2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe – Full Show July 31st 01:49:49

On Sydney's 2GB, this is Drive with Chris O'Keefe. Good afternoon, Sydney. The weather can't make its mind up today. I was about to say it's a nice day, but it's not really, is it? Sort of wet one minute, sunny the next. I hope your Wednesday's treating you well regardless. Now, the big news this afternoon, the leader of Hamas, he may as well be bin Laden to al-Qaeda because he has been assassinated in Iran.

Now, the Iranians and Hamas leadership are blaming the Israelis, but this may have major implications for the wider Middle East conflict. So the questions this afternoon are, will Iran respond? And what will happen with Israel and Lebanon? We'll dive into all of this one. The other one is inflation has gone up here in Australia. It's not a great outcome, inflation going up. It's not a disaster either, though.

But can Australians cop another rate rise? I'd hazard a guess to say the answer's no to that one. What's your view? 131873. And pet insurance. We're going to dive into the world of pet insurance.

Is it affordable and is it worth it? Because like any insurance, the cost of it is increased exponentially. Have you gotten rid of your pet insurance in this economic crunch? Let me know. Right now, 15 degrees at Gregory Hills and 15 at Yarrawarra. 8.30 past 3, 131 873, that open line number. Drive at 2GB.com if you want to send me an email and text me 0460 873 873.

So Hamas chief Ismail Hanyar, he has been killed in a strike on his residence in Tehran in Iran. And Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has confirmed this, so too Hamas themselves. And...

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, has said this in a statement, quote, With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the resistance front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning the residence of Mr. Dr. Ismail Hanyar, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran.

And following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred. No one's claimed responsibility yet, but Hamas said Israel killed Hanyer. So I noticed Michael McLaren a little earlier. He spoke to Dave Sharma, of course, the former Australian ambassador to Israel.

And I thought Mr Sharma gave a really good explanation as to just how significant an assassination this is and who Ismail Hania is in a broader context.

There's no doubt it's big news. Israel hasn't claimed responsibility for this, but they wouldn't normally do so in this sort of situation. But they have said throughout this war of the last seven or eight months that they would hold all Hamas's

leadership responsible for the atrocities of the 7th of October. And Ismail Haniyeh was Hamas's political leader, effectively their prime minister. So he was always considered to be a legitimate military target by Israel. Yeah, and they did say that they would wipe out Hamas. So it is no surprise that they've managed to track him down and assassinate him, Haniyeh.

Now, I did notice too, the question we've got to ask ourselves, and I think many geopolitical experts will be asking themselves, as well as those in Israel itself, will be how will Iran respond to this? Because while Haniyeh was, of course, the leader of Hamas, a listed terrorist organisation, he lived in Qatar. He was very, very wealthy. So while

All of the bloodshed and the massacres and the terror was occurring in Gaza. Here's Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, who perpetrated all this violence to set off this chain of events, living the life of Riley in Qatar. Pretty cowardly, right? Anyway, the more important part to this is he's in Tehran and Israel got to him in Iran. So how will the Iranians respond?

The new president in Iran has some power, but the real power lies with the Supreme Leader and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or Iran's military. Now, I think they will see this as a humiliation, the fact that a guest in their country who in fact was there for the inauguration of the new president was killed whilst on their soil. They will obviously see that as a humiliation. And the question is, how will they choose to respond?

And also, given that Iranians proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon is actively in conflict with Israel right now, whether or not this becomes a wider conflict very, very quickly, or we just continue to see this cat and mouse game between Iran, its proxies and the Israeli Defence Force. All we know is that this conflict is a long way off being settled just yet.

Inside Word on everything Sydney. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB. Well, let's get the very latest on the dramas with Rex, Regional Express. Administrators have now said 610 people at Rex are likely to lose their jobs. 610. That includes pilots, cabin crew and ground crew.

And the Rex Airline business, which serves 737 flights, they have these 737 flights across capital cities, that will fully shut down. So they won't be flying Sydney to Melbourne, Sydney to Brisbane. That's done. There will be no more Rex flights between capital cities.

The regional flights, which is what Rex is known for, those are safe for now, but it's a big blow to Australia's aviation industry. Michael Caine, National Secretary of the Transport Workers Union, he's on the line for us. Michael, g'day. G'day, Chris. 610 people, it's a pretty hefty number.

