TUESDAY SHOW - 15th September 📻

0:00Dave Roberts here. There you are surrounded by fans, sharing wings, sharing drinks, high-fiving random strangers. Everybody remembers the game. Nobody remembers the guy coughing behind you until a few days later. At 2 a.m., you wake up with the fever and your throats on fire. Now what? Urgent care, clothes, ER, slam, telehealth, maybe, but the pharmacy's clothes. You needed a medical emergency kit. These aren't first aid kits. They contain essential prescriptions used for over 30 common conditions. Sinus and ear infection, UTI, stomach bug, travelers diarrhea, and more. On hand before you need them. Use your doctor-developed guidebook to select the right prescription or call their telemedicine doctor standing by. It's like an urgent care and drugstore at home. When you're sick, traveling or stranded, you'll wish you ordered a medical emergency kit. Order online in minutes and it's shipped to your door and say $45 with my promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. That's promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue.

1:03Welcome to the Ben Fudham podcast. Hi there. Welcome to the show. Coming up today, Jacinda Price is live on the line and she's hopping into Pauline Hanson and I make the observation that Pauline's virtually bullet proof these days. No matter what is thrown in her direction, she manages to bounce back. Jacinda Price has ripped into her. Over comment she made on a podcast about a year ago about Indigenous Australians. So you'll hear from Jacinda. You'll hear from Pauline and we'll hear from many of our listeners as well. Speaking of one nation, they've had another victory and another pole. I'll let you know what voters are saying in the lead up to the New South Wales election. We're going to look at burial plots for sale and my Andy Helen is going to join us. She's picked up a burial plot or two for a red hot price and one of our listeners then called in and said, I've got one for sale. In fact, it fits two bodies. So that's coming up on the show today. Also, wealthy households pocketing cost of living relief. A big singer kicked off a stadium tour over anti-semitism and speaking of

2:07anti-semitism, we've got Shari Marx and joining us in studio as she launches her new book today called Bondi Terror. Get ready, the show starts now. Minus has been for the live with Sydney's best breakfast on 2 GB 873. Well, we're going to be focusing a bit on rorts today because we've got them popping out our eyeballs on a number of fronts. The Prime Minister again accused of pork barreling this time the PM's been called out over a suspicious $20 million crime grant scheme. It's called strengthening community safety, but I think he was trying to strengthen his re-election chances. It's been revealed Labor leveraged an invite-only system to install CCTV cameras across critical electorates and Labor showered their own seats in cash. And they gave a little bit of love to seats that they thought they could steal from the coalition. And they managed to do so too. The strengthening community safety program funded upgrades to 20 seats. How

3:11many do you reckon a held by Labor? How do the 20 that received the money? Try 17. So 85% of the money went their way. And this seems to remind us of another scheme that we spoke about just last week that has been called pork barreling by the Centre for Public Integrity. So I'll tell you all about that today. And at the same time, can you believe at the Federal Transport Minister Catherine King has had a shocker? She's just accepted lifetime platinum status from Qantas. And if you've never heard of that, that's probably because you've never been offered it. I've never heard of it before. I've heard of the Chairman's Lounge. And I think everyone's heard of the Qantas Club, what's lifetime platinum status? Well, it's given to people who travel a lot. And I don't know how much flying Catherine King has done, but boy, oh boy, they reckon you need to spend about a million dollars at Qantas to receive this benefit. And then you have it for life. It gives you

4:12priority upgrades and support from the airline's VIP services team. But wouldn't you say, look, I'm the Transport Minister. And I've already landed myself in trouble previously because when Qatar Airways was wanting to expand into Australia, Catherine King was the Minister who said no, even though it would have provided more competition in Australia. And therefore, cheaper airfares for all of us. She said no. She was labeled at the time the Minister for Qantas. So with all of that in your recent history, wouldn't you say to the boss of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, look, that's a very kind offer. Why don't you offer it to me when I'm not the Transport Minister? I mean, if you wanted to make sure it was still going to be there for a rainy day, that's one way you could say it. Look, I just don't think it's appropriate. While I'm in this portfolio area to accept such a gift, and then maybe you're lucky enough that she's going to give it to you when you no longer in that job. But no, given the opportunity, the Minister

5:12said yes to the lifetime platinum status will have more on that this morning. This has been for alive with Sydney's best breakfast on 2GV873. We've been warned that petrol prices are about to rise. Motorists are bracing for price increases at the pump in the coming weeks. It's because of surging oil prices due to the conflict in the Middle East. There are fresh calls for a reduction to the fuel excise. Labor's excise discount ended on 2 August. There have been reports the federal government is considering restoring the discount. But the Energy Minister Chris Bowen has denied those suggestions. He says the government has no immediate plans to change the excise. We also have a warning about seatbelt fines today, speaking of cars on the road. And in the space of one year, I find this hard to fathom. More than 132,000 seatbelt fines have been issued. 132,000 in 12 months in New South Wales. And you know why?

6:18It's not police officers looking out for people not wearing their seatbelts. It's AI, new AI powered cameras are having a field day. And it works out to be an increase of nearly 2,400% year on year. So I've got some details on that. I'll also tell you about a bloke who is facing deportation after orchestrating an elaborate Uber Eats scam. Wait until you hear how he managed to scam coals and also members of the public. Our number one three one eight seven three if you'd like to join us. You're with Ben Fordham on 2GB. And on this day, September 15, a legend called it quits. He's your only hint. A legend called it quits if you think you know the answer texted in now 0 4 6 0 8 7 3 8 7 3. The answer's coming up on this day.

7:27Like what you're hearing. Make sure you've subscribed to Ben Fordham. There's been a dramatic rescue in Western Australia after a father was attacked by a shark. His name is Mel Ismail. And he was surfing alone at a popular beach in Western Australia is alive. That's the good news. And it looks like a number of people have stepped into help him in a major way. There's a massive chunk taken out of his surfboard. And another surfers spotted Mel waving for help and jumped straight in and paddled out. And then when they got them back to shore, a group of teenagers jumped in and used a rope from a surfboard to make a tournac. So Mel's in Gerald and hospital will get an update on how he's going a little later on this morning. But he's alive. And it looks like the involvement of others has played a part in that good result. That doesn't mean he's out of the woods. But he has survived the shark attack. So that's in Western Australia.

8:30Not too far from Geraldton. 1 3 1 8 7 3 the open line number. A Labor Party donor is facing some serious charges. Kunol Shah attended an exclusive fundraising dinner with the Prime Minister back in 2024. Now he's been charged over the illegal sale of prohibited weapons. Police alleging online company associated with Shah has been selling banned weapons. Some have allegedly been sold to youth offenders. Police say they've seized more than 900 prohibited weapons, including swords and knives. Shah is due to face court this month. His lawyer says he's not been heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the business. Shah was one of 10 Indian Australian business figures who attended a dinner not so long ago with Anthony Albanese. Mind you, the PM meets thousands of people every week. There's no suggestion that he knows Kunol Shah or certainly any of his business activities. The Prime Minister's play down suggestions. It was a fundraiser

9:30describing it simply as a dinner. But emails obtained by the Australian newspaper carry the subject line, fundraiser for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Sources claim some guests don't edit as much as $20,000 to secure a seat at the table. This has been for the live. What Sydney's best breakfast on 2GB 873? A man could face deportation after orchestrating an elaborate Uber Eats scam. Sammy Asiah has managed to pocket thousands of dollars by targeting coal stores. The 23 year old Belgian man has teamed up with an Uber Eats delivery rider who was a mate. Asiah would place a grocery order while his friend waited on the Uber Eats app to accept the delivery job. His friend would then head into coals and pay for the groceries using an Uber Eats pre-paid card. But moments after leaving the store, he would cancel the delivery for safety reasons. And this meant that Asiah then got his

10:32money back while the pair kept the groceries. But that was only half of the scam. Asiah would then take those groceries to another coals and ask for a refund there. This time he'd have the money transferred onto his own personal card. How do people figure these things out? That's what always amazes me. How do they sit down and go, you know what we could try here? And they reckon that this bloke allegedly pocketed more than 13 grand using the dodgy refunds. The daily telegraph reports the pair targeted stores across the northern beaches, eastern suburbs and gods country, the Shire. The Belgian national has pleaded guilty to 23 counts of fraud. He'll be sentenced next month. And if convicted, the federal government could cancel his visa and kick him out of the country. People you know opinions that matter. News you can trust. This is breakfast with Ben Fordham on Sydney's 2GB. Thank you for joining us Tuesday morning. Congratulations to Jenny. Jenny,

11:37you were first in with the correct answer in the quiz. For that, you get $100 from on deck, $100 coming your way from on deck.com.au, the small business loan specialist and the answers coming up on this day. So if you think you might have the right answer, you'll be able to confirm whether this is the case in the next 22 minutes right now, nine minutes after six, it's time to sign up to red energies, living energy, saver plan and receive up to $200 worth of bill credits. Go to redenerg.com.au. The iconic designer, Bob Mackie has passed away. The American designer to the stars has died at the age of 87. And throughout his career, he's dressed stars, including Dolly Parton and Madonna. He designed Marilyn Monroe's famous beaded gown for that iconic performance of happy birthday for President John F. Kennedy. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday,

12:52Mr. President. Happy birthday to you. Yeah, Marilyn wore the dress, but Bob Mackie designed it. And he won nine Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. He also received three Oscar nominations. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame back in 2002. His calls of death has not yet been disclosed. He's passed away at the age of 87. Right now, let's have a look at a new report sounding the alarm about government benefits. It's found well off Aussies are pocketing billions of dollars in cost of living relief. The results are being exposed by the Policy Institute Australia. They found the top 40% of Aussies by wealth have received $3.6 billion in government support this year. According to their analysis, wealthy retirees can sometimes be benefiting more than single moms. Nicholas Tarant is the report author and the principal economist

13:59at Policy Institute Australia. And he's on the line. Good morning, Nicholas. Good morning. Thanks for having me on the show. So you've got some wealthy people receiving more government benefits than single mothers. Yeah, look, what did I start like explaining like why we've chosen to look at this issue. So we know we know cost of living is the number one issue in Australia. And there's a lot of pressure on state governments to do something about it, particularly when there's state elections coming up, which there are new stuff miles next year, also in Victoria very soon. So we've done a stock take of well, what are the current supports that are that governments are providing. And we looked at two things. So we've looked at firstly concessions. So for example, if you're a pensioner or if you're getting some form of commonwealth payment, you may be able to get a discount on your council rates, for example, all perhaps discounted public transport.

