2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe – Full show July 5 01:49:37

On Sydney's 2GB, this is Drive with Clinton Maynard, filling in for Chris O'Keefe. Good afternoon, it is Friday the 5th of July, Clinton Maynard with you for the Friday Drive home. Chris O'Keefe is back with you on Monday afternoon, 131873. The weekend is almost here. Will it be a dry weekend? Well, in one word, no.

We don't really have dry weekends anymore in Sydney, do we? Not a lot of rain tomorrow, but there's a 60% chance of showers up to 2mm. Sunday, a little wet as well. June was very wet. 368mm Observatory Hill.

More than double the average. July, the rain doesn't seem as heavy, but gee, every day it's been raining so far. On and off, so a damp weekend. Coming up on the program, all the details about the UK election. As you know, Labor has crushed the Conservative government, as expected. So Keir Starmer is the new Prime Minister. What does it actually mean for us? We're going to find out. Alexander Downer will be my guest later this hour.

The road toll is going up. Despite cars becoming safer and some of our roads being safer, more people are dying. Well, is this the solution? Special licences for the drivers of fast cars. That's what they're doing in South Australia. I'll bring the details a little later. The arguments over Senator Fatima Payman continue. Labor frontbencher Tanya Slevesick will join me on the program to talk about the issues of the week and, of course,

That is just about the biggest of them. Plus, we'll have our Friday shout-outs as well. And thank God it's Friday. But I want to hear from you. Express your opinion. 0460 873 873 for your text messages. And if you see something we need to know about, give me a call. 131 873.

Live on 2GB. Sing something, send a text. 0460 873 873. It's eight past three. Clinton here for Chris O'Keefe this week. Wallaby's star, Kirtley Beale, as you recall, was in court early this year and he was cleared of a sexual assault charge. Well, the matter has been back in court today. Our court reporter is Josh Bryan. G'day, Josh.

Good afternoon, Clinton. Why has Kirtley Beale returned to court? So this was an application that he flagged immediately after his acquittal, found not guilty of all of those charges. And he flagged that he would make an application to have his legal costs covered. So this is something that...

can happen, but it is not common for costs to be awarded as the applicant, the person who has been found not guilty of charges, has to prove that it was not reasonable for the case to have been prosecuted. And that's what's happened here. Curtly Beale, unsuccessful in that application. His bid to have his legal bills covered effectively by the DPP was knocked back. So that cost application was dismissed. Was there an indication of how much money he has spent on the case?

Not during the proceedings. You know, the estimate would be the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars when you're hiring, you know, the sort of high-profile legal teams that you have when you're defending a case like this. And there is the possibility that he could appeal this decision on costs if he wants to try and challenge that. Essentially, the judge found that in this case it wasn't

unreasonable for the case to have been brought but he did note that obviously that decision is purely on the cost application and stressed that that's not a reflection about Beale's acquittal on those three charges. You cover a wide variety daily of court cases and spend a lot of your time in court rooms. Just more broadly how common and not without giving you a percentage figure but how common are costs actually awarded in this sort of situation? Not necessarily just sexual assault cases but broadly?

It's very uncommon. In most of the applications that I can think of in recent times, it has been sort of high-profile sexual assault cases where I've been in those. I can think of one case

where, from memory, costs were awarded. But otherwise, it is a pretty high bar to me that it was unreasonable for the case to be brought in. Just because they are acquitted doesn't mean that it wasn't reasonable to bring that case in the first place based on the evidence

that was there and that that's the threshold and that's up to the applicant so the person who is acquitted has to prove that to the judge that they the judge has to then be satisfied that it wasn't reasonable based on all of the information to proceed with with that case that's how our justice system works thank you for your time josh thanks our court reporter josh bryant 131873 our number

If it's happening in Sydney, you'll hear it on Drive on 2GB. As you know, the former coalition government in New South Wales and the Ram Trail and Bus Union were at loggerheads for years towards the end of the coalition's time in office. And the end result of their fight was the new intercity trains, as I was talking about earlier in the week, being off the rails for years and years, despite the fact we brought them in from Korea about five years ago.

But thanks to Chris O'Keefe, he's given me a tip that the RTBU, that union, has just about completed the new pay deal with the new state government and Transport for New South Wales. Now, under this deal, there'll be a 3.5% increase for all rail workers. It's going to be across the board. They're going to bring all the various rail workers together. So it's not just the drivers. It's not just the people who work at the stations themselves. So 3.5% in the first year.

3% the second year, 3% in the third year. So a total of 9.5%. That is actually pretty much in line with most of the public sector. And it's actually not much more than what the old coalition pay cap was. But here's the twist. There will be an extra. There'll be a $1,000 cost of living bonus each year. It will be taxable, but the idea about this, and then superannuation on top as well, the idea is to link it to CPI. So if Sydney's metropolitan...

inflation rate is at 4.5%, this $1,000 payment will be made. Now, the national CPI figure is at 4%, and in Sydney itself, it is higher in the metropolitan area.

There'd be a question about whether cash bonuses should be available across the board in the public sector. And this is now the conundrum that the New South Wales government is facing. They're having to negotiate with every single union directly, rather than what the coalition government did, just have the across-the-board deal. So what may now happen is the rail, tram and bus union, they're out there trying to do the best for their members. They've achieved this $1,000 bonus each year across three years, and

Every other union who covers public sector workers, what do you think they're going to do? Well, of course, they're going to say to the government, their particular ministers, the rail workers have got that $1,000 because we're living in an inflationary environment. Where's my $1,000? And you couldn't blame them for that. But this is going to potentially put some pressure on the state government. The New South Wales government is the biggest employer in the state.

So if it then pays $1,000 to every single worker per year as a cost of living relief measure, what does that do to inflation? One would assume that puts some pressure on inflation as the New South Wales government being the biggest employer. What then does that do for the RBA when they sit down to make decisions on interest rates? It may well push up interest rates. Now, with government debt, we know the New South Wales government, Daniel Mookie's made this clear,

has a huge debt, the government also has to pay interest on that debt. So it ends up costing us more. The benefit will be, for the next three years, it is unlikely we'll have any industrial action. And as part of this deal, the union has been told there'll be no privatisation. The Secretary of Transport for New South Wales, Josh Murray, has agreed to work collaboratively with the union. So that's good news. So hopefully it means for commuters, we're not going to be disrupted on the trains.

But if the other unions covering all the other sectors of the public service then turn around and say, hey, where's our money? What happens to inflation? And then what happens to interest rates?

Live on 2GB, have your say. 131 873. Quarter past three. Has the Conservative Party in the UK been wiped out for a generation? Some would suspect so. Look, I doubt it. Politics has changed and things in politics all over the world can change really quickly these days. Today has been an absolute disaster for the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Tories.

And Sir Keir Starmer, I actually saw him crack a smile. I didn't think the bloke smiled. Maybe that's what you want in a Prime Minister, somebody who is stern and solid. But I think he smiled today.

His Labor Party has crushed the Conservatives. Counting is continuing, even though it's very early in the morning in London. As things stand at the moment, Labor has 395 seats. The target was 326. The total of the House of Commons, it's just huge compared to what we have here in the lower house, is 650. At the moment, the Conservatives have 105 seats.

It's predicted they'll finish with about 130, 131. Labor probably around 410. So it's a massive majority for Keir Starmer. But there had been some polls during the campaign that the Conservatives would be left with less than 100 seats, maybe 70, 80 seats. Now, if that had have occurred, then you could legitimately say that Labor would be in power for a generation. That hasn't quite happened. Now,

I'm not saying this is good for the Conservative Party, but they haven't been completely destroyed. It gives them some sort of base to work from in the future. However, you would think it would be at least a two-term Labor government, and their terms are five years, so looking at least 10 years. But they do have something to work with. Richie Sunak has congratulated Labor and their new Prime Minister. The Labor Party has won this general election, and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.

There's much to learn and reflect on. Maybe just a tip.

maybe when you announce you're going to the polls, don't do it standing in the pouring rain. Now, I know that might seem minor and a little flippant, but I was on air the night that the Prime Minister announced the election and I cast my eyes and we took it live on the station and I cast my eyes and the feeds that were coming in from overseas and watching him becoming wetter and wetter and wetter during his speech outside number 10. And I thought, what are you doing? It looked embarrassing.

And then we heard in the background, music playing, Things Can Only Get Better from, and I'm sure you were a big fan of them in the early 1990s, the band Dream. It was the theme song to Tony Blair's 1997 campaign. And there it was, almost drowning out Richie Sunak. And that was the start of the election campaign. Would you not think maybe somebody could have stood next to him with an umbrella, perhaps? Maybe, just maybe, they could have announced the election date inside.

then they wouldn't have had people blaring out the wonderful tunes, things can only get better from Doreen. Keir Starmer will be the new Prime Minister once he's sworn in and he has promised to serve everyone. I don't promise you it will be easy. Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. It's hard work, patient work, determined work and we will have to get moving immediately. But even when the going gets tough, and it will, remember...

Tonight and always, what this is all about...

Nigel Farage and his Reform Party made a lot of noise during the campaign, attracted plenty of attention, and it's worked. It looks like they'll have 13 seats once counting has wrapped up. And Farage has tried to get into Parliament for years. He's finally done it. He says he's coming after Labor. Now, 13 seats is nowhere near Labor's 400-plus or the Tories' 130-odd, but it looks like they'll finish second in potentially a few hundred seats, and that shows they're a growing force. And I think what that also indicates overall...

And the same applies to politics in this country. There is dissatisfaction with major parties. I said that the Tories have probably avoided being wiped out for a generation, but unless they change, it may well be the Reform Party that ends up being part of that future generation.

What does it actually mean for us? In the end, that's what's important. We have matters of trade, the Yorker steel, for instance. Does all that still continue? Well, Alexander Downer, our former foreign minister, and did serve as the High Commissioner in London, will join us a little later this hour. We'll find out. And Chris, we'll be back with you on Monday afternoon, 131873. Our number, Ryan has seen something on the Great Western Highway. G'day, Ryan. G'day, mate. What have you seen, mate?

Just a three-car pile-up at Laxland on the Great Western Highway at Baden Place. So that's just after the shops? It's just after the shops, or just before. It's heading east.

So it's heading east and it's just so it's before the shops and it's a three-carp islet. Okay, so that's, from memory, that's not too far away from that big McDonald's that when you're driving down the mountains back towards Sydney, you pass.

