2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe – Full show July 17 01:50:47

On Sydney's 2GB, this is Drive with Chris O'Keefe. Good afternoon, Sydney, and happy State of Origin Day. The big decider kicks off in just a little under five hours' time, so we'll have it all covered for you. And...

New South Wales has only won the deciding match of a state of origin twice when it's been held in Queensland. We've had 13 goes and it only got it twice in 1994 and 2005. Now, Tim Brasher and Mark Gazzania from both of those sides will join me and tell me, can our guys do it tonight? Now, I shouldn't be surprised.

But I kind of am when it comes to the lies that are being told by Tony Burke around not knowing what was going on with the CFMEU. The lies that Tony Burke and Sally McManus are telling at the moment are ridiculous. I'll tell you exactly what they knew about the CFMEU and why their indignation is so utterly false and shameless. Also, I want to hear from you on this one. How high have your insurance bills gone up?

Let me know because some of the insurance premiums coming in at the moment, they are just ridiculous. You're talking about two, three, $4,000 increases. I'll speak with the Insurance Council to find out why it's the case. And of course, we will pay tribute to our friend and radio legend, David Thirsty Morrow, after his passing, aged 71 years old. Right now, 18 degrees at Pimble and 18 at Bosley Park.

It's eight and a half past three, 131 873 is that open line number. You can text me 0460 873 873 or email if you prefer drive at 2gb.com. Now I want to start with the CFMEU. The CFMEU has been placed into administration with an independent administrator installed in the CFMEU. And this has all been done by the jobs minister, Tony Burke.

Now, Premier Chris Minns, he's asked Labor headquarters in New South Wales to suspend affiliation and ban donations to New South Wales Labor from the CFMEU. And there are members of the Labor movement running for cover, attempting to tell the world that they are somehow shocked at the allegations of corruption and criminality. It is complete and utter lies.

Now, the CFMEU, they directly donated $1.974 million to the Labor Party in the lead up to Anthony Albanese's election campaign. Close to $2 million from the CFMEU to the Australian Labor Party for Anthony Albanese to be elected. That was a 230% jump from the $850,000 they sent Bill Shorten's way in 2019.

Now, you've got to remember, the union made up for more than a third of unions party declared donations to federal labour in 2021, 2022. So the CFMEU spent a third of all the union's donations to federal labour. They're joined at the hips, these guys. The CFMEU and the federal government, they're more than just mates. They're almost bedfellows.

Millions and millions of dollars being donated forthwith. Now, I was furious to hear Tony Burke offer up that same faux indignation, that pretend shock to say, oh, we didn't know. All he was doing was insulting the collective intelligence of all Australians. I know there has been some commentary of, oh, but everybody must have known it.

Can I just say and ask journalists to take journalists at their word? This has been published as news. A lot of it has been published as exclusive. There is no doubt that new information has emerged in recent days and over the last week. The work of Nick McKenzie in particular, but the whole team around that, has been extraordinary.

And so there is no doubt that the evidence that we are dealing with now is quite different to what was publicly available and the evidence that we had. That is the biggest load of horse dung I've ever heard. What about Minas? You know he's bad, Tony Burke, when he's trying to deflect onto Nick McKenzie's work. Talk about exclusives. Have you seen? Exclusive is just something that the media use because one organisation got it and the other didn't. Nick McKenzie's not.

You know, ASIC or the AFP or anything like that. He's a great journo, but he has a body of work that exposes details in areas where willful blindness has taken place. Whether it's criminality at casinos, branch stacking in the Labor or Liberal Party, this is no different. This stuff has been going on and just to prove that Tony Burke is telling shameless lies, listen to this.

Now, these are just a few of the cases that the Australian Building and Construction Commission took to court and won. The ABCC had a 91% success rate in court, yet it was dismantled by Minister Burke at the behest of the CFMEU. Now, this is the kind of stuff that would have been on Minister Burke's desk when he decided, oh, well,

We're not using the ABCC anymore. See, in Queensland, where CFMEU officials aggressively confronted a building senior supervisor, they blocked a truck, refused requests to leave the area, called workers who weren't union members, quote, filthy dogs and effing scabs. The CFMEU was handed an $840,000 fine for threatening unlawful strikes at Brisbane construction sites.

In Victoria, the union filed for 400 entry notices across nine projects of one Melbourne builder in just four months, paralysing them because they didn't get on. In Western Australia, union members allegedly yelled scab and dog and you'll end up dead if you keep going like this for workers who crossed the picket line.

The union's Queensland boss, Dave Hanna, he went to jail for two years for receiving $161,000 in home renovations from a developer. The CFMEU unlawfully entered an apartment site on the Gold Coast, physically blocked concrete trucks while calling a female safety advisor an effing dog C and then barking like a dog at her.

The union was fined $300,000 when they published a strikebreaker's photograph on Facebook attracting comments to that person like grubs, leeches, maggots, dogs and worse.

Four senior New South Wales officials were fined almost $1.2 million by the federal court for coercing a company called Botany Cranes into signing an agreement. And you know what the allegations were? The CFMEU official said this to Botany Cranes officials, quote, just agree with everything in the EBA. Let's move on.

You don't want your blokes off site. You don't want your equipment damaged, your cranes wrecked, when in the end, it's going to be our way. Now, I could go on and on and on. And you know how I know all this information? We know all this information. Because the ABCC took it to court and won 91% of the cases. Tony Burke knew all of this. He knew all of it.

And the CFMEU attracted $16 million in fines from our courts, yet he sits there and he tries to tell us, oh, I didn't know anything about it until there was an exclusive report in the newspaper. Go away. Has he never spoken to a builder or a developer who has seen this sort of stuff firsthand in the electorate? I have. I've spoken to builders or developers.

So what's his answer now? What's going to clean it up now Tony Burke's on the hop? What is his big smother? Oh, an administrator.

I want to make sure that the regulator has no barriers in dealing with any part of the construction division, not limited to Victoria, not limited to Victoria. So I want them to be able to have the full powers to be able to act in the public interest. An administrator. Well, that is exactly what the Australian Building and Construction Commission was doing, Minister, acting in the public interest.

You know that, yet you labelled the ABCC a politicised organisation that was set up to discredit and dismantle unions and undermine the pay, conditions and job security of workers. And by dismantling the ABCC and swallowing the propaganda from the CFMEU, Tony Burke is culpable in allowing this stuff to go on unfettered. He should be embarrassed. You know who else should be embarrassed? The ACTU.

Sally McManus has just held a press conference. She's of course the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and again this faux outrage. The trade union movement of Australia, all the people standing behind me and everyone they represents which is 1.8 million workers, we absolutely reiterate our zero tolerance for corruption, criminal activities.

all violence, all of it, will stand against it. We'll root it out. We will continue to do what is necessary to rid our movement of any elements like that.

This union movement is resolute in our determination to do so and also saying they do not represent us. Lies, lies, lies, lies. They do represent you, unfortunately, Sally McManus, because there were some of these allegations that were put to you all the way back in 2018 and you were pretty resolute about them.

Do you really believe that the CFMEU, that no CFMEU members have engaged in any of that behaviour that's been repeatedly described as troubling to so many? Yes, I don't believe it. You don't believe it either? To be direct with you, I do not believe it. I don't believe it because I know that union. I know what that union does. I think there's been a concerted campaign against the CFMEU. Sally McManus, the now Secretary of the ACTU, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Tony Burke, you should be ashamed of yourselves. And if you think the Australian public is buying your lies and buying your spin, you have another thing coming. 131873. Now, I'm just going to divert my attention for a second because we lost a friend here at 2GB today. Valet David Thirsty Morrow, a broadcasting giant. He passed away following a battle with brain cancer. And what a life he led.

For more than 50 years, Thirsty graced our airways with his talents and have a listen to his achievements. Eight Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games. He received an OAM for services to the community sports and sports broadcasting. He's a media Hall of Fame inductee at the SCG and a Rugby League Hall of Famer. 71 years old, he is gone but not forgotten, David Thirsty Morrow. And more importantly...

A father, a husband and one hell of a good bloke. Well played, Thirsty. Rest easy.

They're storming away from it. Bolt goes through. Blake Scott's second. 9.64 seconds. It's a new Olympic record, but Usain Bolt has won it comfortably. Is he right? Is he the best? Is he the greatest? He's a legend. He is the Muhammad Ali of 100-metre running. He is the greatest. What's your favourite cocktail? Sometimes I'll have one in the morning, you know, just put a lining on my stomach. In the morning? In the morning?

The difference between the Sheraton and the Western is the Sheraton, it doesn't have any champagne. You go to the Western, there's French champagne. It's a no-brainer. So what time do you have a champagne? Eight. Oh, yes, Seymour! In he goes, the three-chamber! Oh, isn't it great to see? And Seymour, Seymour reaches out with his left arm!

24 past 3, well it was day 2 at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.

Had all the political theatre you'd expect. Anyway, the party trotted out some of their biggest names, all in the name of unity and support behind Donald J. Trump. So two of his biggest rivals were there too. So former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, the two guys that were taking on Trump to become the Republican nominee. Well, they were both there. So Haley, Nikki Haley especially, has a long history of hammering Trump, but now...

She's all in. President Trump asked me to speak to this convention in the name of unity. It was a gracious invitation and I was happy to accept. I'll start by making one thing perfectly clear. Donald Trump has my strong endorsement period.

You better jump in the Bain-Marie, hey. If you're going without a feed, you've got to make sure that you get on board. So Nikki Haley on board the Trump train. DeSantis, well, Trump used to call him Ron DeSanctimonious. But as everyone in the Republican seems to know, he's got the writing on the wall. And DeSantis is also behind Trump.

I am alarmed that the current President of the United States lacks the capability to discharge the duties of his office. Our enemies do not confine their designs to between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. We need

We need a commander in chief who can lead 24 hours a day and seven days a week. America cannot afford four more years of a weekend at Bernie's presidency.

Well, outside of all the politicians, there's been sort of a cross-section of just Republican voters right across America, just normal people speaking down the barrel at the convention. And I think it's been quite effective, to be honest. The man himself, Donald Trump, though, he's due to talk on Friday, our time. So we'll keep you across that.