15:00But what we've also looked at the more temporary and universal policies. And to give an example in New South Wales recently, as most people listening would know, you could get a discount on your car registration, no matter what your income or assets were. And so yeah, we've decided to look at both these things. Let me just jump in there, Nicholas, isn't it the case because I've had these conversations so many times with politicians and I'm not defending their position. But what they'll say to me when I raise these things with them is the admin costs associated with means testing all of these things would be so high that it would end up costing us so much money in the end. So they just decide whatever we're giving, we're giving to everyone regardless of how wealthy they are. Well, I think that may have been true in the past, but it's not necessarily true anymore. And we definitely think so we have some ideas of how governments could do this a lot better. And we think that they should because ultimately it's the state governments deciding their policies

16:03and who they provide money to. And so it's up to them to make sure that they targeted the people mostly need. All right, so what about say with fuel relief when we were providing fuel relief, how would you make that work so that it was only going to the people that really needed it? So one of the one of the things that we've identified with this work is that when you tie, say, a benefit to how much you consume or something, you ultimately end up by design providing more benefits to someone who potentially is using more fuel, for example, and it's more well off. So we did the analysis on the fuel exercise cut, for example, that was introduced earlier this year. And what we found is that more of the benefits were flowing to people who are yet perhaps doing a bit better than those who are doing it. But how would you stop that? What I'm trying to work out is how would you stop that? It's like apart from people turning up at the bowser and and someone behind the counter

17:03saying, okay, let me have a look at your tax returns. How do you know how wealthy someone is? So one of our so one of our ideas is that for example, new self-wales could set up a cost of living allowance, which would be a targeted lump sum payment to what potentially someone has got a concession card. And we think that that would be, if you're thinking of future cost of living release, doing it in a way where it's targeted towards people who we know are struggling more than for the population. That could be a more effective way of providing timely release. Did the other driver, as you know, Nicholas, at election time, they want to hand out the goodies to everyone, don't they? Yeah, there's certainly a lot of pressure for state governments to spend more, do more with announced new policies. But so we've looked at new self-wales, for example.

18:05So this year alone, they'll be spending nearly $4 billion on cost of living release, that also includes concessions. We think there's definitely an opportunity for governments like new self-wales to have a good think about what they're currently doing and see where they can improve. Well, I'd be interested to hear reactions today from all sides of politics in new self-wales on this front and thanks for raising it. All right. Good man. Nicholas Tarant, report author and principal economist at the policy institute of Australia. And they've given this example, the retiree who holds a concession card and owns a $3 million home and has $500,000 worth of super could pocket $2,800 worth of benefits. Meanwhile, a single mum who rents and catches the bus might only get $1,500. So it doesn't sound fair. The issue is, how do you regulate it? If you're going to say to people where only going to give it to people who really need it, well, the idea from Nicholas Tarant is to set up a special

19:08fund for people doing it tough. And then all of the other benefits you wouldn't need to hand out to every single person at election time. But there's always that temptation when we're going to the polls, the police want everyone to get a present. Dave Roberts here. There you are surrounded by fans sharing wings, sharing drinks, high-fiving random strangers. Everybody remembers the game. Nobody remembers the guy coughing behind you until a few days later at 2 a.m. you wake up with the fever and your throats on fire. Now what? Urgent care, clothes, ER, slam, telehealth, maybe, but the pharmacies close. You needed a medical emergency kit. These aren't first aid kits. They contain essential prescriptions used for over 30 common conditions, sinus and ear infection, UTI, stomach bug, travelers diarrhea and more. On hand before you need them. Use your doctor develop guidebook to select the right prescription or call their telemedicine doctor standing by. It's like an urgent care and drugstore at home. When you're sick, traveling or stranded, you'll wish you ordered a medical emergency kit. Order online in minutes and it's shipped to your

20:12door and say $45 with my promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. That's promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. In Austin, March 15th through the 21st, South By Southwest is the place where unexpected connections, discoveries and opportunities are always expected. Around every corner, the next big thing is happening from innovation and the future of business to live music, first time screenings or a passing conversation that changes everything. You never know what you'll find. That's South By Southwest Serendipity. Get your badge and see where the experience takes you, visit sxsw.com to learn more. People you know opinions that matter. News you can trust. This is Breakfast with Ben Fordham on Sydney's 2GB. One three one eight seven three, the open line number you can email Ben at 2GB.com. If you people enjoyed hearing the theme song to the lone Ranger Jerry and Sutherland says when my son was five or so, he liked coming with me on a trip to

21:17the garbage tip. We used to sing the lone Ranger song to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump to the dump. Try saying that 15 times in a row. I love those things Jerry. I still remember going to the tip with Dad. It was one of our all time highlights going to the tip and then you'd always find things you'd want to take home. And then if you got them home, Mum would say, please take that back. One three one eight seven three is our a new migration poll is out today. It shows a growing number of voters are backing further cuts. We're told the two thirds of Aussies want our refugee intake slashed. They want more money to go towards deportation and a ban on immigrants coming from countries where extremism is a danger. 40% of voters say Labor's current net overseas migration target of 225,000 down from 300 is still too high. 32% say it's about right. 11% say it's too low. A government source has told the Sydney Morning Herald. It's unlikely a deal will be struck with the opposition at least this week.

22:21One nation has declared they want to cut the number of temporary visa holders by 750,000 over the next three years. International students will bear the brunt of the cuts. After three years, one nation proposes a net overseas migration ceiling of 130,000 people a year. They've also committed to blocking all immigration from countries on the do not travel this. It's put out by the Department of Foreign Affairs. According to the latest resolve poll, 31% of people say they trust one nation to handle immigration. 24% have faith in Labor. 19% have nominated the coalition. 21% are undecided. You'll listening to Sydney's best breakfast. Ben Fordham Live and now the business report. An Aussie tech entrepreneur is the latest person to blast the PM's tax changes. Peter Switzerland from Switzerland.com.au's on the line. Hi,

23:23Switzerland. Yeah, I'm a bit of a slattery is not well known, but Ben, he's arguably the greatest tech entrepreneur this country has ever, ever created. Really? Yeah, his companies are a pretty much famous one. He's created his next DC. It was at the big data center. And we drive around the city of Melbourne, Sydney. You see these big factories with next DC, it's not. And that's the data center. That's why our computers work. Why our phones can hold all those photographs. Superlopers are another one. The mega ports are another one. And his businesses have created $10 billion worth of shareholder funds for people who've invested in these companies. And so when he turns around and says the government, your tax change is a stupid. They create enormous distance and he's for people like him to create businesses, to create jobs. And ultimately to pay taxes, this is what he's basically saying. And as far as I said yesterday, Ben, Bill Kelti

24:27said the government's second to make policies are really, really crazy. And I think in this country, mate, we just don't praise or know these entrepreneurs as well as we should. And I think it's a lack of respect of people who are really greatest Australians, but aren't really well known. Yeah, we remember them on the sporting field, not always in the boardroom and the market swits. Yeah, yeah, down down 152 points, the local markets down the 17th, and that's the start. And the Aussie dollar 71.42 US cents. Have a great one, mate. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Cheers, mate. Thank you very much, Peter Switzer from switzer.com.au right now 19 minutes to 7 o'clock. Now we've got an exciting update from Sammie's umbrellas. We spoke to Sammie and his parents Brendan and Maria a few weeks ago, maybe a month or so ago now,

25:27they told us about this incredible business that 21-year-old Sammie has started. He makes these vibrant umbrellas and a percentage of the proceeds go towards helping women and children escape domestic violence, the other money they pour back into the business. And the response has been incredible. So big. Sammie is now expanding his support from one women's shelter to nine. And they're across Sydney and other parts of New South Wales. And you've ordered so many of Sammie's umbrellas, known as Sambrellas, that Sammie's had to move into a bigger warehouse. And the plan is to create job opportunities for people with disabilities, like Sammie. And if you want to buy one of these umbrellas, just search Sammie's world of colors. And I've got this note on the text line, what a magnificent man. Sammie and his dad are. I recently ordered a Sambrella for my granddaughter's birthday. I was leaving for Mudgey where she lives on Saturday. I hadn't yet received my order. I sent them a text to ask when the order would

26:31be delivered. Guess what happened then? Sammie and his dad arrived at my front door with a gorgeous umbrella saying they couldn't have a disappointed granddaughter. We had a chat which was amazing. What unbelievable people they are. Thank you for supporting their work. And yes, Lucy loved her gift. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Look up tone deaf in the dictionary this morning and you may just see this. The Federal Transport Minister Catherine King has just accepted a jumbo-sized gift from Quantas. She's been given lifetime platinum status. Now, if you've never heard of it, that's probably because it's extremely rare. This is not the Quantas Club. It's not the Chairman's Lounge. It's lifetime platinum status. The benefit gives people full access to first and

