allow Minister 21 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 3: Porter to conclusively rule out a perceived conflict and as 22 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 3: a result of him acknowledging that he has this afternoon 23 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 3: taken the appropriate course of action to uphold those standards 24 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 3: by tendering his resignation as a minister this afternoon, and 25 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 3: I have accepted his resignation. 26 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 2: We'll go into a bit of the context as to 27 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 2: why Porter was forced to resign, but it's all around 28 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 2: something called a blind trust, and that was about financial 29 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 2: assistance for him to pay his legal fees in a 30 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 2: defamation case against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan. Again, 31 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 2: we'll discuss this in length during our deep dive in Victoria. 32 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: That was one of the most highly anticipated press conferences 33 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: for a while, where Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews outlined Victoria's 34 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: roadmap out of lockdown. He announced these measures when the 35 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: state reaches the seventy and eighty percent fully vaccinated thresholds 36 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: according to the government, Victoria is set to eat the 37 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: first milestone on the twenty sixth of October and the 38 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: second on the fifth of November, and that's based on 39 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: current vaccination rates. Head to our instagram to see the 40 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: full list of changes. There was a post yesterday and 41 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: we'll put it in our stories this morning. 42 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 4: We cannot perennially suppress or permanently suppress this virus. Lockdowns 43 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 4: have been about buying time to get to seventy and 44 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 4: eighty percent vaccinated. We are fast approaching those milestones. At 45 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 4: that point we have got to open the place up 46 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 4: because remaining closed forever has its own cost. 47 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 2: It wasn't just Victoria that got a glimmer of hope. 48 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 2: In New South Wales, Premier gladys Bury Jeclian announced that 49 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: restrictions in the so called LGAs of concern in Sydney 50 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: will ease from tonight in line with soaring vaccination rates 51 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,399 Speaker 2: which has been so incredible to watch. Residents in those 52 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 2: areas will now be able to picnic outdoors and groups 53 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: of five fully vaccinated adults, and some time restrictions on 54 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 2: exercise and recreation will be lifted. There are a few 55 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 2: other changes, so again head to our instagram to read 56 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 2: all about what is changing in those LGAs. 57 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: And today's good news. Last night's clash between Tottenham and 58 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 1: Chelsea in the EPL is being hailed as a first 59 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: elite net zero match in history. The teams took as 60 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,799 Speaker 1: many measures as possible to reduce the carbon emissions associated 61 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: with the game. This included running the team buses on 62 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: biofuel and drinking out of cartons not plastic bottles, in 63 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: drink breaks around the stadium. All food served was sustainably sourced. 64 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 2: So Christian Porter is a name that many of you 65 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 2: might be familiar with because he has been in the 66 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 2: news quite a bit this year. If you've forgotten, Christian 67 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 2: Porter was the former Attorney General of Australia. He was 68 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 2: then the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, and earlier 69 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 2: this year he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman 70 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 2: who is now deceased. Porter denied those allegations and subsequently 71 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 2: launched defamation proceedings against the ABC and its journalist Louise 72 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 2: Milligan about an article that went into the allegations. They 73 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 2: were the ones to break the story the Porter labeled 74 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 2: as false. Now Christian Porter is back in the news 75 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: because he has resigned from the front bench. As I 76 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 2: said earlier, this is about something called a blind trust, 77 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 2: and while it's peripherally linked to the sexual assault allegations, 78 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 2: it's not a direct consequence of this in any way. 79 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 2: So Sam take us through what a blind trust is 80 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,679 Speaker 2: and why this has become an issue for Christian Porter. 81 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: It is fascinating, isn't it that, after the year that 82 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,159 Speaker 1: Porter has had his downfall eventually from the front bench, 83 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: was this blind trust issue. So let's take a few 84 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: steps back. We all know that legal proceedings cost money, 85 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: lots and lots of money, and so what happens when 86 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: an individual takes an action like a defamation case against 87 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: a big network like the ABC, is that they need 88 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: to find a way to pay for that. Quite often 89 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: individuals will contribute to somebody's legal campaign. In some circumstances, 90 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: like what's happened here, trusts can contribute. Now, a trust 91 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: is a collection of individuals. It might be a family 92 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: that holds a trust, or it might just be a 93 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: bunch of people and they dedicate money that they put 94 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,359 Speaker 1: in that trust to somebody else. Now, a blind trust 95 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: is when the person receiving the money doesn't know who 96 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 1: put the money there. And blind trusts are used quite 97 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: a lot when the person who wants to get the 98 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: money from them to the other person thinks there might 99 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: be a conflict of interest and if they don't want 100 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: it to be known. It's kind of like an anonymous donation, 101 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: except with a little bit more structure around it. 102 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 2: So if this is a fairly commonplace thing to do, 103 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 2: talk me through what the big issue was for Porter. 