2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe – Full show July 12 01:51:25

On Sydney's 2GB, this is Drive with Chris O'Keefe. Good afternoon, Sydney, and thank God it's Friday, hey? And the weather is absolutely stunning this afternoon, and it's supposed to be sunny and dry for Saturday, Sunday too. What a treat. Now, this afternoon, I want to hear your experiences with Services Australia.

Because Bill Shorten has copped a lot in regards to the NDIS. But I reckon that Centrelink and Medicare wait times and the general service that you get at Centrelink and Medicare are just as bad as the NDIS, if not worse. And I want to hear your stories to prove it. Tell me them. 131873.

Now, do you think that we should be spending, the Australian taxpayer, half a billion dollars on our Olympians? Is that really a good investment? Or should we be stricter on the athletes that just go over and fail? As in, should they have to pay back taxpayer grants...

If they don't win a medal, what do you make of that one? I've also got $1,000 if you can guess the Olympian this afternoon, five $100 DDs Waterfront Group vouchers for your Sydney shout-outs a little later, a double-plop pass to bridge climb if you feel like climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and of course, $200 of free fuel. Right now, 18 degrees at Avalon and 18 at George's Hall.

Live, local and only on 2GB. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe. Now, we've had some confusion about the Albanese government's $300 power bill rebate. So I've done, as I said I would do, some research on this. So a whole bunch of you yesterday said you received text messages from Albanians

Energy Australia, which said the federal government has made changes to the $300 energy rebate. This is what the text message says. Federal government has made changes to the $300 energy rebate. It will now come into effect from the 31st of July. And there's a link in the text message. So at first I thought it was a scam, but we asked Energy Australia to

And Energy Australia said that they contacted customers to let them know of federal government changes to the timing of the $300 National Energy Bill relief. So federal government changes to the timing. And it got us thinking, right, well, when was this delayed? Since when was this delayed? Well, we've gotten to the bottom of it. So the $300 rebate is automatically applied to our bills in quarterly installments.

So in Queensland, because the energy retailers are owned by the government, they were able to pass this on quickly. So from July 8, Queensland households started to receive their $300 quarterly rebate.

For us here in New South Wales, the first $75 quarterly instalment of the $300 rebate will be applied at the latest by the 19th of August. So this is the information. You will get your money at the latest on your bill, don't have to do anything for it, by the 19th of August. Same if you're an eligible small business too. Now, in the Albanese government's defence, this is not a delay as such.

The promise was always from the 1st of July 2024, from the 1st of July. And likewise, if you've got a solar farm, if you've got heaps and heaps of panels on the roof of your home, the rebate will just gradually apply to your bills until that $300 runs out.

So if we get to the end of August and you still haven't got your money from your power bill, then we've got a problem. But until then, we can stand down. So expect it here in New South Wales at the very, very latest, the first $75 quarterly instalment of the rebate to hit your power bill by the 19th of August, 131873. Now, some news out of New South Wales Parliament.

The New South Wales Labor Government will hold its long-awaited drug summit at the end of the year. With Premier Minns confirming to the Sydney Morning Herald, the drug summit will be held over two days in regional New South Wales in October and in Sydney on the 4th of December and the 5th of December. Now, this is part of the Minns' election promise promise.

And he's choosing to do the drug summit, even though the coalition spent $11 million on an ICE inquiry, which has a raft of recommendations. Many of those recommendations have already been adopted by Chris Minns and his crowd. Well, the Sydney Morning Herald state political editor, Alexandra Smith, she broke this story and she's on the line for us. Alexandra, g'day.

Hello, Chris. So I know that there's been a little bit of, how can I say, procrastination within the men's government about setting these dates. Why has it taken so long?

Well, I think part of the problem is it's going to be very tricky for Labor to hold this inquiry. Internally, there's going to be a lot of friction. We saw that with the former coalition government when they got the recommendations from the ICE inquiry. But as we know in Labor, there are some very divided opinions on how drug reform should be tackled. And he has some very prominent opinions.

Labor people who are now ministers in the Minns government, such as the Housing Minister Rose Jackson, the Transport Minister Jo Halen, who have always led a very big charge within Labor to decriminalise drugs. That has been their long-held position. Of course, you've got some others within the party, including the Premier Chris Minns, who is much

more conservative on these sort of issues and it would not be a comfortable position for somebody like Chris Nins, I would imagine, to consider decriminalising drugs or even pill testing at music festivals. So I think although they made the election promise, it was a long time coming because it's going to be difficult for them. It really is. And it's going to cause some pretty big fights internally. When you say... I suppose, does this come to a head at state conference? Yes.

Well, the big problem they've faced is that they've got their state conference, as you say, late in July, later this month. And it's a really big issue for the party, not least because it was an election promise and the members of the party want to make sure their leaders stick to election promises. But it's a very big social issue for Labor. And if Chris Mintz had gone to that conference and faced all those members, he would have really been monstered if he hadn't actually at least committed to a date for

um for this summit so it's kind of interesting i think you know he had to move pretty quickly and get a date set to sort of save himself from being mauled on conference floor um but also he had to do it because it was an election commitment and part of the reason they did it as an election commitment was so they didn't have to finalize or formalize a position on drugs before the election you know and i know that bob carr did this all the way back in 1999 that

effectively led to the establishment of the Supervised Injecting Centre at King's Cross. That was controversial. Are we expecting anything like that to come of this one?

Well, I think part of the problem the government faces is they're probably, you know, Minns probably is quite worried about what this inquiry is going to suggest. And given that we saw in the ICE inquiry, the recommendation was to decriminalise drugs, to do pill testing at music festivals. You know, I can't imagine this summit will find anything other than those sort of recommendations. So it kind of kicks it into the long grass, I guess, a little bit for the Minns government, because then they have to deal with those recommendations down the line.

maybe they don't do it before, you know, on this side of the next election. Because like, you know, the injecting room is going to be controversial. Of course. And they could just ignore it. Like you expect them, but they will. Alex Smith, I appreciate your time as always. Thanks so much. Thanks, Chris. That's the Sydney Morning Herald state political editor, Alex Smith. So just repeating, the men's government's drug summit.

will be held in Sydney December 4, December 5, and two days in regional New South Wales in October. Bit back to the future, isn't it? Bob Carr did it in 99. What's this one going to throw up? Now, I heard someone raise this the other day. What do you reckon? 131873. If we, the Australian taxpayer, gives money to Olympic athletes...

To go overseas and compete, and say if those Olympic athletes aren't as successful as we probably expect them to be, should they have to repay the money? So what is the minimum requirement of a return on investment for the Australian taxpayer when it comes to spending money on Olympic athletes? What do you think it is? Is it a medal?

Because if it's a medal, right now we spend $16 million for every medal that we win at the Olympics. That's based off Rio figures. So right now we spend $16 million for each and every medal, regardless of colour, that we win at the Olympics. That's a lot of money, isn't it?

Each year, the Australian Institute of Sport hands about $150 million Australian dollars directly to sports and athletes for high-performance purposes. Across the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, as well as Paralympians, more money is then spent by the Australian Institute of Sport itself, including on its own staffing and site costs. But that's not enough. So the Albanese government's upping the ante. Albo...

And Labor government, they are spending a record $489 million on elite sport. So close to half a billion dollars. Half a billion. Do you think that's overkill? 131873. And what is the requirement from our athletes, from our Olympians, from these sporting organisations? What do they have to achieve if they are receiving this kind of money from us?

But the thing is, the more money you spend, the more medals you win, it seems. So in Sydney 2000, we won 58 medals, 16 gold, 25 silver, 17 bronze. It left us fourth on the medal table. We were fourth again in Athens. Then we stopped spending as much money. And by 2016, we finished 10th at Rio.

So the argument will be the half a billion we spend on sport is for both medals and for national unity and cohesion through the Olympic process. Look, I agree with that. But just remember, we are sending 460 athletes to Paris that will represent Australia in 33 sports. Almost all of them will come home empty handed.

So should it be a hex style system? This was raised with me the other day. Should it be a hex style system where unless an athlete wins a medal or reaches a predetermined result that's been set for them before they go overseas, they then have to pay the taxpayer back the money that was handed over? Look, I don't know if I necessarily agree with this or not, but what do you think of it?

131873, do you think that $16 million for every medal that we win at the Olympics is way too much? Are we getting a good return on investment for this kind of money? You tell me. 131873.

It's 22 minutes past three and that's the open line number. You can have your say. You can also have your say for less with Amazim. Don't pay too much for your mobile plan. Break free from your expensive telco and escape to better value with the escape plan by Amazim 131873. Now we are talking about the Olympics and speaking of, I've got a thousand bucks to give away this afternoon. Your first clue.

This dual Olympians footballing journey started in East Fremantle in Perth with an oval-shaped ball, not a round one. So this dual Olympians footballing journey started in East Fremantle, Perth with an oval-shaped ball, not a round one. You've got one more clue coming up a little after four o'clock. Then the cue to call just before the 5.30 news starts.

And that's when you've got to give us a call and ring. If you know the Olympian, you win $1,000. Now, just speaking about, there was a lady who raised it with me. She said, oh, we spend too much money on the Olympics. And look, it was food for thought. I don't necessarily agree with it. I think it's a little bit scroogey if you ask me. But half a billion dollars being spent regardless on Olympics.

our Olympic athletes, $16 million a medal. When you break it down like that, you sort of take a step back and go, wow, it costs a lot of money. Justin's at Liverpool. Hello, Justin.

G'day, Chris. You briefly touched on it. When you get to a professional level or semi-professional in some athletes like the Olympics, there's a lot of benefit from it, as you briefly touched on, being the unity with other nations, the diplomacy we get from us sending out a team and showing up really helps international relations. And, of course, there's...

There's a lot of other benefits that are impossible to monetize but provide a lot of benefits to society, such as keeping kids fit, getting them healthy, following an active lifestyle, the networks they create through sport, the lessons they learn, especially from team sports, et cetera. Now, my issue here...