Well, it's another one of those dark days for aviation. It seems that this industry is in perpetual crisis. How many times have we spoken about this? We've got 610 families today facing joblessness and 900 more are facing a voluntary administration process while we figure out how we get regional wrecks back in the air and to viability. And, you know, this is a question for us as a community. At the moment, of course, Chris, we're focusing on

how to make sure that the workers are properly looked after, they can go to twu.com.au because there's a landing page there. Give us your details and we'll take care of you in the administration as we did during Virgin, as we did during Bonza. But it is really difficult. Redeployment is important. We've spoken to Jane Herdlicker from Virgin. She's

prioritising expressions of interest for workers there. Same with Donata, ground handling. So there are some opportunities, but it is another disastrous day for aviation. You're not going to get 610 people jobs, though, are you?

Well, it's going to be very difficult. I mean, this is absolutely disastrous. Think about those families waking up this morning to the administrator with this news. So, look, we have to do what we have to do and redeployment's a key point in that. And then, of course, it'll be about making sure that there's entitlements. Unfortunately, the administrators indicated that those jet routes...

are going and the company that is where those jet routes were housed is going to be closed down and there's no money. So we want in that circumstance, Chris, for the administrator to put that company in liquidation as quickly as possible because it's only then that the fair entitlements guarantee scheme of the federal government kicks in for these workers.

I was looking at John Sharp, right? He's a former federal minister. He's the chair of the board of recs. I know there's been all sorts of stuff going on at board of director level, but at what point does the board have to put their hands up and say, you know what we've done? We've balls this up.

Well, look, I think there's responsibility on all sides here. Clearly, there's been musical chairs. There's been infighting at the Rex Board level and CEO level. You know, that's not good enough. But you wonder why that happens. And it's the context of this industry, Chris. It's incredibly competitive. It's cutthroat, in fact. It is.

And we've got to get our heads around that. We can't just keep putting our heads in the sand about this industry. We've got to figure out what the settings are so it can be more sustainable into the future. In the Fed income department, though, Rex should have never gone along the capital city route, correct?

Well, I don't know about that. I mean, you know, they saw an opportunity as far as we can see in COVID. It looked like Virgin wasn't going to come out of administration. I'm really thankful that it did and lots of people shoulder to the wheel to make that happen. But it looked like it wasn't going to come out of administration. I think in those circumstances, Rex took responsibility.

a commercial risk. And the commercial risk was, well, let's grab some 737s, let's put them on these routes and we might be in business here to take some of that profit. Yeah, but it was never realistic, Michael. You know, they raised $100,000.

All I wanted in retirement was to feel confident with my money. So I picked an income account with my industry super fund. Now I take enough for day-to-day things, splash out when I fancy, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement. Visit compareyourretirement.com today.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you. $150 million in November of 2020 to lease the old Virgin Australia 737s, launching flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. And they wanted to capture 37% of the domestic aviation market by 2025. They got 6%.

Yeah, look, I'm not here defending Rex today of all days. I'm simply making the point that we've spoken about this before. This is an industry, it's cutthroat. Of course there's one commercial dominant corporation and that's Qantas and they will flex their muscles and they'll continue to. So that's why we've been saying, Chris, for some time, as you know, that we need a standalone regulator here that can look at these companies

competition issues, can look at these issues about contractual arrangements and can start making decisions in aviation that are based on the community interest, on the interest of regional Australia and not just in the interest of the really large companies who are making massive profits.

Michael Caine, I appreciate your time. What bothers me with people like John Sharp, he comes on the radio, he's a relatively decent guy. He spruiks how Rex is bigger than Ben Hur and all the rest of it. And then look what's happened. 610 people because of their decision. 610 people, 610 families without income. That doesn't sit well with me.

No, I absolutely agree. It's another dark day in aviation and we've all got to figure this out as a community. Otherwise, it's just going to keep happening. Michael Caine, good on you. Keep fighting.