27:34business class Quantas lounges for life. It gives them priority upgrades and support from the airline's VIP services team and all future status credits earn a 100% bonus. As the name suggests, you've got it for life. Lifetime platinum status. If you're not the Transport Minister, you have to spend about a million dollars to earn it. And Catherine King got it for nothing. Completely free. This is the same Catherine King who handed Quantas a massive favour a few years ago. Their rival Qatar wanted to expand into Australia, offering more flights and greater competition on airfares. It would have been a win for the average passenger. But Catherine King rejected the request after solid lobbying from the former Quantas boss Alan Joyce. Under pressure to explain herself, the Transport Minister then offered eight different reasons for blocking more competition. First, it was because of a class action lawsuit involving Aussie women against Qatar airways. Then she claimed it was about reducing emissions, claiming she wanted to decarbonise

28:39the transport sector. Next, Catherine King told journalists the Katari request would go against Australia's national interest. After that, she claimed Qatar's expansion could hurt the aviation sector and the post-COVID recovery. Then she claimed she wanted to protect jobs. And the next excuse had something to do with the airline being owned by the Katari government. And the one after that suggested that Quantas's investment in aircraft was the reason it was embarrassing. She had more excuses than frequent flyer points. So after all of that, what would any sensible transport minister do when offered lifetime platinum status? They'd knock it back, right? Or at least say, look, this won't be appropriate to accept such a gift while I'm acting as transport minister. But that's not the way Catherine King responded. She said, thanks very much. Mark Dastofano reports in the Australian financial review, the Federal Labor government has spent two terms facing full frontal scrutiny over whether it's most senior MPs are too close to Quantas.

29:41The Federal Transport Minister, Catherine King, dropped a stink bomb in her register of interest on Monday afternoon. It's another curious decision by Labor ministers who seem to lose all their senses when Quantas comes knocking bearing freebies. King is the Federal Transport Minister who blocked Qatar airways launching 28 new international flights a week back in 2023. The decision led to Catherine King being labeled as the Minister for Quantas. She's hardly alone in this regard, reports the Australian financial review. Her current boss, Anthony Albanese, spent his brief tenure as Transport Minister asking for upgrades from Alan Joyce. Those revelations were aired in the financial review by Joe Aston with the Prime Minister denying it. They say, but that was then now is now what was Catherine King thinking? And it's a fair question. Catherine King's office is claiming she earned the lifetime platinum status fair and square. She must have been doing a lot of flying in and out of her hometown of Ballarat. To reach the lifetime platinum tier, you have to earn

30:4575,000 status credits. Now Sydney to London First Class earns you only 420. So you'd have to take more than 150 long haul flights in first class to reach the milestone. Regardless of how she's become eligible, wouldn't you be asking yourself, is this a good look as Transport Minister? Of course, it's not, but the Minister for Quantas just couldn't say no. By the way, the finance department once looked into whether MP staffers and public servants should be excluded from earning the credits on flights because they're paid for by taxpayers, they looked into it and they decided to keep them anyway. Fair income. Enjoy your flight, Minister. We've got some good news coming about a growing number of Aussies choosing to join the defence force. Those figures are out today and will have them for you in just a moment. Also, a father

31:47attack by a shark saved by multiple bystanders in Western Australia. And we've had John Naseep up against Ray Hadley and Icaq. And I think you can probably imagine whose corner I'm in. It's not Naseep, who was giving his evidence at Icaq from his bedroom while hiding out in Lebanon. Anyway, you'll hear from some of Mr Naseep a little later on just on Catherine King, the Minister for Quantas, accepting this absolutely amazing gift from the Flying Kangaroo Lifetime Platinum Status. Forget quite as club or chairman's lounge. This is the thing you want. Lifetime Platinum Chris says I work for the state government. I can't accept even a pen as a gift. How is this allowed? Diane says this is so wrong. Politicians should be exempt from receiving personal rewards from commercial companies. Politicians are supposed to represent the people, not themselves. Yet another wrought. Chris says the Minister for Quantas has done a Barry O'Farrell Times 10. He fired himself

32:51over a bottle of wine. Jill asks no one in the private sector would be able to accept this, so why is it okay for Polly's? And Pete says you should ask your listeners if anyone has the same deal as King. King, being Catherine King, the Minister for Quantas. Wouldn't you just say, oh, I would love to accept this, but it's going to be such a bad look. Well, Pauline Hanson has ignited yet another political storm. The one nation leader is branded in Dijonis Australians the most primitive race on earth. The comments have been made during an interview last year. Pauline had been questioning why indigenous culture in history is taught in Aussie schools. What the hell have they done in this country? For so it's, you know, it's supposedly 60,000 years. They'd never invented the wheel. There was nothing there. What are we actually holding

33:53up? A few, you know, rock paintings? Sorry. They're most primitive race on earth. The resurface comments have sparked a backlash from all sides of politics. Senator Jacinta Nambi-Gimba Price has delivered the most blistering attack of all. She says, I'm disappointed by the comments made by Senator Hanson. Her statement is a demonstration of willful ignorance. It reveals her complete failure to understand Australia's first peoples. All decent Australians I'm sure would condemn such comments. But Pauline Hanson doesn't seem to be phased. She's now published a snippet of the interview to her social media pages, saying the media is in a tailspin again. About comments made a year ago on a podcast, have a look. You be the judge. The Liberal Senator Jacinta Nambi-Gimba Price is on the line live right now. Senator, good morning. Good morning, Ben. Good morning to your listeners. I've got a lot of one nation supporters saying that this is going to backfire that every time

34:54anyone attacks Pauline Hanson, Pauline Hanson's numbers just go up even further. Yeah, look, when you're in our public office, no one is beyond reproach when it comes to issues. I mean, I came into Parliament because I obviously wanted to make some changes to support some of our most marginalized Australians. I have stood up for this country throughout the voice because I don't believe we should be divided along the lines of race. In fact, these are the last comments I'll make on this matter today because I'm actually speaking of talking about race in our country. If you're, you know, I've stood in the chamber and I've defended Pauline over the years. I've been the first to do so. I've been the first alongside Pauline to condemn remarks relating to race and white Australians from media thought. So I don't see how trying to combat that kind of

35:57racism by utilizing the same sort of language about another group of Australians around race is actually beneficial to creating understanding, to bringing Australians together and look up spent decades, over two decades as part of our family business with my parents as a cross-cultural educator to bring about understanding and then create this idea of I suppose reconciliation. I'm just done with all these race conversations basically. Like I said, Pauline is not beyond reproach when it comes to these particular issues but she did absolutely demonstrate well-fall ignorance because there's a hell of a lot more to Australia's first people than simply what her remarks suggest. And when you say the most primitive race on earth, you are speaking about

36:58a race of people and I don't care what excuses are being made. It was her tone and inflections throughout those remarks of the interview and I've watched the entire interview and look, I agree with the fact that in our education system we need to teach history appropriately. We need to teach about Australia's first people as well and none of that should be weaponized politically in any way and unfortunately the activist class has done that and it's right to call that out because that is where the division is coming from. It's right to call out when culture has been reinvented or romanticized and then plugged into our education system. Bruce Pasco has done a lot of damage because he has done precisely that. Try to rewrite history, try to romanticize Aboriginal culture and try to reinvent it at the same time. And so I'll call it out on both

37:59sides of the argument because we need to focus on things that are far more important. Yes, education is important. The state of our country is very important but if we're supposed to improve our country we've got to do that together and not denigrate one another on the basis of race. I'm keen to know Jacinda was it the content or the tone that concerned you the most? Well, I suppose it was both. I mean, you know, the tone and the inflections and the wording of the most primitive race on earth and suggestion that there is absolutely nothing we have to offer or done that is particularly remarkable or it just leads to suggesting that, you know, Australian First People and can I remind listeners, my grandparents, they're like turned around,

38:59they experience white-fill of them as very first in their adolescence to them for the first time in their lives. They went through immense change over their lifetime. They saw an Australia changing and evolving and wanted to be part of that and actually embraced these newcomers into their land effectively. To the point where they were so incredibly proud that their daughter married a white Australian and they never judged any human on the basis of race but celebrated that, you know, we're all human beings ultimately and that's what I was raised to no one to understand and to see what my grandparents went through in their lifetime and the incredible achievements they made and contributions they made to this country. My grandfather labored for the army and built our spring, built places in and throughout Central Australia. Jacinda, I'm keen to ask you just about

40:02Paul and Hanson. You say no one is beyond reproach and you're right, she's a politician, she has to accept responsibility for own words but I can tell you I've got a pretty good temperature check on what people are saying, not only among the 2GB audience but also online because we get thousands of comments that come through whenever we share any of these stories and it's clear that no matter what people throw at Paul and Hanson, she's virtually bulletproof. What do you put that down to? Look, I suppose I put that down to certainly frustrations that Australians feel because the state of our country. I've been just as frustrated as well which is why I've fought that I've fought in terms of pushing back on the activist class and those who are extremists in our country but you don't push back with a similar sort of tone and level of extremism when talking about other people in our country. That's not how you do it. You've got to bring Australians together ultimately.