In terms of a return on investment from metals, I don't really care about that. So a help stall system I don't think would work. My issue here is the time that this is happening. Half a billion dollars now when we know, we hear so much how everyday families are struggling with the cost of living. Homelessness has never been higher. You would think if there was anybody that would understand what everyday working families are going through, it's the men in the big office that grew up in a public housing system under us.

under a roof of a single mother and who campaigned on easing costs of living, I think it's a bit rich that he's the man that's ticked off on the decision to spend a record amount of money sending out athletes on the Olympics. I think it's just horses for courses and there's a time and place to spend this type of money. Good on you, Justin. Well said. Thank you for your call, 131873. I'm going to go to Bruce in Tasmania. And Bruce has called in. Bruce.

is an Olympian himself. Hello, Bruce. G'day. How you doing, all right? Yeah, excellent. Thanks for calling in. So what did you compete in, Bruce? Shooting. Nice. What do you make of all this? Well, let's not mix politics and sport for a start. Politics and sport should never be mixed. People

People go to the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games under an enormous pressure to train and to compete. If you hang over their heads or if you don't get to a certain level, you might have to pay the money back. It just would cripple the sport. Right.

Without sport and art and culture, what are we? We always look forward to our Olympic team competing. We're going to be... I'm going to be sitting up watching them all compete. As you are, I'm sure. The Olympics is a great event. We've got the 2032 Olympics coming to Brisbane, don't forget. And we need to start now and make our team solid and influential.

improve on that and build on that through to 2032 so we can make 2032 our best ever games. And cutting funding and talking about people paying back funding just isn't going to work. Did you find yourself, Bruce, when you were competing, that the sports that were funded well were successful, the sports that weren't, weren't as successful?

In general terms, but there's always an exception. There's always somebody that comes up on an old bike that they got from the shed. There's plenty of shooters who've done it hard and bought their own equipment and trained and been unemployed so that they could make the Olympic team, make no mistake. Yeah.

Yeah, our famous sports people, our athletes and our swimmers do extremely well and they attract the funding and the sponsorship. Good on them. But you certainly wouldn't look at making them pay it back under some kind of hex arrangement. Do you think, Bruce, if you're taking a step back, you know, people are on the bones of their backside, they're not athletes, they're just workers, they're regular people, and they see that the government's spending half a billion dollars...

on Olympians of taxpayer money. Do you understand that some people would probably... That would leave a sour taste in some people's mouths.

Honestly, I don't think so because the Olympic Games is such a special thing. To have Australians win Olympic medals is just such a special thing. I mean, who knows what the economy was doing when Dawn Fraser was winning Olympic medals. Nobody cares. What they care about is we've got such a famous person who set so many records and won three gold medals on the trot. Well said, Bruce. Really appreciate your call. Thank you so much. Have a good weekend.

Adam Zabrara. G'day, Adam. G'day, Chris. What do you think? Mate, I think... Look, I'm a lover of sport. I'll be watching the Olympics keenly. But I think there should be a hex-type system to support the ongoing... ..or to give ongoing support to the training of new athletes. So they can go in there, we're supporting them, they're training, they're trying to get there. If they get there and they're successful, and as such they earn decent money...

I think there should be some kind of system for them to contribute to the next generation via, say, a HECS system. Example, not just in the Olympics. There's tennis players out there who, anecdotally, I don't know if it's right, who have gone on to make big, big money and now live in tax havens. So they're avoiding paying tax. I just think for them to contribute to the country that supported them would be worthwhile. Adam, look...

I can't argue with it, but I just don't think many Olympians, even if they are successful and win gold medals, some of them don't make much money at all when they end up in further employment. But I do take your point, Adam. Sharon's at Jarvis Bay, and Sharon's got a pretty good idea here. Hello, Sharon. Hi, Chris. How are you? I'm good, thank you.

Yep, thanks for taking the call. I think what we've forgotten here is a lot of the parents have had to pay for many, many years to get their children to an elite area, level, and a lot of them worked hard, taxpayers, a lot of them sold homes and moved in order for their children to excel to represent our country. So I think if they are now asked to pay back that money because they didn't walk away with a medal,

I think the Prime Minister should pay back their full salary and their benefit costs. They don't to fill their election promises. Yeah, well, yeah, it should be a hex system for every lie they tell. Absolutely. Good on you, Sharon. Absolutely. That's a good idea. I don't think that would go down all that well in Canberra somehow. Sharon, you have a good weekend.

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.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryant, G'day. Good afternoon, Chris. A Russian-born Australian couple has been charged with espionage offences, accused of working together to try to share sensitive information. Police are warning about hoax phone calls with scammers claiming to be from the Rocks Police, telling people they've been caught in a scam in order to try to trick them into handing over personal information. It's understood police in the Philippines are looking for a man in a

mask and hoodie who is seen on hotel security footage as they investigate the death of a Sydney man and his partner at a hotel. And parts of New South Wales could see snow for the first time in two years as a winter cold snap hits parts of Eton, Australia in the coming days. Minimum temperatures in Sydney's west expected to drop to about five degrees. In sport, the Raiders have signed English international Maddy Nicholson on a three-year deal from next season. We'll have more news in sport at four.

Thanks, Josh. Coming up, I'm going to go to the Sutherland Shire because if you live in and around Cronulla, you'll have noticed that the North Cronulla Surf Lifesaving Club, right opposite Northies there, or just up from Northies, opposite the beach, it's just been sitting there like a bit of an empty shell, a building site. Work has stopped on the North Cronulla Surf Lifesaving Club and there is a sorry saga that is attached to it. I'll explain next.

It's 25 minutes to four. Now, at what point is it unfair to ask a council or a government to bail out a project that's just gone bust or a project that is turning pear-shaped financially, whether it's a block of units or a refurbishment? Should it be on the taxpayer or the ratepayer to bail it out?

Well, in some circumstances, maybe, because this is what's happening at North Cronulla Surf Club. So this is right on the beachfront there at North Cronulla, right opposite North East. And the refurbishment, without question, has been an embarrassment. An embarrassment, a shameful, shameful process.

So you had construction on a new two-storey extension at North Cronulla Surf Club with an upstairs bar restaurant and downstairs chaos. Now, this began all the way back in February of 2022, two and a half years ago. And it's been ongoing at snail's pace. It was supposed to be all done and dusted in 12 months. It was then pushed back until March 2024 and work has been suspended indefinitely. Nothing is happening at all.

Now, North Cronulla Surf Club got taxpayer grants to do this work. That money's now been torched. And Sutherland Shire Council, well, they'll have to bail the surf club out if they want to finish the job. And guess how much it's going to cost the ratepayers of the Sutherland Shire to fix this mess? $8 million. Well, Sutherland Shire Mayor Carmelo Pesci is on the line for us. Mayor, thanks for your time.

But, Chris, where are you? I'm not too bad. Look, I don't know whether I'm blaming the surf club operators, the surf club management, the builder. Regardless, if I'm a ratepayer in the Shire, I'm scratching my head saying, really?

Yeah, it is a shame the way it's turned out. Unfortunately, the Surf Club had particular ideas to upgrade their facility. They appointed a builder. They applied for federal grants, and at the time it was Scott Morrison that was able to give them. Mark Speedman gave some money from the state government. They went and borrowed money and council guaranteed a loan for the Surf Club of $5.3 million.

They appointed a builder. At the time, the builder's a good builder. The builder now has gone broke, and liquidators have been appointed last week. This started probably at the beginning of the year when the builder stopped paying contractors. Contractors then walked off the job, and hence why the work stopped. They're at a point now where...

The builder was at a fixed price. Things have changed obviously through COVID and a lot of prices have gone up and to finish the project, it's gonna cost a lot, lot more than what was put aside. And the club has now approached council. I've had a number of meetings with the executive and a paper will come up on Monday

two councillors to decide what we need to do. Look, it's a significant building, as you said. It's right in the middle of Cronulla. It's on the beachfront. The longer we leave it, that building's going to deteriorate with the elements of the sea. So something needs to be done. We can't stay like that. But...

It can't stay that way. But we also need to make sure that the rate payer across the Shire doesn't miss out as well because there's obviously projects that we put in line. So the club needs to sit down and we've got to look at it on Monday night. But interest will need to be paid to be charged as well. So then...

That money doesn't miss out on other projects throughout the show. So would it be your understanding that, say, North Cronulla Surf Club, I'm assuming it's on a sort of a peppercorn lease from council, is that correct? It is. Okay, so it's on the peppercorn lease, then will it be something of the situation so ratepayers can actually recoup some of the money that you're handing over? So...

If they make, I don't know, $800,000 a year from whatever when they open it, that money then goes back into the council coffers rather than sitting in the surf club's coffers because whichever way you cut it, Mayor, the management of the surf club, clearly they've got this wrong.

So you're 100%, the rate payer of the Shire can't miss out and can't be funding this. So everything you just said is correct and the conditions of council going in and taking over the project where any income that comes out of the, any revenue income that comes out of the leasers will need to go out and pay this loan first before they receive any money back.

Management, are you going to ask for a change in management or are you a little bit sympathetic to them because it was just one of those things? No.

I think it's one of those things where at the time they appointed a builder, the builder has gone in liquidation. They had a fixed price. Builders are going, in this day and age at the moment, builders are going broke everywhere at the moment. So you can't really totally blame the management. They never saw this happening. The person I blame is the builder that wouldn't pay their contractors. And now we are in a situation where we are.

$8 million, it's not like you're the ANZ Bank or NAB or anything. It's the Sutherland Shire Council. Where do you find that kind of money?

Well, it's actually a bit more. It's actually, you know, when you finish it all up with the interest and everything, it's around $9 million. The money has been put aside for other projects that we've earmarked to do, other parks, other projects. They might have to take a step back, a back burner. We need to assess that. And obviously, as we said, this is a priority because...

I think the longer we leave it, the elements of the sea and the weather will deteriorate that building and will cost a lot, lot more if we don't do something now. All right, Mayor. It's an unenviable position, but it feels like this is the only way forward. I appreciate you jumping on.