Yes, we are guessing the Olympian this afternoon. $1,000, your first clue. That's it. So it...

withers it down a little, I suppose. Basketball. So just think of all the great Australian basketballers and your second clue is coming after the four o'clock news and the cue to call later in the show for $1,000. 131873. Just on the CFMEU, David's called in from Avalon. Hello, David.

G'day, Chris. Mate, anyone with half a pulse who watches the news or reads a newspaper would know what was going on at the CFMEU. Now, McManus and Burke can only have three explanations. One, they're willfully blind, which legally means they had knowledge. Two, they're lying about it, and they did have knowledge.

Or three, they're totally incompetent. Now, regardless of which one it is, they should all resign. I reckon the calls will start growing, David. I really appreciate your call. Don's at Gunnedah. Hello, Don. Hi, Chris. What do you make of it, Don?

I agree with the previous caller, but I'd also say, you know, they treat us like mugs. I mean, even out here you can see what's going on. But they think it's all a big game. But at the end of the day, it costs business and it costs us. And it's not only Tony Burke. It's Chris Bowen, who, in my opinion, is an imbecile. It really costs us, and it's not a game. It is. And, Don, what gets me is just the...

The lack of willingness from our ministers and our elected representatives just to tell us the truth. Well, it's outrageous that McManus and Tony Burke, particularly Tony Burke, he's one of the trickiest politicians that's been around. He broke a hip to get rid of the ABCC. Everybody could see what that was all about, a payback for a mate. Absolutely. Just don't treat us like mugs. Good on you, Don. Hear, hear. Ray's at Glenmore Park. G'day, Ray.

Hi, Chris. Look, as far as I'm concerned, there should be a Royal Commission. When they're in opposition, that's all I call for. Royal Commission's about everything. We had the Royal Commission into the trade union movement, what?

in the early sort of 2010s and nothing all that substantial came of it but we had the abcc rate we had an organization that had a 91 success rate in ensuring that poor behavior within the cfmu and the construction industry was getting weeded out yet labor get in and tony berkey sees all

All of the work, the body of work that the ABCC had done and calls it a politicised organisation and going after spurious things. It was just a payback to the CFMEU as well.

What was it? Two million bucks that they gave them in donations, right? I've got to run, but I appreciate your call. 131873. Now, by the way, I told you yesterday that a whole bunch of New South Wales MPs got donations from the CFMEU in the lead up to the 2023 election. And I put Anna Watson down from the member for Shell Harbour into that group. That was a mistake.

So Anna Watson never got a donation from the CFMU. I'd like to correct the record. So sorry to Anna on that one. It's half past three. Let's check the news headlines.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryant. G'day. Good afternoon, Chris. David Thirsty Morrow is being remembered as a magnificent commentator and really good man following his death at the age of 71 following a battle with brain cancer. Police have arrested a former hotel employee over the murder of an Australian couple in the Philippines. An independent administrator will be appointed to oversee the CFMEU, the construction union accused of allowing bikies and underworld figures as delegates on various sites.

And scientists are waiting on DNA testing to confirm if a whale found dead on a New Zealand beach is a spade-toothed whale, a species so rare it's never been seen alive. In sport, Tiger Woods has teed off at claims he should retire as he prepares for this week's British Golf Open. Despite missing the cut in the past two majors, Tiger says he'll keep playing as long as he can. We'll have more news in sport at four. Thanks, Josh. Coming up, of course, it is Origin tonight. What have we got? Four and a half hours until kickoff. There's only been two teams ever

to win an Origin decider in Queensland. New South Wales has had 13 goes at it with one two. Tim Brasher will join me from the 1994 team and one of my favourites of all time, Mark Gaznia from the 2005 team. Brasher and Gaznia coming up next.

I didn't realise I could stick with my industry super fund when I retired. Thankfully, I discovered if I stayed, I could set up a regular income, take money out when I wanted, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement. Visit compareyourretirement.com today.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you. Well, big, big game tonight. State of origin three, the decider in Brisbane. We've only ever won a decider in Queensland twice. I think we've had 13 goes at it too. So we haven't been all that successful. The blues going up to Maroon's territory and winning a decider in Brisbane. It takes a pretty special team to do it. And it takes a special bunch of players to do it.

And a bit of luck, I'd say, too. Now, the teams that did it were in 1994 and in 2005. Now, listen to the 1994 team. You had players like Andrew Ettinghausen, Freddie Fittler, Ricky Stewart, Laurie Daly, Ben Elias, Paul Siren, and Bradley Clyde. It was star-studded. Champions of the game. And in that decider in 1994 was fullback and Balmain legend Tim Brash. And I'm pleased to say Tim Brash is on the line for us. Brash, g'day.

Hey, Trish, how you doing? I'm not too bad. How was it, 1994? You're going up to the decider. You're going to Lang Park at the time. I think it was Mal Meninga's very last game in a Maroons jersey too, so it had all that going on. Were you nervous? The thing about origin is you don't really get nervous until you hit the catch. Which I'm actually standing out the front of right now.

So it's getting loose up there. But definitely like the day, it's a long week. It's a long day. Well, the beginning of the week's been fun. We used to do the bonding with the boys. And then it becomes a pretty long week. And the day of the game is so long. You've got to keep your mind off the game. You've got to just go for a walk downtown, do whatever.

As soon as you get in that bus and go past the taxi and you get those cans thrown at you, they rocked the bus. It was game on. But you could see the lights of the stadium. And that's when you started feeling the nerves and you started getting the adrenaline pumping. You had a very serious team, that 1994 team. Very, very good. We had a serious team that pretty much the late 80s to the early 2000s, we had a great team of guys, pretty much like

But you could only manage to win a decider in Brisbane once in 1994 and all that time, Brash. So what is it? What makes it so difficult?

Yeah, I don't know, but I played eight series and won six, so we're obviously still winning. I don't know. But I don't know how many deciders there were in that time, actually, at Lang Park. My first origin was 92. It was a decider in Sydney. We won that. But, yeah, I'm not sure. But the myth that Lang Park Suncorp was...

was a bit of a hoax and we didn't like playing there, was absolutely wrong. We loved it because the crowd was so vocal, you know, and you knew if you're playing well, you knew you were playing well, because you know what? I'm quiet.

You couldn't hear anything. Was that something that Gus, I know Gus was your coach, was that something that you guys talked about, Gus talked about? You know, get some points on the board early. And I know there was a few intercepts in that game. Get some points on the board early to take the crowd out of it.

Well, absolutely. And that's Queensland. If you can do that up here, you're less of a noise. But in saying that, as a footballer, you want noise, you want atmosphere. You know, I used to play at South Sydney when we played at the new Olympic Stadium and we had 3,000 people in the crowd. Wow.

You hear that? That's all you can hear. Right. So we would much rather play in front of 80,000, you know, two-headed Queenslanders screaming at us than have nothing. So, you know, you...

atmosphere is everything and that's one thing that this place Suncourt Stadium will give tonight the boys the most pressure most of these guys are going to be under in their lives but you know what I love about Origin is it brings the cream to the top and you'll find out who can and who can't can they do it tonight briefly Brash

Absolutely. I think they're going on that first half, last game. I think we showed what they've got. Obviously having, you know, a full pack moving forward, giving our halves plenty of time and space. Then they fed the outside back. Our kicking game was great, both short and long. So I think definitely we've got it. Tim Brasher, I really appreciate you jumping on. All the best. Hope you survive Caxton Street.

Go to the Blues. It's been tough already. Go to the Blues. That's Tim Brasher, New South Wales origin legend. Now, one of my favourite players of all time was in the 2005 team, which was stacked with talent too. Johns, Minichiello, Anasta, Badiris, Hindmarsh, Fitzgibbon, Kennedy. Serious, serious team. And in the centres was Mark Gazgaznia. Gaz, g'day. G'day, Chris. How are you, mate? I'm really well, mate. I'm really well. So take us back 05. You fly to Suncorp for the decider. Ricky Stewart's your coach.

How were you feeling? Were you nervous? You think you could do it at the time? Yeah, we knew we could do it, mate. And yeah, I was nervous. Everyone gets nervous up there. But Sticky was the perfect coach for that scenario. You know, we trained, ironically, we trained all week that, you know, things weren't going to go right. The crowd's going to be against us. The referee's going to be against us. Everything's going to be against us. And that was obviously Ricky, you know, drilling our mindset so that whatever come our way, we were ready to deal with it.

And, you know, coincidentally, I think we didn't have the ball for about the first 16 or 17 minutes of the game. We basically defended our try line. And then I remember Anthony Minichiello scooped up a Darren Lockyer kick, went 80 metres, we got a penalty, took the two, and from there on, we just ran on with it. But...

You know, everything we did all week was just about dealing with that adversity. And you can't, you know, there is no bias, obviously, and things like that. But the crowd do come into play. And you've got all those different things that if you let it get to you, it will get to you. So it is a different beast up there, that's for sure. What is different about it? Is it just the crowd? Is it just the atmosphere? Or is it something that's hard to put your finger on?

Oh, no, it's definitely, you know, the crowd's a big thing. I think for guys that haven't been there and done it before, you know, we traditionally back then went up to Queensland three days before the game. Obviously, they let it know what they think of you around that time of the year. Outside of Origin, they're champion people, the Queenslanders during Origin. They can be quite cheeky. So, you know, if you weren't used to it, that can get to you as well. But, you know,

It's just a different... I mean, we were lucky. We played a lot of football at Suncorp, and I love playing at Suncorp, so I enjoyed that side of things. Not everyone loves it, but there was just a combination of all those things that kind of added up to the equation that everything is going to go against you. And, of course, that doesn't necessarily always happen. It can go the other way, but...

I think if you go in with that mindset, you know, we were just prepared to do whatever it took until that 80th minute to win it. And I think that's an important thing because it's very, very rare that you see Origin like it was in Origin 2 where the game's pretty much out of reach at halftime. You know, I think that's probably the first time I've seen it, you know, in my lifetime where it's just been taken away from someone so early.

You guys ended up getting out to a 32-0 lead in that 2005 decider. Did you think you were home at any point, or is it one of those things? It's not over until it's over. No, it's never over. Yeah, it's never over. Especially against him.