41:03Like I said, in order to resolve our really tough issues. On another issue, you're also the Minister for Small Businesses, a survey from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry saying one in three small businesses have seriously considered shutting their door. There'll be a lot of people who'd be going paycheck to paycheck at the moment. Yeah, absolutely. It's a devastating situation that small businesses are confronted with at the moment. I mean, you've got a huge amount. You've got 48.9% who are struggling with their cash flow and their profitability. You've got those who considering closing their businesses. That's over the last year and that's around 34% of those down in the survey. Almost 25% are considering closing their business in the next 12 months coming because there's under so much pressure. But this is the part that really gets to me right. Nearly 40% of small businesses, small business owners actually pay themselves less than $40,000 a year

42:09just to keep the doors open just so they can pay their employees a wage greater than their own to keep people on, to keep staff and to give opportunities to apprentices. You know, and this government treats profit like a dirty word, but profit is required for a business to grow, to expand, to employ more people to bring on apprentices and to contribute meaningfully to our economy, which we know is absolutely smashed at the moment and we're heading for a possible recession. And one of the disappointing things there is we've heard from a lot of mums and dads who say that when their kids now say they want to start a business, the parents say just be careful before you jump in head first because of the state of the economy at the moment. We appreciate your time and thank you for coming on 2GB breakfast. No worries. Thanks for having me then. Just send a nampage in the price, the shadow minister for small business. So who's camp you in on this one? Pauline Hanson or just send a price. And I think Pauline's comments were unnecessary and nasty,

43:14but I'll tell you what, it doesn't matter what they throw at her, she bounces back and she's proven it once again. And of course, people start saying, well, hang on a moment, why have these comments been dragged out from a year ago? If they were so horrific, why weren't they focused on 12 months ago? And you can bet there's going to be more of this if people digging through Pauline Hanson's past, particularly podcast and media appearances and digging up audio that no one cared about a year ago or two years ago and all of a sudden they become a scandal. And have a look at the latest numbers of the orange wave about to hit New South Wales. One nation is set to give Labor a run for their money at the New South Wales election. The two parties are now level pegging less than six months out. According to a new poll, both one nation and Labor are on track to secure 29% of first preference votes, 18% have nominated the Liberals or the Nationals, and the new polling has been commissioned by the Minerals Council. 1,000 voters have been servied. And at the last election, Labor secured 37% support and one nation only scored 2%,

44:21fast forward three and a half years. They're both level at 29. According to the polling published in the Australian cost of living remains the key issue. For 55% of people surveyed, it's the most pressing concern. 8% are worried about development and population growth. 6% say health. 5% say more needs to be done about crime. And on the attacks on Pauline Hanson, I think at the moment, while she would probably prefer to avoid the kind of controversy that she's quoted today, there'll be advisors behind the scenes saying Pauline, the more they attack you, the more support you get. Dave Roberts here. There you are surrounded by fans, sharing wings, sharing drinks, high fiving random strangers. Everybody remembers the game. Nobody remembers the guy coughing behind you until a few days later. At 2am, you wake up with the fever and your throats on fire. Now what? Urgent care, clothes, ER, slam, telehealth, maybe, but the pharmacies close. You needed a medical

45:21emergency kit. These aren't first aid kits. They contain essential prescriptions used for over 30 common conditions, sinus and ear infection, UTIs, stomach bug, travelers diarrhea, and more. On hand before you need them. Use your doctor-developed guidebook to select the right prescription, or call their telemedicine doctor standing by. It's like an urgent care and drugstore at home. When you're sick, traveling, or stranded, you'll wish you ordered a medical emergency kit. Order online in minutes and it's shipped to your door and say $45 with my promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. That's promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. Serving alone at a popular beach in Western Australia, that's when the shark attacked and took a

46:22huge chunk out of his board. Another surface spotted male waving for help and didn't hesitate. The hero paddled out and then helped male back to the shore. That's when a group of teenagers jumped into help as well. They used a rope from a surfboard to make a tornaka. Mell has been rushed to Geraldton Hospital in Western Australia under priority one conditions. It's believed that he's lost his foot in the attack. The full extent of his leg injuries are unclear. Health authorities say he's in a serious but stable condition. The type of shark involved has not yet been identified. Mell's damage surfboard has been recovered. Try to determine the species responsible. Beach goers are being urged to take extra caution. And the attackers raised questions about WA shark monitoring program. The shadow minister for fisheries says fewer than 300 sharks are currently tagged and currently currently tagged. She says our thoughts are with the

47:22victim, their family and first responders. At this stage, little is known and we're seeking further updates from authorities. We've also got another shark attack survivor joining us in the studio tomorrow. Lee us Stuart. And I think anyone who saw her interview with Tracy Grimshaw on 60 minutes has been inspired by her story. Lee is dropping by 2GB breakfast tomorrow. Sydney's best breakfast. 2GB. Right, let's have a look at some of your feedback on just scintour price versus Pauline Hanson. Donna says I agree with Pauline. Vince says what Pauline said was distasteful but true. Alan says Pauline speaks the truth once again, but all the critics come out of the woodwork. I'm with Pauline all the way. Glenn says Pauline's comments are true. Maybe that's why it hurts. Our originals were stuck in time. It's not their fault, but it's a fact. I think if not for the British, they would have died out. It's nothing to do with racism.

48:27Brett says they continue to drag out comments from Pauline that were made in the past. When Pauline wasn't considered a threat, now she is. Nick is on the line. Nick, what did you make of all of this? Good morning. Ben, good morning, mate. Man, I love just enterprise. I think she should be an ex-prime minister as far as I'm concerned. The woman's heading that way. I think she's an amazing woman. I disagree totally with what Pauline said regarding our original people of Australia. I am our first nation's people. Let's put this person foremost. But they can throw whatever they want at the woman. I'm a dihardic. I'm always able to live all my life from the youth, from 20 years from 20 years old and on I voted liberal. But in the next elections, no matter what they throw at her, I'll be voting one nation on the voting pool. I'm having some both state and federal mate. It's as simple as that. There are big problems. The coalition, good on you, Nick. Thank you. Jim says these comments were made more than a year ago and no one said anything then. It just makes me think the other parties are digging dirt because they're worried.

49:29Craig says Captain Cook said indigenous Australians were the most primitive natives he'd ever seen. Mick says just enterprise was shining a light. It's good to hear somebody as Senator a politician being so level headed in a debate. Colin wants to have a chat about it. Hi, Colin. Yeah, good morning, Ben. How are you, mate? I'm well. Where do you stand on this one? Look, look, it's we keep going backwards and looking at the past. I'm Jack of the race debate. We should be one Australian from today moving forward. This business of looking backwards and seeing them as a primitive race and everything. Who cares? We are what we are today and move forward. Yeah, they might not have been as advanced as another race or something like that, but it is what embrace it and move forward. Yeah, I'm with you. You spot on Colin as I said, I think they were nasty and unnecessary, but I think that the rivals of Paul Enhancer need to realize that every time they dig up dirt, it ends up blowing back on them. Like what you're hearing, make sure you've

50:34subscribed to Ben Fordon. And without knowing the name of the person who sent the message or the birthday girl, we're just hoping that someone's putting two and two together and getting four. If you're turning 47 today and you're always listening to me in the morning, this message is about you. Now, we've spotted an interesting story online. A burial plot in one of Sydney's most scenic spots is up for grabs. The sighted Waverly Cemetery has stunning ocean views. It's big enough for two coffins or nine urns. And it's been listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace and it reads a bit

51:38like a real estate ad. This is not simply a burial site. It represents the opportunity to secure a permanent place for family remembrance and reflection. It's also in one of Sydney's most beautiful coastal locations. The plot is expected to fetch as much as $145,000. Now, I know someone with a spectacular burial spot. It's on a grassy hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And she's my Auntie Helen. Helen McDermott, Auntie Helen, Godmother, good morning. Hello, darling. Hello, darling. How are you? Oh, good. This is fun to be talking to my next year. Well, you know why I thought of you because it was only last weekend that I was in Jeringong with some friends and you came over for lunch and you started sharing the story about how you got your little spot. Tell us how that happened. Well, all my many years, as we've given down the coast,

52:43I've seen beautiful ocean hillsides or with cemeteries on them. And I thought, I can have a spot like that till I down forever. And we moved to Jeringong. And in the very first week, we saw little handwritten notice that I pinned up on the community notice board. Someone was leaving town and they had beds and sourced buns and fridges for sale. And at the end of the notice had two pots in Jeringong cemetery. Oh, wow. And you thought yourself, I just have to have it. I said, I'm not leaving. This is where I'm going to stay forever. And so we ran the the state out person, the bell and bought a size unseen bin. Right. I don't want to sound like Darryl Carrigan on the castle, but how much did he want for him?

53:44Oh, you wouldn't believe. Really? $700 each. 700? That's a steal. No, I know. $700 each. Yes, done deal. I should just point out to people listening, the area of Jeringong you're talking about, there's a street there that they call TikTok street or Instagram street because all of the influences go there because it's got one of the most amazing views in Australia. You're at the top of that street and you got two for $1,400. Yeah, yeah. Isn't that amazing? Well, yeah, but are you willing to do a deal? I mean, would you consider selling them to me? Well, no, no, no, darling, as much as I love you. But you can't, you can't make a profit on them. The sector goes through Kaya, the counter stock. And if there to be unsolved, this is my understanding, you have to sell them at the price you bought them for. That's not a capital investment in the

54:46money making. That's why you picked them up for $700 each. Yes, because they'd been left to him in the family and he didn't want them anymore. It never been, never been used then. So he was moving on, he was selling things and they were selling the the pots and the cemetery. There it is. I can't say I'm looking forward to visiting you there because I'm not, but it was great to catch up last weekend. It was. So you know where I, where to put me to risk. I know where to find you. And I love you very much, Arnie Helen. I do too, my darling. Yes. I want to let people know you're not only my auntie, you're my godmother as well. So I know. Referred to you as God for most of my life. And you're a form and none as well. I am. Yes. Well, I'm feeling blessed. I'm blessed to have you and all my lovely family. Feeding him 700 bucks. What a steal I can't get over.