Thank you, Chris. That's Carmelo Pesci, the mayor of the Sutherland Shire Council. If you live in and around that area, have you noticed what's happened at North Cronulla Surf Club? And the construction company is Lay, L-A-H-E-Y. And you heard from the mayor there, Lay Constructions has gone broke. Now, Lay Constructions, here's something interesting if you follow the NRL. It's part of Parkview Group. Now, Parkview...

is the same builder that is building the final stage of the Woollooway Bay Town Centre. Now, the Woollooway Bay Town Centre is part of the Shark Park development. So I wonder if Parkview is, you know, somehow insulated for what's occurring with lay constructions. And I wonder if the Sharkies will ever get their leagues club and ground finished off because talk about an eyesore. 131873, 18 to 4.

It's 14 minutes to four. You might have heard this story in the news with Josh Bryant, but you've got two Russian-born Australian citizens that have now been charged with espionage offences. And the allegation is they obtained and then tried to share sensitive national security information with Moscow. So they're married, these two. Australian Army Private Kira Korolev, 40 years old,

and self-employed labourer Igor Korolev, 62 years old. Now, this was out of Queensland. They were charged in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today with one count each of preparing to commit an espionage offence. So Igor Korolev was wearing his green jumper and suit, the prison greens, and was barefoot when he popped up in court today.

And he consulted an interpreter over the phone with a Legal Aid Queensland lawyer. So he mustn't speak much English, Igor Korolev. And the AFP sought and was granted a suppression order of five names associated with the investigation.

including an investigation into his wife, Kira Korolov's earlier court hearing. So there's obviously a whole bunch of other people that have been named in court proceedings, yet the AFP have been granted suppression orders on those identities. So they're alleging they held Russian passports and they worked together to obtain sensitive information from the Australian Defence Forces computer network.

And the woman secretly then travelled to Russia while on long-term leave from the Defence Force, instructing her husband from there to access sensitive material by using her official Defence Force account. And that information was allegedly sent by her husband to her private email account while she was in Russia. So the AFP commissioner says alleged criminality has been disrupted...

And no significant compromise has been identified. So whether they had top secret information, you probably doubt that. But nonetheless, the two Russian-born Australian citizens in Queensland charged with espionage offences. The inside word on everything Sydney. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB.

Now, we're all looking forward to the Metro Rail line. It cost us $21.6 billion. We better be looking forward to it. And it's opening on the 4th of August, and it's at a very critical phase of testing. Yet Matt O'Sullivan in the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the Fire Brigade Employees Union has said that its members will not take part in critical safety drills and other exercises...

because, and all activities involving Sydney Metro, because of an escalating pay dispute between the fireys and the men's government. So they're going to put the opening date now in jeopardy.

Come on, guys. You can have your blue overpaying conditions, but don't put this off. It's cost us $21.6 billion. Sir Leighton Drury, the union state secretary, has said there is an unacceptable community risk on Sydney Metro rail lines if an arrangement for an equivalent capability to specialist rail fire and emergency unit was not extended.

to the privately operated railways. So, you know, make of it what you will. It feels like Leighton Drury and the Firefighters Union is just playing silly buggers because they can. Sometimes the unions just do that, right? 131873. Now, I love this story. Scott's College in Bellevue Hill. Fancy, fancy school, Scott's College.

They're building a library, right? And it's a Scottish baronial castle. They're building a Scottish baronial castle as their library. They're spending $80 million on it, right? $80 million on it. And there are some parents who are calling it the cut price Hogwarts.

And six years after the Scots College first lodged plans for the Scottish Boronial Castle, that is a library, they still don't know when it's going to open. Six years later. Dear, oh dear. So it was meant to open in 2021. Then COVID happened. It started raining and he needed to, the headmaster, to build the library and

They insisted on acquiring special sandstone slates from Scotland. So they had to import some of the building material from Scotland. Anyway, then they said, well, don't worry about it. It'll be open in 2023. It didn't. And now it's July 2024 and still no opening date to the $80 million Scottish baronial castle that is the library for the boys at Scott's.

Anyway, it's three times what was first budgeted for, and I tell you what, you'd hope the books are good. You'd hope it's well-stocked for 80 million bucks. Talk about a vanity project. Dear, oh dear. Now, I wouldn't normally praise a Queenslander during an Origin series, but Alfie Langer, you've got to love Alfie, don't you? And Alfie went down and watched Tina, because Tina's in Brisbane at the moment, and the musical Tina Turner.

And last night, Alfie Langer, he got up on stage at the Tina Turner musical and he joined the cast of the show in the encore and Alfie sang on stage in front of everybody, Simply The Best. Go Alfie.

If you've heard him after a few Forexers, he loves his karaoke, parties all night, Alfie Langer. And of course, he was in the iconic 1990 Simply the Best ad campaign, Alfie.

Being his little larrikin self. And Tina Turner herself presented Alfie with the Winfield Cup when the Broncos won the 1993 Grand Final. We won't say who they beat because they wore a big red V that day. Incredible moments, but Alfie got to relive a bit of the 1993 Grand Final and, of course, one of the best ad campaigns rugby league's ever seen. MUSIC

Jim says on the text line, I'd hazard a guess that Alfie was pissed. Well, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, you'd have to be, wouldn't you? You'd be that nervous standing there doing a Tina Turner musical.

Because the lady at the front there is amazingly talented. If you didn't go and see Tina the Musical, go and check it out when it comes back into Sydney or head to Brisbane and go and see it. It's worth it. It's worth a trip to Queensland just to go and see Tina the Musical. And for Alfie, you need a few on board to get a bit of Dutch courage. I reckon 131873. Now, the former executive chairman of Rex Airlines, Lim Kim Hai, now he signalled he wants his old job back.

And there are moves to dump four of the directors who voted him out of the role last month. So Mr Lim remains on the board of Rex. He holds a stake of more than 5% in the airline, and he's called a general meeting of shareholders to vote on a series of resolutions. This story's in The Australian. And there is a chance that the former federal minister and current chair of Rex, John Sharp, may well get fired.

as a result of some of the boardroom bloodletting that's occurring at Rex. They're doing a pretty good job, Rex, but they haven't quite cracked it, have they?

And the boardroom moves certainly will not ensure that they can properly compete against your virgins and your quantuses. 131873. Four o'clock news is coming up very shortly with Josh Bryant. On the other side of that, we're going to talk about Services Australia. How long has it taken for you to get a hold of Centrelink, to get a hold of Medicare? Because Bill Shorten, I reckon, has a lot of answering to do.

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 four. Thank you for your company on this Friday afternoon. 131873 is that open line number. You can text me 0460873873 or the email address is drive.com.

at 2GB.com. Now, coming up, I've still got $1,000 to give away in Guess the Olympian. And if you want to go on a bridge climb, if you've always wanted to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I've got a bit of trivia that you need to answer coming up shortly. If you get it correct, there's a double pass coming your way. I've got...

Heaps of vouchers to give away and Sydney's best shout-outs. All that and more. We've got plenty happening this Friday afternoon. The breaking news you can trust. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB. Now, is it just me or has Bill Shorten broken Services Australia? Because right across the board, things have gotten markedly worse for Australians when it comes to accessing government services online.

under this Labor government. Now, please, I need to hear your stories on this 131873. What has it been like for you to deal with Services Australia? Because once again, we asked for Mr Shorten to join us on the program to explain things. He was unavailable. He's promised to come on at some point next week, maybe. But I think, you know what, let's discuss this now, because there are lots and lots of examples about how bad things have become. And here's a few of them.

So it now takes 400% longer for prescription shopping claims to be processed by Services Australia under the Albanese Labor Government than it did under the Coalition.

For aged care claims, 345% longer for people to claim things through the aged care providers or the aged care services at Services Australia. Medicare eligibility claims are taking 242% longer. And PBS patient refunds, so your medications, those claims are now taking 215% longer.

This is under-shortened compared to under-Morrison. Now, struggling families are missing out on vital payments too to help with the cost of living crisis. So new figures have revealed that Services Australia is sitting on more than 232,000 claims that are yet to be processed after more than 90 days. So there are 232,000 claims just sitting there

Yet to be processed and they've been sitting there for more than 90 days. Surely that's not good enough. Especially for a government run by a party that supposedly reckons its service delivery is superior to the other lot. Now who would have thought that a Liberal government is more efficient on this front? Now we've been inundated with calls from listeners who've been kept on hold or hung up.

By Centrelink. Have you been hung up on by Centrelink? Because here are some stats. Almost 601,000 Australians who tried calling Centrelink between the 1st of January and the 1st of May this year were kept on hold for longer than an hour. 601,000 Australians sitting there trying to call Centrelink and they're sitting there for more than an hour.

And the blowouts are right across the board. The disability line, it took 20 minutes to get a hold of someone in 2021. Now it takes 47 minutes. Employment services, hey, I need a job. 24 minutes it used to take. Now it's up to 50 minutes. Families and parenting, if you're trying to get parental leave or maternity leave or whatever it is.

Now it takes close to an hour. It used to take closer to 20 minutes. Aged care help. If you're trying to navigate the craziness of ACAT and RADs and DAPs and everything else that goes along with nursing homes, 21 minutes it used to take to get a hold of someone. Now, 47 minutes. How is this acceptable?

How is it acceptable? In the same period from January 1 to the 1st of May, over 1.1 million Australians were hung up on before they were able to even speak to a human. Now, not only is that rude, that is 1.1 million Australians who need government support and need to deal with government that were just hung up on.

But look, Bill Shorten's a good bloke. I quite like him, but he's not fixing the NDIS and he's making Services Australia worse. Now, I don't usually bring up the off-air on off-air, but we sent some listener queries to Bill Shorten's office, right? A couple of weeks ago. And we asked Bill Shorten to, please, these Centrelink problems are bad. Can you help them? Well, they haven't even acknowledged our multiple requests for help. None of the listeners, none of the things that you sent me...

Nobody has been contacted by the minister's office or anyone within Centrelink. It is unacceptable. And I know Hank Jongen comes in and, you know, wants to take everybody's questions, just ask Hank and all the rest of it. Well, he's running an appalling organisation and he can do as much public relations as he want, especially on this radio station if he wants to, fine, but these numbers show that Hank is failing. Bill is failing.