Yeah, yeah, it's further up the mountains a bit. Okay, a little bit further up near the public school. Just a little bit up the road. Okay, so three cars involved there. That's going to cause some dramas, of course. Peak hour, Blue Mountains, Lower Blue Mountains can get pretty busy on a Friday afternoon. Hey, thank you for letting me know about that, Ryan. If you do see something on the roads, let us know about it. You can send me a text message as well. Safely, 0460 873 873. On the UK election, Dyer says, I'm from the UK...

Richie Sunak announced the election rain or not, he didn't care when it was done. He knew they'd lose.

That's why the election was announced. He didn't want the gig anymore. It was there for everyone to see. So he just wanted to win the pain and the suffering. Reva says Richie Sunak didn't want to be re-elected. He handed it to Labor. It's probably a fair point, Reva. Just some breaking news from the New South Wales Police. I'm just being alerted to this. I think I've brought you exactly the same announcement from the New South Wales Police every afternoon around this time for the past fortnight.

A woman has been charged with conducting an unauthorised protest in the Hunter Valley. She's been accused of blocking a train. Yes, yet again, in Singleton. Officers from the Hunter Valley District Police, along with Police Rescue, attended the site and they've arrested a 27-year-old woman. Guess where she's from? Victoria. She's been taken to Singleton Police Station. She has been charged with a range of offences. She is appearing before Singleton Local Court today.

I have brought you these stories every single afternoon, it would seem, for the past fortnight. Now, that's the 24th person charged from Blockhead Australia. The Daily Telegraph did their sums on this one this morning. And of those 23 people, now 24, more than three quarters are from interstate. So this has been a coordinated campaign from the Blockheads to target the Hunter Valley. They're not even from here.

And as I've been explaining for the past fortnight, the New South Wales government two years ago introduced a jail term of two years for blocking infrastructure, $22,000 fines. And then when you throw some other offences in there, if they are found guilty through the courts, they can actually serve even more jail time. So they could be looking up to three years in prison. Well, what's happened over the past two years since those laws have been introduced, those penalties? Has anybody been sent to jail for two years? No.

Has anybody been handed a fine of $22,000? No. There's been a handful of people who've been sent to prison, I suppose as a warning, for a couple of months. That is it. In all these cases over the past fortnight, fines have been handed out. $750 fines have been handed out. And what this proves, the fact that we've been reporting on this afternoon, afternoon, it's acting as zero deterrent. Zero.

The police minister, Yasmin Catley, was on with my colleague Mark Levy on the breakfast program this morning. And she admitted when Mark asked her about those penalties, she admitted it is a matter for the courts. Well, why should it just be a matter for the courts when clearly the blockheads don't take any notice of the law? Isn't it time that Parliament actually introduced a mandatory sentence for this sort of behaviour? And it might seem extreme for a simple protest, but it happens day after day after day after day.

And potentially it puts lives at risk because if the train driver and some of these activities have occurred at night in darkness, some of these activities could lead to a train, for instance, and thank goodness it hasn't happened, being derailed. I wonder how the magistrates who are handing out the fines would feel then if a train is derailed.

They are not getting the message. Eight have been from Victoria. Now, with this latest arrest and charge, make that nine. Four from South Australia. One from Tasmania. Three from Queensland. $750 fines. The police, though, the police refuse bail. So when somebody is arrested, say, in the evening or the afternoon, they're kept in the lock-up overnight and then they appear in court the next day. But the court says, oh, ta-da, sweet.

Now, of course, the magistrates, and I haven't sat in every one of these court cases, of course, to hear exactly the words of the magistrate. The magistrate will condemn them, no question, and they have done that in the past two years. But given the nature of this campaign, they don't care what the magistrate has to say because it keeps happening time and time again. These are professional protesters, make no doubt about it. They are actually funded through this national organisation. I'm not going to read it to you.

because it just gives them publicity. But they sent me a press release this morning detailing their campaign is into an 11th day. So what's going to happen this weekend? Am I going to receive an email from Transport for New South Wales in the next couple of hours to say that tonight and across the weekend buses will be running because they can't guarantee safety? There's a good chance it's going to happen. Eventually they'll get the message, but only if the magistrates get tough.

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And with all the latest, it's good afternoon, Rhiannon Solomon-Marin. Good afternoon, Clinton. The UK's new leader says now is the time for national renewal as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to take control of a dominant majority in Westminster, ousting Tory leader Rishi Sunak.

Police are urging three people still wanted over two violent break-ins in Sydney's south-west to hand themselves in. Two teenagers have already been charged. Tinder, Bumble and RSVP are among the dating apps which have signed on to a new code of practice which the federal government is hoping will help bring down rates of harassment and sexual violence.

And the Inner West Council is opening seven of its halls to musicians, artists and cultural groups who'll be able to use the venues for free. In sport, there's been a huge boost for the Sydney Swans. They've re-signed key forward Logan McDonald to a new four-year contract extension. He'll stay in the red and white until the end of the 2028 AFL season. And Clinton, there'll be more news at four.

Thank you, Rhiannon131873 is our number. Plenty of messages already about the protests in the Hunter Valley. And Aaron asked a question, isn't blockhead a term used to insult people? Well, Aaron, that is my subtle insult that Ben Fordham actually started using a couple of years ago. The organisation isn't actually called Blockhead Australia. It's called Blockade because they're blocking the trains or they're blocking infrastructure. But I think they should actually rename themselves Blockhead Australia.

Aaron says they should apply consorting laws like they did with the bikies. If anybody's found consorting or in groups, treat them like an outlaw motorcycle gang. It's a fair suggestion, Aaron. Lincoln says they'll keep doing it as long as it keeps being reported in the press every day. Why do we give these people oxygen? And Lincoln, I can completely understand your point there. And I felt the same way yesterday with the pro-Palestinian protesters at Parliament House yesterday.

Obviously, the more publicity you give them, he's going to encourage more of it. The problem is when it gets to the point of causing a safety problem. This is putting the transport network in the Hunter Valley in jeopardy day after day after day. There's the inconvenience to the commuters, those who are travelling between Newcastle and Dungog or Newcastle and Scone or up towards Singleton. There's also the danger it is causing train drivers. So I would like to not report on them.

And that's why I'm saying I'm not going to read their press release because in their press release, they go into chapter and verse about what they want. Well, I'm not going to give them that pleasure, but I have a duty to report on what could end up being a dangerous situation. 040-0460-873-873 is our text line.

24 to 4 on the protests in the Hunter Valley and the fact that the courts are not implementing the penalties that are in place of up to two years jail, $22,000 fines. Greg on the text line says magistrates like to sprout statements such as we are independent, we should not be influenced by politicians. I think that's bunkum. Their decisions should reflect community expectations and they don't and we should be forcing them to explain themselves. Yet fair enough, Greg, that they're not reflecting community expectations.

There also is a balance, though. I wouldn't want us to go the direction of the United States and their justice system, which is anything but independent. It's political, their justice system. I think you need to separate the politics from the way the court system works. But when continuously they don't exercise magistrates and judges, the penalties that are in place...

And then the crime continues day after day after day. Surely that indicates something is wrong. The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has now congratulated the forthcoming UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. He's issued a statement on Twitter or X saying congratulations to my friend and new UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, on his resounding election victory.

He wrote on Twitter, I look forward to working constructively with the incoming Labor government. Alexander Downer, of course, our former foreign minister and a former high commissioner to the UK, joins us up. Thank you for your time, Mr Downer. It's a pleasure. Did today's events shock you?

No, it came as no surprise. The only question was whether the Conservative Party would win 100 seats, having won 365 at the last election, at the 2019 election. So I can see they've just won over 100 seats. So it's a devastating defeat for the Conservatives. But

I mean, there's a lesson here and that is that if you don't govern well, the

the public will brutally punish you and they did not govern well they made promises to control immigration and they broke those promises they came nowhere near the targets they set themselves on immigration they overshot those targets they raised taxes to the highest level they've been in 70 years

They ran up debts to 100% of GDP. I mean, people who would naturally...

vote conservative, regard all of that as intolerable. And they drifted away. They lost a lot of their core constituency. The Reform Party, I think, has done better than the polls were predicting. It looks like Nigel Farage's party is going to win 13 seats. But they actually, in a lot of seats, and of course, it's a first-past-the-post system, a lot of seats they've finished second. Were you surprised that they did better than maybe than expected?

Yeah, I don't think they'll win as many. That was the original exit poll prediction. I think they'll probably only win four or five seats. But, yeah, they have polled pretty well. No, that doesn't surprise me either because...

A lot of people who voted Conservative in 2019, for the reasons I just described, were very disillusioned with the Conservatives, not convinced about Labour. So they parked their votes with Reform, which is a Conservative party. And as you say, it's a first-class post-electoral system, so that split the Conservative vote. Because one of the ironies of this election is that Labour...

got fewer votes than it got in the 2017 election when Jeremy Corbyn was the leader. There was an election in 2017 and then another in 2019. In the 2017 election, when Jeremy Corbyn was the leader, Labor got more votes than they got in this election. But because of the way the electoral system works and the split in the conservative vote between...

the Conservatives and reform, Labor end up with a huge majority. I'll ask you about the impact of a changing government's going to have on us in just a moment. Just in terms, though, firstly, of lessons for us. Of course, they've been through that phase of having a revolving door of prime ministers. We went through that as well for a while there. Do you think there are lessons for both the major parties in what's occurred in the last 24 hours?

Well, I think there are two lessons. One of them is, yes, don't change the Prime Minister that the public have elected. And both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party could have told the Tories that, and probably, I mean, I told the Tories that. And now the Tories have found out the same thing as well. So that is a really bad thing to do. So I would say that the Australian Labor Party stick with Albo until the election, no matter what.

The second thing is for major political parties, they can't afford to lose their core constituencies. People who are instinctively conservative were extremely disillusioned with the Conservative Party. And you can't assume that people who are...

your way inclined, but are disillusioned with you, will vote for you. They can go anywhere else and they probably will. So the Conservatives not only kept changing their leader, I mean, they were elected with Boris Johnson as their leader in 2019, but they then went to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak

But they lost their core constituency for the reasons I described already on immigration, on economic policy, tax policy, fiscal policy, spending way too much money and some of those social issues like poverty.

Now, on the impact for us, does it change the nature of our relationship?

Look, I don't think it does. At a personal level, the Labor Party, the Labor government in Australia would rather have a Labor government in the UK than a conservative government. And, you know, you can understand that. The Liberals would rather have a conservative government. But it doesn't, I can say this as a former foreign minister, in practice it doesn't make a lot of difference. I mean, one...