55:46It's a bit different from the Waverly one, isn't it? Love you and talk you soon. Okay, darling. Okay, darling. My dear Auntie Helen, who's also my godmother and a very special woman. And yeah, we were there weekend before last and we went with a bunch of neighbours and we got a house that we were staying in for the weekend. And I dropped in on Arnie Helen. She wasn't home. So I called her and said, come around and say good day with us. And she spent a few hours and had lunch. And she started talking about this cemetery because I was saying, that's cemetery up the road. Boy, it's got good views. And then she said, well, guess what? I've got a couple of plots. So one for her and one for her best mate, Mary Ellen. So $700 each compared to 145 grand in Sydney at Waverly. Talk about those Sydney property prices.

56:49Grimes called in while talking about burial plots. How I got good morning, Ben. Yeah, well, I thought it was an opportune time. It was actually with you. Sure. I have a burial plot for sale in Macquarie Park for nine grand. And I think that's pretty cheap. In the tank. Two bodies. And it takes two bodies. Whoever wants to go on top. Oh, wow. Wow. Did you hear that? I've got, I've got Roger the dog with me in the studio today. And he just heard me laughing my head off. And he's come up and said, get out of me. So this is, this is not by swap and sell the old radio show. But just to be clear, because I know you've got your wife there as well. It's in, it's in Macquarie Park. And it's nine grand and it takes two bodies. Is that right? That's correct. Yes. Okay. It's in good Nick. Yes. Okay. People get down to get into it. What on you want to grow him?

57:50Well, I, I've just saw a mate of mine died about 12 months ago. And he had a private cremation. And we went to his house and there wasn't a tear shed. We talked about him and it was just a wonderful collection of people and friends. And I thought, a celebration of life. And I thought, I want this. I don't want all these expenses of variables and what you have. And yeah, it was really good. That's what changed me. All right. Well, listen, we'll let everyone know. Nine grand is what we're looking for. And we'll collect 10% commission upon sale. A sports update. Discover the new Kia Premiership offers today. Cashback offers on the Kia EV3 and EV5 vehicles. Visit your local Kia dealer today. I'm pretty sure when you go Spiro, there'll be a statue. Well, that's an absolute bargain. Nine grand. I don't know too much about this stuff because I'm still a fair way off. And I don't know about the statue part. Ben, I can, I think you will get a statue.

58:51I know. But I feel a long way to go before a statue status. The Greeks don't mind a big presentation in Cemetery's do though. Well, my grandfather is in a crypt. So he's not in the ground. He's actually in the wall. And I really like it because you can go there. You can touch it. You can feel it. Close to the person who you're mourning. So look, it's an interesting debate. And always a great conversation. I have. Let's do a bit of sport. Absolutely been the second week of the annual final series is this week. And do or die. So the winning sides go through the prelim finals. The losing sides bow out for the year. And we'll have team list this afternoon at four o'clock. The roosters take on the sharks on Saturday night at Aliant Stadium. The winner to play the dolphins in the grand final qualify. And in the other game, we've got the warriors taking on the knights on Sunday afternoon at Edom Park. The winner will play at the Panthers in the prelim final. The SCG Friday night. Yeah, we're gearing up for the highly anticipated preliminary final between Sydney and Freeman. Tool 740. The first bounce this once could name Justin McInerney this week, who said to make his long way to return from injury for the showdown with the dockers. And it will be a packed SCG come Friday night.

59:53The tickets have sold out less than an hour after they went on sale to the general public. And Dan Rampy named the Zestan in Skipper replacing the injured Kalamils. Well done mate. Cheers, Ben. There's Spiro. The news is coming up soon at eight o'clock. Com back knows that running a small business comes with lots of questions. What's coming in? What's going out? When did quick admin become all afternoon? That's why they're backing business with digital tools in the Com bank app. Track cash flow and get insights on the go. And with Com bank companion currently in testing, you'll be able to ask about your cash flow and get answers based on your business financial data. Now that's smart. More clarity to get on with the day with Com bank. You can and check out that Com bank companion where you can find out about cash flow and access all of your business financial data. It's all about making your life easier. And as they say with Com bank, you can. You're listening to the Ben Fordham podcast. And now Ben Fordham comments.

1:00:54Well, well, well, Anthony Albanese is being accused of being involved in porques again. We're not talking about telling lies this time. The Prime Minister has again been accused of pork barreling. This time, the PM has been called out for a suspicious $20 million crime grant scheme. It's called strengthening community safety. It's been revealed labor leveraged an invite only system to install CCTV cameras across critical electorates. And you're never going to believe it. Labor shower their own seats in cash. And of course, they gave some love to seats that they thought they could steal off the coalition. Sounds like a great way to win over voters and cement your popularity. The strengthening community safety program funded 20 upgrades. 17 of them were in seats held by labor. That means 85% of the money went their way. You don't have to be Einstein to work out that that's not an even split. Some of these seats that received cash were deemed to be at risk by labor. Of the funding that went to non-labor seats,

1:01:551.5 million was poured into Peter Dutton's old electorate. And that didn't hurt. Mr. Dutton's seat was won by Labor at the last election. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, some of the cash went towards marginal coalition seats. They included Deakin and Menzies in Melbourne. They were also claimed by Anthony Albanese at the last election. So it's either a coincidence or a red hot rod or maybe a bit of both. And this is not the first example of alleged pork barreling that's come to light in recent weeks. Last week, we found out about a separate stack of cash going towards labor party electorates. This was part of the major and local community infrastructure program. It was set up to fund sporting facilities, parks and playgrounds and swimming pools. The Center for Public Integrity says more than 73% of the funding went to safe labor seats. That's more than $400 million. Marginal seats where Labor is competitive received more. Seats where Labor is not competitive received less. The chair of the Center for Public Integrity, Anthony Wheely KC,

1:02:58has told the ABC it's all got a bad smell. Primer Facy, it looks like the misuse of public money or serious pork barreling is at some times called. There was no selection process. There was no discussion based on need. They just handed out the money. Labor says the grants relate to election promises. So therefore it's all above board. But Catherine Williams from the Center for Public Integrity says that's not how it looks. Every dollar spent in a coalition seat, $3.20 was spent in a notionally ALP held seat. But believe it or not, the Labor Party is trying to implicate the coalition in this scam. They brought up the Coalition's old sports rort scandal. But as the political editor at Channel 9 Andrew Probe points out, the coalition at least tried to make it look like there was a fair-dincum-selection process. Labor's infrastructure grants program didn't even bother with the process at all. It was all about curing political favor. And today we learn the Strengthening Community Safety Program was designed in a similar fashion.

1:04:0185% of the upgrades went to Labor seats. The Strengthening Community Safety Program was called, and by the sounds of things and the looks of things and the smell of things, the only thing they were trying to strengthen were their chances of being reelected. And the Senators now established an inquiry into the major and local community infrastructure program. That's the same program that handed Marickville Golf Club in Anthony Albanese's electorate $6 million. The PM's held an honorary membership there, but not anymore. Until last week, I was unaware of this issue. To provide certainty, I've written to the Secretary of the Marickville Golf Club, make it clear I'd decline any honorary membership of the club. So he's decided to hand back his membership. Integrity experts have already called it for what it is. Pork Barrowing. Like what you're hearing? Subscribe to the Benfordham Live podcast through Apple and Spotify. On our way to Shari Marks and whose brand new book is out today,

1:05:03Bondi Terror, The Tragedy, The Courage, The Aftermath by Shari Marks and Alex Ribchin, we're getting word of something that Wilbur's going to share with us right now. At Chatswood Wilbur, what is it? It is for no, it's very sad one. There was a male jogger who was out for a morning run. He's been hit emergency services responded just before eight to a report of a car impudestrian crash. Sadly, he's passed away. It looks like he's been hit by one car and then crushed in between the two cars. So there are emergency services there at the moment on Aline Street. Obviously, tragic circumstances. A jogger who's been hit out early in the morning for a run. Yeah, and just be careful in the area because of very sensitive situation they're dealing with at the moment. Thank you so much, Wilbur. And we're thinking of the family and friends of the person involved. 131873 is our open line number. Now, one of Australia's most harrowing and important stories is being told. A new book about the Bondi terror attack is being released today. It shares untold stories about the day that changed Australia forever. Can you tell if one thought pulled up on Campbell Parade?

1:06:05It looks like there is a shooting here. We have at least 40, maybe 50 patients. It was December 14, 15 innocent people lost their lives after two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration. It's the worst terror attack to ever take place in our country. Shari Marks and Alex Riftian have worked tirelessly to bring this book together. It's called Bondi terror, the tragedy, the courage, the aftermath. And we're going to look at all three of those things right now with Shari who has spent days and nights and weekends and getting up before sunrise and staying up late into the night to make sure this happens. And I want to let you know as well that Alex Riftian will be on mark Levy's program a little later on this morning. And Shari, as you know, is on news 24, 8 till 9 Monday to Thursday. And I'm very happy to say she's in our studio. Shari, good morning. Morning, Ben. Thank you. I was honored to launch this book last week and I'm so proud of you.

1:07:06You did the most unbelievable job, Ben. You were so sensitive and supportive. We were so grateful to have you. It was a kind of thing that you can't afford to get wrong because there were so many important people in the room and the most important of all, victims, survivors, those who lost loved ones, including children, Matilda's parents were there. And you've given a voice to all of these people through this book. You must be proud of this achievement. You know what I am? I have to say I am because in the immediate aftermath of the terror attack, as a journalist for news 24, I was going from hospital to hospital interviewing victims, the families who had lost their loved ones. And there were just so many unbelievable stories, so many terrible stories. But you know, the victims who needed to be honored and remembered properly, but also the stories of courage and the first responders. And you just can't tell them all in our 24 hour news cycle. So I knew I had to do a book for all of history to record this properly.