Anyway, it's not just our listeners. Go and have a look at the Services Australia Facebook page. It is a bloodbath. Just a few comments. Erin, hello Services Australia. Every time I try to call through, the waiting music stops at 30 minutes. I've now been on the phone for an hour and 20. I'm hoping I'm still in the queue. This happened yesterday as well. Kerry, I was put on hold for the third time in two hours. Still waiting for them to sort out my exemption because...

He's working and has a traineeship. How hard is that? Adrian, does anyone actually work in the call centre? I've literally never been able to get through any time that I've tried in the past 18 months. This is so bad. So bad. Services Australia has to be fixed. And Hank, Minister Shorten, please do something about it.

Opinions that matter. News you can trust. This is Drive on Sydney's 2GB. Well, I'll tell you who I think could know a fair bit about this. I've got Charmaine Crowe. She's the Program Director at ACOS, the Social Security Council. And I reckon there'd be complaints coming left, right and centre. Charmaine, thank you for your time. Yeah, no worries, Chris. Are you getting this feedback too?

Oh, look, everybody is receiving this feedback. You know, it's hard to not know anyone who is being completely frustrated by the wait times at Centrelink. Of course, it's, you know, extremely frustrating for people who can't get through on the phone or who are waiting for a payment claim to come through. And that's at best. I mean, at worst, for people in that position,

They're going hungry. They're unable to meet their rental payments. And they're extremely stressed. I mean, generally, when people contact Spence Link to access social security, it is at a time of crisis. You know, there could be an illness or a relationship breakdown or a job loss.

And you need to get payments quickly. Where that is not happening, people end up in a crisis situation rapidly and their lives can really fall apart as a result. So that's why it's so important for the government to reduce these claim times and the call waiting times because it's

It's frankly not good enough and we should expect better from this kind of service. Some of these numbers, Charmaine, you're talking 1.1 million Australians just hung up on, can't speak to a human being. The stress that puts people under.

Absolutely. I mean, often people are trying to get through to SendLink. We can only really call during business hours. They might be at work themselves. That makes it really hard. I mean, from January to May this year, there are actually 4.7 million congestion messages, whereas a little over 3 million calls were answered.

So there were actually more congestion messages than what there were people getting through. I mean, look, I have to say the government has employed 3,000 extra permanent staff at the beginning of this year. It obviously takes time for those members of staff to be trained. But six months, Charmaine. And I've had Bill, the minister on the program, before asking this and he said, oh, it takes time. But, you know, it's almost August now.

Look, I hear you. And as I say, there's still a lot of work that the government needs to do to get these wait times down. You know, the fact of the matter is, is that over many years, over many governments, we have seen a lack of investment in Services Australia or the Department of Human Services, as it was called.

Staff have been cut in an effort to make budget savings. And this is the result. You have people waiting for months and months for claims, or you have people waiting for hours and hours on end, unable to get through. I think politicians have to understand that this is an essential service.

I've got a look at James. He says,

Cassie says... Yeah. And it's just... It's very bad. The other thing to note is that often people need to call the agency to update their details so that they don't get a debt.

If you can't get through when you're trying to update your details, you're trying to do the right thing, then you may end up with a social security debt. Now, no one wants that.

And it really emphasises the need for the government to get onto this quickly. By all means, make the online processing as efficient as possible. There are a lot of people who can just deal with their issues online. But stuff's complicated. Sometimes you want to talk to people. It is. That's right. You have to have humans who are ready to answer the phone when you call them. Otherwise, the system just won't work.

Charmaine, I really appreciate you coming on. Let's stay on this one because, you know, we need to get it fixed. It's just 1.1 million Australians can't even pick up the phone because they get hung up on. That's clearly not good enough. And as you say, this is money that people are banking on, they're entitled to, and they can't even get a hold of somebody to access. It's often in their case is their money if there's subsidies and rebates. Charmaine, thank you so much. Have a good weekend.

You too. Thanks. That's Charmaine Crowe from ACOS 131873. Tell me your stories. How long have you waited online, on the phone at Services Australia? Medicare, Centrelink, how long has it been since you've been trying to get a Centrelink payment through? Or your pension? Whatever it may be, give us a call. Share your story. Because if we make a little bit of noise, maybe we can get somewhere here.

Now, and Hank Jongen, honestly, I see him when he walks into the 2GB studios on occasion because I know he does other programs and he takes phone calls and all the rest of it. But I sometimes wonder if it's a bit more style than substance from Hank because clearly under his watch, things ain't getting better. 19 past four.

Open line 131873. You can have your say for less too with Amazim. Don't pay too much for your mobile plan. Break free. View more expensive telco and escape to better value with the escape plan by Amazim. Now it's 23 past four and June's called in. June's on the M4. June, what are you seeing? Red traffic, red car lights. Oh, no. I'm averaging between 0 to 10 k's an hour. From where to where, June?

Well, it started before the light house interchange. I'm not quite sure where I'm at now. Probably close to Eastern Creek, heading towards Sydney. All right, June, just be patient. That's a long, long trip. Good luck. Good luck. Good luck. Stay patient. You'll get there. 131873.

Set. Yes, the Olympian. All right, the second clue for $1,000. Her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 was the scene of her first Olympic goal.

scored against Germany in the group stage. Her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 was the scene of her first Olympic goal scored against Germany in the group stage. I'll give you the cue to call after the five o'clock news, but you've had two clues now, so write them down. Go and figure out who it is and the cue to call for $1,000 coming up shortly.

Theo's called in from Marrickville. Theo, you want to talk about Services Australia, be it Medicare, Centrelink. What's your problem been?

Yeah, I've experienced, good day Chris, yeah I've experienced an issue with, similar issue with Medicare where I've rang up just to chase up a payment rebate so that didn't end up in their account and just after going through the prompts and waiting they just said, oh thank you for bringing Medicare and they just hang up out of the blue.

Did you get on to them eventually, Theo? Eventually, yeah. Luckily, I don't really have to deal much at all with Centrelink and, you know, Medicare much. But, you know, I'm thinking about all the other people out there that do, you know, on a daily basis. Well, Theo, you're one of the 1.1 million Australians who have been hung up on by Services Australia, so you can add yourself to the list. Theo, have a good weekend. 131873. Chris is in Mount Druitt. G'day, Chris.

Yeah, Chris, how are you? I'm good, thank you, Chris. Well, I applied for my loan in June and they said you'd be on the phone in less than 10 minutes and after 10 minutes it turned to be two hours and 30 minutes and after I applied for my loan and after that they were very nasty and very rude to me and just hung up on me. I said, I told them I'm reporting them to the Parliament of NP. Chris, did you get anywhere with them or not?

Yeah, I've actually got on to them and I told them I'm not putting up with them being really nasty and rude like that. Yep. And I don't need to put up with that. Well, that's good for you, Chris. I'm glad you reported it. I just hope you had a decent outcome on whatever the problem is that you were trying to solve. Chris, have a good weekend. John's at Alambie Heights. Hello, John.

Hello, Chris. Enjoy your program. No, I've had no problems. We're only 15 minutes from Maringamore and they have a service centre there and any time I need, I don't worry about the phone, I just drive down there and I walk into the reception and say, ask me what it's about, I'll have a seat. And the longest I've had to wait is 10 minutes and they're fantastic, courteous, and so I can't understand what all the fuss is about. I just drive down to Maringamore

Just go in and get fixed up in two, three minutes, go and have a cappuccino and come home. So I can only speak highly of them from my point of view. Face-to-face is the winner. Hey, John. And Ron says the same. He says, I went to a Centrelink office at St Mary's this week. I'm 85 years old. Service was quick, precise, friendly. Much better than ringing you face-to-face. And I was back home in...

30 minutes. So, John, that's seemingly the same experience you had. John's just hung up on me, unfortunately. I was about to give him the free tickets to the night at the barracks. We'll give it to him anyway. Double pass to the night at the barracks. So it's the Australian Rock Collective. It's not bad. Featuring members of Powderfinger, UMI and Spiderbait.

And they're performing hits from the Beatles, ACDC, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Easy Beats, a whole lot more too. So Night at the Barracks. It's at Manly's North Head Sanctuary, Sunday the 22nd of September. If you want to go, nightatthebarracks.com.au. A couple more texts here, 0460873873. This is a shocker from Lillian.

My mother died recently and I called Centrelink to find out how to cancel her Medicare, her pension, et cetera, and other accounts. I was hung up on after being on hold the first time for 53 minutes. I finally got through the second time after being on hold for two hours and 16 minutes. Lillian, you have far more patience than I do. So you're sitting there for an hour and then you're hung up on and then you're sitting there on hold for

Two hours and 16 minutes, Lily, and I hope at least the person who picked up... I know it's not their fault, right? The people who are picking the phones up at Centrelink or Services Australia or whatever it is, Medicare. But I hope they said, hey, listen, I've noted how long you've been waiting and...

I'm sorry about that. I just hope there was some contrition from the people who are on the other end of the phone because my blood would be boiling at that point. Let's check the news headlines. MUSIC

In the newsroom, Josh Bryan. G'day. Good afternoon again, Chris. Police are promising a thorough investigation into why it took 19 hours for officers to check in on a man in Sydney's south-west after a neighbour rang concerned for his welfare. The 85-year-old man was found unresponsive and died. A doctor has been charged with sexually abusing two patients in Sydney's south. The 45-year-old is accused of indecently assaulting one woman and sexually assaulting another.

The Premier is knocking back calls for the shortening of the daylight saving period, saying the current format helps promote a healthy lifestyle. And an Australian snake has broken a world record. Cyclone, the coastal taipan who lives at the reptile park, extracted enough venom to kill 400 people. In sport, Australian golfers Minwoo Lee and Adam Scott have had positive stars to the Scottish Golf Open, both finishing the first round at three under par. We'll have more news in sport at five.