When the Howard government came to office in 1996, there was a conservative government in the UK. Then in 1997, it changed to Labor. That didn't really change our basic relationship. And I also think that the Keir Starmer government will be pretty much business as usual. I mean, for all the rhetoric of the election,

they won't change a huge amount and they certainly won't change their attitude to Australia. I think, you know, we have the AUKUS agreement, of course, and we have a free trade agreement, which has been hugely successful with the UK, where our trade has grown something like 18% in the first year of the existence of the trade agreement. So, frankly, I think things will probably plod along pretty well from the future.

And they need a successful trading relationship with us as much as we need them, given all the fallout from Brexit. Yes, I mean, they do, yeah. I mean, there's a lot of rhetoric about Brexit, but, I mean, they've made some very good trade agreements since Brexit and they do have a free trade agreement with the EU. So they have actually seen their trade in goods and services, not just goods, but goods and services crossroads

grow over the last few years. I think their trade in goods and services has grown by 11% since Brexit. So it hasn't been all downside for them. But yes, their trade agreement with Australia has been a great achievement for us and for them. And it's working very well. Well, good business as usual. Thank you for your time today.

It's a great pleasure. Alexander Downer, our former foreign minister, but also importantly, he was the High Commissioner, our High Commissioner in the UK for many years. So his analysis is that nothing essentially will change for us, of course. So one of our closest partners, critical to our exporters, our trade relationship, and now with the Orcas deal in place, going to be very, very important for years to come. So nothing should change.

Two teenagers have now been charged. You'll have heard this in the news over a break and enter, an armed robbery in the southwest last night. Called to a home in Chester Hill, the police last night about 7 o'clock. Reports had been a break in. And the cops were told there were five unknown males armed with baseball bats and a machete.

who'd broken into a house and then assaulted a 28-year-old who was at home at the time. The police say the group then stole two mobile phones, fled in a Holden Marina hatchback. Then later in the night, the police were called to a business in Villawood and they were told there had been an armed robbery there. When they arrived there, again, they were told of five unknown men, allegedly armed with baseball bats and a machete, who assaulted the owner of the business, stole cash, left in a hatchback, most likely the little Holden Marina.

The bloke who owned the business, 62-year-old man, he was treated by paramedics because he'd been bashed around the face, taken to Auburn Hospital for more treatment. Later that night, this is last night, police were patrolling Tangerine Street, which is in Fairfield East, and they attempted to speak to a number of men, teenagers as well, who were walking down Jamison Lane. Anyway, they've tried to apprehend these people just to question them, not necessarily linking them to these earlier crimes, but...

And some of the males then ran off. So then there was a pursuit. Short time later, a 19-year-old man was found. He was arrested in the backyard of a premises in Fairfield East. He was taken to Bankstown Police Station. Now, he's been charged over some of these crimes. And then a little later, the police found the blue Holden Barina hatch in Fairfield East. There were two men that were then seen running from that car.

The driver was then seen carrying a large machete, according to the police. The cops say that they saw him discard that machete nearby.

The cops have now found that machete and they've got the hatchback in their custody as well. They searched that area and then found a 16-year-old boy nearby. He's been taken to Bankstown Police Station and has been charged with a range of offences. He'll be appearing in court in August. 131873. Now, text messages on the continuing Block 8 Australia or Blockhead Australia protests in the Hunter Valley.

Shane says, why do we have to say they've been rescued? And that's right, police rescue have been called to apprehend these people on the train lines. When they've put themselves there in the first place, leave them there where they are and simply ignore them. There was a case last year, might have been the year before, where they had targeted the same group

Same mode of operation. They targeted Port Botany and they scaled the cranes and it was pouring with rain later that night. When they scaled the crane, of course, it was dry and it was pouring and there were thunderstorms about four hours later.

And I was wondering whether maybe the police certainly were there to rescue them, but maybe the police took their time that night, knowing the storm was on the way. The bloke was very wet at the end of that ordeal, and I don't have a lot of sympathy for him. Later in the program, I'm going to have a look at what's happening in South Australia, a new measure to try to address the road toll. They're bringing in a new form of licence. It's going to be called a U licence.

And what it is, it's for drivers of high-performance cars. So if somebody would like to buy themselves a Ferrari...

or maybe it's just a high-powered V8, for instance, they'll actually have to pass what I would think is a tougher test. I think it's going to be an online test, apparently. I'm not quite sure how that's going to work. But there'll be a tougher test so they can actually be awarded this licence for the right to drive a high-powered car. David on the text line says, "'It's been reported several times that drivers who do advanced driving courses as opposed to safe driving courses are overrepresented in accidents.'

due to an inflated sense of ability. I much prefer to limit the power to drivers with a poor record. It's quite, it's a polarising issue, that one, advanced driving.

with safe driving. And I know even the industry is divided about that one, David. Another, David says on the text line, introducing a boy racer licence will just embolden the lunatic element of those high-powered cars. I don't think it'll do anything for safety. Time will certainly tell. Now, the way it works in New South Wales, if you're a peat plater,

You can't go out and drive a V8, for instance. There are some restrictions on turbo cars, even though there are a lot of small cars that have one-litre engines that are turbo. The reason they're turbo is for actual fuel efficiency reasons, not necessarily because they're a dangerous or a high-performance car. Certainly, I don't think P-platers should be allowed to drive V8s and fast cars. Mind you, a lot of electric cars are actually in that same category, that they may well do 0 to 100 kph.

in six seconds, eight seconds. 131 873. Opinions that matter. News you can trust. This is Drive on Sydney's 2GB. Just some breaking news in the Daily Telegraph. An officer at the most secure prison in the state, which is Goulburn Supermax, has been taken to hospital after he was slashed by one of the inmates there.

And the criminal is notorious. His name is Mert Ney. You may recall that name. He was responsible a few years ago of the murder of a Sydney sex worker. Back in 2009, he fatally stabbed Michaelia Dunn, who was 24 years old.

It's understood the officer this morning was slashed across the chest with a razor blade and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but he was taken to hospital and he's needed to undergo treatment in hospital. The police have taken over from the Department of Corrective Services to actually investigate this incident. The Daily Telegraph reports that Ney has been a problematic inmate

Allegedly, he lit his cell in 2022. He assaulted another corrective services officer in 2021. He was also convicted of assaulting another inmate inside Parklea Jail in 2021. He's been sentenced and is currently serving a 30-year non-parole service, a parole sentence for Ms Dunn's murder. He will not be eligible for release until 2050.

I didn't realise I could stick with my industry super fund when I retired. Thankfully, I discovered if I stayed, I could set up a regular income, take money out when I wanted, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement. Visit compareyourretirement.com today. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you.

Now back to Drive with Clinton Maynard on Sydney's 2GB. Seven past four, the weekend is just about here. It's Clinton filling in for Chris. Chris O'Keefe is back with you on Monday. And while the weekend is just about here, that also means the school holidays for many of you have also arrived, I feel for you, over the next two weeks, particularly if the weather remains the way it is for the next fortnight. It looks like it's going to be another wet weekend and into early next week also wet weekend.

We do not want a wet school holidays. That's very difficult for parents. News just breaking through the UK, and Rhiannon had this in our last bulletin, the former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has now lost her seat. Of course, she was only the leader of the UK for 45 days. Well, she'll now be looking for a job.

She has lost her seat of South West Norfolk. It's one of the most significant losses for the Conservative Party. The former Prime Minister, who was only in power for a couple of weeks, has lost her position to the Labor candidate, Terry Gemery. Truss won 26,000, a majority of 26,000 at the 2019 election. And it wasn't expected at this election she'd come under threat to lose her seat. But activists who are

been working on the ground there for other political parties as well so she's hardly been present during the campaign and she's been at the MP there for 14 years so for the duration of this particular government it wasn't thought she'd be kicked out altogether maybe the fact that she wasn't particularly a successful Prime Minister in the end has cost her.

Live on 2GB, have your say. 131 873. It's eight past four. Well, the winter recess of Parliament in Canberra is now underway and I'd suggest that most politicians, particularly after such a turbulent week and really few months, are glad that Parliament is not sitting for a little while. The Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plebiscite, who joins Chris on the program regularly, is our guest this hour. Hello, Tanya. Hello.

It's great to be with you, Clinton. Are you pleased that you're not returning to Canberra next week?

Oh, look, I really do love my job, but I really like the part of the job that brings me back to the electorate. I was in the new part of my electorate this morning. Balmain is going to come into my area after the redistribution. And so it's just, it's good to be back on home soil. I was at a really lovely school assembly in Glebe this morning as well. It's great. It's great to be back in the electorate.

It has obviously been difficult, though, for your particular side of politics over the past week or so with the Senator, Fatima Payman, now officially leaving Labor. You were, I guess, one of the very few MPs to show a little bit of emotion towards her in Canberra this week. Do you feel, and I know the Prime Minister has denied this, but do you feel she was intimidated by Labor?

Well, no, not at all. And she certainly hasn't said that. She said that the conversation with the Prime Minister was firm but fair. And I saw her again on the TV last night, you know, clarifying that she didn't feel there was any effort to intimidate her. I know it's been a difficult time for her and...

Of course, it's a difficult time for us. We would much rather be talking about the tax cut, the tax cut that everybody would get from the 1st of July and the $300 energy bill relief and the pay increase for 2.6 million low-paid workers, the third one that they've had under our government that the government's backed every time. We'd much rather be talking about cost of living because that's really...

front and centre for most people. I think most people are kind of looking on who's part of which party in Canberra that doesn't really interest most Australians. What they want to know is what's happening in the hip pocket around the kitchen table. It's suddenly become a story, though, that perhaps she's in breach of the citizenship rules for politicians. We know this blew up a few years ago with politicians left, right and centre being revealed to be dual citizens in breach.

The fact that she is also an Afghan citizen, that's been well known for some years. Is this some sort of Labor ploy to try to force her resignation or her departure from the Senate now? No, and I don't have any idea where the stories come from. It's really, I mean, the questions are for her to answer. But my understanding was that she went to the Afghan embassy here in Australia and has...

made a request for renunciation and when he got the Taliban in charge in Afghanistan, it was particularly helpful with the paperwork. So that really is a matter for her to answer. Do you think it's time to change the system, particularly for the Senate, where we see politicians, and it's not only now affected the Labor Party, it was the Greens last year with Lydia Thorpe, Corey Bernardi a few years ago with the Liberals, where

where members of the upper house, the Senate, can quit their party but continue to serve in the chamber as independent. Do you think it's time we change those rules? Look, I do think that senators who resign from a political party need to think about whether it was, you know, whether they were voted in because of the party or because of themselves as individuals. Mm-hmm.

