2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe – Full Show August 2nd 01:51:54

On Sydney's 2GB, this is Drive with Chris O'Keefe. Good afternoon, Sydney, and thank God it's Friday. Thank God it is Friday. Lots to discuss, though, this afternoon. And what about this? Is there a recruitment crisis in the police force? I've been leaked some details that say there are 2,500 positions in the New South Wales police force right now that are vacant. 2,500.

Minister Yasmin Catley will join me and we'll get to the bottom of all this. We'll also head to Paris and speak to the Deputy Chef de Mission, Ken Wallace. He's a former Olympian himself and there's lots to talk about. The boxing scandals, veganism in the Athletes' Village and of course more gold for the Aussie girls.

What's happened to our blokes? Our blokes? Any chance of getting up on the number one dais on the podium? Thank God for the ladies, hey? Also, our Sydney shout-outs this week will win two seats at a lunch at one of the DD's Waterfront Group venues. Yep, I'm taking you all to lunch. I'm happy to say I will be joining you there. Right now, 16 degrees at Waverton and 16 at Cheltenham.

It's coming up to eight and a half past three. 131 873 is that open line number. Text line 0460 873 873 or email me drive at 2gb.com. Now, there has been a lodgement...

of the Fair Work Commission's application to place the CFMEU into independent administration. So the paperwork has been lodged. However, I think this is very interesting. So the national branch of the CFMEU, as well as the Victorians, the Queenslanders, the South Australians, us here in New South Wales, all of those branches are

Well, the lodgement of the paperwork seeks to place an administrator into all of those branches. For some reason, the ACT and Western Australia have been excluded here. Well, Brian Seidler, he's from the Master Builders Association here in New South Wales, and he's on the line for us. Brian, what's the justification for the exclusion? Do we know?

No, we don't at this stage. And we're certainly calling that all branches should be included in the application. But at this stage, we don't have a clear view of why ACT and Western Australia are excluded. And the Fair Work Commission are the ones who have lodged the paperwork with the federal court. Is that correct? What's your best understanding of how all of this will work?

So, in very simple terms, an application is needed through a legal process to bring in an independent administrator of a registered organisation, which the CFMEU is, and for argument's sake, Master Builders is as well. So, there's about 100 organisations across the country that are considered registered.

registered organisations and in this instance due to all of the revelations over the last two weeks and I understand more to come is about

bringing in a better process for the way industrial relations is worked out in those states and across Australia. And I've got to say that in my number of decades of looking at this industry,

this industry, this is a terribly significant position for government to take. And we've had four royal commissions into our industry. We've had countless inquiries. We've had deregistration of the Builders' Labourers' Federation in the early 80s. And we're still... We're at where we were 40 years ago. And so there has to be a different approach. And this is a major, major step

first step to, we hope, a different approach. Yes, indeed. It's all about cleaning this thing up. Because the administrator, if the federal court grants the Fair Work Commission...

Permission to introduce these administrators. It's not a small thing. So the administrator will have the power to remove officers, officials and employees from their positions within the CFMEU, take possession of all property and credit cards, exercise votes on the offices he holds, and it goes on, prepare financial accounts, keep and maintain the register of members. Effectively...

the administrator will be running the CFMEU. It's exactly right. So it's an extraordinary position to be in for a union or any organisation to find itself in, but it's about cleaning up

the rot. And I do note that, you know, Mr. Zach Smith put out a statement back on Wednesday that there was suggestion that this is all about undermining their members' entitlements and conditions. It has got nothing to do with that. This is about having a proper procedure. It does talk about the process of enterprise bargaining that

a number of processes that we unfortunately experience in our industry that there is no bargaining and that there is no enterprise that gets involved. So our industry is simply told, this is what you will have and this is your outcome. Before, in many instances, it even goes to a vote to the employees. So it's...

It's an opportunity for industry and, you know, industry has to play a strong role in this as well to getting things in order. Well, it's a good start. It's going to take many, many years, but it's a good start regardless. Brian Seidler, thank you for coming on. Thanks a lot. That's Brian Seidler from the Master Builders Association of New South Wales. Paperwork officially lodged in the federal court to appoint an administrator to the CFMEU. Weirdly, the ACT and WA have been excluded from the process.

If it's happening in Sydney, you'll hear it on Drive on 2GB. Well, it turns out Israel was not lying when they called the tragic killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankham a, quote, grave mistake. So you remember this? Zomi Frankham and a whole bunch of other workers, aid workers in Gaza, were hit by a missile from the Israeli Defence Force. It killed them all.

And Israel itself...

The Chief of Army said this, quote, That is from the Israeli Chief of Army. But Foreign Minister Penny Wong...

Clearly wasn't happy with that. So her government put former ADF boss, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, in charge of compiling a report into the death of Zomi Frankham, an Australian citizen, to find out whether or not Israel was lying. And guess what?

They weren't. So a report released this afternoon has found the Israeli drone strike was in fact a grave mistake. The report has essentially backed Israel's assessment of the killing. That is, the strike was the result of serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision making. And it's a tragic accident, certainly was not a murder.

In considering Israel's actions so far, I assess that their acceptance of accountability and investigating, reporting and responding, including holding people to account, has at this point been timely, appropriate and with some exceptions sufficient. So that's the former ADF boss, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, i.e. Israel staffed up and they've taken accountability for it.

So Penny Wong was at the press conference. She didn't seem all that thrilled, though, with Air Chief Marshal Mark Binsken's conclusions. Australia's expectation remains that this decision be transparent. And Ms Francom's family, whom I have spoken to, are firmly of the view that further action is necessary, including criminal investigation. And they feel that the disciplinary action taken today is insufficient.

The Australian government will continue to press for full accountability, including any appropriate criminal charges. And we will continue to advocate the views of the Francom family and the Australian government to Israel. We do agree. We do believe an apology should be provided. Well, they did. They said, we are sorry for the unintentional harm to members of the World Central Kitchen. They've apologised. Anyway, she's not happy with that, Penny Wong.

But end of the day, war is not the answer. The war needs to stop, right? That is why Hamas needs to release the hostages, lay down its guns, so the war can be ended and the conflict can be resolved. Because as long as it goes on, both sides...

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. We'll have casualties that just continue to be heartbreaking for everybody around the world. 131873. Well, when I look at the advances in technology, especially around artificial intelligence, do you ever feel like the world's gone a bit mad? You know what everybody's trying to invent with artificial intelligence?

So there was this latest thing that I saw being peddled, and I want your view on this. It's called an AI friend. Yeah, a friend. So it sits around your neck like a necklace, and at the bottom of the necklace is effectively a guitar pick. It's about as big as that. And this little device, the AI friend, it listens to every single thing you say and what people say around you.

So its tagline, the company's tagline is, quote, always listening. So you could be watching a movie and as you leave the movie or you turn it off if you're at home, the pendant around your neck will start sending you text messages that you are to engage with on its thoughts on certain parts of the movie you watch together. So if you're talking to your husband or wife, right, in the morning and you think, oh, what did Vonnie say she needed from the shops? You can ask the pendant, hey,

what type of milk did Vonnie want from the shops? And it will send a text to your phone with the answer because it's always listening. Even in an interview, the founder of this thing with Wired.com, the guy who invented it, he was asked, he asked the friend, the AI thing, how it thought the interview with the journalist went. A few seconds later, a text pops up on his phone. It says this, dude, you're killing it. They seem super into your vision.

It's all really weird, isn't it? And I think the artificial intelligence friend pendant is dangerous. Why are humans comfortable with developing emotional relationships with a computer? Like if someone finds themselves more attached to an AI than to real life human beings and real life relationships, won't that just inevitably lead to increased loneliness as well as a decline in social skills for our children? What happens when they lose the pendant?

What happens if it runs out of charge or is broken? They'll think it's like their best friend dying. No, no, no, it's a computer. Like, think of the kids. Interacting with a computer just might seem easier than dealing with the complexities of human relationships. And it will make real-life connections to human beings less satisfying. And if you don't socialise, you can't develop the skills you need to operate as a human in our society.

Yet people are inventing these AI friends, and we're supposed to think it's an amazing companion tool. Please. While a computer can simulate understanding and empathy, it can't truly grasp human emotions or provide genuine connection, can it? And the other issue is privacy, of course. These AI companions, they can have access to your sensitive personal information and emotional data. Plus, they're listening to you when you eat, when you sleep, when you're on the toilet.

Maybe in bed with your partner? Are we really cool with that? I certainly am not. And again, I've been asking Ed Husic, the Minister in Charge of Artificial Intelligence, effectively in the regular, what is the federal government doing when it comes to the regulation of artificial intelligence? Because this thing is coming at us like a freight train and all they've done is set up a committee and hope for the best.

Yet it will have real-world impacts on our jobs, on our health, on our relationships and on our children. And nobody really seems to know what to do about it.

What do you make of it? 1-3, 1-8, 7-3. 20 past three. It's coming up to 25 past three. Now, Stefano Utokumano. He's decided to leave the West Tigers, as we know. He's the boom front rower, albeit I think the boom might be a little misplaced. I don't know. I don't see what he's done to deserve the moniker just yet. Nonetheless, people who...

Know plenty about football. Think he is the goods when it comes to front rowers in the NRL. So he's leaving the West's Tigers and it was out of the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury Bulldogs. And some breaking news in. Here's a press release announcing where Big Stefano is headed to.

The Melbourne Storm will welcome Stefano Utukamano to the NRL squad from 2025 after the front row has signed a three-year contract until the end of 2027.

A Cabramatta 2 Blues junior. Utucomano played for Parramatta's under-20s team in 2018-2019 before playing for Wentworthville in the Intrust Super Premiership. He's played 73 matches last season, made his representative debut for New South Wales and Samoa. 24 years old and he's been at the Tigers for four years now.

And they lose another one. The Wests Tigers. As I said the other day, they could stop Winx, that club. I just hope CAO for the Tigers fans, Shane Richardson knows what he's doing. But if you saw that game last night against the Cowboys at Leichhardt, he copped a lot of booing. So as he ran out, he was getting booed. He had 11 hit-ups. Now, he should be better than 11 hit-ups. I'm sorry. Everyone's carrying on like Shane Webke or something.