Good on you, Josh. Now, I just got a text here after June's call about the traffic on the M4. She said she was at the Lighthorse Interchange and it was going between zero and 10 kilometres an hour. And that's due to a crash near the twin servos. So only one lane is open city-bound at the moment on the M4. So you will get through eventually, but there is a pretty nasty crash near the twin servos on the M4. And this has just been handed to me too. So Picton Road is closed now.

at Cataract. Picton Road is closed at Cataract and it's closed in both directions due to a truck crash between Mount Kira and the M1, Princess Motorway. So you are being advised, avoid the area. Eastbound traffic already on Picton Road is being diverted to Mount Kira Road. Westbound traffic is being turned around at the crash site itself.

Traffic very, very heavy. Allow plenty of extra travel time. So just repeating, Picton Road closed in both directions at Cataract due to a truck crash between Mount Kira Road and the M1. Well, Joe Biden, does the president need any more proof, a little bit of self-awareness that he just can't go on?

Now, if you missed the latest gaffe, could be his worst. Could be his worst. So, President Biden, he's hosting the NATO summit there in Washington, D.C. All the bigwigs are there, all the big power players from the NATO countries and their allies. So...

He stands up, President Biden, and he goes to introduce Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin. President Putin. He's going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I'm so focused on beating Putin, we've got to worry about it. Anyway. I'm getting secondhand embarrassment on Mr Biden's behalf. It's a shocker.

I played this to Vonnie this morning. I was like, oh, have you heard Biden's latest misstep? And I played it and Vonnie just sort of went over into the fetal position and put her hands on her ears. It's that uncomfortable, isn't it?

So there was that gaffe. It's a shocker calling Vladimir Zelensky President Putin. And then there's this one in a press conference, seemingly mixing up Vice President Harris with his nemesis, Donald Trump. What concerns do you have about Vice President Harris's ability to beat Donald Trump if she were at the top of the ticket? Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president. I think she's not qualified to be president. So let's start there.

Number one, the fact is that the consideration is that I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once.

And I will beat him again. Look, Donald Trump, he took to social media, he mocked Mr Biden pretty quickly and he said this, Crooked Joe begins his big boy press conference with, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be Vice President, though I think she was not qualified to be President. And then Trump goes on to say, Great job, Joe. Facetiously, I think it's safe to say. Political scientist Simon Jackman from the University of Sydney is on the line for us.

Simon, it's hard to stomach, isn't it? Oh, it's tough. I've met Joe Biden twice. He was in Australia in 2016. And let's just say the last eight years have not been kind to him. You've got the human part of this as well. Of course. Because, you know, I've met the bloke. But then you've also got sort of just understanding what this means for...

Well, the United States, and as you said in the tea up there, the putative leader of the free world is what we're talking about here. And the thing here, I suppose, effectively, the Putin one's a bad one, but the second one, the Vice President Trump thing, you know, in a normal environment and in a normal atmosphere, that would just be forgotten about and not spoken about. But every single gaffe at the moment is almost being shone a spotlight on to prove his infirmity.

This is exactly where we're at, right? It's through the looking glass. Now, ordinarily, you and I probably make a gap like that maybe once or twice a day and we quickly catch it and move on, right? No problem. But the problem is the dogs are loose, right? We saw that first debate yesterday.

It is an hour-by-hour sort of watch on gaffes from Biden. And by the way, he has long been a gaffe-prone public speaker his entire life. It's just gotten a lot worse over the last four years, the last eight years. And right now...

Everything he says has been viewed through this prism of just simply being too enfeebled, too old for another four years as president and too old and too feeble to take on Donald Trump in the general election. Will he remove himself from the race? What's your gut feeling here?

I don't think he will. And this is the issue for the United States, for the Democrats at the moment. I'm talking to you right now. I'm in Canberra today. I'm in Parliament House right now where this building knows a thing or two about getting rid of a leader. It's a standard part of the Westminster playbook. There's a challenge. We know what a challenge to a prime minister or to a leader of a party looks like in this system. They don't know how to do it.

after the primaries have taken place in the US presidential system, we're in this weird position. He's won the primaries, we're waiting for the coronation of the convention, and now we discover he may not be up to it and the polls are heading in the wrong direction. How do you remove an incumbent president from having a second crack at this stage of the process?

No one knows is part of the problem. No one wants blood on their hands. No one wants to be the assassin. Although everybody privately agrees something's got to happen, they just don't know how to move forward from here. They're hoping Biden will do it himself. I don't think that's likely. So there is no mechanism for the Democrats. Is that right? None? There is no formal mechanism. It's going to be a wild card if it comes to this, if push does come to shove.

If we're talking Shub, the Shub will be at the convention where they do the formal roll call of the states, where each delegation from each of the states says who's the nominee. And someone will have to say, blow it up, move to suspend the program, move to suspend the rules. I want to put a different name in nomination. Someone's going to have to take that move, and they better know who they're rowing behind as well. Someone's going to have to have done the numbers, as we say, in the Australian system ahead of time.

They don't know how to do it at that level of politics in the United States. They haven't rolled a nominee in 70, 80 years. This is unfamiliar territory for everybody in the US political system right now. That's why we're sort of in this weird limbo.

And Biden, for his part, is saying, I'm not going anywhere. He takes full advantage of scripted moments where he was actually pretty good at NATO when he was on teleprompter. So he's saying, I'm not going anywhere. Look at me getting on the job of being president. Meanwhile, Democrats, persuaded he can't win, are stuck trying to figure out how to dislodge him, how to gelignite an incumbent president out of the seat. Is there anybody...

Anybody waiting in the wings that could possibly at the convention say, all right, ladies and gentlemen, all the states, all the delegations from the Democrat Party across the United States of America, here we are. I'm the guy. Joe's out.

I think that has to be sorted out ahead of time because you don't want a free-for-all. So who is that person? I think it's most likely the cleanest way to do it would be Kamala Harris. Although think of her position, right? She can't exactly put herself forward publicly, right? To be seen to be disloyal to her president. That's a tricky one for her. I would...

if it were me, if you could play God here, I really like Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, a 52-year-old, 53-year-old woman who has successfully headed off Republican challenges in her own state. It's a swing state.

It's a complete flip the card table move, putting her in there. You get the age back on your side. If you're the Democrats, you've got a vibrant, dynamic, articulate woman. You get abortion back on top of the issue agenda, which is a great issue for Democrats. That would be how I'd do it. But the homework has to be done ahead of time. She doesn't want to be the one sticking the knife in the jaw. Someone else has got to do the dirty work. Simon Jackman, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

No worries. Thank you. Political scientist Simon Jackman from the University of Sydney. Let's just play that one more time. Welcome, Mr. Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian president. And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin. Oh, it's just so, so bad.

18 to 5. All right. If you feel like climbing the Harbour Bridge with bridge climb, you've got to answer this question correctly.

Who was the New South Wales Premier when the bridge opened? Who was the New South Wales Premier when the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened? If you answer that question correctly, you win. So if you know the answer, 131873. Call me now. 131873. Double pass to a bridge climb.

It's 14 minutes to five. Now, a whole bunch of bird shows have been cancelled across New South Wales because there are some concerns about this bird flu that's spreading across New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. So they've got bird shows, you know, backyard breeders and poultry fanciers, according to the ABC, that people enjoy showing off their birds to, showing their birds at.

So these are the lists. This is the list of shows that have been cancelled. The Bellinger River District Poultry Club, Dubbo Poultry Club, the Pekin Club of Australia, Goulburn Poultry, Noura Poultry Club, Mudgee Poultry and Pigeon Club, Wagga Wagga Poultry Club, Belgium Club of Australia, Canberra, Queenbeyan, all of those running from

July 13 through to August 4. So all of those poultry and bird shows have been cancelled as a result of the spread of this avian influenza. 131873. Still a whole bunch of works occurring over the weekend and into next week on the road. So this is worth noting.

Up to five lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge deck will close for maintenance and upgrade works from tonight. So from 10.30 tonight till 6am, the five lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge deck will close. Roughly the same time too from tonight all the way through to next week, Thursday night. So you can use the Sydney Harbour Tunnel or the other lanes on the Harbour Bridge to drive through as an alternative route if you're crossing the Harbour Bridge

overnight. The Warringah Freeway upgrade is causing chaos still. One northbound lane of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel will be closed from Monday night, 11pm, and Tuesday night too from 10.30pm. And one southbound lane will be closed tonight from 10.30pm to 6am. The Western Distributor, there'll be changes...

between Market Street and Harbour Street. The southbound western distributor lanes will be shut overnight across the weekend.

The M6 off here in and around the St George area, there are some road upgrades that need to occur. President Avenue in Coggera between Trainer Avenue and O'Connell Street. So President Avenue will be temporarily closed between West Botany Street and O'Connell Street overnight on Saturday, so tomorrow, as well as Sunday. So detour is in place. President Avenue between West Botany Street and O'Connell Street. That's going to cause some problems.

And if you're in and around the M7, just be aware there will be several weekends in July and August whereby the M7 motorway off-ramp to Elizabeth Drive at Cecil Hills will be closed.

So you will see 8pm this evening and 5am Monday morning it will reopen. The M7 motorway off-ramp, Elizabeth Drive at Cecil Hills. Again, a whole bunch of track work too. If you're thinking about getting on a train, check Transport for New South Wales. Jump on their website. The list is far too long to read it all out. But just be aware.

As we go into the weekend, there's going to be problems. So just make sure you're well prepared before you jump behind the wheel or you jump on a train.

Okay, the question, if you want to double pass to bridge climb, was who was the New South Wales Premier when the bridge opened? I've got Steph at Blacksland. Hello, Steph. Hello, Chris. What's the answer? His name was Jack Lang. It was Jack Lang, Steph. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Famous quote from Jack Lang. You ready?

It's often appropriated too. In the race of life, always back self-interest. At least you know it's trying. It is a perfect, perfect quote for the world in which we live. Steph, have you ever been on a bridge climb before? No, I haven't, no. Very much looking forward to it. The bridge is very important to our family. Our grandmother was there on the day that it opened and she only passed away four years ago, so...

Yeah, we walked across the bridge with her on the 75th anniversary and my two daughters at that stage were, I think, three and six and one of them's turning 21 in a couple of weeks. Awesome. So it's going to be fabulous. Thank you so much.