That's exactly right. And unfortunately, Queensland have proven to us why it's never over. So yeah, and again, that all comes down to that mindset. As I said, Ricky was very, very good. I love what he did in that camp. We surrounded ourselves with past players. We learned a lot about the history and what they went through and the sacrifices they made and different bits and pieces. And

You know, you learn that over a longer period of time and you probably don't appreciate it until you get a little bit older. But it was just a really good week and that build-up was just purely around that relentless mindset around dealing with adversity and just doing everything you can to make sure, you know, it was going to be one in the 80th minute. That was Ricky's big thing. It's not going to be one in the first or the 60th or anything like that. It's going to be one in the 80th. Can these blokes do it?

Without a doubt. Yeah, they can. They can. They've got, you know, you've got a really good core group of people there that have won three grand finals. You know, they've been in the Origin arena before. They've dealt with adversity. They're mentally tough. They're relentless in what they do. I think the big thing to come, and, you know, as history's gone on and players have learnt about what Origin is...

it really comes down to execution. And it's funny, I think when you watch Origin now, in the last probably eight to ten years, it's starting to flip and go back the other way where execution is so important. In an NRL game, you might get anywhere between nine and 11 opportunities, genuine try scoring opportunities. In an Origin tonight, you're going to get between three and five max. If you don't execute some of those, well then it's game over. And it really comes down to execution at key moments under pressure,

under fatigue. And I think traditionally in the past, over the past 10 to 15 years, Queensland have done that better. Hey, Gaz, before I let you go, Dragons are going good, aren't they? We're making the eight or what? They are, mate. Yeah, they are. I certainly hope so, but it's a bit like the 80th minute policy. I won't get too excited too early, mate. We've done that before. Good on you, Gaz. Have a good night.

Cheers, Chris. You too, mate. That's Mark Gaznia, New South Wales origin legend. Of course, kickoff is at 8pm. The coverage itself starts at 7, live and free on Channel 9. And the continuous call team will be calling it right here on 2GB. State of origin, how good. It's 11 minutes to 4. Now, the leader of a neo-Nazi extremist group based in Eastern Europe has been charged, get this, with plotting to have an associate dress up as Santa Claus...

and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children in New York City. I'm not even going to try to pronounce this guy's name. Mikhail Chikavichvili, I think it's something like that. I did try, didn't I? But anyway, he's 21 years old. He's from the Republic of Georgia. And he was indicted on four charges, including soliciting hate crimes, acts of mass violence. And this is according to a statement from the US Justice Department being reported on in The Guardian.

Now, it's not known if he has an attorney, but he's got various nicknames, including Commander Butcher and allegedly leads the Maniacs Murder Cult. What kind of sick, twisted human being would get someone to dress up as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned lollies to Jewish kids in New York City? He's planning a mass casualty event, prosecutors say, and it was not just Jewish kids and Jewish schools, but other racial minorities involved.

but mainly children. So, honestly, I hope he goes to jail. And what happens to him in jail? Well, I'll let the prisoners decide that. 131873, what a grub. Indian low-cost carrier Indigo. So Indigo Airline, it's become the first airline to allow women to choose a seat next to another woman.

So it's a proposed start date of August 2024. It's initially on a trial basis where female travellers can check in online and will be able to see if the seat next to them on the aircraft has been booked by another female passengers. If you're a bloke, you can see which seats are vacant, but you can't see the gender of the occupant. Now, women-only travel is nothing new in India. So for many decades, Indian women have been able to travel amongst other women,

And it's interesting because Japan has done the same. So Japan has a women-only railway carriage. Iran has compartments restricted to women on its buses, trains and metro rail systems, obviously for different reasons than Japan and India are looking at. Now, if I'm a woman, you know, if you're on a, especially if you're on a flight for a few hours, you don't want to be sitting next to some woman.

creepy bloke for hours on end in a confined space so if you're more comfortable as a lady sitting next to another lady i've got no problems with that fair enough good on them indigo 131873 now do you remember this from yesterday oh i won't put you through any more of it it's star spangled banner oh it's so funny so ingrid andrus is her name she's a country singer

And she performed possibly the worst rendition of Star Spangled Banner you've ever seen. Anyway, it was at the Major League Baseball's home run derby yesterday. And there were baseball players standing there with their hands on their hearts listening to the national anthem from Ingrid. That performance. And they thought to themselves, they started laughing to themselves in the middle of their own country's anthem. Now you don't do that in the United States. Anyway, she's been criticised, poor Ingrid, because, you know.

You can understand why she's being criticised. It's a terrible rendition. It sounds like bad karaoke, let alone a, you know, Major League Baseball event. So she's released a statement, Ingrid, and she didn't hold back. This is what she said, quote, I'm not going to BS, y'all. I was drunk last night. I'm checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need. That was not me. I apologise to the Major League Baseball, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition.

I'll let you know how rehab is. I hear it's super fun. I think you've got some problems, Ingrid. I hope she gets the help she needs, but, you know, I don't know whether or not a skinful makes you sing that poorly. Let's just hear it again. Oh, Ingrid. I think the text message here is a very apt way to leave that. Star mangled banner. It's five to four.

The 4 o'clock news with Josh Bryant is coming up very shortly, but there's some interesting developments with the CFMEU. They've put out a statement. This is the Queensland branch, or the Queensland Northern Territory branch of the CFMEU. The secretary's name is Michael Ravbar, and he has said that Anthony Albanese has, quote,

by taking the construction union on. Opened the gates of hell. Well, that's from the Secretary Michael Ravbar of the CFMEU Queensland and Northern Territory branch. So I wonder what that means. What are they getting at? I thought they were nothing to see here. All good guys, according to Tony Burke and

the Labor government. Sally McManus, oh, it's just a weird chant. That's what she was saying in 2018. Haven't they all changed their tunes now? I wonder what's happening in hell. 131873. Coming up after the four o'clock news, I want to know what your insurance premiums are looking like. How far have they gone up?

All I wanted in retirement was to feel confident with my money. So I picked an income account with my industry super fund. Now I take enough for day-to-day things, splash out when I fancy, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement. Visit compareyourretirement.com today. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you.

Now back to Drive with Chris O'Keefe on Sydney's 2GB. It's seven past four. Thank you for your company on this Wednesday afternoon. State of origin Wednesday, mind you. 131873 is that open line number. The text line 0460873873. Or you can email me drive at 2GB.com. Coming up, I want to know how your insurance premiums have gone up. How far have they gone up?

Because I need some justification for it. You're talking 100% in some instances. There's some horror stories out there. Tell me a story. Drive at 2GB.com. Also, the National Seniors have launched a campaign to keep the cash, and I'm on board. If it's happening in Sydney, you'll hear it on Drive on 2GB.

Now, I've just been handed the full statement from the CFMEU. This is their Queensland branch and Queensland Northern Territory branch. And I know that they've got offices in Darwin, Townsville and Bowen Hills in Brisbane. And this is the full statement of the one that I sort of just read out briefly before the four o'clock news. And this is what it says. I'll read it all out because it's worthwhile listening.

The Albanese Labor government has opened the gates of hell for tens of thousands of workers as he scrambles to shield the big end of town and his Labor mates from scrutiny about links to the criminal underworld. By appointing unelected administrators to run the CFMEU, Albanese is attempting to strip thousands of building and construction workers of effective representation when they need it most.

And Michael Ravbar is the secretary's name. He said that state and federal governments and major civil contractors should face the same level of scrutiny as the union movement about alleged links to criminal elements. Quote, this is Ravbar. I will defend the integrity of the CFMEU every day of the week.

If Albanese or any other politician wants to properly investigate criminality, they should start at the top, not the bottom. The CFMEU has repeatedly stated it will cooperate with any criminal investigation. As we know, the real crooks in this industry are the civil contractors and their cronies.

The sad reality is that the major civil companies that have brought the unsavoury elements on government-fronted projects, and yet Albanese knows that through a thorough investigation, it will put Labor governments in a world of pain. Albanese is selective about his interest in criminal associations and willingly ignorant about our industry.

This is a CFMEU's Queensland secretary. Albanese has panicked and soiled himself over some unproven allegations in the media. Workers can see that Albo has lost control and the country is being run by buffoon breakfast show hosts and talkback radio shock jocks. Giving us too much credit, I think. These gutless Labor politicians talk tough about affiliation fees and donations because that's the only language they understand. Money.

Ladies and gentlemen, the CFMEU, 131873. Now,

Now, you would have been here, I'm sure, at some point. The Captain Cook Hotel. It's on Moorpark Road there, just opposite the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium. And it's closing, the Captain Cook Hotel, after being in business for 110 years. So it's in Paddington. It was bought by pubs and pokies baron, a bloke called Bruce Matheson. And he bought it in 2022 for $13 million. And...

He's now sold it for around half of that Bruce Matheson. And the very simple reason for the huge drop in value is the pub has a license for 15 poker machines, but they were not part of the property sale.

So the new owners are going to shut the pub altogether and use the Captain Cook Hotel for 22 backpacker style rooms above it. So they're going to use it as a bit of a hostel as such. So they bought the Captain Cook for $13 million in 2022 and they've sold it for $6.6 million because no pokies here. The Captain Cook Hotel, remember they tried to rename it?

the Captain Paddington or whatever it was, and then they reverted it to the Captain Cook Hotel because of woke reasons. Captain Cook? There's nothing. It's a Captain Cook. It's a pub. Let's get over it. Anyway, it's not going to be a pub anymore. It will be a backpacker-style hostel in the near future. It's 11 past four. Drive on 2GB. Have your say. 131873. Now tell me, 131873, what has your insurance bill looked like lately?

Because a mate of mine was telling me his bill for his home and contents went from $6,000 last year...

He then gets a quote for this year's premium, $10,000. And in the last 12 months, nothing's changed. Same house, no renovations, same contents. He's never claimed on anything, yet $4,000 extra, according to the insurer. He lives in the city too, so you'd think that it wouldn't be flood or bushfire related. I wouldn't have thought there was any reason that his bill should have gone up by almost 100%.