I think it's more a question for people's conscience than about changing the rules. I know in Western Australia, the Senate election, well over half a million people voted for the Labor Party and Senator Payman individually got about 1,600 votes. So I guess you've got to ask your own conscience, were people really voting for me or were they voting for the party who...

banner I ran under and that's true. I'm not making a point particularly about her. I'm making a point about all senators who run as part of a party and then go on to say I don't want to stick around the party anymore. They need to ask themselves if

Is it fair to the people who voted? Well, it's not. They're now not being represented. Their intention, 511,000 people intended to vote Labor and for three candidates in the end. I know she was lucky to win the seat in the end. It wasn't probably expected, but that was the democratic system. Yeah, and I think the other thing to say is, you know, we...

a motion in the Senate that was absolutely representative of Labor Party policy, which is that, yes, we support the recognition of a Palestinian state, but as part of a peace process and a two-state peace process, I think it's

You know, it is strange to me that Senator Payman couldn't vote to that, but neither could the Greens or Liberals to say that this should be part of a peace process. I don't know why the Greens political party would find that so objectionable. The other big issue in Canberra the last couple of days or yesterday was the protest, the ability to scale the top of the building. And I know that the investigation is still ongoing.

Do you think security in Parliament has been adequate? Because I know millions of dollars have been spent in recent years. Do you know, Clinton, this is one of the saddest things for me. When I first walked into Parliament House, you know, I was working for a senator in those days.

close to 30 years ago now, I felt so proud to be part of Australian democracy. And in those days, you could walk right across the roof of Parliament House on the grass. The building designer designed it that way symbolically because he said, democracy is about the people being above the parliament, that it is people.

symbolic that the people of Australia are on top of their parliamentarians and you can barely get up there now. There's all sorts of fences and things now. It's much harder than it used to be and that's a real sign of what happened after 9-11 and the sort of protests that we had yesterday really feed into that as well. It

I find it heartbreaking, actually, that we've become a society where we're asking each other, is the security adequate, instead of saying people shouldn't behave like this. You know, it shouldn't just be about putting up more fences and hiring more security guards and putting more police on and asking, you know, why is the security like this? It should be about asking one another, are we...

Are we being good citizens when we protest in a way that is so aggressive, that is dangerous for themselves and for other people? That's not good citizenship. That's not making a political point. That is behaving like a criminal. Well, on that, I know this isn't your jurisdiction, but day after day, we have seen in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales...

blockade Australia protesters, literally blocking train lines, potentially putting train drivers and their rigs at risk. Day after day, we've seen arrests. The courts have allowed these people off with fines, despite the fact that the New South Wales government has penalties in place about the two years jail. It happens continuously. You are the Federal Environment Minister, so it's not directly under your watch, but they're protesting issues of climate change. How do you react to their protest?

I support free speech. I support the right to protest. I don't support the right to break the law or endanger yourself or others while doing so. I don't support the sort of protests that puts people's

lives at risk or puts other people, gives other people the responsibility for keeping them safe. You say, what about the train drivers? Imagine if you were one of those train drivers. Imagine if you accidentally hit a protester. You'd never forgive yourself. But it is not a fair thing to engage in this sort of law-breaking to make a point. I don't support

I don't support it at all. So what concerns me is that the New South Wales government, it was the former government, the former coalition government, but they were supported by Labor in the House, introduced penalties of two years prison, $22,000 fines. They've not been used once yet, those maximum penalties. But day after day after day, the law breaking continues. Surely it's time for a magistrate or a judge to actually send a message as a deterrent.

Yeah, well, I'm not going to start telling our courts what to do because... I know it's not your responsibility to do something with courts. I don't like countries where the government tells the courts what to do. But if you're asking my opinion, my opinion is people should make their point in a way that is constructive...

that brings Australians together, that focuses on the issues, that makes, you know, explains why they feel or believe what they do. But the, you know, beyond that, gluing yourself to things, defacing property, endangering your own life or the welfare of others, I think you lose support.

with that sort of behaviour. You mentioned, Tanya, at the start of our chat that the actions this week of Fatima Payment have taken away from what the government wanted to explain to the public, the cost of living measures that you have in place. Now, that includes the $300 energy rebate that now applies. I just have a question, though, from one of our listeners. It's just coming in on text lines from Ros. And Ros says...

Can you ask the Minister why pensioners were getting a $125 a quarter energy bill relief? It's now going to be $75, which is under that $300. So Labor can give relief to multi-millionaires and their wealthy families because, of course, the $300 isn't means-tested.

Well, the $300 is for everyone who's got a bill and it depends where your listener's from. But in some places, state governments were also supplementing that. So it may be that your listener was getting supplementation from the state government as well. And would that supplementation may have ended because she was getting $125? Yes.

Yeah, look, I can't answer about individual cases. Philosophically, though, how does it... I mean, I know you're from the left of the Labor Party. How does it sit with you that the $300 is not means-tested? Well, we wanted to get the money into people's bank accounts as quickly as we could. The idea of what you'd have to do is get the energy company to tell you the income of their customers. Can you imagine how complicated it would be to set up that system? Yeah.

Potentially messy. Tanya, you are going to have a break in the next couple of weeks? I'm going to spend a bit of time with my family, but I'll be raring to go very soon. Okay. Thank you for your time as always.

Great to talk to you. Thanks very much. The Federal Environment Minister, Labor Party frontbencher, Tanya Plebiscite. Have you got a view on some of the issues we discussed there? 131873, because I've got a stack of text messages on some of those points, particularly about the protesters in the Hunter Valley. Now, I asked Tanya Plebiscite about that, but just to make it clear, she is not responsible. She's the Federal Environment Minister. They are protesting on an environmental platform, climate change. But firstly, she's not responsible for the laws in New South Wales or the courts in New South Wales. That's...

of course, a state government issue. The police minister in New South Wales, Yasmin Catley, was on with my colleague Mark Levy this morning. And when Mark questioned her about those maximum sentences that have not been used, the two years in jail and the $22,000 fines, she did say it's a matter for the courts. Well, it should also be a matter for the state government. The state government could pass mandatory sentencing or minimum sentencing, for instance, but they have chosen not to do that. Both sides of politics have chosen not to do it.

Rose, who listens in Mosvale, says those blockheads are domestic terrorists. The courts should be penalising them appropriately. I would agree. This one from Brian. What happens if somebody from the police rescue team is injured or even dies removing one of these blockhead protesters? Is there a consequence or is that simply considered a hazard of the job? Good question, Brian. And also what happens if

the police find themselves in that situation, that they're responding to a train that is derailed because that's what can happen. These people are putting objects on the tracks and they're blocking the tracks. If you've got a view, 131 873.

25 past four. I'll come to your calls on 131873 in just a moment. 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 by Amazim. Just a warning, there are more problems and more road closures across the weekend on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

and the Warringah Freeway just in time for school holidays. This has been going on for months now, but just to confirm, up to five lanes of the Harbour Bridge will be closed from 10 o'clock tonight right overnight and then overnight Saturday and Sunday as well. On the Harbour Tunnel, there'll be one northbound lane of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel which will be closed from tonight...

from 11.30 right through until 6 in the morning. And then Warringah Freeway itself, if you've driven through that area on weekends lately, you know there's a lot of road work still continuing. There'll still be some disruptions there. So just take some care. Have a look at the transport website if you want all the details. But the Harbour Bridge, up to four to five lanes closed depending on the time of day. But it starts from 10 o'clock tonight. And the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, some disruption there as well. 131873 is our number. G'day, Shane.

Yeah, g'day, Clinton. How are you? Good, mate. Yeah, I just wanted to thank you for the interview with Tanya Klibersek. It opened my eyes because I didn't think she was that strong and I thought it was fantastic that a politician could give you an answer, whether it be yes or no or indifferent. And I liked her opinions in regard to the Parliament House. That's...

That is off limits to all protesters. Security must be improved down there. And I thought security was done years and years and years ago, maybe before your time, when the union smashed down all the front doors of the Parliament House. But isn't it sad, as she explained, and I know Michael McLaren explained this a little earlier this week as well, that the design of Parliament House is supposed to be you have the grass that runs...

And it's supposed to be a symbol of democracy where the people, we, Shane, are able to stand there on the grass and the politicians who serve us are below us. And these protesters, and this now dates back some years, these protesters mean the symbol of democracy cannot be allowed to serve the purpose that it has.

Yes, I thought she explained that very well. And apparently there was a leak in security where they went up to a private coffee shop and tried to sort of... I think Michael Packie said that this morning. Yeah, it's actually...

It's a public coffee shop and you can access it from the general public areas of Parliament House. There's a door at that coffee shop. It goes through to an atrium and there is a way to get to where those protesters were via there. But it does appear that protesters scale the fence. And as the commissioner of the AFP said yesterday, they used diversionary tactics to fool the police and to fool the security guards. And that's the one that really leaves me scratching my head.

You only have to watch some crime shows on TV to know that diversionary tactics is what criminals do all the time. Good on you, Shane. Thank you for your call, 131 873. Warren says, if there was ever a reason to change our voting system to first pass the post, then it's Senator Payman. It proves it. She's been given 1,600 votes, attracted 1,600 votes, and she's now a senator. What the hell?

Fair point, Warren. Now, interestingly, and we might talk about this a little later, there are some Conservatives now in the UK who are complaining about the first-past-the-post system because that's what the system is in Britain, and it has cost the Conservatives seats because the Reform Party, and it looks like, I'm just looking at the numbers now, Labor's 409, the Conservatives 119, the Reform Party's 4. The Reform Party may well have cost 409,

seats to the Conservatives. Now, four's a small number, but they've finished second in a lot of seats. If there was a preferential system, that may well have changed the nature of the vote. Thanks for your message, Warren. G'day, Peter. Hello, Peter.

Yeah. Yeah.

And then send them back to whichever state they came from, except they're not allowed to travel by train or by plane. Let them hitchhike their way back to wherever they came from. That would involve the courts getting tough, and we know that's tricky for magistrates. Look, I think it's a fair idea, Peter. Problem we've got, though, so you whack them with really big fines, not jail terms. This is a very well-coordinated campaign by a reasonably well-funded group, Blockhead.

they'd probably be able to raise some of the money to cover the fines. I mean, whack them with million dollar fines if you want, but a lot of the times these fines are never paid. I would like to see the magistrates actually at least send some to jail, even if it's not the two years, send them for six months as a deterrent. Then surely they get

the message. Good on you, Peter. I tell you what, we're going to send you a double pass to go and see the new Midnight Oil movie. It's called The Hardest Line. It celebrates and tells the story of 45 years of the oils. This is their story, first time on film. It is in cinemas now. I'll probably go and have a look at it myself in the next couple of weeks. Midnight Oil, it's called The Hardest Line. Let's check our news headlines.