You know, 11 hit-ups at Leichhardt Oval against the Cowboys. Please. What, 800,000 or something? Please. Anyway, they were booing him, and he said, it's a pretty weird situation. I mean, it's not ideal that I had to make a decision on where I wanted to go during the season, and I feel it's kind of messed up my season a bit. The Claws ended up being pretty good for me and not so good for the club. I wonder why the Tigers fans are upset. Big Stefano, 131873. Now, the AFL has introduced...

A social inclusion clause into its next broadcast agreement. What does that mean? You know what it means. No more white blokes sitting at desks broadcasting the AFL. So the AFL is saying, okay, who wants to buy the rights to broadcast the AFL? We are putting as part of the contract, you might pay us, I don't know, $2 billion over the course of the deal.

But as part of the contract you were signing, just like how many games, how many hours, how much promotion, there will be a social inclusion clause into the next broadcast agreement. So both Channel 7 and Fox Footy had agreed to a clause which will run across the next agreement from 2025 to 2031. And they reckon it's a commitment and requirement from the AFL

to have diverse voices and to have representation in the AFL broadcasts, both on Channel 7 and Fox 40, from minorities, which means you just can't have white blokes sitting behind a desk for every single broadcast. You need diversity across 7 and Fox for the AFL. You an AFL supporter? What do you make of that? 131873. Inside Word on everything Sydney. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB.

Well, doctors are being asked to cut back on IV fluids because there's a global shortage of intravenous fluids. This story in the Sydney Morning Herald. So doctors are being asked to avoid putting some patients on a drip and specialists are warning they may be forced to cancel some non-urgent surgery. So New South Wales Health sent out an internal safety alert to medical staff last week in our public hospitals.

And they've warned there will be an extreme risk of intravenous fluid supply shortages over the next two to three weeks due to, quote, shipment delays. So it's a disaster. It's a disaster. And products affected are the glucose 5% bags, the Hartman's solution bags, the sodium chloride 0.9% bags, and water for injection bags in all volumes, according to the alert. So if you're a...

If you're regularly going in for IV fluids, you'd know which ones that you receive there. I know that at Westmead Private, IV fluids can no longer be used for scopes and minor procedures. And at St Vincent's, they're being asked to consider delivering medicine through other methods, including the oral route of administration, if appropriate, rather than using IV. 2024, Australia.

We haven't got enough intravenous fluids in the country. I don't get it sometimes. Let's check the news headlines.

Josh Bryan, g'day. Good afternoon, Chris. The federal government says Israel must do more to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers in Gaza following the release of a report into the death of an Australian aid worker and her colleagues, which found that the deaths were caused by serious failures by the Israeli Defence Force. The Fair Work Commission has begun proceedings in the federal court for an independent administrator to be appointed to the CFMEU. A man has been charged with 12 offences following a fire at a kebab shop and a

with police in Sydney's southwest. And Australian First Technology is now being trialled on some Sydney roads to try to stop over-height trucks causing major traffic headaches. Sensors will scan the heavy vehicles and display their height and number plate on digital signs to give drivers time to change route before they reach a tunnel. In sport, the Melbourne Storm has won the race for the signature of Stefano.

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. ...with the front rower to join the club on a three-year deal. We'll have more news in Sport at 4. Thanks, Josh. Coming up, I'll speak to the New South Wales Police Minister, Yasmin Catley, because I've been leaked some data that shows over 2,500

1,000 job vacancies right now in the New South Wales Police Force. That's a lot, isn't it? 2,500 job vacancies. If you're a police officer, a former police officer, or you're trying to get into the police, listen up and give me a call, 131873. I want to find out what it's like out there. It's 25 to 4. Now, I want to speak to all the policemen and women listening now, former or currently serving. We can keep you anonymous if you'd like because we love the work that you do.

But is there a chronic understaffing issue plaguing your colleagues? Because we've been sent a screenshot from a police Facebook page and it reckons there are 38 pages of police job vacancies. 38 pages, which means there are over two and a half thousand vacant positions within the New South Wales Police Force. Now, is this true? And if it is...

Gee whiz, is it acceptable? Yasmin Catley is the Police Minister. She's on the line for us. Minister, thank you for coming on. Oh, you're most welcome, Chris. It's an important issue and I'm happy to talk about it. Yeah, is it right, 2,500 vacant positions?

Well, I'm not sure it's exactly that amount, but I don't have any reason to disbelieve the webpage. But I do know that there are an inordinate amount of vacancies. I don't have the exact figure. But Chris, I'm pleased that you started off your introduction by thanking the police because they do a job like no other.

But they are completely overstretched. They are exhausted. The government knows that. And we are doing everything we can to try to make that environment more conducive to recruiting, but very, very importantly, retaining the police that we have in New South Wales. It's been almost 18 months. So what are we doing to fill these 2,500 vacancies?

Happy to take you through it. As you know, we inherited 1,500 vacancies. There was no plan for recruitment, there was no plan for retention and their wages were being cut. So they are three of the issues why we're in the situation that we are in right here and right now. What we did very early on, pretty much in October last year, was we paid, we introduced paid vacancies.

study for the recruits down at Goulburn. Now they get nearly $31,000 a year. I'm very pleased to tell you that the latest numbers that I have are that 1,770 applications have been received by the police since we made that announcement in October last year. That is almost a 50% increase compared to that

same period when we took over government. So that is something. But that's a recruitment piece, right? In addition to that, we have introduced the Experienced Officer Recruitment Scheme that incentivises officers from other jurisdictions right around

this country, and they can come and join the New South Wales Police Force, just to plug, the best police force in the world, up to senior constable level. We have even opened that up, if you can believe it, Chris, to across the ditch. And again, news to everyone in New South Wales, since we've made that announcement just a few months ago, we've received...

18 applications and seven of those are from New Zealand. Now the good thing about this program is they're experienced police officers. So they're coming in to the job and they know the job and they're very well trained and they get additional training from New South Wales.

We've got the regional recruitment scheme, and that's where if you want to be a cop in your hometown program, where it ensures that people from regional New South Wales serve in or near to their hometown. You know, often young graduates don't want to...

come to the city if they're from Bourke. So we give them the opportunity to put in there that they would prefer to be closer to their hometown around their family and around their friends. So that's also been a great incentive as well. Has anyone taken that up? Oh, well, that's why the numbers are going up for our applications, of course, because they now know that they're going back to their hometown. So you've got 17, what, 1,770 who have applied at Goulburn, is that right?

Correct. That's since October. That's since October. And how many of those will be accepted? Oh, well, they have to go through the vetting process, of course. But let me tell you that we'll have an attestation next month. We're already in August, aren't we? This month. And I haven't got the final numbers, but they're up around the 200 or just over 200. So we're seeing an increase in numbers. And you got 18 from interstate in New Zealand. Yes.

They go straight in. They do a component of training at Goulburn. That is correct. That's right. We've got those 18. We've also now lowered the age of joining from 19 to 18, which is a long-held tradition to have it at 19. So hopefully we'll be attracting those school leavers. Can I say something? Look, I'm not great at maths, but you're a long way off 2,500.

Oh, totally. Well, the $1,700 doesn't include those who are leaving the other end, like the retention piece. You're absolutely right. I couldn't agree with you more. And a lot of that is, as I said to you in my initial comments, is because they're exhausted and they're overstretched. So we have got in place also, which started last year,

the Pulse program, and that includes support for mental health, physical health and fitness, as well as providing more support for injured and ill officers. And also we've stood up a wellbeing command, which will be looking after the wellbeing of police. From what you're being told by the Commissioner, Karen Webb, are more police leaving compared to the numbers that you can recruit? Well, we have to turn that around. That's exactly what we have to turn around. Yeah, so I'm just asking, is that happening?

more leaving than you can recruit. I don't have the figures in front of me to tell you, but I mean, you know, I think that we can anecdotally say that, yes, that is exactly what is happening. So that is why we need to be keeping our police in the New South Wales Police Force. An average officer will stay 12 years. I mean, we want policing to be a life...

fulfilling career where people have genuine careers that they enjoy and can stay there for a long time. A lot of money is spent on training our New South Wales police. Can I just say to you, I am flabbergasted at how skilled these people are and the breadth of their skills. Then why are they, why? Because they're important. Again, we can be sycophantic as we like to the police, right? I've got half my family coppers. The truth is this. I didn't know that. Truth is this, right?

They don't like the job very much. Well, I've met a lot who do. I'll tell you that, okay? There's a lot leaving. But absolutely. Well, the other thing is their wages had been stifled, had been cut. Well, where's the pay rise that you promised them?

Well, we're going through that. We're getting through that award negotiation process as we speak. And as you already know, the New South Wales government have cut the cap and that's fantastic. So they're negotiations that are underway and they're very respectful. The Police Association have been fantastic. They are certainly fighting very hard for their members. So that will be, you will certainly hear about that when that's concluded.

Do you think, how far is that off by concluding briefly? Oh, I can't give you an exact time, but I mean, we work... Weeks, months, end of the year, Christmas. We work in weekly together. Well, we work together so closely and you'll hear about it. But what I can say to you is that the Premier has announced to New South Wales Police at their conference that they will receive back pay from the 1st of July. So they'll be missing out on nothing. Okay.

It depends what they get. Do you think it was a mistake for Commissioner Karen Webb and the former police commissioner Mick Fuller to go around and sack a whole bunch of sort of middle to late career experienced police officers? You're talking hundreds.

Well, that's referred to as the re-engineering. Look, I've spoken to police on the ground and there's varying views on that, but certainly some of the commands out west, I'll use the Penrith command as an example, is absolutely massive and covers enormous ground. So it needs to be looked at and probably some...

So initiatives need to go in there to, you know, reduce the size of the command and also how large the area is. As in the geographical size of it? Yeah, the geographical area is massive that they actually attend out there. But, of course, Penrith's a very large metropolitan area as well. So, look, there's varying views on that. I'm not an expert, but what I will say is that we should be... Well, yeah, but I'm not an expert police officer is what I'm saying, but I listen to... You're the minister, though. You're the one making the decisions.

Well, particularly those commanders out in those posts. They can come back with very good intelligence on where you need people, what the skills are, the skill sets that you need out in those areas. And I'm listening to them. Do you think that this has a direct relation to the road toll that we're seeing? We've just got not enough police officers.

Well, I was disappointed to see Paul Toole, who's the spokesperson for police, blaming the police low numbers for deaths on the road. That is not true. And he should retract that, quite frankly. It's offensive. Why isn't it true? It's not true because it is behaviour that causes a road accident. It is not police officers. Yeah, but police officers deter that behaviour.