And we're hearing story after story, and it's one of the reasons that you're seeing many hospitality businesses start to fall over. Because insurance companies are charging premiums that are just well over what you would expect in terms of annual increases.

And it's not like they can blame inflation. So right now, CPI 3.6%. Insurance premiums are going up 60 to 70%. Well, what's the reason for all this? Matthew Jones is the General Manager of Public Affairs at the Insurance Council of Australia, and he's on the line for us. Matthew, thank you for your time. No worries, Chris. So what's the underlying reason for the hikes in premiums?

Well, unfortunately, wherever you live in Australia, whether you're exposed to extreme weather risk or not, premiums are rising because of the escalating cost of extreme weather. We had, you know, three years of very bad extreme weather events following the Black Swan bushfires.

The growing value of our assets means that when we replace them, it's going to cost more. Inflation, which you mentioned, but particularly inflation in the building and motor repair trades is running and has run higher than inflation generally. And then there's insurers' cost of doing business. So the reinsurance that insurers buy to spread the risk around the world has gone up quite substantially over the last 12 or 18 months. For what reason?

Well, reinsurers are looking at Australia and they're repricing the risk. Australia, not to get too technical about it, but Australia used to be a good hedge against things like earthquake in Japan and hurricane in Florida. And because of the number of extreme weather events that we've had since 2019-2020,

through to 2023, reinsurers repriced that risk. I mean, there are also kind of global factors happening in the insurance market which impact us here. We're not immune. Insurance is a global business. But the good news is that some of these pressures are coming off.

And so some of the very significant price rises that you mentioned at the top of the segment, we expect to see moderate over the coming period. They'll moderate, but they won't go backwards, will they? And premiums won't get cheaper.

Premiums have gone down historically at other times when the market has softened. We're not predicting that they will go down, but it has happened in the past. So the good news is they'll just stay high. They won't come back down. Well, unfortunately, this is the world we live in now with more extreme weather events. Everything costs more. And, you know, anyone who's done a renovation or a build knows that what might have cost $200,000 or $300,000 five or ten years ago is now, you know, double that.

Understood. If we're in a situation, there's an inflection point with everything, isn't there? You've seen it with cigarettes. I don't know. This is a...

Might sound like a strange analogy, but you've seen it with cigarettes in the fact that things have gone up in terms of the tax on cigarettes so significantly. People have either, one, given them up or two, gone to an illegal product. Do you think when it comes to insurance, there will be an inflection point where you guys just price people out of buying it, thus cutting your nose off to spite your face?

Well, that's something that obviously insurers don't want to see and insurers are actually doing. But what do you expect if you're looking at 60% to 70% increases, 100% increases in one instance? Well, what we recommend is that people, when they do get those big increases, and it's usually on a renewal notice, that they shop around. And we generally find that people can find a much cheaper premium, a premium that works better for their needs,

if they shop around. Not every insurer will offer the same premium at the same price, so it's really important that people don't just renew, but that they look at what other options are available. There are also other things that they can do, like lift the excess. So, you know, excesses on Australian home and contents products are generally set reasonably low, kind of around $1,000, but you can lift it up to as high as $5,000

for most insurers, just in an online application, and that will substantially reduce your premium costs. I just want to pick you some... You get these increases likely on renewal notices. I find that a little bit underhanded, that the insurance companies go, OK, you can renew exactly the same structure, we've already got your business, but we're going to charge you $4,000 more just because we can. No conversation about it, they just send it in the bill, send the bill in the mail. Do you think that's a good way to do business, Matthew?

Well, I think that there are, you know, there's communication that insurers include on their renewal notices, which they're obliged to set out why the reason, you know, what are the reasons for the increase that people are getting. But they don't ring them, do they? No, no, no. But, you know, all of...

People can always pick up the phone and talk to their insurer about it. And we also often find that when people do talk to their insurer and maybe give the insurer a bit more information, that the insurer is able to recalibrate the price. So shop around, talk to your insurer. You know, we've got to be active participants in this process.

Yeah, we do. The consumer. And what I do think is interesting here is that we, the consumer, are the ones who are fighting against insurance companies delaying and denying tactics. And when you do have to claim something, unfortunately, your members make it nigh impossible to deal with them.

Well, you know, we do see in the media examples of people who've had poor claims experience. Matthew, have you ever had to claim something on an insurance? I have. I have. And I had a good claims experience. And I would say this, Chris, as well, that in the research that we do and that our members do, the people who have the most positive view of insurance are those who've had a claim. You know, for 99% of people, their claim experience is a good one.

and they get what they expect and it's resolved, you know, within the timeframe. 99% of people. How do you quantify that? Well, I'm being serious here because I know you're being rhetorical, but that's, if you're going to throw numbers at me like that, because that's not true. And I'll just read you this. So this is a, somebody who was damaged in the 2022 flood on the Northern rivers. Her quote is I'd rather deal with Satan than my insurance company.

Well, we know that there were some poor claims experiences after the 2020... You said 99% have had a good experience. That's why the insurance industry engaged Deloitte to have a look at how we performed and we came up with a number of recommendations which we're currently implementing. We've participated in the parliamentary inquiry which is currently underway. Insurers, you know, apologise to people like the person that you... And I am aware of that quote there.

They apologise to customers where they were let down. And we're going forward doing better. Yeah, by charging people 100% more. Well, as I said, shop around, talk to your insurer. You can understand why people are jack of it, right?

Well, of course, I can understand that when people get a renewal notice and it is very significant and they don't understand why, that can be annoying. But what we encourage by coming on programs like yours and talking about it is for people to shop around, talk to their insurer. There are other options. They don't just need to renew from the notice that they get from their insurer. Shop around. Don't speak to Satan. Go around the corner and speak to Lucifer instead. Matthew Jones, I appreciate your time.

Thanks, Chris. That's Matthew Jones, General Manager of Public Affairs at the Insurance Council of Australia. You tell me your experience. 131873. We've been inundated with emails over the last few weeks, drive at 2GB.com, of people's

Insurance bills, mainly home and contents, as well as car insurances, the premiums just going through the roof. Do you buy it? That we're in this global pool of insurance money? Maybe the system itself is broken. I don't know. 131873, you tell me. It's coming up to 25 past four. Now, we're talking about insurance companies. What's your premium look like? Have you seen these ridiculous increases of 40, 60, even 100% in some cases? Grant has called in from Windsor. G'day, Grant.

G'day, Chris. How are you? I'm well, thanks. Grant, what's your story? Mate, I won't say the name of the insurance, but they boast about how lucky you are to be with them and to give them all your money every year. I've never made a claim in 30 years, and I had to make one after a neighbour's tree fell down in a storm in our backyard. Crushed half our backyard, half our house. It took me 14 months, and in the end, a threat...

I was going to talk to a dear friend of mine who works on current affairs. Otherwise, they weren't going to send me a check. They tried to get out of the technicality saying because it was a home office that I had used eight or nine years prior and it had computer equipment and camera gear in there, that my policy wasn't valid. It was only for home and contents.

And it was only a illegal action of the media that they suddenly could open up their checkbook and send us out money. You know, like we've paid premiums for 30 years to the same company, thousands every year, and yet they couldn't pay out a $10,000 claim because a neighbour's tree that wasn't even in our yard destroyed our backyard, crushed the shed, years of sentimental items that were in there. And we said, look, this is what it's worth. And it took me 14 months to get a cheque from them.

All right, Grant. Yeah, you're in the one. You must be in the 1%. 99% of people have had a good experience, according to the Insurance Council. Good on you, Grant. Enjoy your footy tonight. Lisa's at Kellyville. Hello, Lisa.

Hey, Chris. Thanks for taking my call. You're on. My insurance went up 85% this year. When I questioned it, they had no answer. I queried it further. It took them a couple of weeks to come back to me. I followed up with them and still no answer as to why my insurance, my home and contents went up 85%. I had to make sacrifices to bring that price down. Oh.

lowering the value of my home to rebuild if something happened to that increasing the excess that I had to pay in order to get it down no explanation I don't know I find all this extremely difficult to stomach Lisa I've got a lot of calls here I really appreciate you sharing your story Will's at Warrington Will Hello Andrew Hello Will what's your story?

My insurance went up one third annual, but I found a way how to get a big discount, okay? Yeah. So you think about, you claim for content and building insurance, okay? So with your building insurance, when are you going to claim them with your building? Mainly when your house gets burnt down, right? That would mean the main time you're going to claim it. So I put my access up to 50%.

to five thousand dollars five grand and my insurance dropped down quite quite a lot and then that's a good point that's a good point will that's exactly the same thing that uh we just heard then from lisa

All right. Yeah, but over the year, you think you're paying that, like, five grand that's going to add up, but you're getting that back, what the money you're saving over the period of time. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's a good point. Good on you, Will. I appreciate you sharing your story. Scott's at Randwick. Scott?

Just quickly, the thing I don't like is you get any insurance, whether it's car, home insurance, whatever, and whoever I'm with, and you get a quote and you ring up to query it and

Generally, they give you a better price. If you make the phone call, you sit on the phone for hours. And I find that offensive. Why don't they offer that straight up? 100%. I find it a little bit sort of sneaky or something, don't you? Yeah. And they do it so... They know 90% of people just don't have the time to ring up and bugger us around on the phone for so long. So, you know, if you do make the call, generally they look after you. Generally they knock some dollars off. That's my experience. But you've got to have that time to do it.

to do it, you know? All right. Good on you, Scott. Appreciate that. Brett's at Oakdale. Final call. Hello, Brett.

G'day, Chris. I thought 1% is worth for the outlaw motorcycle gangs. I've got the trifecta. I had a claim that they didn't want to pay. It took me three years to get paid. 60% increase in my premiums. And just recently, we got a letter to say that they're refunding me $30 for where they misrepresented the policy over 10 years. So it's $3 a year they're refunding me. They're very generous, aren't they? Have you had issues with them? Have you ever tried to claim?

I made one claim and it took three years to get the claim through. And the assessor was fraudulent in his handling of the claim. He tried to bump up the claim so that his fee was high because his fee is based on the size of the claim, even though he was rejecting the claim. Hey, Brett, I've got a double pass to go and see Torval and Dean. Hopefully you enjoy that.