104 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: So Porter was until yesterday a minister, and that means 105 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: he's bound by ministerial standards. It's a set of rules 106 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: that these ministers are held to as publicly elected representatives. 107 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: At the heart of the ministerial standards is basic principles 108 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: of transparency and accountability. It's the idea that you can't 109 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: be given a gift from somebody without declaring that that 110 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: person has given you the gift, and in some cases 111 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: actually refusing the gift. I mean, let's take a super 112 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: simple example. A minister can't be seen to be given 113 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: a gift from a mining company if they're making decisions 114 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: about whether a particular mind should be approved. That's like 115 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: the high level understanding of this. 116 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 2: So in Porter's case, Morrison and really the media in general, 117 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 2: was putting a lot of pressure on Porter to disclose 118 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 2: who the money had come from, so as to end 119 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 2: the rumors of a conflict of interest, if you want 120 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 2: to put it that way. Yesterday, as you heard in 121 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 2: the clip earlier, Scott Morrison announced that Christian Porter couldn't 122 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 2: conclusively give that information and that was why he was 123 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 2: resigning Zara. 124 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: One question I had yesterday for you was was there 125 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,160 Speaker 1: any way that Porter could have negotiated this process and survived. 126 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 2: I think it's a tricky one because of the baggage 127 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 2: that Porter has. If it was another minister who hadn't 128 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 2: had the year that Porter had had, perhaps it could 129 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 2: have been dealt with differently. There was a lot of 130 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 2: pressure on Morrison to act quickly, and it's pretty clear 131 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 2: that everyone involved knew what the outcome was going to 132 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 2: be as soon as it came to light. 133 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: And so we're talking here about a minister who when 134 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: he entered politics was dubbed a golden child of politics, 135 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: a future prime minister. In fact, what happens now he's 136 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: on the back bench? What does that actually look like 137 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: and mean? 138 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 2: So in Parliament there is a front bench and a 139 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 2: back bench, and the front bench is made up of 140 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 2: the ministers. So what port Art was until yesterday, the 141 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 2: backbench is just the regular MPs. You're elected officials, so 142 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 2: it's everyone without a ministerial role. MPs on the back 143 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 2: bench have significant responsibilities even though they aren't ministers. They 144 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 2: have to continue to represent their electorate in Parliament. For 145 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 2: Porter is an interesting situation because, as you said, he 146 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 2: was always this golden child in politics. He was going 147 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 2: to ascend he was the Attorney General. Many thought he 148 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 2: would later become the Prime minister. While he hasn't resigned 149 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 2: from Parliament, and that needs to be made clear. He 150 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 2: has not resigned, and yesterday he said that he would 151 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: contest his seat of Pierce in wa It will be 152 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 2: a lot harder for him now. There is a lot 153 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 2: of public pressure and scrutiny on him, and he doesn't 154 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 2: hold the seat of Pierce with a massive majority. I 155 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 2: believe it's something like five percent, so it's not a 156 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 2: huge majority that he holds a seat on and he 157 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 2: will have an electorally quite challenging time winning back that 158 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 2: seat next election. 159 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: It's going to be a fascinating week of federal politics 160 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: we've got coming up for US. Prime Minister Morrison is 161 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: off to Washington, d C. For meetings with President Biden 162 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: and Prime Minister Johnson of the UK. I hope he 163 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: remembers the fellow from down Under a little bit better 164 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: than last time. And I think Morrison's probably hoping that 165 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: he arrives back in Australia to a crisis over In 166 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 1: this sense, we're going to keep an eye on everything 167 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: that's happening in federal politics. Join us on the Daily 168 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: OS over on Instagram. It's where over two hundred and 169 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: twenty thousand Australians get their news and will be there 170 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: every step of the way.