Well, to some degree. I mean, it's a very... New South Wales is a very big state, as you well know, and to blame police for that is insulting, and I think that he needs to retract it. He's not blaming the police, he's blaming you. Yes, he did. No, he did. He did. And he should retract it. It's a...

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.

As I say, it's insulting. The reality is people have to take responsibility. Speeding, drunk driving, drug driving, being distracted, whether it be on your phone or for other reasons, or being fatigued, all of these things are contributing to road deaths. And it

It is the responsibility of the person behind the wheel not to be doing any of those things, Chris. And if we keep blaming police for the behaviour of individuals, then I just think that that is so wrong. And why would police want to stay in the police if they get blamed for everything, quite frankly? And that's what's going on at the moment. Well, I won't be doing that. I'm going to back them. I'm going to stick up for them. And I can tell you now, anybody who does otherwise, well, I think it's shameful.

Minister, I appreciate you coming on. I'll just give you one little bit of advice because my text line is blowing up here. It's pretty simple. They want more police and they want a hell of a lot more pay. So you better go to Chris Minns, who's notoriously tight, and tell him to open the wallet. Well, I agree with him. I definitely want more police doing everything I can to do that and working hard on their pay. Good on you. Thank you, Minister. Appreciate you coming on.

Thanks, Chris. That's Yasmin Catley, the New South Wales Police Minister. 131873, are you a police officer? Are you a former copper? Give us a call. What do you make of it all? It's 14 to 4. A Paris 2024 Olympic Games update.

Thanks to Harvey Norman, proud to be Australia's official retail partner. Powered by LG, partner of Nine's Olympic broadcast. G'day everyone, Adam Hawes here. This is your Olympics update. Day seven is dawning in Paris, marking the start of the track and field program. High jump qualifying begins tonight. Eleanor Patterson won gold at the 2022 World Championships and is hungry for success. I go in with a lot of confidence that I have, you know, faith in myself when it comes to a major championship.

The first Aussies in action will be golfers Jason Day and Minwoo Lee. Day is six shots off the pace. Tonight, the Fox sisters will go head-to-head for the first time at an Olympic Games. Jessica, who's already won two golds, will line up against younger sister Noemi in the kayak cross.

and a Belgium triathlete has slammed Games organisers for making them do the swim leg in the murky River Seine. Jolene Vermaelen says she felt debris in the water that she doesn't even want to think about. The US have been the big movers on the medal telly. They sit second with nine gold. China leads the way with 11. Australia is fourth with eight gold, six silver and four bronze. I'm Adam Hawes. That's the latest from Paris.

That metal telly update was thanks to Toyota, Australian Olympic and Paralympic team partner. Oh, what a feeling. Good on you, Horsey. Let's get to these calls about the state of our police force. Camille is in Wetherill Park. Hello, Camille. Hello. Sorry, you must have misheard my name. My name's Camille. It's with a T. Oh, hello. How are you, Camille? No, I'm good. How are you? Good, thank you. What's your story?

So, 2019, I applied for the police force. I did all my certificates. I've gone through all the swimming certificates and all the personal training. I've spent hundreds and hundreds on personal training just to get my fitness up.

I had gone through the police application, submitted all my certificates and everything, and I'd gotten a phone call saying I couldn't be a police officer. And I was asking her questions and finding out why, you know, what's the reason? Because she can't just say I can't be a police officer. And she basically just put me off and said, your dad's been to jail.

you can never be a police officer in New South Wales. And the call basically ended there. I was obviously distraught because I'd gone to university for this. I'd studied social science policing. I was pregnant with my daughter while I was studying.

gone to the gym while pregnant. I was doing all of this and then got to the end of my pregnancy. I had my daughter. I was still extremely fit and that's when I got my phone call and honestly, still to this day, I have not gotten over it. It was just... I haven't wanted to be anything but a police officer since I was

able to speak. And it was, did you know before going through this process that if you had a family member in jail, I didn't know that that was a rule, but that was a supposed recruitment rule? It's definitely not a rule. There are family friends who have killed others in a car accident before they were a police officer and now they are a police officer still. So it's kind of like, where do you draw the line? Like they can't,

prosecute me for something I didn't really do. No, it had nothing to do with you. Hey, Tamil, I'm sorry that that was your experience. Thank you so much for your call. I appreciate you sharing it with us. Shane's in Bilpin. Hello, Shane. Yeah, good afternoon, Chris. How are you, mate? I'm good, thanks, Shane. You're a former officer for near 20 years, so when I joined back when Mr Iyema was the Premier up here, and if you recall...

He was trying to... A big spruik on, you know, wanting recruits, et cetera.

and saying, oh, we've got all the police on the ground are so experienced and that, but there are only one striper on the ground. So that was... So my class, when I joined, I was 28 years old. So getting back to what, with all due respect to the ministers, that point about going from 19 down to 18 to join, for me, that's ridiculous. Mm.

they've got no life experience. Yeah. Well, Shane, it's a hard one. It's hard to manage, right? Do you want police on the ground or, you know, maybe the flexibility needs to occur because the way things are at the moment, it's clearly not working. Shane, I appreciate your call and thanks for everything you've done as a former copper. Just a couple of texts here. Chris, I'd love to know who the minister is talking to on the ground. I'm a former detective and would still be there today if it wasn't for the lack of support in management and for mental health.

I was medically retired, which could have been prevented early on if the appropriate support was around me. Simon says, Chris, ex-police officer, 15 years. What other industry gets you a reasonably good chance of a wrestle and a fight every weekend, a chance of getting stabbed or shot, but get a hell of a lot less money than a dude driving a bus? It's a very good point, Simon. I think it comes down to this. They need more police officers, right? The police officers we have are not getting paid properly.

And you know how you attract police officers into the job? Pay them more money. You keep them if you pay them more, and you attract them if you pay them more. Or you can just sit on Macquarie Street and be tight and look at an arbitrary budget figure and just...

Let the state's safety potentially go down the gurgler. So it's up to the Premier, it's up to the Police Minister, it's up to the Treasurer. This thing gets solved in the first instance with cold, hard cash. Not that complicated. Five to four.

Four o'clock news coming up very shortly. On the other side of that, are you a little bit reluctant to buy off the plan? Well, there's a tool that can make you a bit more confident. Plus, we'll check in with Paris. Ken Wallace, the Deputy Chef de Mission, will join me.

Now back to Drive with Chris O'Keefe on Sydney's 2GB. It's seven minutes past four. Thank you for your company on this Friday afternoon. And thank God it is Friday. Don't forget coming up a little later for your Sydney shout outs. I've got tickets. We're all going out to lunch. I'm coming and there will be five of us plus a partner. We'll be going to one of the DD's Waterfront Group restaurants. I can't wait for that one. Plus...

Have you been thinking about investing in an off-the-plan unit or buying an off-the-plan unit, but you're a little worried about the defects and the like? Well, there is a new tool to put your mind at ease. I'll explain shortly. Well, it's hard to believe we're almost halfway through the Olympics. So much has happened. Hasn't it been a great week? I've loved every minute broadcasting this week because we've been able to talk about

Something that I love. Sport is something that we all love. Australian success. We've had incredible results for our amazing athletes over in Paris.

So at the moment, we're sitting in fourth place behind China, the US and France. And we've got eight golds, six silvers and four bronze medals. I think that's about right in terms of what we were predicted to win. So there's plenty of talk today, though, around Algerian boxer, Amain Khalif. Now, I spoke about this earlier in the week. I knew this was going to happen.

So she had a match against an Italian boxer and it was abandoned after just 46 seconds. So the Algerian boxer punched the Italian once in the face and the Italian said, no, no, no, I can't compete with her. And she said, I've never been hit so hard in my life. Now, the whole thing behind this is the Algerian boxer has some effectively mutations to an XY chromosome, which is the male chromosome.

But she is a female. She's a female boxer. She was born a female. And she is what you call a DSD athlete. And that's effectively, she's had a different sexual development. So she's intersex or something like that, the Algerian. She's not transgender. She wasn't born a man and decided to become a female and then the IOC's putting her in the boxing ring and punching on with women. That is not what has happened.

That is not what has happened. And I made that very clear earlier in the week. But what I also made clear is that unfortunately all of us have different makeup, don't we? All of us have different makeup. And it can be genetic, it can be economic. Some are tall, some are short, whatever it is. And the gifts that each of us have got mean that we can excel in some things and we are prevented from doing others. That's just life. And that's just being a human being.

So unfortunately for the Algerian, my view was pretty simple. If the Algerian, thanks to her being a different sexual development athlete, and she's got higher levels of testosterone, she should not be able to compete against females in women's boxing. And that might sound cold, that might be unfortunate for Emmane Khalif, but that's just how it is. That is life. We're all prevented from doing things given...

Our makeup and whatever the cards that we've been dealt in life. Now, I noticed that the Paris 2024 boxing unit, as well as the International Olympic Committee, have put out a statement around all this. I feel a little sorry for the Algerian, having her, you know, very personal information and private information and things that would be difficult for her, splashed around newspapers all around the world and television programs all around the world. But here we go.

This is what the IOC has said. Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination. All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 boxing unit.

As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the age and gender of the athletes are based on their passport. Well, that's not quite good enough in this day and age. Um,

They go on. The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on an arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure, especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years. That arbitrary decision was the IBA saying that these two boxers could not compete against women.

And the IOC reckons such an approach is contrary to good governance and any rule change must follow appropriate processes and should be based on scientific evidence. Well, I just think it's got to be based on common sense, unfortunately. And I do feel a little sorry for the Algerian boxer, but end of the day.

The cards you dealt are the cards we're all dealt. And that's just life. 131873. Well, Ken Wallace, he won Olympic gold in the canoe sprint in Beijing. And he's competed in three Olympic games, Ken Wallace. He's in Paris now as the deputy chef de mission for the Australian Olympic team. And he's on the line. G'day, Ken. Good morning, Chris. Or good afternoon, I should say. Good afternoon here. Plenty of talk about the Algerian boxer.

Now, regardless of whether or not you think she should be competing, how does it affect our female boxers to have a media storm like this?