1:08:10And I think it is very readable because there's so many unbelievable things in the book that we never knew about before, from the hero police officer to you know, Rabbi Ellie Schlanger, who was standing with another rabbi. They both went different directions. It's the difference between life and death to what parents did to protect their kids to keep them alive. Yeah, I still remember those stories and they came through you and your documentary of people lying on top of their loved ones, thinking, well, if the bullets continue to come, I'd prefer the bullets in my body than someone else's. You speak to a man called Ed who was in Bondi. He was one of the first people to be shot. And his father actually raised to the scene in Bondi to take him to hospital. So it was his dad who ran in there to help. Yeah, so this is Ed Bicker's staff. 22 years old, he'd finished a bartending shift, not Jewish. And he by chance happened to be walking past when the alleged shooters got out their car. He was the very first person to be shot. And he was, he turned up to hospital very quickly because he rang his dad and his dad drove him

1:09:15there. When he got to hospital, they didn't even know they'd been a shooting. And they asking him for his Medicare card. And he just fainted from loss of blood. You also talk about Tommy Woodruff, the Bondi local who lives opposite the beach. He saw and heard what was happening. Didn't think right? Just ran towards the trouble. He saw a police officer, female police officer called Izzy who was engaging in a firefight with the shooters. And she thought she'd been hit. You know, she got hit on her bulletproof vest. And so Tommy, lifeguard, amazing guy, ran across the road to help her. He patted her down, went, not your sweet, your sweet. That's what he said word for and then she got back up. He said she took two steps and fired again. He said it was the guttiest thing he's ever seen. It sounds like something that a Bondi lifeguard would say, you're sweet, make this sweet after the being dumped in a way. But on this occasion, they're helping people in a firefight and people who are popping bullets. And we spoke last week about Ceza Baratza. This was another scoop that came through the book that you shared on news 24.

1:10:18He's sitting there at Bondi police station, heating up some nachos in the microwave. When he gets the call coming through that one of his colleagues had been shot. I'll never be able to express how much I admire Ceza. So he gets the call that that and he hears his colleague Constable Scott Dyson's voice say, I think I've been shot. Ben Ceza doesn't wait to put on these bulletproof vest. He doesn't grab his mobile phone. He just takes his Glock 17, races out the back door of the Bondi police station. He doesn't even know where the shooting is. He follows the sound of the gunfire and the opposite direction from where everyone's fleeing. He gets there. He sees the perpetrators on the bridge. He finds a tree to take cover behind. And his first shot hits Sudjid Akram and kills him the father. He then that's the first the shooters knew he was even there. Then he's in this firefight with the son and you can go to Bondi and touch the tree. You can see the bullet holes. It's a miracle. He's alive, a miracle. He only had a certain number of bullets and he managed then shooting the second suspect as well. 18 bullets and he counted at the end.

1:11:24He had three left. Amazing. And what's more amazing is his seventh day Adventist Christian. He'd prayed to his parish priest and he'd prayed himself to be placed in the police station where he'd been needed the most. He'd only just started at Bondi six weeks before. This was his last shift before annual leave. He felt God with him. He had faith that he'd make the shot and he made it. That's what gave me chills. Listening to you on news 24 when you reveal that he'd gone to his own church and said send me somewhere where they're going to need me and then he turns up in Bondi in the middle of our worst ever terror attack. We spoke about Matilda. Matilda's parents were there last week as you launched the book. How are they able to hold up and stay so strong? Look, I'm in awe of Michael and Valentina and Matilda's little sister Summer. I don't know how they get up every day, but they do. They've got to be strong for summer. You know, they've got another daughter. They're trying to make sure life carries on for her. They tell their story in the book. It is the most heartbreak for me. It was the most heartbreaking chapter to write because you hear how they

1:12:29go to hospital and how they say to the doctors. Just do anything. Just save her life and Ben, the team, the doctors and there were a lot of the doctors in that room. More than a dozen. They gave her 24 vials of blood. They did everything they could, but they couldn't restore her circulation. Her parents tell about the moment when the doctors come out and they told them that they just couldn't save their little girl. They're incredible people. Look, you could write a whole book on all of the intelligence failures that happen in the lead up to this tragedy. You detail these failures in the book, which I'm glad you've done because when you read them separately in new stories, sometimes you can forget the first from the second from the third from the fourth, you've put them all in one place. Look, this isn't to assign blame and we're grateful to our police and our intelligence agencies. But as the premier has said to you, Ben, we have to learn from the mistakes to make sure it doesn't happen again. We need radical transparency. And so I've

1:13:30investigated this. There's this, you know, two to three chapters in the book that deals with this and the truth is in 2007, 2007. That's 18 years before the attack. There was an alert to the national security hotline about Sagittacrum, his interest in explosives. Another alert about him and his interest in Islamic State in 2014. But when ASEO did their 2019 assessment, they didn't have that early information. And then the cup, the pair traveled to terror hot spots. AFP and Border Force had that information. It was a red flag, but they didn't pass it on to ASEO or to New South Wales Police, which was issuing the gun licenses. So I believe that had all of that information been held in one place plus more, it would have at the very least required a second assessment of the pair, if not surveillance on them, which could have prevented the attack. As I said at the book launch, it's no good if you buy one of these books and just read it to yourself if you already understand the issues at play here, including the anti-Semitism crisis,

1:14:35there was unleashed on this city and other parts of Australia by the book for your neighbours, by the book for your friends, by the book for your local library and make sure as many people as possible understand not only what happened on that day, but what we need to do to make sure it never happens again. I'm so proud of you, Sherry. Ben, thank you enormously for your support. And I have to say Australia cares so much so that our book today is already number one bestseller. And and Amazon's already sold out on the first day. I'm not surprised. So booktop is the place to get it all in bookshops today. But that Ben shows how much Australians care about our Jewish community, about what happened at Bondi. Because an attack on the Jewish communities and attack on all of us, and I encourage people to not only buy one, buy multiple and spread the word. It's called Bondi Terror, the tragedy, the courage, the aftermath by Alex Riftian, he'll be with Mark Levy later this morning and my guest and friend Sherry Marx and congratulations. And we look forward to seeing this continue to fly up the charts when it comes to book sales. Sherry Marx and thanks again.

1:15:41Thank you so much, Ben. We'll see you on the TV tonight. Tonight, eight o'clock, of course. And I've got Virginia Ma, the widow of Peter Ma on the show tonight. She never stops. Don't miss Sherry tonight, eight o'clock on news 24. Dave Roberts here. There you are surrounded by fans, sharing wings, sharing drinks, high-fiving random strangers. Everybody remembers the game. Nobody remembers the guy coughing behind you until a few days later at 2 a.m. you wake up with the fever and your throats on fire. Now what, urgent care, close, ER, slam, telehealth, maybe, but the pharmacies close. You needed a medical emergency kit. These aren't first aid kits. They contain essential prescriptions used for over 30 common conditions, sinus and ear infection, UTIs, stomach bug, travelers diarrhea and more. On hand before you need them. Use your doctor-developed guidebook to select the right prescription or call their telemedicine doctor standing by. It's like an urgent care and drugstore at home. When you're sick, traveling or stranded, you'll wish you ordered a medical emergency kit. Order online in minutes and it's shipped to your

1:16:43door and say $45 with my promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. That's promo code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue. People you know opinions that matter. News you can trust. This is breakfast with Ben Fordham on Sydney's 2GB. You're listening to Ben Fordham on 2GB. Our number 131873 will check in with Mark Levy between now and nine o'clock and we'll also talk about Austy's long walk. You might have heard Levy checking in with young Dusty who's been walking for I think about 16 days straight and he's doing this for a charity that we love called Little Wings and he's raised hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way and I believe you'll be meeting today with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. So we'll talk to Levy about that between now and nine. We've also got your chance to win $2,000 cash. We're finally hearing from the man at the center

1:17:45of a bombshell eye-catching quarry. The fugitive property developer John Naseef is dialed into the corruption hearing from his bedroom in Beirut. I'd always to have a litigial advice. I'm going to speak my heart and I'm going to say exactly what happened with me in my whole entire courier for 35 years in Australia. I'm willing to answer any question. I have no issues. Naseef is at the center of allegations involving millions of dollars secretly paid to the Liberal Party. The watchdogs investigating whether money was provided in exchange for political outcomes Naseef wanted. He wanted to damage the careers of former Minister David Elliott and the Building Commissioner David Chandler. But while he was scheming behind the scenes, Naseef was being pursued publicly by two GB's Ray Hadley and it sounds like he didn't appreciate Ray's involvement. Hadley lying and talking wh****t without evidence Ray Hadley and David Elliott and Chandler,

1:18:49they're one person. They're crook. I think I'd back Ray Hadley, David Chandler and David Elliott over John Naseef all day and all night. The inquiry has already heard secretly recorded calls of Naseef boasting about his political influence and in one, he described the former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrote as his boy. There's no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of Mr Perrote. He's Ray Hadley last night on a current affair. Oh, I think that he's vain enough to think that he can take control of an eye-cack hearing. He's accused me of saying that many of his buildings had defects and he with a straight face told Councillor SISTER DR DRIYER, there were no defects. It's like he is pretending from his bothole over there in Lebanon that none of this happened when in fact it did happen. And we're sure that Ray will be watching when John Naseef returns to the witness box today. Sydney's best breakfast. On Shari Marksons book, Bruce says Shari's book should be available