And with the latest, good afternoon Rhiannon Solomon-Marron. Good afternoon Clinton. The shortest serving Prime Minister in British history is among the Conservative MPs to lose their seat in this UK election. Liz Truss led the country for just 45 days. A truck driver is being questioned by police over a pursuit which began in Maroubra and ended in Roselands. It's alleged the man in custody was wanted over outstanding warrants.

Premier Chris Minns says he wouldn't hesitate to take the same action as his federal counterparts if a state Labor MP crossed the floor like Fatima Payman. And Patrick Bertoletti has taken out the annual Nathan's Famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest in the US, eating 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes. In sport, the Waratahs have appointed Dan McKellar to coach the side on a three-year deal. He won a title with the Brumbies in 2020 and replaces Darren Coleman. And Clinton, there'll be more news at

Thank you, Rhiannon. Rhiannon was just talking about that hot dog eating contest. You know, there was massive drama there because there's this bloke, I think his name is Joey Chestnut, and he's held the record for eating the most hot dogs in record time for, I don't know, a decade or something like that. Apparently the bloke's got a very big appetite. Anyway, he was not allowed to enter the competition this year. You know why? He signs up some sort of endorsement deal to a vegetarian hot dog company.

Yeah, so he's not eating the real hot dogs anymore. He's eating the vegetarian hot dogs. So he wasn't allowed to actually enter the competition.

13 degrees across Sydney at the moment. When you see something on the roads, let us know about it. 131873. You can send me a text message as well. 0460873873. Patrick's telling us that there are police under lights and siren driving along the Great Western Highway, screaming along the Great Western Highway. In fact, Patrick says it mentioned. We'll see if we can find out about that one. Joseph, thanks for your tip off telling us about the police operation in Roselands. Three police cars have been there. They've been searching a vehicle. Thank you, Joseph.

Found out a little bit more information about that one. It actually revolves around what occurred in Maroubra earlier today. It was about 12.30. There was some sort of blue, a fight between two blokes in Maroubra. The police were called there. They've arrived in the scene. They've spoken to the driver of a truck that was stopped on Anzac Parade.

They then looked at the bloke's background. They've then been revealed the man was wanted on some outstanding warrants. Now, he wouldn't get out of the truck, the police say, and he's driven away. So the cops have jumped in their car. They started chasing him and they had to stop the chase because of the safety. It was in a busy area of Sydney there at Anzac Parade. Anyway, a little later, they found that truck abandoned in Roselands.

The cops arrived there, started searching the area. They found the 54-year-old apparently out hiding out nearby. So he's now in custody. He's now being interviewed by the police. So it all started in Maroubra. He wouldn't get out of the truck, drove away, but they've now apprehended him in Roselands. Now, talking about the roads, as I mentioned at the start of the program...

South Australian rules are going to change and a new licence, it's going to be called a U licence, is going to be introduced for what's termed an ultra-high-powered car.

It's being introduced from December. James Ward is the Director of Content at drive.com.au. G'day, James. G'day, mate. How are you? I'm good, mate. Can you tell us what this licence is all about? Yeah, so look, basically, they are looking to stem, I guess it's irresponsible behaviour in other...

ultra-high-powered cars. And basically, it comes off the back of a tragic incident a number of years ago where a young woman was tragically killed by a Lamborghini. And basically, what they're saying is that if you turn off your driver assistance systems in a car with a power-to-weight ratio that's higher than 276 kilowatts per tonne... I'll get to that in a tick. But if you've got an ultra-high-powered car and you kind of put it into a racetrack mode on the streets, you are...

essentially up for a massive fine. They want you to undergo a driving course. They want to know that you are a responsible driver and that you recognise that you've got a pretty powerful machine there that you do need to treat with caution, particularly when you're on a public road. Okay, so it's a power-to-weight ratio, 276 kilowatts per tonne. What?

What does that mean in layman's terms? Yeah, so, look, basically, your power and your weight is sort of... You can have a lot of power, but if you're in a heavy car, it brings that down. But if you have a lot of power in a light car, well, that brings that up. But that 276 is a pretty significantly high number. For example, a BMW M3 is about 220-odd kilowatts per tonne, whereas that Lamborghini in question is closer to 300. It's 292.

So you are really talking the upper echelon of these vehicles. And what happens in some of these cars, and for example, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, which is under, so this car is still available. If you put that car, it's got the setting of comfort and sport. If you put it into a race mode in the car,

It turns off all of the traction controls and the driver assistance systems. So basically, it's putting that... You're saying, I'm on a racetrack and I'm in full control. But if you do that on a public street and you lose control of that vehicle, you're in all sorts of strife there in South Australia. And what they want to do is basically say that if you've got the means to afford a really, really high-powered car, it's not illegal to own that car and you should enjoy that car...

but you need to do so responsibly because it's that old adage, if you get out of shape in a Corolla versus if you get out of shape in a Lamborghini, one of them's moving a lot faster than the other one and can cause a lot more sort of damage down the line as in that tragic case. I see with this U licence though, those who want a U licence have to sit a test, but it's not actually a...

driving test. It's just an online test. No, and look, this is the thing. So, wonderful layers of bureaucracy put in there and then you can sort of say, okay, this is all for the greater good. All you need to do is tick a few boxes on a website. And look, you just need to... It'll be a multiple choice. It'll be a read this and go through...

What it's hoping to do is basically, and look, while it sounds a bit light on, all it is is awareness and cognizance, really. That if you've gone out, you've done well, you've gone and bought a Lamborghini, in order to get this license, you have to sit through, and it will go through things, I'm sure, things like parking.

braking distance, like the difference between, you know, what happens at 60 kilometres an hour versus what happens at 100 kilometres an hour. And simply doing an online quiz like that makes you think about it. It makes you go, oh, geez. It is significantly further that you need to stop from braking from 60 k's an hour, from braking from 100 k's an hour, for example. And if you just think about it that little bit more, maybe that's enough to just make you be a little bit more sensible. But what we'll see happening...

is insurance companies will latch onto this too so if you are being a bit silly in a car like this and you are doing stuff with the uh the traction systems turned off and you know let's say you don't hit a person but you damage your vehicle the insurance company can find out the car keeps all of it's got a little black box in there it knows what it's doing so the idea that this can then transcend into insurance claims that would be the deterrent i think that's where a lot of people would need

because, you know, that's it. You go and stick the Lamborghini into a kerb, that's not going to be a quick fix at your mate's place to get that back on the road. I've got to look, yeah. James, I've had a lot of feedback on the program about this and safe driving issues so far. And one of my listeners was suggesting that

advanced driver training as opposed to safe driver training would potentially embolden those who drive these style of cars. And I know this isn't what they're suggesting in South Australia, but I know that a lot of people do promote the idea of advanced driver training. Do you think that would have the effect? If we had a system whereby you actually had to do a certain numbers of advanced driver training, that might make...

Give people the idea that they can take more risk on the roads. Look, do you know what? This is the thing. Basically, the people who are cognizant enough to take a course, whether it's a defensive course or an advanced course, are already putting themselves in a more responsible position by saying, I want to learn more. I want to learn to be even more highly skilled or more responsible now.

The people who we need to worry about are the people who say, what do I need a course for? I'm already the best driver in the world. That's the attitude issue that this is sort of seeking to do. By enforcing you to have to go through a quiz, to think about things like braking distance and what you need to do in certain rules, that may do it. But look...

The idea of going to do an advanced course and learning how to manage a power oversteer out of a corner, so how to manage the balance of a car like that to use and basically do a drift or a slide,

could you then employ that to do it on the road? Arguably you could. So it does teach you the skills, but my position with this sort of thing has always been, if you are, if you are going to the trouble of taking a course to learn things, you are already being cognizant and responsible enough to know that you, there, you do that on a racetrack or a controlled environment. You don't do that on a public road. And I think, you know, the,

doing silly things in cars has always been illegal. There's plenty of opportunity, particularly in New South Wales, where you've got that tremendous facility out there at Sydney Motorsport Park. There are things that you can do to go and have a bit of fun in your car. The idea of doing these things on the road, regardless of whether you're in a Lamborghini or an old Falcon,

Just don't do it. Like, just think twice before being a bit silly. You know, we've all done things when we were younger, but go to a paddock at a mate's farm, go to an empty car park, and it's still, you'll get in trouble, but you're not going to hurt anyone. It's when you see people doing stuff on roads with other cars and pedestrians, that's when things get really bad, and that's when tragedies happen, and just don't do it is the tip. Good advice. Good on you, James, to read all about it on Drive.

Thanks, mate. We'll talk soon. James Ward from drive.com.au. They have all the full details there. So that is only applying in South Australia. I'm talking very, very high-end sports cars like your Lamborghinis. And it's when you're turning off the safety systems deliberately so you can do your burnout in your Lamborghini if you want to wear out the tyres really quickly. But I think there is a greater question here about whether we've got driver training right. I don't think we do. I

I don't think we do at all. My skills haven't been tested now in almost 30 years. That's how long I've had my licence for. Now, I think I'm a good driver, but I'm the one making that call. Am I really a good driver? Is there perhaps an argument that maybe every 15 years I should sit another test? I think there might be. Now, on the roads, we have had some messages about the problem at Minchenbury.

and the police response on the Great Western Highway. We've just confirmed with the cops what's going on. There has been a serious accident on the Great Western Highway. There are two cars involved. One vehicle has crashed into a tree. The ambulance and the police are now on the scene. There is someone trapped in that car as well. The westbound traffic, Great Western Highway, is now impacted as well.

Eastern Creek and Minchinbury. So you'll need to be patient there. Fortunately, it is at the moment, it's westbound, so it's just in one direction, but westbound in peak hour, that's not great. So take some care at Eastern Creek at the moment.

I'll come to your calls in just a moment, 131873. Earlier in the week, we were talking about illegal tobacco and how much of it is actually available under the counter. New South Wales police have arrested and charged 16 people as part of an ongoing operation that focused on the southern area of New South Wales, targeting illicit drug and illegal tobacco supply. They've been investigating this up for months, pretty much on the Murray River region.

Major operation has involved Polair, the dog squad, and then the local cops as well. Over two days, they executed 12 search warrants, mostly around the Albury region. They've seized more than 95,000 cigarettes with a street value of $142,000. They've seized vapes worth about $30,000 also, and weapons. So 16 people have been charged.

that would just be the tip of the iceberg. 95,000 cigarettes would be tiny compared to what's actually out there. We are talking safe driving. G'day, Kevin.