Every athlete wants to come to an Olympic Games and focus on what they're doing. They're here to compete. You know, the ASU and we support Caitlin and our Boc and Marissa to have their statements and to express their views. But yeah, we'd like to get on with the boxing as such. That's first and foremost. But yeah, it's a very complicated and very difficult situation at the moment.

Ken, it shouldn't be that complicated. It shouldn't be that complicated. When did the world get so complicated? It's very... That's the way it is. It's very complex at the moment on a lot of their... You know, a lot of the issues that are going on or potential issues. But at the end of the day, it's not up to us and it's not up to me. The IOC has set the rules for boxing here and our athletes have taken issues with those rules and they've got every right to do that.

What have our Aussie athletes, our Aussie female boxers, what are their views on it, just to bring us up to speed?

That is their views, and I wouldn't be able to go into those details from that. Again, it's a very complex situation. The International Boxing Association hasn't been recognised now for quite some time by the International Olympic Committee. You come out and some of the statements that you said, and the IOC has come out, and they've got this...

framework that's three years ago around balanced between fairness, safety and inclusiveness. So it's a, yeah, it's a, again, as I've said, it's a complex situation.

I did note that our boxing captain, Caitlin Parker, did say that the Olympics are proving the two boxers who had failed gender eligibility tests is incredibly dangerous. But ultimately, it must feel like... And I know there's always something at every Olympic Games, right? And this feels like the Paris Olympic Games something is this Algerian boxer, whether or not she, you know,

intended to try to get around rules, whether it's fair, whatever you agree with, whether you agree with it or not. Is it your view, Ken, that this is fair, that the Algerian is allowed to compete?

In some ways, I can't really have a view in this way. Again, the IOC has set the rules here. It's the Olympic Games. They're the ones that are making the rules here. And so my view in some ways is very irrelevant to what it is. Okay. Let's talk about the Olympic Village. Let's get off this for a second. So let's talk about the Olympic Village. You're walking a fine line there, Ken. You're doing your best. That's it.

It's a tough carry. What I do want to say about our boxers, though, is what an incredible team they are. The way that they've gotten around each other and the way that we've had some fights there that haven't quite gone our way. The way that the...

The whole team itself is quite incredible on how good they actually are. It's something that I guess all Australians should aspire to be like, those Australian boxers. The diversity within that team, the equality within that team, it's absolutely incredible. So this is coming off...

At the moment, you know, a little controversial for our boxers in some ways because of statements, but in actual fact, our boxers are incredible athletes. And again, the way that they're supporting each other and supporting the rest of the team here in the village is absolutely incredible. Now, speaking of the village...

I know that you guys are sorting out all the Olympic athletes, but I've been told, well, I was listening to James Magnusson on a podcast the other day, and he reckons one of those giant weightlifters, the best that the Parisians could serve up was one lamb chop. It's not quite enough, is it, Ken?

James Magson is definitely coming out with a few comments lately. So I wish he has every right to as well. But there is definitely enough food here in the village. There's multiple dining halls within here across the board. You just essentially would just have to go to another table. So yeah,

There's enough meat, there's vegetarian options, there's enough options here. I've been here for the last over 10 days and I definitely like my meat and I haven't gone hungry. I'm not a weightlifter. You haven't had to partake in the vegan hot dogs or whatever to stay fed?

They've got, no, that's definitely an option. It's probably not my option that I go to, the first option, but it's definitely enough food here. Speaking of the James Magnusson and the Aussie blokes, right? I know he's retired, but let's just talk about the Aussie blokes. They've gone okay, but we're a bit slow compared to the girls, Ken. How good are the girls going?

the girls are going incredible. Our Olympic team is going incredible and that's the way that we should look at it. Regardless of gender, our Olympic team, which every one of them are, is doing amazing, whether they're meddling or not, whether they're doing some of the personal best that they've done. We've had some incredible results already in that this

This is the best results in some sports they've had for the last 24 years sort of thing. So coming up and into a home games, things look very promising and it's only going to get better from here. But yeah, to your point, our women are doing incredible and we're celebrating all of that. How's everyone feeling? Everyone, all the Aussies, are they behind each other? Is there good camaraderie in the group?

The way the village is set up and the Australian Big Committee set up this village, it's awesome. It's definitely one of the best villages in the setups that we have. I know that a lot of other countries are envious of us that we're doing it, but we've got the...

we've got tv playing we've got multiple tvs with multiple sports with australians playing on each one of those sports and they are packed every day trying to get viewing on those tvs is uh it's very hard i just came upstairs just then the coffee machine is going hard downstairs and it's a great place for all our athletes to you know just to celebrate and and to just live that normal life within the village at the moment

Now, gamble responsibly, but before I let you go, have you got a tip for the remaining week and a bit of the Olympics for us?

It's definitely, we're just coming up to halfway. We've got some incredible athletes coming up today. Today alone, you know, Aussie Gray Morris down into windsurfing, BMX racing, Cam McAvoy in the 50 freestyle tonight, kind of McKen. Yeah, this is all in today. Three by three basketball. The rollers are still going. Yeah.

The list goes on to what it is. In terms of hot tips, I have no doubt our team's going to do well. And my sport alone has yet to start. And I'm quite sorry. Our canoe sprint paddlers are going to do fairly well too. Good on you, Ken. I appreciate you coming on. All the best and go the Aussies.

Awesome. Thanks a lot, Chris. You're welcome. That's Deputy Chef de Mission, Ken Wallace, live there from Paris, France. 131873. I know the Algerian boxer has caused a big old-fashioned you-know-what fight, but, you know, I made my point earlier in the week. She's XY chromosome. She is still a she. She wasn't born a male.

but she can't fight against women. They're the cards she's been dealt in life. As cold and as hard and as unfair as that may be for her, that's just the truth.

And we have to just come to terms with that as a society because otherwise we'll get to every Olympic Games, every Commonwealth Games, every NRLW, whatever it is, and we'll be having the same conversations over and over and over again. Line in the sand, ladies and gentlemen, and let's get on with it. 21 past four. 25 past four. I thought it'd be worthwhile just seeing what gold medal chances Australia has to come because I think we've been kind of conditioned, right?

that once the swimming comes to an end, things start to dry up on the gold medal front. But that's not quite the case. So we've got still a few days left in the pool. Cameron McAvoy, he is absolutely a chance to win gold in the 50 metres freestyle.

He's the second fastest qualifier. We've got rower Tara Rigney. So Tara Rigney, our Australian rower, she's in the women's single skulls. And she's on at, what, 20 past six tonight, our time, taking on a Bulgarian and a Dutch rower. So Tara's a chance at gold tonight, or just before 20 past six. We've got Minji Lee in the ladies' golf as a chance there. Her brother didn't go any good yesterday. Nina Kennedy.

is a pole vaulter and Nina Kennedy is the reigning joint world champion in the women's pole vaulting. So Nina, absolutely a chance for gold in the field events.

Keegan Palmer, we've got this 21-year-old skateboarder, Keegan Palmer. He's a gold medal chance, supposedly. Jessica Hull. So Jessica Hull is a middle distance runner. She broke a national record in the 1500 metres at the Paris Diamond League earlier this month. And she's broken the 2000 metre world record too, Jessica Hull. So a chance in a couple of the middle distance events there. What else have we got? High jumpers.

We've got Nicola Oluslagis and Elena Patterson, or Eleanor Patterson, I should say. They're strong chances for a medal, our high jumpers. In the hockey, the Kookaburras are in the semifinals, and the women's hockey Roos are undefeated, so we're a chance of a medal in both the men's and the women's hockey. You'd say gold in at least one of them, wouldn't you? The Opals, they're just going okay in the basketball. They're just going okay. They've got to get their act together.

They won. They beat the Canadians last night, but still, you want to see more from the Opals. The Boomers, yeah, they've got to beat Greece. They're playing Greece tonight at 9.30pm if the Boomers want to progress. So the prediction before these games was we would win 15 gold medals, Australia. And our best ever is 17 in Tokyo and Athens.

It doesn't look like we'll get to 17. I think our water poloers are going really well too. So the water polo men and women are doing well. So I reckon we'd still be lucky to get 17 gold.

But it looks like we'll probably land in sort of the early to mid-teens, with any luck. Sight better than our worst ever in Montreal. Remember that? 1976 with zero gold, one silver and four bronze. I think it sparked the start of the AIS. There was so much outrage around Australia by such a poor performance at the Olympics in Montreal in 76.

We only nabbed eight gold in Rio and London, and they were seen as failures. So halfway through, we're already well above the benchmark and on our way to further success. A Paris 2024 Olympic Games update. Thanks to Harvey Norman, proud to be Australia's official retail partner. Powered by LG, partner of Nine's Olympic broadcast. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Adam Hawes with an Olympics update.

Day seven of competition is getting underway with badminton doubles up first. Aussies won't be in action until the men's golf tees off next hour, followed by the 3x3 women's basketball. The giant-killing Australian men's water polo team are making a serious splash in Paris. After stunning the defending champ Serbia, the Sharks backed it up by beating the home team France 9-8.

Nathan Power says they won't be daunted at facing another heavyweight, Hungary, tomorrow night. There's a lot of belief right now amongst the team. There's a lot of confidence. British tennis icon Andy Murray is calling it a day after being eliminated from the men's doubles. And American gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles has claimed her sixth Olympic gold after winning the all-around final. She's helped the US jump to second on the medal tally with nine gold. China is first with 11.

Australia is fourth with eight gold. The latest coming from the women's 4x200 freestyle relay team. I'm Adam Hawes and that is the latest from Paris. That Paris 2024 medal tally was thanks to NRMA Insurance, a help company. Good on you, Hawesy.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryant. G'day. Good afternoon again, Chris. A Sydney man has been charged by federal police over an alleged methamphetamine importation plot after 900 kilograms of the drug was found hidden in machinery. The Fair Work Commission is applying to take over nearly all of the branches of the scandal-plagued CFMEU. The agency wants to install experienced barrister Mark Irving SC as administrator.

US President Joe Biden is thanking allies, in particular Germany and Slovenia, for acting against their immediate self-interest in taking part in a prisoner swap deal with Russia. And the ABS says the data shows that Australians are spending less on dining out or booking hotels as household budgets feel the pressure over household spending down half a percent. In sport, Cody Walker has been ruled out for the Rabideaux's clash with the Sharks due to injury. We'll have more news in sport at five. Thanks, Josh. Coming up, the...