No problem. Well, thank Bridge Climb too, Steph, because you can take one of your daughters. You can climb. It's really, really beautiful. Pick a nice day. Pick a good day with the weather and you will not regret it. It's awesome fun, Steph. Congratulations. You have a good climb and have a good weekend too. 131873. And with the school holidays, $150 off a family bridge climb they're offering, plus a free holiday game rooms to keep the troops entertained all day. If you think, you know what? I've always wanted to climb the bridge. Book now, bridgeclimb.com.

Live on 2GB. Have your say. 131 873. Adam Jubry is called in from Fire and Rescue New South Wales in regards to this issue on Picton Road at Cataract. Adam, g'day. Hi.

Yeah, g'day Chris. Yeah, pretty serious crash down there between two trucks. One of the drivers has been able to get out but the other one is severely trapped. Now we've got our firefighters from Picton and Wollongong up there with their tech rescue vehicles working to free that driver. Paramedics are obviously on scene stabilising and treating that casualty while Fire Rescue NSW works to cut the wreckage away to get that driver out.

Traffic terrible? Yeah, Picton Road between the M1 and Mount Kira Road is closed. So people put that into your plans when you are trying to travel in that area. But, geez, it doesn't take much to go wrong and ruin your day, does it? So just be careful, everyone out there, because it doesn't take much, does it? No, it doesn't. You've just got to think of that bike's family. Good on you, Adam. Appreciate your call. Yeah.

Great, thanks, Chris. That's Inspector Adam Jubry from Fire and Rescue New South Wales. Just repeating that. So it's at Cataract. Picton Road is closed in both directions between the M1 and Mount Kira Road. They are still trying to get someone out of a car after a very nasty accident. So they are trying to extricate that person. Just hope he's OK or she's OK. 131873. Now...

Rupert Murdoch has done quite the series of interviews to mark the 60th anniversary of the Australian newspaper. So he says in these interviews that in his view, Rupert Murdoch, and he's seen a few things, I reckon Australia's most successful and certainly most powerful export ever, ever. And Rupert Murdoch reckons that John Howard achieved more in office than any other Australian Prime Minister ever.

and that Malcolm Turnbull was nuts. So Paul Whittaker, the chief executive of Sky News Australia, he interviewed Mr Murdoch, and he said that Mr Howard was the prime minister who had achieved real transformation for Australia. And Mr Murdoch also said in terms of Malcolm Turnbull, quote, I think Malcolm's nuts. I mean, he's paranoid. He didn't like the fact that we supported Tony Abbott versus him. That's all.

It'll be a fascinating set of interviews. I know they're set to air on Sky News. I don't have the date for when they will air, but certainly you don't often hear Rupert Murdoch speaking in a fulsome manner like this. So his reflections, I think, would be quite worthwhile to check out. 131873. If I do get the date, I'll let you know when it's due to air. It's six minutes to five.

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Now back to Drive with Chris O'Keefe on Sydney's 2GB. It's seven past five. Thank you for your company on this Friday afternoon. 131873 is that open line number. You can text me 0460873873. Plenty to get through this afternoon. Don't forget, I've still got $1,000 to give away if you can guess the Olympian.

Live, local and only on 2GB. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe. Now this is a very intriguing story. A Russian-born private in the Australian Army and her labourer husband have both been charged with stealing sensitive Australian Defence Force material...

to aid, allegedly, Kremlin intelligence, Russian intelligence. Andrew Probran is Nine's national affairs editor and he's all over this story. Andrew, what more do we know?

Well, I'm actually standing outside ASIO as we speak, because we're just about to film off the camera. What more do we know? We know that this couple, Kira and Igor Korolev, came to Australia, already married more than 10 years ago. They have spent time all around Australia, including working as security officers in WA.

At some point in the last few years, Kira has got a job working in signals intelligence inside defence in Ogra barracks up in Brizzy.

This gives her access to highly classified material. She took some leave from defence, a long-term leave, went back to Russia, undeclared travel, and from Russia she instructed her husband Igor to access some defence material.

and then asked him to send it back to her on her private email to Russia. They've obviously waited for her to come back to Australia, and they made the arrest yesterday. So it's a pretty extraordinary, a real-life Cold War story. Do we know the substance of what they were accessing, the information? No.

No, we don't. But in the context of the...

of the Russian war in Ukraine, combat intelligence, especially when it comes to encrypted communications, that would be key, one would think. But look, once you've got access, I suppose, it depends inside defence, it depends on what level of access you've got as to what material you can glean.

Andrew Proban, I'll leave you to it. Thank you so much. Thanks, Chris. That's Nine's National Affairs Editor, Andrew Proban. So just on that, we saw the AFP Commissioner, Rhys Kershaw. He's saying that we allege her husband would access requested material, would send it to his wife in Russia, and we allege they sought that information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities.

And he said that whether the information was actually handed over to Russian authorities remains a key focus of the AFP's investigation. Now, Mr Igor Korolev, the husband, he speaks very limited English, almost no English. So he had a translator when he was in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today. But Kershaw said that no significant security compromise had been identified thus far and that the criminal threat had been disrupted.

Now, here's a question. How on earth did Kira Korolev get security clearance? Who did the army do their due diligence to grant her security?

her security clearance. And Kershaw was asked this, Commissioner Kershaw. So she only became a citizen of Australia in 2016, and he said this is being investigated whether or not the ADF did miss the alleged risk when vetting the security clearance of Kira Korolev, a Russian woman, and given her husband, who speaks limited English,

only became a citizen in 2020. So there were red flags on their files by the sounds of things, and that is how they've been identified. But the allegation, clearly serious, and well done to the Australian intelligence community for disrupting that, 131873. Here's a story that really bothered me this morning when I read it. So police took 19 hours to respond to a call for help

from the Sydney neighbour of an elderly man who was later found struggling to breathe and died in his home a short time after. So he's 85 years old. 85 years old, this guy. The neighbours, on the 4th of July, called police...

and said,

And it wasn't until 19 hours later that police attended the William Street Bankstown apartment. They couldn't raise anyone. Fire and Rescue then helped the police gain entry. And they then found the 85-year-old man barely alive, only just breathing shallowly.

And even with the assistance of ambulance, they were unable to sustain the life of the poor fella. So his cause of death is unknown, but police say that it was likely just a medical issue. But regardless, 19 hours to respond to a call for help.

You know, we can certainly do better than that. And I know that a critical incident investigation has been established. So police are investigating why it took 19 hours and hopefully they can get to the bottom of it. 131873, the Australian Olympic team has been rocked by the withdrawal of a high-profile gymnastics coach. This story in the Australian newspaper.

So Jeb Silsbury, he's a gymnastics coach, Jeb, and he was due to fly out to the Paris Olympics on Friday today. Yet he stepped down as a team coach yesterday after the ABC raised allegations of inappropriate behaviour with the Australian Olympic Committee. And it is alleged that Mr Silsbury made comments about his colleague's breasts and slapped her bottom.

And once the media inquiries were made, he withdrew as a gymnastics coach, Jeb Sillsbury. And Mr. Sillsbury has not made any public statements. But under the AOC rules, all athletes and officials are required to reveal whether there's been any integrity-related issues before their place on the team is confirmed. Regardless, he's decided to

removing himself as a coach and will not be travelling to Paris. 131873. Righto, it's 14 minutes past five and thank God it's Friday.

And now on 2GB Drive, thank God it's Friday. Thank God it is Friday and it is time for your Sydney shout-outs. And this is all thanks to our great mates at the DD's Waterfront Group. Good health and good business. So 131873.

Who deserves a special mention in your life? It's thanks to the great folks at Dee Dee's. I've got five $100 vouchers to their restaurants to give away, so give me a call. Who will you give a Sydney shout-out to? Is it a local business, a healthcare worker, a family member? Is it your anniversary? Is it somebody's birthday? It doesn't matter what it is. Give someone a special shout-out and you win. 131873.

You're listening to TGIF. Thank God it's Friday on Sydney's 2GB. Alright, my first Sydney shout out is a very special shout out to an organisation called Head Above Water. They're a men's mental health organisation based on our beautiful northern beaches. So in Collaroy, Head Above Water is based.

And what they do is quite outstanding. So it's a community-run organisation, and Andrew Ward is the guy behind it. Wardy, as they call him, has spent the last few years raising money through sponsorships...

as well as their annual 24-hour swim. Yep, they swim for 24 hours to raise money for the outfit Head Above Water. Thus far, they've raised $700,000 and it's gone straight back into the community. Well, Andrew Ward joins me on the line to talk us through this a little more. Andrew, g'day. How you going, Chris? Good, thanks. What's the purpose behind Head Above Water?

Oh, really? Look, it was started back in 2018 after I'd been struggling a little bit and I

probably my wife had been going through some treatment and I actually ended up going into a clinic and I've never had any mental health issues before. But for me, I was very fortunate. I had sort of the means and great support from, you know, the swimming club and my mates and my family. And when I sort of came out of that, I thought, what could I do to make a difference and put somebody back into the community? And I think six years ago,

there probably wasn't the conversation we're having now about mental health and um so we came up with the concept of a 24-hour swim which i never thought would get to where we are today and um in the first year i think it was 78 000 we raised and and since then we've um raised 760 000 which has been amazing it's an outstanding effort a 24-hour swim how does that work well look you don't need to do 24 hours you it doesn't matter whether you want to do one lap

or 50 laps. It's a collective 24 hours, is it? Yeah, correct. The whole idea was to

have something really meaningful and unfortunately a lot of people, not just men, but a lot of people, take their life in the early hours of the morning and we had this concept of doing something about exercise because that's very good for helping moderate depression and the main thing is about community. It's about connecting with people and so we thought let's do something really different which no one's ever done before. So you don't have to swim

the full 24 hours, but we've got someone in there every minute, every hour. And, I mean, I think the first year we had one person, a mate of mine, Stevie Mata, a big call out to him. He was the only person who swam between one and three. This year, in March, we had 40 or 50 people swimming over a two-hour period at that time. So it's been quite remarkable. Andrew, just before I let you go, you need a sponsor for your next swim.