Thank you very much. I will. That makes insurance a little bit easier to tell it. That doesn't make it easier, but you can enjoy the show anyway. Torval and Dean, their last ever Australian tour, Kudos Bank Arena in June of 2025. Tickets on sale now from Ticketek. Now, I just got an email here, and it's from Jackson. He makes a really good point. He goes, Chris, the concept of shopping around for alternative insurance quotes is a bit

um over the top because in australia the insurance market is dominated by four main insurers iag suncorp qbe and allianz collectively they own 74 of insurance markets so someone on the text line says hey can we check a get the share price check of these companies i've had a quick look for three of them so year to date allianz over in europe 8.8 allianz has gone up year to date

IAG, listen to this, 28%. Suncorp, 23.86%. That's their year-to-date value increases. At the same time, they're increasing people's premiums by 100% and crying poor with having to deliver on the insurance claims in natural disasters. Now, forgive me for thinking this is all about profit and not about the customers.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryan. Good afternoon again, Chris. Australia's peak union body says it has zero tolerance for corruption in the movement as the federal government brings in an independent administrator to oversee the CFMEU. Legendary sports broadcaster David Morrow has died aged 71 after a battle with brain cancer. Three boys have been charged. One is assisting police after a woman was assaulted in a suspected carjacking in the state's northwest. And a man has spent the night by the Yarra River after falling...

falling down an embankment on a walking track and being unable to climb out. He had to be winched to safety in the morning. In sports and kilt, a youngster Lance Collard has been handed a season-ending ban of six weeks over homophobic comments he made to multiple opponents in the VFL competition last weekend. We'll have more news in sport at five. Thanks, Josh. Set. Yes, the Olympian. I've given you one clue. Here's your second clue.

A thousand bucks to win. I was the flag bearer with Ian Thorpe at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. I was the flag bearer with Ian Thorpe at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. A thousand bucks if you can guess the Olympian. The cue to call comes up after the five o'clock news.

I didn't realise I could stick with my industry super fund when I retired. Thankfully, I discovered if I stayed, I could set up a regular income, take money out when I wanted, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement. Visit compareyourretirement.com today.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you. Well, National Seniors Australia wants us to keep cash here, here, and they've launched a new campaign. It's all to stop seniors being excluded in what is becoming a cashless society. Now, a lot of people just aren't comfortable in using online banking or tap and go or that sort of thing. Maybe they're not tech savvy or they're just worried about scams or they're just not interested in their...

elderly years. They don't want to learn new things. I don't blame them. They just want to keep doing what they've always done because that works. But cash transactions are down. That's no surprise. So cash transactions are down to just 13% of all transactions. In 2007, it was 70%.

ATMs, you can hardly find them. So more than 700 ATMs were closed between June 2022 and 2023. And that's not to mention bank branches. This is the one that gets me. 424 bank branches have closed their doors across Australia in 12 months. 424. Now, there are a few more ways that you can get involved in the Keep Cash campaign. And the first is pretty simple. Just use more of it.

So National Seniors say there needs to be more cash transactions in the system for the government, banks and retailers to take more notice. Well, Chris Grice is the CEO of National Seniors Australia and he's on the line for us. Chris, thanks for jumping on. Hi, Chris. Good to be with you. So where did the Keep Cash campaign, what was it born out of?

Well, basically, it was born by a number of seniors contacting us and basically telling us how disappointed they were with, I guess, the behaviour of the banking industry. And when we looked at it a little bit further, it wasn't just about that they were having some challenges around branch closures and ATMs being removed. There were also examples where the branches themselves weren't handling cash properly.

They were being charged ATM fees.

Retailers weren't accepting cash. Checks were being removed, so you can't use those. And we're even seeing evidence now of phone banking being shut down by a number of institutions as well. And then don't get me started on things like cyber scans and can't get credit cards and all that sort of stuff. So this is what basically motivated us to, I guess, create a campaign. And, Chris, you mentioned there before that 13%.

Now, 13% might sound like, in the scheme of things, a relatively small number. Billions and billions of dollars. Exactly. And the other thing also, that 80% of that 13% are transactions by folk who are over 65 years. And so that's why National Seniors, that's why it's important to us and the community of older Australians to get behind it and do something about it. Chris, I've been sort of beating my head against a brick wall here on this radio program talking about cash now.

for a couple of years. And my major issue is this. If you're a major bank and you have a licence that is issued to you by the Australian government, you are making billions of dollars in profit after tax, you should be required by the Australian government as part of your licence to, one, keep bank branches open to service customers, two,

And two, the Australian government should make it illegal for businesses, be it KFC or be it, you know, the hot dog stall at Bunnings, not to accept cash because it is legal tender. I know the Honourable Bob Catter actually presented before the Parliament basically a petition to actually have offences in place for retailers,

who weren't honouring, you know, that capacity to use cash. But it's really... It's not the retailers, really, who are at fault or to blame. It does rest... The responsibility does rest with the banks. And I was really interested, just quickly, Chris, to sort of see a couple of weeks ago that the Treasurer had announced that... I think it was $6.5 million in funding, and this was to Australian banks who were operating in the Pacific Islands.

Paid them six and a half million dollars to keep bank branches open and keep banking happening in the Pacific Islands because it was perceived as being very important. Well, it's important over there, but it's really important for what's going on here as well. They wouldn't do it in Forbes. We had to fight tooth and nail on this show just to keep the Commonwealth Bank branch open in Forbes. It's a country town in New South Wales. You know, people need access to their bank branches so they can go and speak to someone and

to work out their financial affairs. And I just think if these guys are making so much, it's not like it's a matter of cost saving. They're making a fortune. So would you, as National Seniors Australia, go to the government? You're a big organisation with a bit of clout and say to them, hey, seniors across Australia and Australians more generally want you to ensure that banks have, as part of their licence, a minimum number of branches available for people to use.

Absolutely supportive of that. But the thing is, what's important, I guess this is the point of the campaign as well, there is an element of use it or lose it. And this is why we're seeking to mobilise also the community to, you know, like if they use digital banking, that's fine. But every so often, just spend some cash digitally.

Keep the cash circulating in the system. That's the critical piece, because if you keep it circulating, the government can then see how relevant it is and how important it is. I mean, this is what happened with Armagard. Armagard was going to fall over.

and they have had to step in and sort of prop it up. And part of that problem is, well, there's not enough cash being circulated in the system. So that's really critical from a consumer perspective to sort of get people, not just the older cohort, because they're already wanting to use cash, the younger folk as well, that's critically important. And I guess this is where we're sort of getting retailers...

to get behind us and actually have stickers. We accept cash stickers on their shops so that folk can actually see who's welcoming the use of cash and is happy to accept cash. Chris, I really appreciate you jumping on. You've got our full support. All the best.

Wonderful. Thank you, Chris. That's Chris Grice, the CEO of National Seniors Australia. It's very simple. As long as it is legal tender, one must accept it and be able to access it. 17 to 5.

Wow.

Alright, I've got more school holiday fun with a family pass to Featherdale Wildlife Park up for grabs. Call me 131873. Tell me what this animal is. That's difficult, isn't it? It's not a dog. It's not a dog or a dingo or anything like that. It's not canine.

So what animal is it? 131873. I'll give you a tip. It's got stripes. 131873. The winner is going to Featherdale. Well, there's a man suspected, and Ben Fordham and the team on breakfast has led the way on this story.

But the man suspected of killing an Australian couple in the Philippines was a former employee of the hotel. Get this, the motive, because he wanted to get back at the hotel management for his dismissal. So local officials confirmed on Wednesday that a man handed himself in to police after the bodies of David Fiske,

And his wife, Lachita Cortez, were found dead inside their Lake Hotel room in Tagatay, which is just south of Manila, on Wednesday of last week. And a third person reported to be Ms. Cortez's daughter-in-law, Mary Jane Cortez. She was 30. She was also found dead with the couple.

And it was a hotel worker who found the victim's bodies with their hands and feet bound and packaging tape covering their mouths on Wednesday, according to a police statement. And the guy who they've arrested and charged reportedly used to work as a swimming pool cleaner at the hotel. And the Tagaytay police chief has told reporters that, quote, he wanted to get back at the hotel management for his dismissal.

Dear, oh dear. He's acknowledged that he attacked Mr Fisk with a knife and suffocated the other two before taking Mr Fisk's watch and shoes. What a terrible, terrible, terrible story. Terrible story. And I know that they've got family here in Australia, the Corteses and the Fisks. So, of course, our thoughts are with them. You just...

It just beggars belief that that could be the motive for somebody to take another's life. 131873. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, she's reignited some promises to hold Russia to account over the downing of MH17. So this is marking 10 years since the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. And Penny Wong has said...

She will vow to hold Russia to account for the nearly 300 deaths. I think it was 38 Australians who died on that plane. And she said that on behalf of the Australian government, I recommit again to our collective pursuit of truth, justice and accountability for the outrages perpetrated on July 17, 2014. Now, I note Julie Bishop, Tony Abbott, the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn,

They were all there, as well as the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, talking about this. So, you know, whether or not we get anywhere with it, I don't know. But Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying that Australia has not forgotten. Inside Word on everything Sydney. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB.

Well, there's been a bit of a... All the Olympic sports, many of the team sports at least, are starting to get a bit of a tune-up ahead of the Paris Olympics and the Boomers. Our basketballers, well, they've had a pretty impressive tune-up, mind you. So Paddy Mills, he's found form on the eve of the Olympics and inspired the Boomers to an impressive win over Serbia. Now, the Serbs are great in basketball. And Paddy Mills, he'll be 36 the day after the gold medal final.

It is his fifth Olympic Games. And Paddy Mills, he netted a 28-point haul that helped Australia to an 84-73 win over a Serbian outfit, mind you, led by none other than NBA superstar Nikola Djokic. So well done to the Boomers. Hopefully, we know they'll do Australia proud, but hopefully they come home with gold medals.

silver or bronze. Now, Brenton has called in from Edenza Park. G'day, Brenton. How you going, Chris? Good, thanks. Scotty at Chillingham, he's just texted and said, G'day, Chris. My dog thought that that animal noise was a dog. She's just run down to the paddock barking her head off at the trees. This is what it sounds like. Sorry, Scotty. Dog's probably taken off again. Brenton, you don't think it's a dog. What is it? No, it's a zebra. Well done, Brenton.