I know that lots of people think, well, I don't want to buy off the plan. I'm worried about defects. Now, you're not alone, but there is a new tool out that can put your mind at ease and allow you to buy a unit off the plan. I'll tell you about it next. It's 25 to 5. Now, if we are to solve the housing crisis, I think it's extremely important that we restore faith in buying property off the plan. If everyone just stands back and waits for existing property to come up,

because somehow psychologically it's deemed as a safer investment, we'll just end up in a death spiral because there is nowhere near enough of it to go around when it comes to existing property. But then when you hear stories of the mascot towers or Opal at Olympic Park, it's not hard to understand why people are hesitant to jump headlong into a brand new development before it's even built because you don't know what the risk of defects are, you don't know if the building has problems...

Because it's not been built yet. So I reckon that's why this gold star rating system is a good idea. It's called the Independent Construction Industry Rating Tool. They call it ICERT. And it provides a register of trustworthy developers, builders, and people in and around the construction game who've undergone a rigorous independent review of their business. So you know if what you're buying off the plan is going to be rigid-idge or not.

So Mervac is one of those developers that has five stars and Stuart Penkless is their CEO of development. Stuart's on the line. Stuart, thanks for your time. Good afternoon. Stuart, can I ask, off the plan property, have you noticed a reluctance over the last five to 10 years of people willing to invest in it?

Absolutely. I think what we've seen over the last few years in particular, a lot of concern from purchasers around quality, trust, trust.

in terms of developers being there to stand behind their product. And that ultimately has resulted in hesitation from purchasers purchasing off the plant. And that's simply because of what we're seeing in the media, some bad examples, effectively bad apples.

Correct. And I think that, you know, those bad examples have really tainted our industry. And what we've seen is a low level of confidence of purchasers in the market buying off the plan. But if we don't buy off the plan, not much point in building brand new development. And then what happens to the housing crisis? It can't possibly be solved.

That's correct. And that's why the New South Wales Building Commissioner introduced several pillars of reform, one of them being the ICERT rating. And that ICERT rating has been an important pillar to restore confidence back in the industry. Is it independent? How does it work?

Absolutely. It's an independent rating system that looks at the developer from many different aspects, both financially, both historic performance from a safety perspective, and ultimately assesses that developer against a significant range of criteria, which ultimately goes to

applying or awarding a rating to that developer. Have you found that it's helped, Mervac, given you've got a five-star rating, the most you can get, the best you can get, gold standard? Have you found that's helped in trying to convince potential buyers, hey, our stuff's good stuff?

Absolutely. I think that, you know, we've been fortunate that we've been around for 52 years and ultimately had the benefit of many years of development and a loyal customer following. But what we're seeing is obviously many new buyers into the market, particularly younger buyers. Those buyers are very well informed.

And this rating system has certainly allowed them to critique and, I suppose, get comfortable as to which developer they're going to move forward with. And I did notice in the Sydney Morning Herald there was an article about this only a few days ago, and it quoted high forest development in West Pennant Hills. And there was a young couple who...

looked up the ICERT rating tool and thought to themselves, well, this might be a goer and now they're in.

Yeah, it's actually a great story because that young couple, actually one of them was actually working in the construction industry and was obviously well aware of the rating system and ultimately chose to buy at our West Pennant Hills project off the back of the five-star rating. Regardless of the rating or not...

It's difficult. Every developer I speak to, Stuart, and I suppose Mervac is not quite in the mid-tier developer sort of category.

But the mid-tier developers are finding it really, really difficult to finance their developments because the banks won't lend what is necessary without a certain pre-sale threshold being met in terms of 60% to 70% to 80% off the plan. So we're sort of in this spiral where the customer's worried about buying units off the plan because they're worried about defects and the like.

The developer can't get finance unless they can sell it off the plan. So what happens? It doesn't get built and we need homes being built.

Precisely, and that's the challenge the industry is facing at the moment. There's been obviously significant headwinds over the last few years in delivery, wet weather, supply chain challenges, labour shortages, which has just meant that we're not building enough. And coupled with sort of uncertainty around the quality of some developments, that has meant that people have been reluctant to buy off the plant. Mm-hmm.

and ultimately we've seen an enormous drop in the commencement of new projects here in Sydney. But ultimately, I think what we're seeing now is...

with the help of the New South Wales government, that we're getting more and more confidence back into the market. And ultimately, we hope that the settings will be right, particularly when we start to see some more certainty around interest rates, that the settings will be right for more projects to come out of the ground. You've been around a long time. Is this stuff usually just cyclical, the economic conditions?

Look, I think that this has been certainly another cycle. And for listeners who have been around for a while, property is cyclical. But I think what is important to recognise that markets do come back and quality projects do certainly stand the test of time.

And you know what? You can jump online and figure out whether a developer who's building that project has been independently deemed quality or not. It's a great tool. Stuart, I really appreciate you coming on. Have a good weekend.

Thank you very much, Chris. Stuart Penkless, the CEO of development at Mervac. So if you want to just Google this, independent construction industry rating tool, independent construction industry rating tool. And if you're thinking about buying something off the plan, you can plug the developer in there and see if they've had problems in the past and whether or not this independent assessment has deemed them a good one to take a risk on.

And the good ones, like Mervac and Emeritons and the like, you don't really need to take much of a risk. They're big and they're successful for a reason. They largely build really good quality stuff. It's 18 to 5. It's 14 minutes to 5. What about this one? Almost 35,000 Teslas have been recalled over a manufacturing defect, which could see the bonnet unlatch and fly up,

While the person is driving. Oh, no. So the notice has been issued for Model Y and Model 3 Teslas made between 2020 and 2024. And they are found to have problems with the bonnet latch assembly. That's what Tesla said. Due to the manufacturing defect, the bonnet latch assembly may not detect when it is opened by the driver and therefore fail to warn the driver of an open bonnet.

If the vehicle is driven with an unlatched bonnet, it may open abruptly when driving and could result in the obstruction of the driver's view. So there are currently, they say, 34,993 cars with the defect. And owners will be contacted by Tesla. Over-the-air software update will be installed on all affected cars. So you will get a...

Personal, you'll be personally contacted by Tesla if this impacts you. 131873. Now, there's a whole bunch of works on our roads as well as on our train network over the weekend, as usual. So five lanes of the Sydney Harbour Bridge deck will close from 11pm tonight until 6am and then overnight...

Between one and five lanes will be out of action on the Sydney Harbour Bridge deck overnight, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Both northbound lanes will be closed to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel on Monday, again, overnight. Both southbound lanes will be closed on Monday, again, overnight. As well as the Domain Tunnel will be closed northbound Monday, overnight. Debacle trying to get across the harbour. If anybody's been driving or trying to get across the harbour during these roadworks...

Give us a call, 131873. It's largely the work is being done overnight, but it is consistent and it is significant. Eastern Distributor will be closed in both directions too, between the Carl Expressway and Link Road. But again, overnight from sort of Sunday through to Tuesday. The M8...

So motorists are advised that the M8 will be closed eastbound Monday the 5th of August from 8pm to 5am and Wednesday the 7th of August, same time. Westbound lanes will be closed Wednesday the 7th of August, 9pm till 5am. When it comes to our trains, passengers travelling to or from the Hunter and Central Coast will

and on the T9 Northern lines. Urge to plan ahead this weekend because buses will replace trains Saturday the 3rd of August and Sunday the 4th of August between Strathfield and Hornsby, Hornsby and Barara, and between Hornsby and the Newcastle interchange. I think I've covered it all. Let's be together, together.

Now on Drive... Good old Charlie Brown. Thanks to Harvey Norman. Unbeatable deals on LG. Big savings on selected TVs, fridges and washers, plus bonus gift cards. Harvey Norman. Best brands, best range, best price, guaranteed. Well, if you're like me and have an iPhone, listen up, because Apple has just got a new system update, which will have a whole bunch of new features that include...

You guessed it, artificial intelligence. Charlie Brown, host of 2GB's Life in Technology. He'll give us a lowdown on this. Charlie, g'day. Hey, Chris. It's for the Pro and the Pro Max iPhone 15. And this is the announcement that was made earlier in the year by Apple and will be released publicly in September-ish, maybe late September. Apple

Apple always releases this new operating system version. This one's called iOS 18.1. They always release it as a beta, so developers can go download it onto a clean iPhone because obviously you're installing a brand new operating system onto it, and then they can go play with it, try it out, use the features, see how it goes, report back to Apple, and Apple gets...

they get access to the data of what, what people are finding doing this, uh,

doing functions on this software as well. So what is being discovered and being talked about by some developers now, you're going to get in September timeframe if you've got the right hardware or if you get the next iPhone when that's announced about the same time. But really, if you've used... I think the best example is to look at something like ChatGPT, the service that rewrites...

articles or all sorts of things that you might be working on. That technology is essentially going to be built onto the actual handset itself. So for example, Chris, you might write somebody a text message or somebody might send a text message to you. You can just ask the phone to write a reply without actually writing it yourself and the phone will go write it for you based on what has been said in the message you've just received.

as an example. But it doesn't need to go onto the internet to do that. I've always wondered that, right? What's the difference between that and me just giving a voice command? Nothing. You know what I mean? All this stuff...

It's almost like we're doing it because we can do it, but it doesn't necessarily make it any more productive than the tools that we already have on our tech. Yeah, I think if you're – a couple of things. If you get a lot of email at work, right, and you want to have the most important emails put to the top of the list so that you reply to the most important first –

An AI tool will do that for you based on who has sent you those emails. Now, that's probably going to be a good time-saving function because you may not get through your entire email list in a day. So something like that might work. Something like getting a message and having the tool write the reply for you may not work. So you, Chris, might find things in there that you value and other people might find others valuable.

It's going to be interesting to see once all this stuff sort of gets onto handsets and PCs and things like that, what people do actually use versus, oh yeah, that's nice. I mean, if you look at Microsoft Office, for example, the productivity tool most of us use, it's got about 80% more features on it than most people actually use on a day-to-day basis. So it's there, but if you don't really sort of need it, you don't go use it, but you still use the tool in some way.

Charlie, what's on the show tomorrow? We're talking about a decent router that you can get if you're on NBN and you don't really like your router. That's tomorrow on the show. Plus, heading overseas, the Ultra VPN that will keep you safe while you're travelling and connecting to the internet. We'll go through some of the features you'll get on a product like that. Love your work, Charlie. That's Charlie Brown. You can catch him on Life and Technology tomorrow morning, 8am, right here on 2GB. Will Smith...