Well, we need a naming sponsor, yeah. We had a really good sponsor for a number of years and just due to some changes. Sure. So we're looking for someone to take on a naming sponsor, which would be great. Great opportunity for an organisation together.

get involved and for us to put something back into them too to help them with their wellbeing and mental health programs. Andrew, good on you. I'm sure there's somebody listening who'd be more than happy to sponsor. Thank you so much for coming on the program, telling us about your outfit and please keep going mate because there's lots and lots of people that need help and I know that they get some pretty good outcomes as a result of organisations like yours. So I appreciate you coming on.

No, thank you, Chris. Appreciate it. You're a good man. That's Andrew Ward from Head Above Water, based out of Colliery. So they do a 24-hour swim. If you think, you know what, I could throw a few dollars and sponsor them for their next swim, headabovewater.com.au. Or if you're a sponsor, get in touch with us and we'll link you up with Andrew and hopefully we can make it all happen. 131873. Righto, over to you now. Five $100 vouchers to DD's Waterfront Group to give away.

Good health and good business. 131873. You get on air, you win. It's 23 minutes past five and the open line is open. 131873, as it always is. And you can have your say for less with Amazim. Don't pay too much for your mobile plan. Break free from your expensive telco and escape to better value with the Escape Plan. Buy Amazim now.

Let's give away some DeeDee's Waterfront Group vouchers, hey? It is our Sydney shout-outs. Let's kick it off with Michael at West Pimble. Hello, Michael. Hi, Chris. How are you? I'm good, thank you, Michael. Who's your shout-out for? My beautiful wife of 82. Oh, what's your wife's name, Michael? Maxine. Oh, why do you love her so much, Michael? Oh, well, I'm nearly 84 and she's been looking after me now for nearly 60 years.

Oh, nice. What does she volunteer doing, Michael? Nice. Hey, Michael, do you want to take her out to dinner? Well, I've got a $100 voucher coming your way. Well done, Michael. I've got Sue at Parramatta. Hello, Sue. How are you?

Hi, Chris. I love your show. Oh, thank you, Sue. Who's your shout-out for? I'd love to be able to take my daughter, who's the most wonderful daughter I could ever hope for. It's her birthday next week. Mm-hmm.

And I'd love to be able to take her out for dinner. Well, Sue, why is she so wonderful? And what's your daughter's name? Oh, she's the most caring. Sarah's the most caring daughter. Loving, a great mum to two little ones. Cares for me so much after my husband passed. I just...

I can't thank her enough. Well, Sue, it'll be my pleasure. And I'm sure it'll be Con and Kerry's pleasure to host you at Aditi's Waterfront Group restaurant, okay? $100 voucher coming your way. Thanks so much, Chris. God bless. And God bless to you too, Sue. Have a wonderful weekend. Bridget, is it Robertson? Hello, Bridget, beautiful Robertson. How are you doing?

I'm good, thank you. How are you? I'm good, thank you. How are the potatoes going? Well, they're wet and it's cold. I love a Robinson's spot. It's very sloppy here at the moment, but it's drying out. Who's your shout out for, Bridget?

My shout-out is to my husband of 24 years, because we were going to Scotland to see his mum, but he's decided to take me to the Cotswolds before we see his mum and to renew our vows in Gretna Green, where we got married 24 years ago. And he didn't tell me, and I don't have a dress, and I haven't been on a diet. But I love him dearly. LAUGHTER

I have an old netball dress, but probably that won't be right. Oh, I remember when I proposed to Vonnie and she goes, Chris, and it was a surprise, and she said, you didn't even let me do my nails. I said, well, that would have been a bit of a giveaway. But anyway. Hey, Bridget, $100 voucher and enjoy your trip, okay? Thank you so much. Oh, you're very welcome, Bridget. Enjoy it. And enjoy it, Greg. Congratulations. 24-year wedding anniversary. Tony's at Parramatta. Tony, g'day.

Good, thank you, Tony. Who's your shout-out for? Oh, Tony, it'd be my pleasure. What's your mum's name, Tony?

Her name's Judy. She loves your show. She listens all the time. She says, too, you'd be on the radio all day. Oh, well, so you're going to... Hopefully, is it for you to take your mum out or are you going to give it to your mum and dad? I'm just going to gift it to them and let them both have a special night out. I might even add something towards it to make it a better night. Good on you, Tony. $100 voucher coming your way to the DD's Waterfront Group. Good on you. That's fabulous, mate. I appreciate it greatly. All the best on the weekend. Happy birthday to your mum. Paul's at Hawkesbury. Hello, Paul.

G'day, Chris. How are you today? I'm good, thank you. Final shout-out, Paul. Who's it for, mate? Mate, it's got to be to the Parramatta Reels. They need to win at least one game for us. You're shouting at the Parramatta Reels? You've got a new coach.

It's something, isn't it? Well, he's not there yet. And he's untested, isn't he? Yeah, he's untested. If I was a Parramatta supporter, I wouldn't be doing backflips, but it's not Wayne Bennett, but, you know, a rookie coach will do, I suppose. How long has it been, Paul? How long has it been since I've been to Doody's or since Parramatta 1? Since Parramatta 1 it got.

Funny thing, 1986, I think they won. It's been a hell of a long time. But anyway, we can still stay in hope and pray. You can. You're anchored to the bottom with the world beaters that are the West's Tigers. So all the best, Paul. You've got a $100 voucher coming your way because you as an Eels supporter and me as a Dragons supporter, all we can hope for...

and all we can be is optimistic. Paul, have a good weekend. 131873. Thank you to the DD's Waterfront Group. Good health and good business. That is our Sydney shout-outs for this Friday afternoon.

Now, we've had a few calls and a few questions. Michael on the text line, is the Head Above Water charity event held at Collaroy Beach Pool? My mum, Claire, swims there 7am most days and I'd like to let her know, Michael, all the information that you need, headabovewater.com.au. Headabovewater.com.au. Your marks, set, guess the Olympian.

Alright, give us a call now, 1300 722 873. Call the competition line, please. 1300 722 873. I've given you two clues. $1,000 to give away. If you can guess the Olympian, you win. Call that number, 1300 722 873.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryant. G'day. Good afternoon, Chris. The nation's spy chief is warning espionage poses a real threat to Australia after charges were laid against a Brisbane couple accused of preparing to share information with Russia. The date has been locked in for the state government's promised drug summit to be held over four days at the end of the year. Police are warning about hoax phone calls with scammers claiming to be from the ROC's police department.

and telling people they've been caught in a scam to try to trick them into handing over their personal information. And a team of imaging experts is launching a new mission, hoping to game the most detailed photographic record ever made of the Titanic. In sport, the Cruella Sharks are hoping to pull the handbrake on a mid-season slide in tonight's Round 19 clash against the Tigers. We'll have more news in sport at six. Thanks, Josh.

A weather update. We'll be here to help in unexpected weather. NRMA Insurance. Well, right now, 14 degrees in the city and 12 in the west. It's been a beautiful winter's day. Nice and warm, really. Temperatures tonight, 11 degrees in the city and 11 in the west. Tomorrow, partly cloudy. Tops of 18 in the city tomorrow and 18 in our west.

A finance update. The best gets even better. Masterton Homes Ultimate Inclusions now comes with solar. Search Masterton to realise your dream today.

Well, checking finance, All Ords closed up. They've had a good day, the markets. All Ords were up 0.89 of a percent today. ASX 200 is also up 0.88 percent. And one Aussie dollar is buying 67 US cents. Now, Julian's at Asquith, and I want to give Julian $1,000. Julian, you with me?

Hello, hello. Hello, Julian. Now, I want to give you $1,000, okay? You've just got to answer this. This dual Olympian's footballing journey started in East Fremantle in Perth with an oval-shaped ball, not a round one. Her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 was the scene of her first Olympic goal scored against Germany in the group stage. Who is our Olympian for $1,000, Julian?

Would it be Sam Kerr? It would be Sam Kerr. Yeah. You ripper. Well done. $1,000 on a Friday afternoon. That's dangerous. Yeah, it's my birthday soon, so perfect timing. Good on you, Julian. Well, happy birthday for whenever that is. That is, guess the Olympian here at 2GB. Of course, Paris 2024 just around the corner. Julian is taking home $1,000. It's 24-6.

It's 20 to 6 and on this day, all the way back in 1962, there was a band little known at the time. They played their first ever gig together and it was at the Marquee Club in London and they all got up there and they must have gone pretty well because their name was The Rolling Stones. MUSIC PLAYS

I can't get satisfaction I can't get

Fair song, that one. Satisfaction. They wouldn't have been able to play at the Rolling Stones in 1962 at the Marquee Club in London because Satisfaction came out in 1965. And just pulling some information up on my phone real quick.

Guess how many times it's been streamed now on Spotify and YouTube? 600 million. Not bad, right? I wonder if they thought when they stood there in their first gig if...

They would be just such a iconic and world-beating band. 131873. Well, you may know this disused Sydney church. It sits on Cleveland Street at Surrey Hill. So as you're driving sort of down Surrey Hills towards Crown Street, there's been a disused church there for quite a while. It's deconsecrated.

And a developer has got a hold of it and it will be transformed into a commercial precinct and a pretty bougie old restaurant by the sounds of things. Jake McCallum's got this story in the Daily Telegraph. But it's on the corner of Crown Baptist and Cleveland streets.

And they are, a whole bunch of planning stuff has gone into it and it will look sort of like if you go down to Chippendale and see Eat Street down at Chippendale where they've got all the different restaurants and stuff, that's the idea for it. So there is a pretty big project but a restaurant inside a disused or an unused church that has been deconsecrated, I reckon, in Surrey Hills. That's edgy enough to become a bit of a hit, I'd say.

Now on Drive. Good old Charlie Brown. At Harvey Norman, up to 20% off Windows computers, including laptops, desktops and all-in-ones. Harvey Norman, best range, best brands, best price, guaranteed. Now, I'm getting a little bit

Sick and tired of smart this and smart watch and smartphone and... The fact that I've now got a smart washing machine and smart dryer, like, really, is that necessary? Anyway, Samsung has just announced the Samsung Ring. And it's nothing to do with phones. No, no, it's a ring. It's something you put on your finger. A ring. It's designed for health and fitness.