You've got a family pass to Featherdale coming your way. Are you going to take the kids, the grandkids? Who are you thinking? My two kids, mate. My daughters, seven and two, they're about to have their birthday next month, so just in time for their birthday. Awesome, Brenton. You've been to Featherdale before? Yeah, plenty of times. I used to live down the road from it. It's pretty good, isn't it? Yeah, it's awesome. All right. Well, make sure your kids enjoy it, Brenton. It's coming your way. Family pass, and it's all thanks to our great mates at Featherdale Wildlife Sydney. They've got their free wildlife adventure trail too for kids

Kids, all July it's on, so check out featherdale.com.au. Telstra has been fined yet again, so $1.5 million this time, for leaving customers vulnerable to scams. This story in the ABC. So an investigation by ACMA, the Australian Communication and Media Authority, has found that Telstra failed to authenticate customer IDs between August of 2022 and April of 2023.

during 168,000 high-risk interactions, which they're calling, such as password resets or SIM card swaps. So the telcos have to use multi-factor ID identification as part of the rules,

when people are doing things like resetting their password to make sure that people aren't being defrauded. ACMA found that Telstra did not do that 168,000 times and as a result have been fined $1.5 million. 131873. Coming up, the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the ACTU, Michelle O'Neill. She'll join me after the five o'clock news to talk about the CFMEU. I wonder...

how many lies we'll be able to get to the bottom of there. And as well as that, we'll have all things state of origin because kickoff, it's not far away. Well, did you see that the Australian Open, this story's in the telly, looking at making Melbourne...

the world's first grand slam to replace humans with artificial intelligence when it comes to umpiring foot faults. So it's called skeletal tracking technology. It's used in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and hockey. And it could be used at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open to ensure that foot faults haven't been committed and better determine whether or not...

People have broken the rules of tennis. So the Australian Open and artificial intelligence, they haven't fully decided whether to go that way, but it looks likely, right? 131873. I've got a text here. Nick says, Chris, have you still got that recording of your child, Henry, saying Queenslander? Queenslander. Queenslander. Daddy, Queensland.

Daddy Queenslander. That's what happens when you marry one. That's what happens when you marry one. Go the Blues. We'll have all the State of Origin preview. Of course, it is the decider. Eight o'clock tonight, Henry. I've tried to make him a New South Welshman, but it looks like he's a banana bender.

All I wanted in retirement was to feel confident with my money. So I picked an income account with my industry super fund. Now I take enough for day-to-day things, splash out when I fancy, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement. Visit compareyourretirement.com today. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you.

Now back to Drive with Chris O'Keefe on Sydney's 2GB. It's seven minutes past five. Thank you for your company on this Wednesday afternoon. State of origin Wednesday, mind you. 131873 is that open line number. The text line 0460 873873. Or you can email me.

drive at 2gb.com. Coming up very shortly, the ACTU president, Michelle O'Neill, will join me. So we're going to talk about all things CFMEU. I've also got $1,000 to give away if you can guess the Olympian. And we'll talk all things State of Origin. The breaking news you can trust. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB.

Well, the CFMEU scandal is really got a head of steam now. So it's been placed into administration by Minister Tony Burke. There is an administrator now, uh,

in charge of the CFMEU. Premier Chris Minns has asked Sussex Street, Labor headquarters in New South Wales, to suspend affiliation and ban donations to Labor from the CFMEU. And the ACTU has suspended the CFMEU from its own membership. The president of the ACTU, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is Michelle O'Neill, and she's on the line for us. Michelle, thank you for your time.

Hi there, Chris. Why have you decided to take this action?

Well, our executive met today, Chris, and we called a special meeting because we were really concerned about the allegations against the CFMEU, particularly those about organised crime and criminal behaviour. And when the ACTU executive gets together, it's representatives of every union across the country. So it's unions that represent nurses and teachers and retail workers and hospitality workers and factory workers and miners. And we all came together together

And we did a couple of things. We gave an opportunity for the CFME leadership to be heard by us about what they said, the actions they were taking in relation to their union. But then we considered what we should do as a union movement. And we made a few decisions. We'd already called for the union to stand down individuals that were subject to criminal allegations or other investigations. And today we also said that

they should fully cooperate with the appointment of an independent and external administrator. So we asked them to support that and to cooperate with that. And we also, as you said, suspended them from the ACTU. It's all a bit late, isn't it? Well, I don't think so, because these information has come out in a pretty rapid way over the last three or four days. So you knew nothing about any of this?

I knew nothing about any allegation in relation to criminal activity within the union. So you thought as long as you've been in the union movement, you've just thought the CFMEU was squeaky clean, have you?

What I know is that, like every organisation, there's very good people within the CFMEU and there's others that I think now the light's been shone on. And it's really important that we don't turn away from that, that we... You know, unions are about standing up for working people. We've got a job to do that's...

really important about safety, about paying conditions. And we don't want to have a movement that is focused on anything other than that. So if people are using our movement for activity that's for their own profit or gain, then that's not okay. Michelle, Michelle, can you understand the frustration of Australians when people like yourself and Sally McManus and Tony Burke and everyone...

Comes out and says, oh, shock horror. There's some potentially dodgy things happening with the CFMEU. In 2019, the ABCC Queensland boss, Dave Hannity, he went to jail for two years for receiving $161,000 in home renovations from a developer. In 2022...

Four senior New South Wales officials from the CFMEU were fined a near record $1.2 million by the federal court for coercing a crane company into signing a union agreement. The CFMEU were fined $840,000 for threatening unlawful strikes at Brisbane construction sites. You've had people called scabs, dogs, women barked at.

at and you're saying oh nothing to see here this is all this is all a surprise to us all on the public record this stuff yeah what i'm saying and you know where you started there about that individual that went to jail he should have gone to jail and there's in fact other reasons he went to jail for completely unacceptable behavior but there is a difference um

in terms of some of the other things you mentioned about industrial action and criminal behaviour are different things is what I'm going to say to you, Chris. You know, people being able to, you know, take strike action in terms of supporting a legitimate claim for their members is something that, you know, unions have done and it's why we all have things like

the weekend and public holidays. But there's a difference here when we're talking about allegations of organised crime and criminal behaviour, and that's where we are saying that cannot be... Okay. What about this one? The CFMU unlawfully entered a department site on the Gold Coast, physically blocked concrete trucks while calling a female safety advisor an effing dog C and barking like a dog at her in the federal court in 2019.

I cannot and would never support that sort of behaviour. We've got standards... But, Michelle, I'm sorry, there is a culpability within senior levels of the Labor movement that has allowed this stuff to go unfettered for years and years and years, and here we are. I don't accept that, Chris. What other proof can you offer me that you've tried to do something about it? Well, what I will say to you is that...

you think about what the union movement does for working people and all of the things that are important in terms of workers' safety and pay and conditions. But also that there's a variety of industries and sectors. And what I know about the construction industry is that there's behaviour in that industry from employers as well as some elements of the union, which is why we're

that is completely unacceptable behaviour. Why did you then... You can't tar the whole movement with that. Why then did you want the ABCC, the Building and Construction Commission, dismantled? Because what that was about was about saying that there's one set of rules for workers in one industry and sector that is different to every other person in the country. And, you know, there should be laws and there should be rules that apply to everybody, but it's not fair to say...

that if you happen to be a worker and there's many, many thousands of individual good people working in the construction industry who do no wrong, just go to work every day and do a tough job, right? But the problem you've got is they had a 91% success rate. They had a 91% success rate.

in the federal and other courts the abcc all of this came as a result all of this they were not they were dealing with minor issues about things like people shouldn't be allowed to wear helmets with union stickers on them like an 840 000 hang on that is a lie michelle you are lying to the people here that are listening to my program the abcc had a 91 success rate in court and

there was every single example that I just read out to you was as a result of their action. Now, I'm sorry, but you're saying that different rules are being applied to the construction industry and the CFMU to the rest of society. Well, guess what? Maybe there needs to be. Let,

Let me just respond to you because I don't like being called a liar. Many of those prosecutions, not the ones you read out, but many of those prosecutions that you claimed as success rates were prosecutions for minor matters, things like flying a flag or wearing a stick on a helmet. That's ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money. It also is the case that there are prosecutions that were legitimate, you know, and I accepted

But do not say that that was all about that sort of behaviour. And I don't accept that there should be one rule for one type of worker and another for another. What we should do is have strong and effective culture and obligations that apply about...

particularly those people that are elected or appointed to represent workers, about how we behave and how we do that. And that's what our decision today is about. We want a movement that does a great job for workers and we won't stand for people using it for their own personal gain.

Can you just give me two or three examples of what the ACTU has done and the Labor movement has done to curtail the behaviours alleged and proven over the past decade and a little bit more out of the CFMEU?

Well, what I will tell you is that the decisions we make are ones that firstly, it's a union movement. Well, you've got to accept what I'm saying here, Chris, which is that the people that on a day-to-day basis represent workers in all different unions are elected by those members to represent them.

So the ACTU doesn't operate as a body. It's a federation of all those unions coming together. And what we've said is today that we've suspended that union out of the construction part of that union. So the answer's nothing? Out of it. No, it's not out of it. No, it is nothing. Australians know it's nothing, and you've just told us it's nothing. So thank you for at least being honest. You can say that, Chris. Can I ask, the CFME... I don't recommend...

The CFMEU Queensland branch, just quickly before I let you go. They've said they've come out pretty, pretty harsh on all this. Michael Ravbar. He says that these gutless Labor politicians talk tough. The CFMEU is an industrial union, not a political outfit. And Anthony Albanese has panicked and soiled himself over some unproven allegations in the media. And we will defend each other to the ends of the earth. What do you make of that?

Well, I think that's a very extreme statement. I think what we've done today is said, and we say this to the Queensland branch, we say it to the whole of the CFMEU construction division, the best thing that would be the interest of your members and your union would be to support the appointment of an external independent administrator to deal with all these allegations and make sure your union is clean.