He's releasing a new album nearly 20 years after his last album. So his last album was Lost and Found, came out in 2005, but at age 55, Will Smith reckons he's keen to share his newest and most personal music with the world. Now, this is, other than Men in Black, this is the only music I've ever known Will Smith to ever make. Now this is a story all about...

I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air. In West Philadelphia, born most of my days, chilling out, maxing, relaxing, all cool and all shooting some b-ball. I started making trouble in my neighborhood. I got in one little kid and said, you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air. I whistled for a cab and said,

I've had a couple of questions from both Carolyn and Lynn. I was talking about something with Michael McLaren. It's called Story Worth. So I got my father that as a gift on Father's Day a couple of years ago. And effectively, you send a question to your loved one. They answer it 200, 300 words.

and over the course of 52 weeks, they've written a story about their lives. 200 pages, hardcover book, and it's printed. Fantastic story worth, it's called. 131873. On the other side of this, we'll cross to the United States. The Russia prisoner swap has begun.

Now back to Drive with Chris O'Keefe on Sydney's 2GB. It's seven minutes past five. Thank you for your company on this Friday afternoon. And it is Friday afternoon. So TGIF, ladies and gentlemen, I am giving away...

A special listener lunch. Yep, we're all going out to lunch. We're going out to lunch thanks to the DD's Waterfront Group and your best Sydney shout-outs. We'll earn you a couple of tickets to the lunch. I'll be there. I'm looking forward to it. The Sydney shout-outs shortly. As well as that, I'll check in with Luke Bradnam. So he's a Nine News reporter out of Queensland, right? And he's had the difficulty of covering the surfing in Tahiti.

But one of the American broadcasters has gone down mysteriously. And Luke Bradnam, the Aussie, is now broadcasting the surfing to the entire United States of America. And Luke's as bogan as they come.

It's eight past five, 131873. Now, big news out of the United States. President Joe Biden has welcomed home three Americans who were sentenced to years in Russian penal colonies on trumped up charges, including jailed journalist Evan Gershowitz.

Now, they've been returned home as part of a huge prisoner swap. They're talking about this as the biggest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia since the Cold War. President Biden was there on the airport tarmac to meet the Americans coming home.

The American people are watching this broadcast tonight, and I think it's fair to say they're celebrating with their families. What's your message to the American people? -There's nothing beyond our capacity when we act together. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I don't know who the hell we are. We're the United States of America. The United States of America. We put back together relationships with countries we haven't had before. We rebuilt NATO. We rebuilt the circumstances that allowed this to happen. That's why it happened.

Well, Jonathan Kersley from Nine's US Bureau is all over this and he's on the line for me. Jono, the prisoners that have been returned, who are they and what do we know about what happened behind the scenes to make this occur?

Well, essentially, Chris, this has been a deal that has been years in the making. The machinations of it all sort of panning out over the course of the last few months. The three Americans who arrived back a couple of hours or so ago, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who's been detained in Russia for more than a year now, Paul Whelan, a former Marine who's been detained almost six years, and another Russian-American journalist,

Al-Sukhumishava, they all arrived back a few hours ago, touching down at Joint Base Andrews, as you mentioned, greeted by Joe Biden, the Vice President, Kamala Harris, and then incredible pictures as they were embraced by their families who have never given up fighting for their release. What we know about the, I suppose, machinations of this deal over the course of the last

couple of months is that it needed to involve the release of a Russian hitman held in Germany. And Germany was reluctant to do this. It essentially took a meeting between Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, and US President Joe Biden to get that part of the deal over the line. And Scholz essentially told Joe Biden, I will do this

For you, the last part that needed to come through was Slovenia needing to release two Russians in order for Paul Whelan to be freed. And that was essentially done in a deal stitched up a couple of weeks ago, remarkably, an hour before Joe Biden put out his statement to the world saying that he was ending his candidacy for the presidency.

So you're starting to gain a picture that behind the scenes in all of the domestic political turmoil that Joe Biden, the Democratic Party, has faced over the course of the last few weeks, this deal was still being pushed through. His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke through tears today describing this move as vintage Joe Biden when it comes to foreign policy. And essentially tonight what he said to Vladimir Putin is stop. Um...

Look, this is a controversial thing to raise, right? And I always wonder it with this. We assume in the West that the other lot aspires, the Russians, the Chinese, whoever it is. There is no way of knowing whether any of the Americans who've come back on American soil may well have been engaged in espionage with the CIA like the Russians say they have been, is there?

Well, I mean, essentially every nation has fires. We all know this. Every nation has fires in other countries. This is part of the work of international intelligence agencies. Now, the work that's going to be done in terms of the Americans who have been released is they are going to be questioned. They're going to be checked over, first of all, at a health assessment centre in Texas.

then they're going to be questioned by the intelligence authorities. They're going to be questioned for the sorts of things of, what was Russia trying to get out of you? What were the sorts of things they were asking you? What was your experience like? Now, is it going to come out that some of these Americans who have been returned home have been spies for America? Well, I think if it's ever going to come out, that is highly unlikely. Russia obviously detained them on trumped-up spying charges. America all along insisted that these... Do we know they're trumped up, though? ..returned home tonight?

Well, essentially, that's what the American government's been saying for years. These are trumped-up charges that this was an expedited... That's what the Russians say about us too, right? And the Russians will say that about us too, right? And the Russians will say that about Americans. The Russians will say that about Australians. So the Americans are going to be keeping their cards close to their chest, but the one thing they're going to be doing is trying to find out exactly what

the Russians were trying to extract from the three Americans. We know that Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter, had a series of people working with him. He had a driver, he had security detail. So he was operating in and around while reporting in Russia under confines of relatively strict movements among a close contingent of staff that he had with him. Paul Whelan was a former Marine who was over there...

almost six years ago now, and detained them. So there is going to be significant questions from the American intelligence agencies about what was Russia trying to get out of them. Jono, as always, I really appreciate you coming on. Thanks so much. Always good to talk to you and listen to you too, JV Chris. That's Jonathan Kersley from Nine's US Bureau. He's all over this. 131873. I did notice too that Kamala Harris was standing there next to Joe Biden.

Campaign mode, all right. I'd just be very happy for the Gershkovich family and the Whelan families that their loved ones are back on American soil. 131873. It's coming up to 14 past five, and you know what? Thank God it's Friday. G-G-I-G.

And now on 2GB Drive, thank God it's Friday. All right, it's time for your Sydney shout-outs. Give us a call, 131873. It's all thanks to our great mates at the DD's Waterfront Group, Good Health and Good Business. Call me, 131873. Who deserves a special mention in your life?

Because our special prize today is a listener lunch. Yep, we're all going out to lunch, including me. I'll be there. So if you want to join me for lunch at the DD's Flying Fish restaurant in Pyrmont, this is your chance. So it's on this month. I've got six doubles to give away. So you can bring your husband, your wife, a friend, anyone special in your life. Give us a call. Who will you give a Sydney shout out to? Is it a local business? Anniversary? Birthday?

As your neighbour down the road just done a really good thing for you this week, it doesn't matter. If you get on air, you win. 131873, your Sydney shout-outs. We'll do them soon. Driving you home to the weekend. It's TGIF on Sydney's 2GB. Well, first shout-out is from me. So all the people at Bankstown Sports Club deserve a big pat on the back, and I'll tell you why.

They're staging a green and gold event this afternoon, celebrating all things Paris Olympics.

So the Bankstown Sports Club are an official Olympics live site. So if you live in and around Bankstown or that part of the world, you'll get a chance to catch 24-hour coverage of the Olympic Games. So get down there and check it out. And what's even better, they've got some great activities on hand at Bankstown Sports to really get things going. So we're talking mini Olympics, a bit of French-inspired food.

And if you want to get your face painted, it's all on offer. So Michael Clancy, he's the CEO of Bankstown Sports Club and he's on the line for us. Michael, g'day. Hello, Chris. Good afternoon. Happy Friday. How are you? I'm good, thank you, mate. Green and gold event. I love it. What got you in the spirit?

Oh, being a sports club and a proud supporter and fostering junior sport and senior sport, we thought we need to get into the spirit to support our Australian athletes as they're overseas in France right now competing for the gold. Have you had a good take up of people in the area, people excited about it?

I certainly have. The fact that we're a live site, the only live site in southwestern Sydney with 24-7 coverage, really enables us to showcase what Australia's doing any time of the day. And we really have had the local community get behind it, but we'd really love everybody to get down there today. Staff, patrons, wear green and gold, show support for the Australians. That's what we're about. That's what we want.

Have you got any big guests present this afternoon? Anyone special?

We certainly do right now. We're just kicking off. We have a panel discussion with former Olympic swim coach Alan Thompson. And we know how well our swimmers are doing in the pool right now. Our females are absolutely killing it. It would be fantastic for everybody to come down and hear his thoughts about what Australia is doing and listen to the insights of just how well we do it in the pool. What about the members? So the members are getting looked after. Some exclusive events you've got on, Michael?

We certainly do. We have a range of French-themed food, of course. For the kids, we have face painting, some kids' removable tattoos, of course. We're really getting into the spirit. They're painting green and gold and anything we can do to get the families into the spirit, we want them to come down and enjoy it. It's a great atmosphere. What are you hoping? More gold, Michael? What are you backing? Oh, absolutely.

Absolutely. One of our Bankstown sports juniors and seniors, Jess Hull, as you know, a week ago broke the record. I am 100% behind her to hopefully take out the gold in the 2000s. Is she a junior, is she? Yeah.

No, she was one of our juniors, but she used to run for Bankstown Sports Athletics Carnival. So we couldn't be prouder to support somebody going for gold. That's awesome. Good on you, Michael. Good on you, Jess. Well done, everybody. Good luck to it. I hope it's a raging success like I'm sure it will be. Thank you. Come on down. That will. Michael Clancy, CEO of Bankstown Sports Club. So if you're in and around the area, go check it out. 131873. How good is that? Jess Hull, she's going to be...

what every Australian has its eyes on in the lead up to her race, because she's just broken the world record in the 2000. So she is a dead set medal chance for an, a gold medal chance for,

In a middle distance race. And we haven't won one on the track for a very, very long time. So Jess Hull of Bankstown Sports Junior. How good is that? 131873. Get your Sydney shout outs in. We're all going to a listener lunch. If you want a seat at the table, it's at DD's Flying Fish in Pyrmont. Give us a call now. 131873.