Yeah, mate. When I arrived in Australia about 30 years ago, I started riding bikes and had a lot of crashes. And then I saw the advanced riding courses that they had and I took that and it just changed my whole riding attitude. And it saved my life over the years. I've done three more of them after that as well. How did it change your attitude? Did you become more aware of what could happen around you? Exactly. Anticipate what might happen.

Even though I thought I was a good rider, I really wasn't because I wasn't anticipating what the idiot next to me was doing. That's the problem you've got, isn't it? You're following behind a car and you see it twitch. Well, you know he's going to turn or change lanes. Or even when he's beside you, you watch that movement. It just makes you so aware of what's around you. I would recommend anyone do them. Look, it's pretty hard to read human behaviour.

But you do have to develop those skills behind the wheel to be a really safe driver. It might not be you who's causing the problem, but the people around you can cause the issue. Good on you, Kevin. And that's a good recommendation for advanced driving skills, at least for motorbike riders as well. Kristen asks, fast cars. Why are cars that even go faster allowed on the road?

Why are they sold? It's a joke. Well, interestingly, as of Sunday, there's new legislation that's being brought in for cars being sold in Europe. It's not going to apply here. But cars in Europe will actually have to have a speed limiting device installed. This is new cars. It's technology called intelligence speed assistance. It is mandatory in all brand new cars across the EU. It either warns drivers they're driving over the speed limit

or it prevents the vehicle from speeding. Now, there is some criticism of this technology because, and you know what it's like with modern cars these days, with some of the safety technology, it can be distracting. And opponents of these rules say that it will annoy drivers, it will distract drivers, and that might also cause a problem. But what this technology does...

If it detects that a driver is over the posted speed limit, you know, with cameras in cars, your car may well be able to detect what the speed limit is. Gently on the Exhilarator, there'll be a gentle pushback. You'll actually feel it. There'll be an autonomous reduction in engine power. There'll be throttle vibrations through the pedal as well, which will alert you to the fact that you're speeding. So, Kristen, the technology is actually now...

moving slowly into cars that will control our speed eventually. 131873. Greg says, if you need a special licence to drive flash cars, the RTA, well, I guess you'd be talking about Service NSW these days, will be overrun with drug dealers. I must admit, when you're driving along, say, let's say King George's Road, for instance, in the southwest and the southern suburbs, and you pull up at a set of traffic lights, it's three o'clock in the afternoon.

And there's a Lamborghini next to you. You do wonder, don't you? You do wonder, you think, how do you afford that Lamborghini, buddy? Lincoln says, I think the bigger question is, why do we need vehicles that go over 130 k's an hour or 120 k's an hour when even in the Northern Territory, you might be able to go that fast, but most of New South Wales, you are restricted to 110. There is the explanation that to potentially avoid a danger,

you can sometimes need to accelerate really quickly to avoid a problem. But do we need to be driving at 150 kilometres now for any length of time? Well, probably not. This one from Simon. 15 years in New South Wales Highway Troll. Countless fatal accidents, metro and country. I could count on one hand the number of fatals in super high-performance cars. OK. Most are regular, boring Camrys and Commodores and SUVs. I think it's a ridiculous money grab in South Australia.

Most hoodlums have a modest ability from doing silly things. Regular mums and dads are far more dangerous with little experience when things go bad. Well, Simon, you've been a copper on the roads, so I'd certainly take your advice on that. Maybe it is a money grab. You do wonder, regarding the South Australian rules, that if it's only an online test, there's no actual driving test, is it just a...

a way to make some money because there's an extra $90 charge for the licence. Will it actually make much difference if it's just an online test? As Jameson Drive told us, maybe it's simply about getting people thinking about the way they drive. I didn't realise I could stick with my industry super fund when I retired. Thankfully, I discovered if I stayed, I could set up a regular income, take money out when I wanted, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement.

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Now back to Drive with Clinton Maynard on Sydney's 2GB. Good afternoon. The school holidays are here and it looks like it's going to be a wet start to the weekend and also the school holidays. Some showers this evening. It's 13 degrees at the moment. The SES is warning us to take care, particularly on the roads, as we head off on school holidays because of the wet weather.

The SES says the Weather Bureau has forecast rain to develop over the northwest of Sydney from Sunday, then shift east during the first half of the week from the state as a low-pressure trough moves through throughout New South Wales. Moderate falls are possible within this system, mainly over northern parts of New South Wales and the far west. So if you are heading to the north of the state, and a lot of people in the Jolly School holidays head north,

for a bit of warmth. It looks like it's going to be particularly wet throughout the week. The duty commander of the SES, Dallas Burns, says as the school holidays commence, much of the area is going to be wet.

The New South Wales SES is urging travellers to plan ahead because of the adverse weather conditions. He says a potential risk is floodwaters pooling on roads, leading to flash flooding and road closures. The New South Wales SES is urging travellers to understand the risk and prioritise safety for themselves. So simply take some care. We've been talking a lot about road safety in the past half hour on the program.

just when you're driving on the roads, particularly when they're damp, drive a little slower. And when you do see a flood, and I think many of us have been caught out previously, when you see that there's water on the road, even if you've got to pull to the side, say if you're in the country, pull to the side of the road, get out of the car and have a look at it for yourself. Don't just drive through it because so many people get caught out. 1318735813.

We've also been discussing in the program that, as predicted, there's been a crushing win for the Labor Party and Keir Starmer in the UK election. Prince, Prince is now King, King Charles will swear in Keir Starmer as the Prime Minister today. The new government has come about because the Tories have been wiped out and Nigel Farage and the Reform Party have performed better than expected. Looks like the Reform Party will pick up probably four seats in the end.

But they've actually finished second in a lot of seats that have gone to Labor. So they've done better in many areas than the Tories. I think there are a few aspects of the British electoral system where you wonder whether it's worth considering adopting here. And I'd like your feedback on this one. Firstly, the first-past-the-post system. We, of course, use preferential voting.

is first past the post more democratic. Labor won the last federal election here with 33% of the primary vote, which was a record low, yet they formed majority government. They didn't need the Greens, they didn't need independents to form government, despite that pretty terrible performance. The Coalition's primary vote was significantly more than that, I think it was 36%, 37%.

So if we had a first-past-the-post system, it would change the result. And in this country, Labor and the left are usually beneficiaries of preferences. But I note that conservatives in the UK in the last few hours have been complaining about the first-past-the-post system because they believe that they've suffered because of it. And that's because the Reform Party

has taken votes away from them. So there are arguments on both sides on that one. Secondly, voting is not compulsory in the UK. Now, technically here, voting is not compulsory either. You've got to go to a polling booth. You need your name crossed off the list, the role, but you don't actually have to vote.

You cross your name off, they hand you the ballot paper. You could put it straight in the bin if you want. Most people then go and at least put something down on the ballot paper, even if they're not particularly happy with the candidates. But in Britain, it's not compulsory. In the United States, it's not compulsory. That's why you would have seen that vision of Jill Biden, Joe's wife. She was at a function during the week. She's wearing a dress. It was a white dress with the words, vote, all over it.

And you're thinking, it's not really fashionable, is it? Maybe it is. The whole reason she's wearing that, they're trying to encourage people to vote. They want Democrat supporters to actually vote. But is it not fairer? Is it not actually more democratic to have the freedom to vote or not to vote? We're still waiting for the final numbers. It looks like often in a UK election, only about 40% of the population votes. It looks like it's going to be higher this time around. Should we adopt that system? And thirdly, as of this election...

When voting, you have to show your ID. Now, that is one measure I don't think we should waste any time with. It should be introduced. Next election, bring it in. Of course you should show your identification. Prove who you are. Why don't we have that? Because the way it works at the moment, now, yes, we have what we're told is a fairly strong, robust system, but there's not a lot to stop people going from polling booth to polling booth and having their name crossed off at multiple rolls. Now, you may eventually be caught up with it,

But you might not either. Why not just show ID? Surely it opens the system up to rigging. Now, there has been an argument when I've raised this before that in some small outback Indigenous communities, some people don't actually have an ID. And then it wouldn't be fair to have compulsory ID because those people would be left out of the democratic process. Well, simple. Give them an ID card of some sort. Problem solved.

So should we follow the UK with first past the post, non-compulsory voting and showing ID? I don't think it'd hurt. 131873. 12 past five. Thank goodness it's Friday.

And now on 2GB Drive, thank God it's Friday. It's my favourite time of the week. It is time for your Sydney shout-outs. All thanks to our great mates at DD's Waterfront Group. Good health and good business. So 131873, who deserves a special mention in your life? Thanks to the great folk at DD's. We have five $100 vouchers to DD's Waterfront to give away. So give me a call. Who will your Sydney shout-out be?

maybe local business somewhere you've been in the past week or so a plumber a carpenter candlestick maker

A family member maybe who's done something great? Perhaps you've been to hospital recently and you had some great help from a nurse. 131873, a special shout out this Friday. Okay, it's thank God it's Friday. All thanks to the DD's Waterfront Group. Good health and good business. I'll tell you what, I've got the first Sydney shout out for today. And this is a bit of a different one.

My shout out is to the Wurlitzer. Yes, an instrument at the Marrickville Town Hall, officially the Wurlitzer. We actually had a Wurlitzer at home when I was a kid. Did you have a Wurlitzer organ? We inherited one from my grandfather in the mid-1980s and it was pretty big. Had it in the rumpus room for years. It had three levels of keyboards. I think level two didn't work.

But I spent a bit of time trying to play it. It was a lot of fun. Wurlitzer celebrating its 100th anniversary this Sunday and the Theatre Organ Society of Australia is putting on a special concert. Sounds like a great real treat for our history buffs as well. Ernie Vale is from the Theatre Organ Society. He's been a key member since 1974 and he joins us on the show. G'day, Ernie. G'day, Chris. Tell me about the Wurlitzer.

Well, this world, there is a world famous three keyboard musical instrument called a unit orchestra. It has all the voices of an orchestra, including percussions, such as xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba harp, drums and castanets, to name a few.

It has been meticulously maintained by the Theatre Organ Society since its opening in 1968. Because of the acoustic quality of Marrickville Town Hall, the Wurlitzer sounds magnificent and much better than it ever did in Prince Edward Theatre in Sydney. How big is it?

physically big is it? It's called a 210, 211, sorry. So it means it's got two keyboards plus a pedal board and it has 11 ranks of pipes. Wow. As well as the percussion. It's 100 years old, isn't it? So this is what you're celebrating. It

It was installed in Prince Edward Theatre in 1924. It was the first theatre organ installed in Sydney.