Michelle O'Neill, I support unionism. I support collectivism. And I just think that the Labor movement has let itself down in this situation and self-awareness and just putting your hand up and realising, you know what, we had a blind spot here is often a good way to go. But I really appreciate you coming on and fronting up. Thanks so much. No worries, Chris. Anytime. Thanks. Bye. That's Michelle O'Neill, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. See?

They just won't admit it, will they? It's really disappointing. Really, really disappointing. What do you make of that? 131873. It's 17 past five. It's 22 minutes past five. Now, today there's some ABS data out today that shows the annual housing completions, they're continuing to fall. So for the 12 months to May, sorry, 12 months to March 2024, so that is the entire first year of the Minns government, right? They're solving the housing crisis, don't forget.

New South Wales built 45,600 residential dwellings, which is the second lowest number of completions in the last nine years in New South Wales. And we are 40% behind the annual target of 75,000. So we need 75,000 new homes a year. We built 45,000 homes in the first year of the Minns government, the second lowest number of completions in nine years.

And Stuart Ayres, who's the CEO of the UDIA, he said that every quarter that we see a decline in building activity makes that harder to achieve. And I was speaking to someone the other day in the building game, and they said, what we're seeing here is effectively the fruits of

of sort of two or three years ago so the issues that you know builders are having around finance and insurances and interest rates and everything you won't see those numbers borne out in abs data for another couple of years yet so this housing crisis it's going to get much much worse before it gets better now on the cfmu terry's called in from eastwood g'day terry

Chris, how are you going? I'm well, Terry. I think that was a piece of window dressing by the lady, and I don't think it was a very good one, but I think these days unions have outlived the usefulness. I mean, I like the idea of collective bargaining and unionism in the first place, but

That's in theory. The way it's done in Australia, most of these unions are nothing more than criminal gangs. And I talk about not just anybody that thinks it's the CFMEU only. It might be even fairies too. Look at the walls. Why do you think we've got no manufacturing left? The unions have made sure...

that there's no place for business in Australia. I think they've outlived the useless. This is the tip of the iceberg. Yeah, I think there's a lot of people who agree with you, but my view is pretty simple. I think it's a fine balance. I think unions are important. I think the legal representation they offer workers is important. And I think if you didn't have unionism the way we do...

You would have just employers and big businesses completely and utterly taking the mickey. But then you've got the balances tipped the other way where it's the unions who are taking the mickey. Let's go to Matt at Bellrose. Hello, Matt. Hey, Chris. How are you, mate? Well, thank you, Matt.

Mate, my father-in-law ran a construction business on the northern beach as a concrete construction business for 40 years. And he's seen what the CFMEU do to business. He's seen what they've done to him and I've seen what they've done to him with their standover tactics. And for that lady to stand there and say that they've regulated and they've watched over and they've seen...

the unions being fair is utter rubbish. And this is what incenses people of today, that the government and the unions stand there and want to take our taxpayer dollars and they want to use it and spend it and they stand in front of a television camera and they talk and they talk a fantastic game, but it's all rubbish.

It's absolute rubbish. And people have had enough. And they've had enough of small business being driven into the ground and businesses in general being driven into the ground by unions. Enough is enough. Everyone has had enough and they want to be left alone to live their lives with the actual money that they earn and not be ripped off by government and unions. And these politicians do nothing. And what gets me is just...

What is wrong with Tony Burke and Michelle O'Neill from the ACTU to stand up and go, you know what? We got it wrong. This is a serious blind spot for us and we got it wrong and this is what we're going to do to address it. Rather than just try to fool Australians, we know that it's lies. We know that it's lies. We know it's not true because we've been experiencing it ourselves and try to tell us, oh, we knew nothing about it. I just find that attitude highly offensive.

It is. It is offensive. And we've had enough. And we need to get rid of the whole lot of them and start again. And that goes for this Labor government and Anthony Albanese. He's a joke. Everyone just laughs at him. Good on you, Matt. I appreciate your call. You enjoy your footy and I can hear the passion in your voice for sure. Demetra is at Castle Hill. Hello, Demetra. Hi.

Hi, Chris. Yes, my husband's been in the building industry for my 40 years. And there was an incident, many, but one that's a significant one. Many years ago, a CFMEU person turned up and said, if you don't all sign in with the union, we're closing this site down. That's all I can say. Oh, Demetra, I know. And this is the problem. I've heard all those stories, and it's easy. And you can hear them, but...

You're talking about serious people and you're not going to go up against serious people. No way. If you're a foreman or you own a business or you're a developer, you're building, I don't know, 20, 30, 40 units. You're not going to go up against people who've got potentially links with organised crime and stuff like that. Forget it. You don't need that for your family. Demetra, I appreciate your call. And Mark's in Balmain. Final call. Hello, Mark.

G'day. G'day. Listen, I am in a union and I'll always support unions. I once went to see an accountant and he said, no, I don't want to know. No, don't show me that. Don't show me that. This is reminding me of that visit to that accountant. It's head in the sand stuff, mate. There's no way. Come on. Come on. There's no way they didn't know. If you were in a

a pub full of people and you ask them everything that's coming out that allegedly happened, that the Labor Party, that people on the ground in the union movement didn't know, and some of them were allegedly too scared to say anything about it. Come on, this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone in the ACTU or any other high union. You know what, Mark? Because it's not a surprise to anyone in Australia.

It's not. So why is it a surprise to some people in Canberra? Anyway, Mark, I appreciate your call. 131873. Enjoy your footy. Go the Mighty Blues. Let's check the news headlines.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryan. Hello. Good afternoon again, Chris. Fortescue has announced it will cut about 700 jobs and merge its mining and energy divisions as it slows its push towards green hydrogen. David Thirsty Morrow is being remembered as a magnificent commentator and a really good man following his death at the age of 71 after a battle...

with brain cancer. The federal opposition says it will move to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission in the wake of the allegations which have emerged against the CFMEU and a major operation is underway in Western Australia to stop cane toads in their tracks, creating an exclusion zone between Broome and the Pilbara which would deprive them of water they need for their march south. In sport, more than 50,000 fans are descending on Lang Park in Brisbane,

For tonight's winner-take-all, State of Origin 3. History not kind for the Blues. They've won just one of their past ten deciders. We'll have more news in Sport at 6. Thanks, Josh. I didn't realise I could stick with my industry super fund when I retired. Thankfully, I discovered if I stayed, I could set up a regular income, take money out when I wanted, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement.

A weather update. We'll be here to help in unexpected weather. NRMA Insurance. 15 degrees in the city and 16 in our west. Temperatures overnight, 10 degrees in the city and 9 in the west. Tomorrow, partly cloudy. Tops of 19 degrees in the city tomorrow and 18 in the west.

Set. Guess the Olympian. You've had two clues. There's $1,000 if you can guess the Olympian. Call me now. 1-300-722-873. 1-300-722-873. We're talking basketball. And if you can guess the Olympian, there's $1,000 coming your way.

A finance update. Experience the magic at Masterton Homes Warwick Farm Display Village. Open every day, 9am to 5pm. With two brand new Masterton designs on display. Checking finance, all odds are up to $8,303. ASX 200 is up to $8,057. One Aussie dollar buying 67 US cents.

Now, I had some people talk to me before a little earlier and they were desperately keen to ask if I could play the audio of my little bloke Henry. Because it was before Origin 1, we were all very excited in our household, of course, Yvonne Sampson, my wife, a very, very proud Queenslander, very proud Queenslander.

But I thought Henry, you know, born in New South Wales, born at North Sydney, lives effectively underneath Leichhardt Oval. There's no possible way he could support anyone else but New South Wales. And then look what I come home to. Queenslander. Queenslander. Daddy Queenslander. Daddy Queenslander. Queenslander. It makes me laugh, Everett. Now there's been some outrage here on 2GB.

about the providence of my son, given he is a New South Welshman and how he is being effectively brainwashed to become a Maroon. But Yvonne Sampson, my beautiful wife, she's on the line. Bonnie, what have you done to me? Oh.

It's so unusual to hear you call me a von Sampson first and foremost. I think, look, with the Queenslander thing, our little boy will choose where his heart leads him. And I just want to introduce him to the nice things in life. You know, while the Queenslanders are enjoying...

Quite a run in origin, but I'm sure he'll make up his mind when he gets a bit older. Is he dressed in maroon for tonight? He is head to toe maroon. I was going to save it for when you walk through the door, but he is. I splurged out on all the blue stuff and everything. I know, I know. You've already put him in the dragon's onesie. You can have that one.

Well, he can't have double the depression. Now, there's nobody who knows more about rugby league than you. I know you're a proud Queenslander. I was sitting next to you watching game two and your heart was breaking. How do you think tonight will play out?

My goodness, I'm really nervous. I've been nervous since I woke up this morning. I actually started talking to you about it over breakfast. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I think I'm a little bit scarred and triggered by game two. I just think the weakness is that the Blues really gouged into Queensland. And, you know, if you look at them pound for pound, New South Wales...

Well, they certainly did in game two. They look bigger and better and faster and stronger. And so, yeah, it'll be down to Queensland's forward pack. And they are that sort of more fashionable, more mobile forward pack. And, you know, they've got that ball-playing style. But really, I think game three, a decider at Old Lang Park, State of Origin, 52,500 locals who will be absolutely going berserk. I think all that's going to come into play. And you'd imagine Ashley Klein's going to put the whistle away and say...

All right, let's just get on with it. Let the boys play. Will he be? Or will the penalty count just go the way of the home side like it usually does? No. Oh, goodness, my goodness. No, no, no. See, this is where you and I sort of get caught up in the dark arts of rugby league. And I actually was thinking while I was waiting on you to come to me, do you remember our early days?

Even before we knew we were kind of interested in each other and we'd go and watch Monday night football at the Paddo in Brisbane when neither of us had any friends. So we'd have a $12 steak every Monday night and watch the footy. So we watched a fair bit of rugby league. Talk about romance. You can't give away all my secrets. How could I have ever said no? Now, I remember having a conversation with you, maybe it was last year or the year before,

But I asked, I go, what's different? And it was in relation to when Joey said New South Wales just don't get origin. And I reckon you came up with one of the great little pieces of insight as to why state of origin is different in Queensland. In New South Wales, I'd give our origin team, I would be happy for the Blues to lose if the Dragons won. But in Queensland, it's different, right? Yeah.