But I don't know about this. Charlie Brown, he's got Life and Technology tomorrow morning. He's on the line live. G'day, Charlie. Hey, Chris. How are you, man? The Ring. Yeah, Galaxy Ring. So it's going to be picked as or targeted at people who want that smartwatch experience, but they don't want to have to charge their smartwatch...

every day or two days. And probably they don't want to wear a watch, so you put this on your finger and then it will do your health tracking. So your movement tracking, your sleep tracking, those kinds of things that you're getting from a smartwatch, many of which you're getting from a smartwatch today. It'll connect to your phone and then dials all that information in there so you can read it back and have a healthier life. What does...

You sure? Well, that's the goal anyway. I mean, the thing is the battery life on these things will be about five to seven days depending on... Because there's three different sizes, obviously, but not everyone has the same size finger. So five to seven days of battery life. So you'll put it on, you'll go off and do all of your active lifestyle stuff and it will collect the information and share it with your phone. But the...

It's meant to be less obtrusive than wearing a watch, I guess. I don't wear a watch. So I have a smartphone and I sometimes wear a watch if I want to do some tracking for a month and see how my fitness is going. With this, I could just put this on and there you go. I'm getting a similar experience. What information does it tell you?

It tells you your movement, so tracking, how far you're running and that kind of stuff. It can also tell you things such as your sleep hygiene, which is important because a lot of people, they don't want to wear a watch or a smart watch to bed.

So having this on your finger will give you that. I think there are a couple of the main things that it's going to tell you. So it's mainly a health product. Sure. And there's a big market in this area. It's like a Fitbit for the ring, is it?

Yeah, correct. There's a big market in this area as well, especially with older people who forget to charge their smartwatches or people in my family who forget to charge the smartwatch that I bought them and maybe this could be helpful for them. Is it like this? I've seen a lot of advertising around the... Is it whoop or whoop? What do you mean? There's a thing called a whoop.

that everyone's going on about? Oh, yes. Is that what it's called? Yeah, okay. So that's a fitness tracker. Same sort of stuff? It's a similar kind of thing, but you wear that one on your wrist. This is for your finger. Look, it's announced for the United States. It's going to be $400, probably out before Christmas. I will guess, I'll put it out there right now, $699, including GST, when it launches in Australia. That's pretty expensive. Is it waterproof? Yeah, you'll be able to get it wet. Okay, so you can go for a swim in it?

I'm not sure if I would swim in it, but you'll be able to probably wear it in the shower.

Look, you may be able to swim in it. I'm not sure whether I would swim in it is the way to position my opinion on that one. What's on the show tomorrow? We're going to talk about TVs ahead of the Olympics and how to get a cost-effective one that will be good at watching sport. Plus, what goes into tech that is made for people who don't like using tech? We'll have that on the program tomorrow. What do you mean by that?

Big market of people who have to use technology, but they're not tech savvy. And especially older Australians, older people in the community, they don't want to use the technology that's there, but they know that they have to in some ways. Well, how do they design it so that they can at least use it? We'll talk to one of the companies that's making it. That's a good one.

I'll look out for that one. Good on you, Charlie. We'll hear you then. Thanks, Chris. See you, mate. That's Charlie Brown. You can catch him on Life at Technology tomorrow morning, 8am right here on 2GB. Drive on 2GB. Seen something? Send a text. 0460 873 873.

Alright, do you want to play the duel for fuel? 131873. It's all thanks to Shell V-Power. I've got a $200 Shell Coles Express gift card. Thanks to Shell V-Power. So call the open line right now. 131873. $200 worth of fuel up for grabs. I need two contestants. Give us a call if you think you can win. $200 of free petrol up for grabs.

It's eight minutes to six on 2GB Drive. Let's duel for fuel. We are dueling for fuel. All thanks to Shell V-Power, fueling your drive home. Our contestants, I've got Dylan at Penrith. Hello, Dylan. Not bad. How are you? I'm good, thanks, Dylan. And Rod's at Picnic Point. Hello, Dylan. Rod, how are you going? G'day, Chris. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Rod, do you want to kick us off?

All right, that's it. Let's go for it. Let's do it. Your time starts now. Dane Swan was a former professional Australian sportsman in what sport? AFL. Correct. Camry Corolla Hilux are models from which car brand? Toyota. Correct. Did Barnaby Joyce begin his political career as a senator or MP? Senator. Correct. What was the name of Queen's first album in 1973? Pass. Queen. True or false? Dingo Fence is longer than the Great Wall of China.

Correct. It's nine o'clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in a lines from which Billy Joel song, Rod? Piano Man. Outstanding. Well done. Thank you. Five's pretty good, Rod. Very hard to be beat. Mate, I'll take it after the day I've had today. Well, I'm just speaking to Mark Levy just before. He reckons he's had a shocker too, Rod. So, you know, hold your horses when Levy gets on. Dylan, you reckon you can beat five?

I don't know. Rod sounds pretty tough. Well, see if he can make his day worse. You ready? I think so. Your time starts now. Has the Gold Coast Titans ever won a premiership? No. Correct. The Bee Gees, one of the best pop groups ever, originated from which country? Australia. Correct. What type of tennis court does Wimbledon use? Pass. Grass. What state is Silicon Valley in in the US? California. Correct. Do crocodiles live in the wild in a country other than Australia? No.

True. Yes, they do. True or false? All mammals live on land. False. Oh, you got four, Dylan. You got it correct, but you got four. Hey, Rod, you got five. Well done. 200 bucks of free petrol coming your way thanks to Shell V-Power. It 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-cred delivering Kia Seltos or Kia's most powerful car ever, the all-electric EV6 GT. Oh, Mark Levy with Wide World of Sports coming up next. Hello, Mark. Hello. Hello.

Well, Rod's had a bad day and he just won $200 of free fuel. I know you've had a bad day, so things are on the up. Look, I'm going to say this, Chris, and I'm sure small business owners will agree with this. How fun is it on a Friday dealing with complete and utter imbeciles? LAUGHTER

One of those days, Christopher. One of those days. Hey, I just want to give a little shout-out to my man, Guevnew Walton. And Guevnew, Mr G, as we know him, Mark Levy, is finishing up as a full-time employee. We're around doing a bit of freelance work. But he's finishing up as a full-time employee here at 2GB, and he's been a great support for me and a great team member here on Drive for the best part of 18 months. So, Mr G...

I'm sure he's still panelling the continuous call team, so he does a good job. But he's been a fantastic team member, so all the best for his latest endeavours.

Yeah, Mr G is one of the greats. I remember when he first introduced himself, he said, hello, Mark, I'm Gweevnew. I said, what? He said, my name's Gweevnew. I said, what else can we call you? He said, just call me Mr G. I said, done, Mr G. I tell you what, he's very good at what he does, pushing the buttons. And even Ray gave him an enormous rap the other week when he was panelling the footy and come up with songs left, right and centre. So, Mr G, good luck with your future endeavours. Here's one for you, Mark Levy. You know who I sat next to the other day?

at the 25th anniversary of the St George Illawarra Dragons. But before you go on, the days just got worse. Paul Gallen's walked in.

Paul, I've had a bad day. Leave me alone. Oh, you've heard all about it, have you? Good. So don't antagonise me, okay? You can give me a hug. That'll cheer me up. Done. Sorry, Chris, back to you. You know who I sat next to on the table at the 25th anniversary of the St. George Illawarra Dragons? Did John Stanley get an invite? No, he didn't. It gets worse. Brushed.

John Doraghy oh he's a good man John Doraghy a wonderful man isn't he a good fella he's a he's a great fella I I actually met him a terrible um circumstances meeting him but at Tommy Radonikis's um memorial at the SCG and and John said some lovely words he actually learned of Tommy's passing listening to the Ray Hadley morning show when I was filling in and um it was wonderful to see John but he's a great rugby league man and um

Obviously well-versed in the business world and everything else these days. How are you going? Other than your bad day, what's on for the weekend? Work. It's footy season. My life is work, my friend. Talk the footy up. Come on. Yeah, well, the footy will be good. Sharks taking on the West Tigers. Look, the West Tigers are getting better. They're improving. They've been competitive. But they are up against a pretty good shark side. No Nick O'Hines. That's the big story of the week.

but it opens the door for Braden Trindle and Daniel Atkinson to grab the bull by the horn, so to speak, and steer them to victory at home. So looking forward to calling that game. And here's an exclusive for you. You'll never guess who's on work experience with the continuous call team because you'll be calling some footy in a few weeks' time. The voice of Sydney Racing, Darren Flindell, is here. Can you believe learning from me how to call football? That'll do me! No. Fair dinkum.

Yeah, I can't wait until there's a runaway trial just burst into a Chautauqua. Can he do it? Yes!

What about some of his Winx calls? Oh, yes. I just can't believe he's on working spirits for the continuous call team next to me. What do you teach him, Darren Flindell? Well, it's not so much teaching him. It's more so familiarising himself with sponsors, how we get the sponsors into the call, and just a little bit different because he's used to using 1050s and looking to the other side of the race course, whereas...

at a football ground they're sort of just underneath you and in front of you how do you teach him about the dribble that goes on on the continuous call team well if we get him on tonight you will understand there's no need to teach him about dribbling he does some of the he's one of the greatest dribblers to come out of the Doncaster Hotel at Ramwick or Kensington

Good on you, Levy. We'll be listening all weekend. All the best. Bye-bye. Good on you. That's Mark Levy with Wide World of Sports coming up next. Now, that's it from us here on Drive. Please send me an email, drive at 2GB. We want to keep the pressure up on the Minister, Bill Shorten, and everybody at Services Australia. It's really important that we get this call centre thing fixed because we can't have 1.1 million Australians...

being hung up on as frequently as we are seeing at the moment. So please send me your stories, your horror stories. It doesn't matter when they're from or who it involves. Drive it to GB.com and we'll keep the pressure on. I'll see you Monday.