How did it end up at the Marrickville Town Hall? Well, unfortunately, the Prince Edward Theatre ran out of time back in 1965, so they were going to demolish the theatre. And fortunately, the Theatre Organ Society was able to purchase the organ for a small sum. And luckily, Marrickville Council agreed for us to install it in their town hall. Fantastic.

As luck would have it, they had room for the two chambers. There's one either side, so it's got a stereo effect. There's a main chamber with a lot of the pipes in it and a solo chamber which houses most of the acoustics, most of the percussions, I'm sorry.

Tell me about the concert on Sunday. What can we expect to hear? Well, we can expect to hear Chris McPhee at the organ. Chris has been playing the organ for some 35 years as the theatre organ. He's thrilled audiences with his stylish playing at many venues and performing around Australia and internationally.

He's prepared a balanced program that will have you toe-tapping along, enjoying music from the swing years, even a jazz number or two. He also has some historical information to share about the early days of the installation of this instrument in the Prince Edward Theatre, Sydney. Fantastic. Listeners can still get tickets, can't they?

Yes, there are over 50 seats still available and tickets include afternoon tea. So you've got an excellent afternoon of wonderful music. The seating is cabaret style. So bring along your favourite wine and wine glasses and some nibbles to enjoy. Good stuff. The doors open at 1.30. Okay, 1.30. We can go to your website of the Theatre Organ Society of Australia website, which is TOSA.com.

Good on you, Ernie. Thank you, mate. Correct. Can I just briefly mention the prices? Absolutely. So members are $35. Non-members are $50. Concession, $40. Students 18 years and under are $15. Children accompanied by adult are no cost.

and you can have a membership ticket, membership and a ticket for $75. Good on you. I hope the day goes really well and you get lots of people along. Thank you, Ernie. We recommend it. Okay, thanks for your time. Thank you, Ernie. That's Ernie Vale from the Theatre Organ Society of Australia. If you want to go along to the Marrickville Town Hall this weekend, it's best to probably book ahead because I think it's going to be quite popular.

T-O-S-A dot net dot A-U. We had a Wurlitzer at home. It wasn't the Wurlitzer with the full pipe. So it had three levels of keys. They didn't all work because it was very, very old. But it was this huge thing. I think my grandfather must have inherited it as well from somewhere.

But if you want to enjoy some wonderful Wurlitzer-style music, it's a 100-year-old organ. That's at the Marrickville Town Hall this weekend. Over to you, 131873. Who deserves your Sydney shout-out this afternoon? I have five $100 vouchers to go and enjoy the DD's Waterfront Group restaurants to give away. Thanks to DD's. Give me a call now, 131873.

You're listening to TGIF. Thank God it's Friday on Sydney's 2GB. Well, our first TGIF shout-out, of course, was for the big event with the Wurlitzer, the 100-year-old Wurlitzer, Marrickville Town Hall this weekend. I'm getting lots of messages about that.

Gary says, we know the type of Wurlitzer sound. It's the one Supertramp used. They always used the Wurlitzer piano. Yeah, good point. And this one from Sandra. I remember the Wurlitzer rising up out of the floor at the Prince Edward with the lady in a spinning, beautiful evening dress playing the music. Wonderful memories. Thank you, Sandra. Let's get to your TGIF Friday shout-outs. And first up is Mark. Hello, Mark. Clinton, how are you, mate? Good, my friend. Who's your shout-out to?

Mate, my shout out is to my dear old dad. He's turning 90 today, Bill. Bill Taylor on the south coast of New South Wales, a bombardier. Yeah. He's a diehard 2GB tragic and one of the world's true gentlemen. Well, the fact he's a diehard 2GB tragic is going to earn him a $100 voucher to the DD's Waterfront Group. Good on you, Mark. That's our first one. Hello, Peter.

Hello, it's... Yeah, my shout-out's for my GP. He's Dr John in Maryong. I've been with him for 23 years. He always goes the extra yard for his patients and he's done it many, numerous times for me. Things like he'll always take time, takes as much time to spend with his patients. He also...

refers you to bulk billing specialists. He does things like socialises with his patients. He's been a tennis partner with me for four years. He's taken me to lunch many times. Has me and other guys' patients over for a barbecue. The big question is though, Peter, are you healthy as a result?

Yes. That's the most important one, Peter, isn't it? Hey, I'll tell you what, we're going to send you a $100 voucher to the DD's Waterfront Group as well. Hey, what a wonderful story about your GP, John. Good on you, mate. Yvette's next up. Hello, Yvette. Hi, Clinton. How are you? I'm good. Your shout-out? My shout-out is to a very dear friend of mine, Paula. We've been friends for 35, 36 years, and she listens to you guys all the time. Yep.

and she loves it and she's just a wonderful friend. She's a great orma. She's got grandchildren and she never does anything for herself so I'd like to go out and have dinner with her. Oh, well, you're certainly going to be able to do that because I'm sending you a $100 voucher to the DD's Waterfront Group. Well done. Denise is also a winner today. Hello, Denise.

Oh, hi. Thanks for having me on. My shout out is for the staff at Cold Northwest at Bocum Hills. They are just amazing. They're always helpful, friendly. They make you feel welcome. And I think that we actually have to acknowledge just how good...

Many of them are because they would pop a lot of flack and they always smile and give you the best service and help that they can give. Look, Coles and Woolies copper hammering, and it's often rightly so, but that doesn't mean the staff who work on the shop floor deserve the criticism. They do a great job. And Coles and Woolies are employers of tens of thousands of Australians as well. Let's remember that. Good on the Coles of Northwest. We are going to send you to the DD's Waterfront Group as well. Let's find one more.

more deserving winner for a shout out for a Friday. Let's try Maria. Hello, Maria. Hi, Quentin. How are you? I'm good, my friend. I'm giving my shout out to my beautiful sister, Wendy. She's amazing. When she was 52, she had a catastrophic stroke. Yeah. We didn't think she was going to make it. But on Thursday, she turned 70.

17 years down the track, she's seen her daughters get married. She's seen her first grandchild arrive. And I'm just so excited for her to be here. And I think she certainly deserves a big night out. That is wonderful. Maria, you go and have a wonderful time with your daughter, with your sister, Wendy, 18 years.

Extra years, that is what life is all about. Well done, Maria. I hope you have a great time. We're going to send you, of course, to the DD's Waterfront Group. Good health and good business. And, of course, next Friday, Chris will bring you more with Thank God It's Friday, more shout-outs. You're listening to TGIF, Thank God It's Friday, on Sydney's 2GB.

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has now sent his congratulations to the new UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. Now, he hasn't been sworn in yet. King Charles will do it today, UK time. So they don't waste any time in the UK. Richie Sunak will be looking for a new house, but his wife is very well off, so he should be OK when he moves out of number 10. Mr Dutton says...

I congratulate Sir Keir Starmer on becoming the UK's 58th Prime Minister. I congratulate members of the Labor Party on forming a new government. The federal opposition will work with the Australian government on a bipartisan basis to continue to nurture Australia's special, spirited and significant relationship with Britain.

Now, this is where Mr Dutton's statement becomes interesting. I take this opportunity to commend Sir Keir Starmer and the UK Labor Party for their goals to make Britain a clean energy superpower and to achieve energy independence. The new British government's plan includes building new nuclear power stations and small modular reactors to help the UK achieve energy security, which

Who would have thought? It's Peter Dutton and Sir Keir Starmer. Basically, peas in a pod. Let's check our news headlines. MUSIC

And it's good afternoon. Rhiannon Solomon-Marron. Good afternoon, Clinton. Incoming British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be sworn in by King Charles later today after his party won the UK election by a landslide. Former PM Liz Truss is among the Conservative MPs to lose their seats. A Sydney man who's been facing trial in Queensland over a golf buggy crash which killed his new wife has been found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death.

Some Labor members are questioning Fatima Payman's eligibility to remain in Parliament because she still holds Afghan citizenship. Senator Payman has quit Labor to sit as an independent. And the first shipment of 5,000 new smoke alarms have arrived at Fire and Rescue headquarters. They'll be distributed to stations across the state who can install them in vulnerable community members' homes.

In sport, there's been a blow for the Warriors ahead of tomorrow's NRL clash with the Bulldogs. Captain Torhu Harris has been ruled out with a wrist injury and Clinton, there'll be mornings at six. Now Rhiannon, it's school holidays and I understand you're going on school holidays overseas. I am indeed. I'm going to Laos and Cambodia. Laos and Cambodia. How fascinating. Yeah, I'm very excited for it. That's a really different sort of holiday to go on. I suppose so. It's just, yeah, it's just nice to see different parts of the world. We all look forward to talking to you in a few weeks. Thanks. Thanks, Clinton. Rhiannon Solomon-Marin.

A weather update. We'll be here to help in unexpected weather. NRMA Insurance. Well, there are a few more showers about this evening, unfortunately. Right now in the city, it's 13 degrees, 13 in the west. And as I was mentioning, it looks like it's a wet start to the school holidays also. The forecast for tomorrow, a partly cloudy day, the medium chance of showers. We're at the top of 18 degrees. In terms of the actual chance...

We'll be right back.

We've been talking a lot about road safety on the program this...

Does your car have a dash cam? They seem to be very popular. I actually think they're really wise, particularly if you're involved in an accident. You can show that to the insurance company and prove who's to blame. You could almost say it's becoming essential to have a dash cam. Maybe it's as essential as your seatbelt, but what are the best dash cams? Stephen Fennec is hosting 2GB's Life and Technology in the Morning and joins us on the program. G'day, Stephen.

G'day, Clint. How are you? I'm good, mate. The best dash cams, what do you reckon they are? Yeah, there's a few on the market, I think. The features to look for is obviously resolution. The latest round of dash cams now have 4K, even 5K resolution. And when you think about that, that means more detail. So if you've got a video, the 4K and 5K resolution lets you zoom in and see...

various things like us number plates street signs and and other things like that so uh that that's really important a lot of people now prefer to have a more discreet dash cam the one that sits behind your mirror so really you don't see it and you now then you connect with it using an app so uh if you've got you you can you can easily then download the footage from the dash cam and easily share it to to someone insurance companies the police

So it really makes it a lot easier to connect and share that footage. So do they still need the ugly cord that hangs down the windscreen into the cigarette lighter?

No, they don't. There are cheaper models that have that, but others that come with even a rear camera, they can be professionally installed. So all the cables are all hidden away. It looks pretty tidy. And that way you can get front and rear cameras too. Rear camera's important because 60% of accidents are rear-enders. So it's good to see behind you. So if the person in the wrong is hitting you from behind, you've got the footage to prove that you weren't at fault, that they hit you. I mean, it's...