1:19:52in every school to every student and there are a lot of people messaging saying that they have already put in their order as of this morning. Now this is good news. A growing number of Australians are choosing to join the Defence Force in the past year, 8,100 personnel enlisted and that's the highest intake in 16 years. It's an increase of more than 1,100 compared to the previous year. The permanent and full-time ADF workforce will now grow to more than 64,000 personnel. And that's the largest in 25 years. All three services have recorded growth, 2,200 joined the Air Force, the highest intake in 24 years, 2,000 have joined the Navy, that's the highest number in 16 years and nearly 4,000 have joined the Army, which is the highest intake in 12 years. And that's a year-on-year improvement of 16% and a three-year average increase of 10%. And speaking of the Defence Force, RSL leaders are gathering in Canberra to discuss ways to help

1:20:56support ex-service men and women. And tonight there's going to be a special auction. A six-liter bottle of wine is up for grabs. The winning RSL club will have the wine on display for 12 months. And the bottle has been signed by five Victoria Cross recipients. And we caught up with the boss of deportly wines in New South Wales and the ACT Warwick Brook. And he said there's one VC recipient he wanted to sign. We're missing two at the moment, which is mainly a very important one. Ben Robert Smith. So we're hoping that in time Ben will be able to sign the bottle. You'd like Ben Robert Smith to sign? I would love Ben Robert Smith to sign the bottle would be wonderful. Well, I'm sure he will put his hand up if he hears this interview. Well, I've got some good news for you, Warwick. Ben Robert Smith has heard about our interview yesterday. And he is signing the bottle. Sydney's best breakfast. To GB. Coping with loss is one of life's hardest

1:21:56journeys at family tree funerals. Janine and the team truly understand the deep emotions that come with saying goodbye. They offer more than guidance. They provide genuine compassion, empathy and support. Do one of your loved ones memory every family receives an orange tree? A living tribute that grows alongside the memories you hold close. You'll also receive a personalized candle with your loved ones photo. A gentle keepsake for moments of reflection. And when the time comes, family tree funerals will treat you like their family because that's the way they do business. Janine is a friend of ours here at 2GB. When you call her, she will take care of you family tree funerals.com.au. Coming up next, we'll get a preview of mornings with Mark Levy. And we've also got someone to say happy birthday to you listening to Sydney's best breakfast. And now the US report. Okay, we've got an update. There's a rapper, Mackle Moore, who's just

1:22:56been kicked off a stadium tour opening for Ed Sheeran after facing backlash over anti-Israel rants on stage. So he was called out by pink yesterday. And now he's paying a price. Harley Carns, good morning. Good morning. Yeah, several venues said they wanted to allow him to perform. And that would force the cancellation of the tour. So he's out of there in Philadelphia, Boxboro, Massachusetts, Tampa, Florida, Atlanta, Charlotte, Arlington, Texas. That's between Dallas and Fort Worth. And they just said, you know, we don't want anything to do with it. And so that's the end of that. The former Michael Jackson publicist, Michael Levy, and made a good point. He said, Mackle Moore turned Ed Sheeran's concert into a political rally. And the only thing the fans really wanted to see set free was the stage. So that was what I said. So here, here, you know, you spout hate these days, maybe somebody's going to say, we don't need it. Yeah, I've got a feeling that Ed Sheeran

1:24:02would be feeling a little relieved. And Harley, tell me about the marathon runners have gone to extreme lengths to finish the race. Well, yeah, as a matter of fact, they decided to have the marathon. That was the thing that was a half marathon anyway. It was surprising to a lot of people because to most of us reigns up in New Jersey. And New Jersey is the most densely populated state in America. By no means is as densely populated as New York City. But it's a small state. It's got an awful lot of people, millions of people who live in it. And part of the course ran right by the saddle river, the shake river, low spots, underpasses, things like that. Exactly the places that were with a big rain. People tried to drive their cars through it. Water right to the door handles didn't work, of course. So it doesn't the cars out there swam out probably somebody we tried to sell them had a discount pretty soon. Anyway, Jersey's issue is mostly infrastructure, mostly densely

1:25:05populated, you know, and every low spot in if you're near a river, if you're near a creek, you're probably going to get some flooding when the rain is really bad. So these runners very, you know, the videos all over the place came to a bridge and they found water up to their chest. Wow. And they waited, yeah, they waited through it anyway. And it wasn't just that spot. It's not like they ran into a spot. Almost the entire course, 13 points, something miles, was you know, an ankle deep to knee deep in water. And they they ran it anyway. So I don't know what what the time was, but it seems kind of crazy that they even had a race. I would have seen that water as an excuse. I would have said, look for safety reasons. We should call it a day right now and go to the pub and have a beer and stay safe. Oh, I'm with you. I've been right behind you. We'll talk you tomorrow, my friend. All right, take care. I'll see you. The one and only Harley

1:26:07Carns on the line from the United States of America. There's been for them live with Sydney's best breakfast on 2 GB 873. We've received nearly 800 messages about an indigenous acknowledgement overkill after TAFE students revealed their sometimes sitting through four indigenous acknowledgments in one day. Lisa says maybe students could walk out and re into the room when all are said and done. Stuart says they should play the national anthem four times a day instead. Mel says my child's school does it twice a day. Plus once a day they have to say what they're grateful for that the indigenous people gave them. Trisha says this is all about division instead of bringing people together as one. Luke says it is fair to say that Australia is done with acknowledging the past. Russell says repeated words of acknowledgment are just words. If they don't lead to a change in the way that we act as a country. Chris says I'll never understand how people

1:27:08are offended by these small gestures of kindness and acceptance. Well, I think the issue Chris is when they start off small and then they become medium and later large. When you're doing it four times a day, I would suggest it's probably four times too many to be honest with you. I think it should happen on special occasions the start of the year or other days of significance when you're doing it every day. It loses all meaning. The UK report Kings Road Premium wool suits in three colors have arrived business weddings races and school formals book a suit fitting online at kellycountry.com.au. The Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had a phone call with our King Charles Adam Gilchrist. What were they talking about? Good morning. Good morning. Yes, we don't actually know exactly why they would have had a chat. Perhaps this is something that King Charles does. He calls up places where he's had a state and says hi, I'm late. How's it going? I don't know. Does he do this with other

1:28:10people? Anyway, he and Anthony Albanese indeed did have this phone call and during it we learn from Mr Albanese rather than from the King that they had a very comfortable warm chat and about how King Charles is affection for the Australian people remains strong. Anthony Albanese extended Australia's best wishes back to the King and the royal family. There wasn't a lot more to it but you know it's not surprising I guess that King Charles has had an enormous affection for Australia. He was of course a student at Timbertop. He went 15 times as Prince Charles. He's been over of course as King couple of years ago. Maybe he's due another visit. Maybe this is a paving the way thing but certainly that didn't come out of the conversation. I'm just looking for something between the line. He's always welcome here and speaking of the royals, a former butler has revealed a list of public behaviors that are off limits when it comes to the royal family. Exactly that Julius Smith who has a sort of high brow lowdown on how we should basically exercise

1:29:13good manners in a modern world. So this is sort of modern stuff he's saying for instance. I've got a sort of top seven very briefly out of what he said. He went on longer than this but don't outstay you're welcome in a coffee shop order stuff. Don't groom in public. I think some of this might be nodding at this. If you leave a voice note on somebody's phone or whatever make it short. If you're splitting a bill split it properly and equally don't order a Guinness last because it takes forever to pour. Don't block the fast lane or an escalator or a travelator. And number seven don't walk with your phone in your hand like as he puts it a pavement zombie. I think some of those we definitely would agree with. Thank you Julius F Smith. So I wonder what the F stands for. What do you think? Let's see whether anyone's got an eighth idea to add to the seven and I don't know what the F stands for. We'll talk to you tomorrow. Adam Gilchrist on the line from London. So don't overstate you're welcome in a coffee shop. Don't engage in public grooming. Avoid long voice messages on phones.

1:30:20And then it comes to split bills. He also talks about not keeping air pods or headphones in when no music or audio is playing. Well, how do you know? And he's spoken about stinky food in enclosed spaces. And anyone who's had a colleague who's brought tuna into work knows what he's talking about. One three one eight seven three the open line number sadly a well-known motorbike rider has died after hitting a pothole. Peter Mason went out for a weekend ride with one of his mates. They were traveling on Victoria's western highway near Ballarat. When the 71-year-old hit a pothole lost control of his bike crashed and sadly died. Police are now investigating the circumstances and it's brought a sharp focus to the deterioration of Victoria's roads as voters prepared ahead to an election in November. Like what you're hearing subscribe to the Ben

1:31:22Fordham Live podcast through Apple and Spotify. Question out of nowhere from Ruth Ben, why doesn't Liker do cat food? I've got a dog in two cats and in 2025 at the Easter show Liker was showing how humans could eat Liker. I tasted it but I thought it was bland. Oh Ruth, you're adventurous. Why don't they do cat food? Fair question. We've received more than 700 messages on a piece we brought you yesterday about a soft sentence. A teenager who breached his bail 25 times has been granted bail again and a victim is asking the question, what happened to breach bail go to jail? Michael says I have no problem with the judge giving him bail as long as he resides at the judge's house. Meena says what an absolute joke no wonder people have lost faith in the law. Race says I think there's a who can release the most offenders to bail competition going on. Sandra says there are no lessons learned for the teenager. They'll just continue to reoffend. Matt says when I first joined

1:32:24the police, I was amazed that offenders with over 300 charges were still out on the street. And Brent says I bet the result would be different if the judge's family were the victims. Thank you very much for all of your feedback. A university heavyweight has taken a name at a cut to migration. The boss of universities Australia Luke Shee is weighed in. He says political parties competing to cut international student numbers need to be honest about how Australia would survive. He says a vote for dramatically fewer international students. He's a vote for a poorer less skilled Australia. You can't take skills, jobs and economic activity out of the country and pretend there will be no consequences. Universities Australia claim they'll continue to advocate for a stable and internationally competitive scheme. Well, of course, they would be pushing back against reducing numbers because they work for universities Australia. I heard someone say yesterday that Paul Enhanceon's plan to dramatically slash migration could lead to a recession.