It's 23 past five. Your Sydney shout-outs. We'll do them now. It's all thanks to the DD's Waterfront Group. Good health and good business. We'll start with Laura at Dromoyne. Hello, Laura. How are you going? I'm good, thank you, Laura. Who's your shout-out for? To Andrea Canini at M9 Fitness in Burn Crescent in Chiswick. Mm-hmm.

Awesome. What was it?

It was a three-by-three cube bookcase that was perfect for my seven-year-old's room to display his Lego and in excellent condition, but I couldn't get it in my car and in hindsight, actually couldn't lift it into my car myself. I rang him. Within 15 minutes, he came with his van. He helped me put it in his car. Legend. Legend. What a good boy.

Hey, Laura. It goes above and beyond for his members. It's awesome. Hey, Laura, do you want to come to lunch? I definitely want to come to lunch. I'm looking forward to meeting you. We're going to the DD's Flying Fish restaurant in Pyrmont. And feel free to bring whoever you want. You've got two tickets. Let's go to Ashan at Greystains. Hello, Ashan. Hi. How are you doing, Ashan? Good. Who's your shout-out for? For my mum. What's your mum do, Ashan?

How does she do that? Tell me about your mum, Asharn. Why do you love her so much? I love her, Asharn. Hey, do your mum and dad want to come to the lunch?

Yes. All right. Well, you've just scored your mum and dad free tickets to the list of lunch. Well done, A'shaan. You'll be popular in the household. I really appreciate your call. That's beautiful. How good's A'shaan? What a little legend. Josephine at Bass Hill. Hello, Josephine. Hey, Chris. How are you? I'm good, thank you, Josephine. Who's your shout-out for?

My shout-out is for my son, Daniel. He's a locksmith. He's a very hard worker. And no matter what, if family and friends need him to do something, he's there, no questions asked, and helps out all the time. And I just love him to bits. Oh, Josephine. He must do big hours and strange hours as a locksmith, does he? Yes, he does, because he gets, you know, during the night call-outs and, yeah, weekends.

So he's always busy. And he helps you out, Deluxe? He does. I'm blind, so he helps me out whenever I need help. Well, Josephine, you want to come to lunch? Definitely. My husband would love to meet you. He always says, I love Chris. What's your husband's name? Walter. Well, I love Walter too, Josephine. I'm looking forward to meeting both you and Walter at our listener lunch. Thank you very much for your call. Thank you. No, you're very welcome. Helen's at Marrickville. Hello, Helen.

Hey, how are you? I'm good, thanks. Helen, how are you? Oh, living the dream at 5.30 in the afternoon and getting through finally. Who's your shout-out for? My big shout-out is to a very dear friend of mine, Alicia Tugud, who has been supporting me through lots of personal issues over the last couple of months, but she's been there for me over 25 years, so I wanted to shout-out to her. Oh, that's beautiful. How close are you, Helen? You see each other quite regularly? Yes.

We certainly do, and she's been there for me for over 25 years, and hopefully I've been reciprocating that friendship too. So definitely worth a shout-out. Hey, nothing beats good friends. Hey, Helen, looking forward to meeting you, okay? Absolutely, fantastic. Thank you so much. I'll see you down at Pyrmont. That's Helen at Marrickville. Paul, final caller, Ashfield. Paul, who's your shout-out for, mate? Lucky last, Paul. What's happening? How are you, Chris? I'm good, Paul. Who's your shout-out for, mate?

Paul.

Mate, you're putting us all to shame. You can't remember the anniversary of when you first started dating. Come on. Mate, it was a very... It was the first Greek girl I ever went out with. The first Greek girl? Yeah. Did you go out with the Italians, Koreans?

It was actually a multi-spill, though, guys. Don't talk about that, Paul. Don't talk about that. Let's not go there. Let's not go there. They're very fiery. Hey, Paul, I'm really looking forward to meeting you and your wife, Kathy. I hope you bring her along.

Wonderful. Hey, Paul, I'm really looking forward to it, and I love stories of love. It's good when people are proud of their husbands and wives, just like I am. I'm very proud of Vonnie, and I love her. Absolutely deluxe. Good on you, Paul. Have a good weekend. 131873. That's it for our Sydney shout-outs this Friday afternoon. It's all thanks to the DeeDees Waterfront Group. Good health and good business.

If you got through a new one, I'm looking forward to having lunch with you. Just be careful. I'm a big eater. Driving you home to the weekend, it's TGIF on Sydney's 2GB. In the newsroom, Josh Bryant. G'day. Hello again, Chris. The family of an Australian killed in Gaza says a report into the Israeli strike is an important first step. The report found the deaths of seven aid workers in April were the result of serious failures by the Israeli Defence Force.

The Firefighters Union in New South Wales says they won't be rushed by political deadlines as they push back against claims that they're holding up the opening of the new Sydney Metro line. A woman in her 90s has now died after contracting Legionnaire's disease in an outbreak in Melbourne which has now spread to at least 60 people. And engineers are being called in to check the integrity of a road in Sydney's west after a burst water main caused flooding in the basement of a Pendle Hill unit block.

In Sport, Broncos coach Kevin Walters is rubbishing calls to replace Adam Reynolds as skipper. Brisbane's final hopes go on the line tomorrow night's NRL derby against the Gold Coast. We'll have more news in Sport at six. Thanks, Josh.

A weather update. We'll be here to help in unexpected weather. NRMA Insurance, a help company. Well, a few showers around today. It was all over the place, the weather. Right now, 13 degrees in the city and 14 in our west. Temperatures tonight will dip to 8 in the city and 5 in our west. Tomorrow, partly cloudy. Tops of 19 in the city tomorrow and 19 in our west.

A finance update. Enjoy impossible-to-ignore savings across the Mercedes-Benz SUV range. Well, unfortunately for everybody's superannuation accounts and if you are an investor with a pretty meaty share portfolio, it has been a terrible day on the markets. The ASX 200 down 2.11%. 2.11% has been wiped off the ASX 200.

2.08% has been wiped off the All Ords. The All Ords down 2.08%. One Aussie dollar now buying 65 US cents. A Paris 2024 Olympic Games update. Thanks to Harvey Norman. Proud to be Australia's official retail partner. Powered by LG. Partner of Nine's Olympic broadcast. G'day everyone, Adam Hawes here. Time for an update from Paris.

And Jason Day is teeing off this hour in the second round of men's golf. He's two under, six shots behind the leader, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama. Minwoo Lee has a stack of work to do. He's five over.

The men's decathlon gets underway next hour. Tokyo bronze medalist Ashley Maloney will be in action. The sport of windsurfing is about to take centre stage in Marseille. Leading the competition, Gray Morris is guaranteed a medal going into tonight's final and the Aussie would love it to be gold. It's probably the biggest thing I'll ever do in my life and representing Australia, it's the best thing I'll ever do.

Also going for gold on day seven, Kayleigh McEwen in the women's 200 metre backstroke, Cam McAvoy in the men's 50 metre freestyle and rowers Annabelle McIntyre and Jess Morrison in the women's pair final. To the medal tally and China leads with 11 gold from the US with nine and France, Australia and Japan with eight. New Zealand has moved up to 12th spot with two gold. I'm Adam Hawes and that is the latest from the games.

That Paris 2024 medal tally was thanks to Woolworths, proud fresh food partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams. Good on you, Horsey. I'm just watching a little bit of live Olympics coverage coming in now. And Australia is beating Azerbaijan, I think, in the 3x3 basketball. I've never watched this before.

But it's the 3x3 women, mind you. So the 3x3 women's basketball. Australia in front of Azerbaijan. I don't know how they score it, but 7-2 to the Aussies as it stands right now. So...

Whether or not that's good enough to beat the Americans, I'm assuming they're good at the basketball, the Koreans and that sort of thing, I'm not sure. But Aussies, well, they're winning at the moment. Coming up next, I'll speak to Luke Bradnam. He'll be joining me from Tahiti because he's got a very interesting story to tell. How a little Aussie battler who was broadcasting from here at Channel 9 is now the face of surfing in America.

That's all happened in a very strange way. Well, it's been hard to take our eyes off Paris this week, hasn't it? We've loved the Olympics. I've loved every single second of it. But not all the action is happening, of course, in the French capital or even in France itself because the surfing has been happening in beautiful Tahiti. Now, Luke Bradnam, he's usually one of the weather reporters for Nine News in Queensland. I've known Luke for a long, long time. He's very, very good at what he does. Outstanding.

at what he does. And he got the really tough gig of being sent to Tahiti to cover the surfing for the Olympics coverage. Lucky him, right? But in an interesting turn of events, Luke will now be presenting the Olympic surfing...

to the United States of America. Tens of millions of people watching the box in the US of A will be watching Aussie Luke Bradnam report on the Olympic surfing. So he'll be replacing comedian and Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost on NBC's coverage. And if you're not familiar with Colin's work...

He's also better known as the husband of Hollywood superstar Scarlett Johansson. Not bad, right? So the surfing finals kick off tomorrow morning. Plenty going on. There's an Aussie in there too, taking on Gabriel Medina, the Brazilian superstar. Luke Bradnam, he joins me from Tahiti now. Luke, what about the upgrade, the promotion, mate?

No upgrade, Chris. There's nothing better than being on Channel 9, mate. I love it. I was stoked to get the call up. And yeah, I mean, what a turn of events. They've got a Bogan Aussie now live, getting beamed live into the TV audience of America. And I don't know how it's come about, mate. I don't know what happened to Colin or where he's gone. He was there for the

first few days of the competition, but he's there no longer. And, you know, I got the call up and, yeah, started there today doing exactly what I'm doing for the Australians, which is talking to them after their heats and just sort of setting the day up and chatting to the Americans now when they finish as well. It's been quite an experience and I've absolutely loved it, mate.