In some ways, it's sad that it's come to this, but given the problems we all have on the roads from time to time, it's probably pretty wise in this day and age. Absolutely, yeah. I think we'll... I always call a dash cam your eyes and ears on the road, so it's always good that, you know, hopefully nothing happens on the road for you, but in the event that it does...

You've got your side of the story in 4K, possibly 5K resolution. And all the videos not only include the actual video, but also geographical information like your GPS location, direction of travel, the speed you were going, all that information is embedded in the video. And that could mean the difference between you being in the right or wrong in an insurance claim or giving something to the police as well.

Now, tomorrow you're hosting our Life and Technology program on 2GB. What's on the show? Yeah, we are. Well, we're going to be talking to Brad Hales from Uniden, who are probably the leading dashcams there, CanStar award-winning dashcams, and talking about the market in general and some of the new features that are now included with dashcams.

We're also chatting with Mark Gorry from Norton about tax time scams. Cyber criminals, very savvy. They know the different times of year and where to strike. And with a lot of us dealing with our finances online at this time of year, it's a time where cyber criminals have woken up and trying to take advantage. We will be listening from 8 o'clock tomorrow. Good on you, Stephen.

Thanks, Linton. Stephen Fennec tomorrow morning from 8 o'clock on 2GB with Life and Technology. Albie on the text line has seen something in Banksia. Albie tells us a police operation...

And he says it looks like it's a pro-Palestinian protest. They've blocked one lane of the Princess Highway in peak hour at Banksia. Perhaps they could have used a community hall. Look, we've been in contact with the police, and yes, that is correct. There is a protest underway on the Princess Highway, Rockdale, Banksia. Police are on the scene now. It is southbound that's impacted. Now, if you know that area...

It's probably just before the five ways. I should say Rockdale Banks here. Just before that five ways, it is a horrible piece of road at the best of time because you've got traffic lights every two minutes. And on a Friday evening, it's a bit damp, it is dark, and of course the pro-Palestinian protesters have seen fit to start up their action then. That's going to win them support, isn't it? I reckon everyone's going to say yes! Yes, bring more of it on! Fair dinkum. Hopefully the police arrest them quickly.

On 2GB Drive, sing like an angel. OK, let's lighten up. We've got one more chance to send you to the angels at the Factory Theatre tomorrow night, and it's very easy. You just have to sing. Now, Mark reckons he's got a really good singing voice. Hello, Mark. Oh, how you going there, Clinton? So you're a good singer, are you?

I'm going to try. I'm not as good as Doc, but I'll give it a go. Okay, here's your song.

After the rain, after the rain. After the rain, after the rain. Oh, you got the inflections pretty much right as well. Hey, good on you, Mark. And how appropriate, after the rain. Well, we can't say after the rain yet because it is raining all weekend. Hey, good on you, Mark.

I love it. Thanks very much, mate. I really love it. That's the coolest present I've ever had for a long time. Mate, you'll have a great time tomorrow night. The Angels at the Factory Theatre. There might be some tickets left. It's a nice venue, the Factory Theatre as well there. So that's one more chance to go and see the Angels. It's tomorrow night. The new album, 99, is also out. It's their 14th album. They're celebrating 50 years at the top.

Jason says, should we follow the UK and have non-compulsory voting? Jason says, I don't really mind if we have mandatory voting or not, but what we need...

is an IQ level cut off before we're allowed to vote. Might be a good idea. 13 to 6. It is school holiday time. And if you're looking for something to do with the children or your grandchildren, perhaps you should check out the Bondi Festival. It is back. Starting today better than ever. They have the ice skating back at Bondi. Now that is cool. They've set up an ice skating rink. It's ready to go. There's a Ferris wheel as well. Tanya Goldberg is the executive manager of arts, culture and events at Waverley Council. Hello, Tanya.

Hey, Clinton. How are you? I'm good. Ice skating at Bondi doesn't seem like quite the right place. It's so beautiful and brisk and, you know, fresh at the beach in winter. And it's such a perfect sight for the ice skating rink. It's really awesome. It looks over the water. It's beautiful. You've done that before down there, haven't you? Yeah, yeah. That rink's been there. It comes back year on year because people love it.

It's really, it seems strange. You go to probably the most famous beach in the country to ice skate. I guess unless you were wearing a wetsuit, you might not want to get in the water in July. Yeah, true. But, you know, to get your skates on and cruise around is, I think, you know, as good. Now, what else can we do at the festival?

Well, right next to the ice rink is the really beautiful Bondi Vista Ferris wheel. And that, again, comes around every year because people love it. You get this extraordinary view of Bondi from the top of that wheel. That's really beautiful. And so those two things together, they're easy, they're quick, they're not expensive. And then we have a range of activities that are arts and culture shows, programs, events.

adventures that people can participate in for all ages. Plenty that's for school kids, school aged kids, teens and primary school and also some adults only stuff as well that you might enjoy if you just want to have a night out without your kids. Yeah, that might be handy during midway through the holidays to have a bit of a break. Now in terms of cost, look everyone's probably feeling the pinch at the moment. How much does it cost us?

Totally. Look, the most expensive ticket in the whole festival is $42, and that's for our Ruby Hunter tribute concert, Tomorrow Night, Proud, Proud Woman. Just an incredible line-up of First Nations artists singing songs that attribute to Ruby Hunter, who wrote some amazing songs herself and was a great performer before.

But most things are, you know, if they're ticketed, they're in that, you know, $30 mark. Obviously, the ice freak and the Ferris wheel are much lower than that. And we've got plenty of free events. We've got for the first time this year, Clinton, a street party up in Bondi, Gould Street Street Party, running all day on Saturday the 20th of July. And that is...

come full stage programming, roving performers, shops, offers, food, all sorts of stuff going on at Gould Street in Bondi, open to everyone and free. Some really good ideas. And even if you live well outside the Waverley Council area, head to Bondi. You might have some fun this holidays. Thank you, Tanya.

Thank you. Tanya Goldberg, who's from Waverley Council. That's the Bondi Festival. And the New South Wales government today, you'll see this on Nine News tonight, they put out a list of a whole heap of things you can do with your children throughout the next two weeks or your grandkids that are either free or that the cost is fairly low. So, for instance, Australian Museum in College Street. Some of the exhibitions have a charge, but you can actually go to the Australian Museum with your children or your grandkids for free.

So take your kids in on the train to the city one day. That doesn't cost a lot, particularly if you go off-peak. Take them to the museum. It doesn't cost a lot of money. The Powerhouse Museum is closed in Ultimo now, but they are operating a powerhouse in Castle Hill, and they have some cheap drop-in activities there as well and some free activities. There's the art gallery.

in the city, the new art gallery, and again, you can enter the new part of that art gallery, it's free as well. And it's actually, I've taken my kids there a couple of times, it's actually something really interesting to do. Or the State Library, so go to the library in Macquarie Street. It's free to enter the library and they have some special activities for the kids this school holiday. So there is some things to do that don't cost you a fortune. Of course, you can pay plenty for lots of activities over the next couple of weeks, but if you've got your

eye on your pennies maybe just think a little bit creatively there's some nice things around the city you can do for free let's give away some fuel it is time for our duel for fuel i need two contestants to play whoever can answer the most questions correctly in 30 seconds will win a 200 shell coals express gift card thanks to shell v power give me a call now 131 873 whoever can answer the most questions correctly in just 30 seconds wins 200 worth of fuel

On 2GB Drive, let's drill for fuel. Okay, I'm going to give you the chance to win $200 of Shell V-Power fuel. We have two callers online. Hello, Julie. Hey, Clinton, how are you? I'm good. I'm going to give you the chance to win in a moment. And Donna, hello, Donna. Hey, Clinton, how are you doing? I'm good. You are first up, Donna. Your 30 seconds starts now. In the show, Seinfeld. Who's Jerry Seinfeld's main neighbour?

Frazier. Correct. Pass. Oh, good. Who coached Cronulla Sharks during their famous 2016 season? Oh, was it Steve Rogers? No, it definitely was not Steve Rogers. It's Shane Flanagan. Lois Lane is which superhero's love interest?

I'll give you that. I'll give you that. You're on a tube. Thank you. Okay. Rightio. Let's try Donna. Hello, Donna. Hey, Donna. Hey, how you going? Okay, Donna, let's go for it. Okay. True or false? Google. I think we've got a problem here. Are we up to Julie? Right. Julie. Julie. Right. Julie. We're getting confused with Julie in the traditional way. True or false? Google was initially named Backrub. Backrub.

False. No, it was true. What's the smallest planet in the solar system? Pluto? Incorrect. It's actually not a planet. Mercury. Travis Head is an Australian sports star. What sport does he play professionally? Travis Head? Yeah, Travis Head. He's good too. NRL? No. Or AFL? No. So, unfortunately, Julie, you're on zero.

That's a really hard question. Yeah, look, sort of. Hey, bad luck, Julie. Hey, Donna, we're going to send you out. We're going to send you out the $200 Shell V-Power Dual for Fuel winning prize. You're going to be driving around for the next couple of weeks free, okay? Amazing. Thanks, Stephen. Well done. Well done, Donna. That might have been our best dual for fuel of all time.

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. Around 18 of the NRL kicked off last night with South Sydney winning their fifth game in a row against Australia.

Adam Hawes and his paramedic Eels. Adam's presenting Wild Water Sports tonight. Yeah, Travis Head, NRL player. We might take him after last night's game. Could he play in the... Where would he play? Front row? Oh, mate. Hooker? We were that bad, he could put him anywhere. But it wasn't a great result. Souths are going... To credit the Souths, though, they're coming back, aren't they? Yeah, five straight wins. They're on track for the finals, the Bunnies. So we'll talk about that in tonight's show with Freddie Fittler, who will also be previewing the Broncos-Panthers game. Your Sharkies are in action shortly against the Titans.

Up at Coffs Harbour. You guys should move there. The Coffs Sharks. I like Coffs Harbour. I think it holds more people than Pointsbet Stadium. So, yeah. You're right. Get up there. So we've got that, mate. Morgan Turanui also to talk about the Wallabies v Wales. It's a big show. Adam Hawes tonight presenting Wide World of Sports from 6 o'clock. Continuous call team. Mark Levy and the boys are on from 7. A full broadcast of the Broncos up against the Panthers. The Broncos need to win if they're going to make the semifinals this year. Chris O'Keefe will be back with you.

on Monday afternoon. I'll be back to the overnight shift. Thank you for your company over the past couple of weeks. Thanks to all the staff here. It's been a pleasure. We'll talk again soon.