1:33:31Well, what did Paul Keating once say it's the recession we had to have? There be some people who'd be saying, look, we don't want to go into recession. But equally, we can't avoid this issue for any longer. So there may be impacts, there may be worker shortages. We've been warned about all of those things. But are they reasons why we shouldn't act on an issue, which has become a real problem for the average Australian? Just look at the polls. They want something done about migration levels. A sports update. Family and friends and great events with free valet parking. Salah dining on Sydney Harbour. Book now at dd'sgroup.com.au. I'm keen to hear the latest on Josh Addo Carr. Spiro, Chris Doppler, good morning. Morning, Ben. The paramount of wingers in damage control after he allegedly tested positive to cocaine during a roadside drug test in Newtown on Friday morning. The eels his club and the NRO are holding off on any sort of sanction while this police investigation remains ongoing.

1:34:31But in the latest blow, his car sponsor has dropped him with Jack Motors. Dumping him as an ambassador, they say they've announced the immediate termination of their sponsorship, the allegations and reported behavior do not reflect our values and standards. And we believe in safety and integrity in all of our products and all our dealings. And we are disappointed with this news. So Addo Carr has also checked himself into a rehabilitation center on the central coast. He's deleted his Instagram page as well, Ben. And this comes two years after he's contract at the Bulldogs was torn up following a similar incident. And just on the rugby league, the NRW final series officially launched the roosters and the Titans finishing at the top of the table. They've got this weekend off while the elimination finals take place this weekend. On Friday night, the West Tigers host the Raiders at Campbelltown Sports Stadium and the Broncos and the Knights go head to head in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon. What about some round ball game? We had the full-time whistle just sound, Ben at Ellen Road with lead securing victory over new castle in the English Premier League. The full-time score for one as a fourth match day of the season

1:35:33wraps up the two heavyweights Arsenal and Manchester City currently remain at the top of the table. Therefore, wins from four starts while leads and hull are in third and fourth respectively, both underfeated with two wins and two draws so far this season. Let's catch up in one hour. Sounds good, Ben.

1:36:48Oh wow, $7,000. Well, Caterina, we want to say on behalf of everyone at 2GB. Happy birthday, Caterina, 10 today in Levy. You're talking to 12-year-old Dusty who's been walking all the way from Warren in Western New South Wales to Canberra to meet with the Prime Minister. He's been raising money for little wings. Yeah, Ben and he's meeting with the Prime Minister this morning. So we'll have a chat to Dusty and his mum Sarah after they walk into the Prime Minister's office. So that's all coming up this morning. Following on from your chat with Sherry Alex Riftian will be in the studio to talk about their new book called Bondite Terror. And the Police Association is not happy with some of the criticism being leveled at police over a drug operation on Oxford Street. And we've had some of the patrons at one of the night club say, well, when the police walked in, we felt intimidated and half the people left. I don't think it was because of the police presence that they left that particular night club Ben. We'll be listing after 9 o'clock. Thanks, Ben. There's Mark Levy. One three one eight seven three,

1:37:53the open line number. Your chance to win $2,000 cash still to come. Now we're catching up with an Aussie sporting great this week. The former Wallaby's captain Rocky Elson has been caught up in an international legal battle. The 43-year-old has been in limbo after being convicted by a French court in 2024. It's a bit of a bizarre one. A trial has been held against him, but he was never told it was happening. The court found Rocky guilty of forgery and misusing assets. It centers around his time as president and owner of a French rugby club. The former Australian player and captain claims he was not informed about the allegations or the investigation. He was not present when the court finally found him guilty. In 2025, the most serious charges were dismissed. One charge of misusing corporate assets has been upheld. An international warrant remains out for his arrest. He's appealing the final charge and he's waiting on a decision and he wants to clear his name in the court of public opinion. We've offered him that opportunity and Rocky Elson will be on

1:39:002GB breakfast this week. So stand by for that interview. You'll hear it here first. $20,000 cash giveaway. Now's the time to call the prize line number 1-300-722-873 if you've got the four code words. Karl Stefanovik's in a legal battle. His business partner is taking him to court. Kesney Kemp is a director of the company behind the podcast. It's understood the pair are at odds over claims of a partially unpaid loan. She's also set to face allegations. She failed to notify channel 9 about the controversial Tommy Robinson interview. Part of her job description was to keep 9 informed about podcast guests. We're told that she did this repeatedly but not for the interview with Robinson. That claim is expected to form part of Karl Stefanovik's case. Kemp has launched urgent Supreme Court proceedings seeking to prevent her from being removed as a director. And apparently she believed it was

1:40:04Karl who had obligations to the network, not her. The pair each hold 45% of the business and the rest is held by accountant Anthony Bell. He's got 10%. Sources have told the Daily Telegraph they've been trying to resolve the dispute privately for weeks but they haven't managed to. So now they're all off to court. And the podcast has now effectively been frozen. Let's see if we can give away $2,000 right now. Kevin's on the line. Hello, Kevin. I'm doing well, Kevin. How are you? Have you been listening to 2GB for a while? You don't listen to leave you do. And Mick Mack. Yeah, yeah, of course. And Clinton, all four of us. So have you got the four code words or what? I have been. You want them? Yep. Queen, splurge, blossom, frenzy. You've got them. You've got them, mate.

1:41:14Get it. Thanks, Ben, you're a legend. Not a problem in the world, mate. $2,000 coming your way and have a lovely day. Thanks, Ben, you're a legend, mate. No problem. And let me give you the code word for tomorrow. One of them at least leavey. L-E-V-Y. Code word number one for your chance to win tomorrow. Now, this is repulsive. A 13 year old girl has been racially abused on a bus. A man has called her an immigrant dog and an effing terrorist. Jana is a year-eight student who'd been traveling on a public bus in Strathfield. The 13 year old had been wearing a school uniform and a hijab. That's when Jana noticed a man taking photos of another young girl on the bus. Jana went to tell the girl what was happening, but the man turned on her and started hurling abuse. You can hear a bystander on the bus standing up for Jana,

1:42:19saying, your words are killing people. That's what she said to the man. The man then said, I can't wait until they kill all of you. What a low life scumbag. And this is a young girl only 13. Jana says the incident left her feeling disgusted. Her mother says, I don't want her to be scared to catch the bus home. There are a lot of men sitting right next to that man. They were looking up and looking back down at their phones. Please tell me that didn't happen. No one helped her, which is really disappointing. Transport for New South Wales has described the footage as deplorable, telling the ABC everyone deserves the right to travel safely and feel safe on public transport and police are investigating the incident. Well, Jana, if you happen to hear this, we're all with you. And I can tell you that most people in that situation would have done something. And I'm glad to hear that there was a woman there who was standing up for you, saying to the man, your words are killing

1:43:20people. And there's just no place for scumbag racists like that bloke, whether they're on a bus, a train, a ferry, a metro, or anywhere else in Sydney. And if you hear those things and see those things, and if you're confident enough to do so, call them out. And hopefully this footage of this bloke, I haven't seen the video. I've just heard the audio that you've heard. But hopefully there is video. So something can be done about him. One three one eight seven three, the open line number. You can get in touch whenever you want on the email, benat2gb.com. And that text line zero four six zero eight seven three eight seven three on the energy front in the last 24 hours. We receive one percent of our power from gas, two from hydro, four from battery, seven percent from wind, 21 percent from solar, and 65 percent coming from coal. Just a little bit of history repeating. And now on Ben Fordham live on this day. Today is the 15th of September. You're never going to believe what was

1:44:26happening on this day in the year 2000. Let me give you a hint. It was the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games and the Aussie singer Nikki Webster performed at the age of 13 more than four billion people tuned in worldwide. Yes, it happened on this day in the year 2000, 26 years ago. In 2022, tennis star Roger Federer announced his retirement. I could say to myself one of the most fortunate people on earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis and I did it at the level that I never imagined for much longer than I ever thought possible. That was our quiz question and Jenny won the cash. She ended his career with 20 grand slam wins, Roger Federer. In 2024, we lost Tito Jackson from the Jackson five. He was 70 when he passed away. In 1949, the lone

1:45:27ranger made his TV day boo. Clayton Moore starred as the masked Texas ranger for five seasons. In 1988, the Aussie cricket legend Ian Healey made his test day boo. Happy birthday to Harry. Prince Harry, do we still call him a prince? I think he still calls himself one. He's 42 today and on this day in 1962, Frankie Valley and the four seasons were on top of the charts with this. Harry, can you come out tonight?

1:46:28Come come come come out tonight. Harry, can you come out tonight? Harry, may be. Yeah, we can you come out tonight. Harry stayed at number one for five weeks. The year was 1962 and it happened on this day. It all happened on this day, the 15th of September. And that's the podcast for today. The highlights of today's show and we will be back again to do it all again before you know it. Now, could you be so kind as to leave a rating on our podcast? Maybe a comment. If you want to give us five stars, you can give us five stars. I'm not trying to encourage you how to rate the program, but we'd love to see that and do we check. I'd love to say that we don't, but occasionally we have a little bit of a look. So if you want to give us a rating, if you want to give us a comment, please do so. And also share this podcast with your friends.

1:47:31Bye-bye.