So Colin is just, what is he, gone MIA? I don't know, mate. I mean, I know that he had an accident. I just heard your introduction and I've got to say, I didn't know who he was, mate, to be perfectly honest. I've never heard of him either. I've heard of Scarlett Johansson, though. Absolutely. And I've rocked up there and he just looked different to the rest of us. I'll be honest, he's a handsome man. And I was looking at him thinking, I don't even think I'm the same species as this guy. I was checking out his sunglasses, Chris, and I'm sure his son, he's...

are worth more than my car. And I'm looking at him and he's just, he's very pristine looking and we're all a little rough around the edges in the surfing community. And I said to one of the officials, I said, who's the dude from NBC? And she goes, you know who he is. And I go, I don't know who he is. And she said, he's from Saturday Night Live and he's married to Scarlett Johansson. And as soon as they said that, I, I, the, the,

the penny dropped. I have seen some of his work on Saturday Night Live and I'd spent the last couple of days with him and I've got to say, I didn't want to like him, Chris, because I just thought life's been a little too kind to this guy. He's unbelievably good looking, he's funny and he's married to Scarlett Johansson but after spending a few days with him, I begrudgingly have to admit, he's a bloody good bloke on top of it all. So he's had an accident or something surfing. Is he a surfer himself? So,

So he went out to shoot a piece with John John Florence as part of the NBC coverage. And I don't know if this is the reason why he's no longer here, but he did get apparently a staph infection is what I'm hearing. I can't verify that, but for one reason or another,

He's no longer part of the commentary. And I get the call, hey, would you be interested in filling in for him? And I'm like, bloody hell, if I would, I'd love to do that. And I think we've got different methods when it comes to broadcasting because from my point, I haven't seen any of the stuff that he's done for America.

But from what I understand, he's going for comedy when he gets to chat to these Olympians. And I'm not doing that at all. And it's not that I'm not up for a laugh. But my thinking, Chris, is that these guys have worked their arses off to get into this position. They've given four years of their lives. I don't need a piss take.

They're risking their lives, mate. The swell that we had here the other day, they're literally risking their lives. And I just want to make it all about the athlete and just doing justice to the efforts that they've put in to be here on this stage. And so we've had... Yeah, we've probably come from two different areas when it comes to the way that we're going about our broadcasting.

Hell of an experience you're having there, Luke, and it's one that's been earned over a long career broadcasting yourself. Very briefly, Jack Robinson, our Aussie, he threw to the semis. He's up against Gabriel Medina. Now, Gabriel Medina, if you're not into surfing...

This guy is very, very good. Can Jack get it done? He can absolutely get it done. I mean, he has come out with Eye of the Tiger. I spoke to him after his heat against his fellow Australian, Ethan Ewing. And bear in mind what Jack's gone through in this campaign. He dead set Chris nearly drowned in the third round. He nearly drowned. He was held down for two waves. At the conclusion of that, when he came up and gasped for air, he

He just took a massive breath. Look, he's competitor John John Florence, the current world number one in the eye. And we're back out the back to win that to win that heat. He's now through to a semifinal. So he's going to be competing for a medal. It only depends what color it's going to be. And just talking to him afterwards, I spoke to both him and I spoke to Mendina. And I know who my money's on. This is Jack Robinson's.

He's going to win this gold medal, in my opinion, because nobody in this field wants it more than him. He's so calm. He is so determined in the way that he's approaching the waves and the method that he's going about with each and every competitor. And I wouldn't put money on anyone other than Jack Roberts. He can absolutely get it done. Luke, you're a legend. Well done. And you're a legend in the United States. Who knows? You might be off to Hollywood before we know it, champion.

Well, I have said if I don't get invited to the NBC Christmas party, it's not going to be free.

That's all right. Surfers Paradise will do, won't it? Good on you, Chris. Great to chat to you, mate. See you, mate. That's Luke Bradenham. He's one of the reporters at Nine News in Queensland. He's on the Olympics coverage. He's been pulled in to replace Colin Jost, Saturday Night Live star, to broadcast live to tens of millions of Americans, the surfing in Tahiti.

Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB. What a great story. Luke's a fantastic bloke. Now, over to you, 131873. Do you want to win $200 worth of free fuel? If you want to play the Jewel for Fuel, we're doing it. Thanks to Shell V-Power. 131873 is that number. We'll fire it up next. On 2GB Drive, let's Jewel for Fuel. Well, thanks to Shell V-Power, it is the Jewel for Fuel. $200 of free petrol up for grabs. I've got Duncan at North Sydney. G'day, Duncan.

Hello, Chris. How are you? I'm outstanding, Duncan. I've got Alison from Pagewood. Hello, Alison. Hi. Are you ready to go, Alison? You're going to kick us off, I reckon. You want to go first? Yes. All right, Alison, your time starts now. Amateur boxing became an Olympic sport in which year? 1904 or 1912? 1912. 04. Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of which country? The UK. Correct. Pearl Jam was founded in what decade? 1904.

80s. 90s. What car brand produces the model the Accord? Honda. Correct. Which Olympic sport includes running, swimming and cycling? Triathlon. Correct. Well done, Alison. Three's not bad. Three's not bad. It keeps you in with a chance. Duncan, you ready? I'm ready. Hey, Duncan, you with us? Yes, mate. I'm ready. Just confirming. Your time starts now. Which Olympic sport includes running... Sorry. Lewis Hamilton currently drives for which Formula One team?

Mercedes. Correct. True or false? Queen Elizabeth II once owned a branch of McDonald's. False. True. Sourdough is a type of which food? Bread. Correct. Which alcoholic drink is flavoured with juniper berries? Gin. Correct. The famous golf course TPC Sawgrass lies in which US state, Florida or New York? New York. It's Florida. It's Florida. Alison and Duncan.

Your names are your buzzers. It's going to Golden Point. So one question, say your name. Whoever gets in first gets to answer the question. If you don't say your name, you don't get to answer the question. Here we go. Director, Peter Jackson is from which country? Duncan. Duncan.

New Zealand. He is from New Zealand. Well done, Duncan. Alison, well played, Duncan. $200 of free fuel coming your way. It is the jewel for fuel. Well done this Friday afternoon. And we play every afternoon here on Drive. And now, a preview of what's coming up on Wide World of Sports.

Mark Levy's got wide world of sports and, of course, the best Olympics coverage money can buy on radio. Outstanding job, Levy. Thank you, Chris. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. Had a crack at some gymnastics this morning. That was fun. Someone texted me about it. They said, you've got to play it. It was like Roy and HG. Yeah, it was a bit of fun. Did you do the battered south? No, it was women's hello.

But I looked up all the terminology and I thought, if I say all these proper terms for gymnastics, no one's going to know what I'm talking about. So...

The Australian girl Ruby Pass picked some very interesting music for her floor routine. It sounded like something from Pirates of the Caribbean. So that got a mention. It started off with something like a horror movie, but the Australian did well. But it was all about Simone Biles. She's just a superstar in gymnastics. So that was a bit of fun covering the gymnastics. I noticed Steph Curry, NBA legend, basketball legend, he said that, you

you know, outside of his games, the dream team, he had to go and see Simone Biles and those people lining the streets outside the gymnastic center. And isn't it extraordinary? You've got this guy who plays at the top of his game in the NBA going, I've got to go support Simone Biles. It's the gymnastics that's at the top of the list, all because...

of a Netflix documentary. Yes. And the other thing that I've enjoyed is the star spotting in the crowd. There's been Hollywood celebrities there. I mean, Kevin Durant, the NBA superstar. He was out watching the American three on three team in basketball. So they've been popping up everywhere. Superstars, Gina Reinhardt. Oh, how about alone, Gina? If you saw a billionaire sitting in the crowd, just say, Gina, any chance of a drink? Well,

Well, she's given plenty of the swimmers. She has. She's a, she's one who's been very supportive of our Olympians over many, many years. Yeah. Good on her. What's coming up tonight? Well, it's, it's the first day of the track and field competition. So we'll have Shane McGinnis and Jane Fleming there, uh, tonight, our time for the first morning, Matt Hill will be there later on, uh, tomorrow morning, our time. Um,

We've also got swimming continuing. Gian Rooney will be previewing that for us. Andrew Gaze with basketball. Of course, the boomers taking on Greece. And you talk about superstars. Antetokounmpo will be lining up for that Greek side against our boomers team that beat Spain 92-80 the other day. BMX, we've got a couple of gold medal prospects there. Sia Sakaki-Bara and Isaac Koufis.

Kennedy so that's the BMX racing Ryan Williams with all of that and Jamie Dwyer will preview the hockey with Australia looking to continue their winning ways after that 5-0 romp over the New Zealand side yesterday do you think that we're on track to win the 15 that we were supposed to win I

We've won eight. I did the maths before. I reckon we're sort of 13, 14 areas. Yeah, to be honest, I haven't looked at the overall. I'm sort of just taking day by day this stage. I wake up and work out what's on then. But look, I've just thoroughly enjoyed all of the different competitions and performances. And, you know, the beauty about the radio coverage is we get to cross here, there and everywhere and cover random things. We were doing tennis. I've enjoyed doing the table tennis. I'm going to call some rowing tonight. So...

Whatever comes up... Our rowers have struggled a bit, haven't they? They have struggled a bit. We do have Australians in the women's pair, so they'll be rowing for gold tonight. Tara Rigney's on tomorrow night, Australian time. Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, Tara Rigney looks a really good chance for a medal there. Just doing some homework on the pairs today.

We haven't won a gold medal in that event since Atlanta 1996. We won silver, I think, in Sydney and the following Olympics. So they finished seventh in this event in Tokyo 2020 there. So they need to be a lot better this time around. But they're into the final, so they're a chance. My man, Minwoo Lee, had a shocker on the golf course. Didn't they? Five over or something. What about Matsuyama? Flying. You know how hard that golf course is?

It's extraordinary, mate. I'm just watching. You know how hard it is to listen to those beautiful tee shots and watch them go straight down the middle of the fairway? Oh, man.

Unbelievable. Just striping them good on you, Levy. Thank you, Chris. You're doing a great job. That's Mark Levy with Wide World of Sports coming up next. That's it from me this Friday afternoon. Don't forget, drive it to GB if you've got anything you'd like us to look into. So anything that you may see across the weekend, please just send me an email because we'd love to investigate it. Especially we've had an email about...

some P&Cs, parents at our schools, losing a whole bunch of money because the men's government's decided to snatch it from them. If you've got any info on that one, please send me an email, driveit2gb.com. Before I leave, Ned Green, our executive producer, he's off to have a baby. All the best to Ned and his beautiful wife, Maddie. He's off for a month. So I'll see you Monday. Bye-bye.