Oh, if you were given a choice over whether winning a premiership or representing your state, I think a lot of Queenslanders would choose to represent Queensland. I think they would choose that Maroon jumper over the Broncos winning a premiership or the Cowboys or the Titans winning a premiership, if you put it in that sort of perspective. And I know that's silly to say because the NRL is the business of winning a premiership. That's what we're all here to do. But there's something very special about

state of origin for everyone north of the Tweed and I think it's about where you're from and for me state of origin was always about family so that was the one time we'd all get together and you know we'd get the naughty food like chocolate and chips and big bottles of Coca-Cola and we'd sit around and yell and scream at the TV and the whole neighbourhood would do the same and yeah so for me state of origin became very quickly something much bigger than the game it became about that togetherness and

And I'm very lucky to be able to spend Origins now with our little family, now that I've corrupted our little boy. I can hear him in the background. How's he going? He's clomping around in my shoes. Good on you. Vonnie, I'll see you soon. Go the Blues. I've got the chicken on, so don't be late. That's Yvonne Sampson, my beautiful wife, Vonnie, of course, the host of

Fox League. Tonight, the State of Origin is being broadcast live here on 2GB or Channel 9 and 9 Now. How? I can hardly wait. Go the Mighty Blues. Set. Yes, the Olympia. Okay, I've got Rosemary. Rosemary. Rosemary, you've called in from Noosa in Queensland. Hello, Rosemary. Hi, Ben. Hi, how are you? I'm good, Rosemary. Oh, look.

I'd say that we can't have Queenslanders winning $1,000 in Guess the Olympian, but, you know. I'm from New South Wales. Go the Blues. That'll do. All right, that's good. All right, you've got to answer this question for me, right? I'm one of the greatest basketball players Australia has produced. I was the flag bearer with Ian Thorpe at the Sydney 2000 Games. My name is...

Andrew Gaze. It is Andrew Gaze, Rosemary. $1,000 coming your way. You've guessed the Olympian correctly. Ben, Ray, Michael will have more chances to win. So will I tomorrow. Stay listening. Sydney's 2GB, home of the Paris Olympics. It's a quarter to six. And of course, countdown is on to state of origin. And we're two and a half hours away from kickoff now. So let's head up to New South Wales, Queensland border.

I used to live on the Gold Coast. I know what this was like. So you've got people descending on the Twin Towns Club at Tweed Heads. And this is a giant club. You would know it on the border. Just metres from Queensland. Effectively almost straddles the New South Wales-Queensland border. And there'll be a mixture of blue and maroon at Twin Towns.

And the staff are getting into it as well. So those living on the Queensland side, so the Gold Coasters, they're wearing maroon. And the lucky ones living in northern New South Wales, well, they're donning their best blue. Let's go to the sports bar now at Twin Towns, Andrew Zerkis. He's from the Twin Towns Club right on the border. And he's on the line for us. Andrew, g'day. G'day, Chris. How are you going tonight? Well, it depends how you're going. How are you going?

I'm going really well. Looking forward to a cracking game. How does this work? So I remember working on the Gold Coast for Channel 9. And I was a Sydney boy. I'd go up and it was overrun with Queenslanders and even some people in the northern rivers and the northern part of the state of New South Wales. Some switch allegiances, Andrew.

Absolutely. What's the go there? I think I've got one of them. Well, just being so close to the border, you know, we have staff members from both sides, staff members that, you know, maybe live in New South Wales one year, might live in Queensland the next. So, yeah, it's an interesting mix. But, you know, bringing that to the venue tonight, game

Game three decider. Wow. Absolutely. How exciting. And Twin Towns is such an iconic club, isn't it? So what are you having on tonight?

Well, tonight, look, our main focus is our sports bar. That's where all the action happens. Whilst we have screens right around the club, the sports bar is decked out in origin colours. We have the staff wearing what they prefer, which is either, of course, blues or maroons. We've also got, you know, our amazing new menu there. And being right on the board, you can actually watch the game. And if you take a peek out the window,

you can actually see the state border marker. So how's that? Well, what's the go? So if the Queenslanders win, do the New South Welshmen go back to Chindra or Tweed? And if the New South Welshmen win, the Queenslanders quickly duck across the border up the Gold Coast Highway to Cooley? Pretty much. It's like that. They don't even need to, you know, duck off too far, to be honest, because only a few steps and you're really across the border. It's that close.

Well, Andrew, I really appreciate you coming on. All the best for this evening. Twin Towns is a great club. I remember I was, I think, about 15, and Dad took me up there on one of our holidays, and I saw Jimmy Barnes in concert. Awesome. I walked out, and I had my ears ringing for about three days. Good on you, Andrew. Enjoy your evening. Go the Blues.

Cheers. That's Andrew Zerkis from Twin Towns Club at Tweed Heads. Two and a half hours left until State of Origin 3. The decider, you can feel it, can't you? That momentum building and the nerves starting to grow. I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. I was even saying to my old man this morning, it could be Queensland by 13+, New South Wales by 13+, or Golden Point.

I cannot pick it for the life of me. But you know what it will be? A hell of a game of footy.

And speaking of State of Origin, the Jewel for Fuel this afternoon will be a special State of Origin edition. So if you don't know anything about footy, there's no point in calling. 131873. The Jewel for Fuel. Two contestants to play. All of our questions are State of Origin related. So $200 of free petrol thanks to Shell V-Power. If you don't know anything about rugby league, please...

you'll embarrass yourself. So better off letting someone else go. 131873. 200 bucks of fuel. Up for grabs next. On 2GB Drive, let's duel for fuel. $200 of it up for grabs in this special State of Origin edition of the Duel for Fuel. Let's meet our contestants. Thanks to Shell V-Power. I've got Andrew at Catherine Field. Hello, Andrew. G'day, Chris. How are you, mate? I'm good, thanks. Andrew and Todd, you're at Beaumont Hills. Hello, Todd. G'day, Chris. How are you, mate? I'm good, Todd. You want to kick us off?

Let's do it. All right. Hope you know your footy. Your time starts now. Who's the captain of New South Wales? Jake Travojevic. Well done. Who is the captain of Queensland? Cherry Evans. Correct. What blue is making his playing debut tonight? You can pass. Pass. Mitch Barnett, did Billy Slater ever play wing at origin level? Yes or no? Yes or no?

Did Billy Slater ever play wing? Yes, he did, Todd. He did. Three for you, mate. He did. And he played it well, too. They had a bloke called Darren Lockyer at the plane fullback there for a while. Geez, they've had some players, haven't they? They've had some players. Andrew, you ready? Ready to go, mate. Let's do it. Your time starts now. What year did New South Wales last win a deciding game at Suncorp? 2002. Five. Who's the coach of New South Wales? Madge McGuire. Correct. What state was Greg Inglis born in?

Correct. Who captained New South Wales in the first ever Origin game? Pass. Tommy Radonikis. Who holds the point scoring record in a single game for the Blues? Ryan Gerber. Well done. Three apiece, fellas. Three apiece. Here we go. Golden point. Your names are your buzzers. I say your name if you want to answer the question. You ready? Let's do it. Okay. Did Steve Mortimer ever captain New South Wales? Andrew. Andrew. Andrew.

Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Won the first series. Well done, Andrew. $200 of free petrol coming your way thanks to Shell V-Power. Todd, well played. Enjoy your Origin footy. That is the jewel for fuel. And we play every afternoon here on Drive.

And now, a preview of what's coming up on Wide World of Sports. Pick your favourite Kia from the award-winning Kia Sportage to the street-grade delivering Kia Seltos or Kia's most powerful car ever, the all-electric EV6 GT.

Well, Mark Levy has got Wide World of Sports coming up next, a very special Wide World of Sports where we remember a great broadcaster, a great friend and a member of the 2GB family and someone who was very close to you, Mark Levy and David Levy.

Thirsty Morrow. You all right? Yeah, Chris, it's been a tough day, mate. We got the news when we landed in Brisbane from Christine, David's wife, and I think we've all shed a tear at some point today, and we've lined up a few of Thirsty's great mates to pay tribute to him after six, and we've put together a lovely package that we'll play highlighting some of his great calls.

Look, he was a mentor to me and he became a bit of a father figure to me as well because we spent a hell of a lot of time together. And I still remember the first time I met Thirsty at the Beijing Olympics when Ray said, go and meet David Morrow. And from that day on, we remained mates. So I've been very lucky to learn from some of the best in the business. And I think the Australian sporting fraternity is poorer for the passing of a great man. And to use one of his lines, just a super bloke.

I was watching some of his calls that were coming through on Twitter and the like, and he called golden slippers, kangaroos, tours. He called Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games. There was nothing he couldn't do.

Well, he was well-versed in all of it. And the thing about David, he had a great love and respect for all of the sports that he called. And, you know, he could sit there and reminisce about some of the great players of the past and this ability to rattle off dates and figures and what people did. And I remember there was a light-hearted moment on the continuous call team. I think we were talking about what the boys' wedding waltz was. And he said, look, boys, I don't know what my wedding waltz was, but I remember that Kepler Vessel scored a century on debut for Australia. LAUGHTER

So he remembered the sport, but he didn't remember other things in his life. So anyway. What a good man. You feeling okay? It's a hard day today. Oh, mate, it's tough, but we'll do him proud tonight. And Ray's alongside me. He's getting ready for a big call tonight and a really lovely moment. There'll be a minute silence for our great mate David Morrow prior to kickoff. Good on you, Levy. We'll be listening with a special edition of Wide World of Sports, honouring the life of Dave Levy.

Thursday morrow. That's it from me here on Drive. Drive at 2GB.com if you want us to look into anything. If there's any stories you'd like us to investigate. Otherwise, make sure you put your feet up, rush home, put the telly on. It's on Channel 9 and 9 now. Or if you just want to put the radio on, Ray Hadley will be calling State of Origin 3 live from Suncorp Stadium. Bye-bye.