Cheers. Thanks, Chris. Transport Workers' Union's Michael Caine, 131873. What do you make of wrecks imploding? Voluntary administration, 610 people. Administrators claim we'll lose their jobs. It's 23 past three. Just off the back of that chat with Michael Caine from the Transport Workers' Union regarding...

administrators saying that 610 jobs will go at Rex. Well, that includes pilots. I've just received this anonymous email, driveat2gb.com. Chris, please do not use my name. I was made redundant by Rex today. I'm a captain with 17,000 hours of experience. They are not paying our outstanding wages or entitlements.

claiming zero dollars how can they still be operating and seeking help from federal government if they don't pay their staff entitlements for the work that's been completed now we checked with the email he didn't want to come on he just is too beside himself the pilot but he said from 4 p.m today he will be made redundant so he has not got a job his termina his job will be terminated at 4 p.m today

Problem is, he got paid eight days ago. He gets paid fortnightly, so he's done eight days of work and he won't get a dollar for it. How is that fair? John Sharp, former federal minister, of course, and he's been on this... Why John Sharp gets under my skin is he's been on this program...

to spruik the wares of Rex and tell us how good the capital city roots were and competition was important and Qantas was a terrible organisation and slot hoarding was dreadful. But then when there is news and the consequences of John's decisions and the decisions of the Rex board mean that 610 jobs go and 610 families no longer have an income. I'm too busy to come on, Chris.

You know, fair's fair, Mr. Sharp. Your decision was a terrible one and your board's decision was one that has led you down this path. And I would just say to anybody who, Mr. Sharp, you know, if this is his record, I know that he lives in Boweral, beautiful property down there. If anyone's looking for a board position, if there's a vacant board position, I'd probably overlook, Mr. Sharp. 131873. Let's go to Nick at Randwick. Hello, Nick.

Yeah, g'day. How are we going? Good, thank you, Nick. Yeah, look, I've been involved with aviation for years. I'm an enthusiast. And there has always been a problem with a third airline in Australia. We go back to Compass. We've got Tiger. We've got Bonza. Yeah.

ANSEC was an exception. But the problem is Qantas, they've been very good with business and they made very clear that there's no room for anybody else to come in. That's why Qantas started Jetstar, their low-carrier airline. They've got those. You've got the three major airlines, Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. Yeah.

There is no room for a third, like another carrier to come in and they'll meet the same consequences as what previous airlines have met and wrecks that like Qantas moved into areas like Marimbula and virtually wrecks are just about sucked out of these areas.

Because they haven't done their homework properly. The aircraft they got, the 737s, were way too big for such a small regional airline. They could have done it with smaller regional jets like Embryos, which carry a lot less passengers and are a lot less cheaper to operate. But...

they got too big too quickly. And you might realise when they first got their 737s, we were still coming out of a lockdown from COVID. It was in 2020. And they raised $150 million. This is where it's all come unstuck. So Rex raised $150 million. They went out to the markets and said, hey, look, we're thinking about taking on Qantas and Virgin. Virgin's just gone into administration. There might be a little opening here. They've raised $150 million. Yes.

saying that if we fly Sydney to Brisbane, Sydney to Melbourne, do a few capital city runs, taking on Qantas, we could make a good earn here. And their forecast was 30-odd percent of the market by 2025. Nick, they've got 6% of the market, and they wonder why they've gone broke.

Yeah, no, it just won't work. Especially Qantas, they've got big plans ahead. They're going to start flying the 787 Dreamliners on domestic runs towards the end of the year. I read about that on an aviation site before. So they're going to have the bigger aircraft running up and down the East Coast.

And they've got plans and there's no room for any small airline to come in because they'll keep all their slots closed so there's no more room for any new slots to come in. Good on you, Nick. I appreciate that. Clearly you know a lot about the industry. Thanks for your insight. And ultimately, Rex, if they just stuck to bread and butter and just...

Flew to regional towns, which is what they've been doing really, really well for, you know, since 2002 or whatever time they were established. They're making good earn, good airline, and a really beloved part of the aviation industry here in Australia. And now they're no longer, at least the capital city runs. And to be honest, if the capital city runs go bust, what does that tell you about the fundamentals of the business as a whole? Tim's at Arncliffe. Hello, Tim.

Hey, Chris, just in relation to John Sharp, if you get to speak to him again, I'd like you to ask him about the clause he had inserted into his recent contract that he gets paid 12 months' wages if anything happens to Rex, and that's only in the last week or so. Yeah, right. So he's renegotiated his contract, you reckon, Tim? Yeah.

Correct, correct. He and Neville Howe, they've set themselves up if Rex was to fail that they still get paid out. Well, I don't know how much they would have been earning on the board. It's not generally. Well, it depends. I don't know. It's considerably more than the 600-odd people that have lost their jobs. Yeah, absolutely. All right, Tim.

I'll let you go, mate. Thank you for that. Again, I can't get onto John Sharp. He just keeps telling me he's busy. I'd love for him to come and justify the decisions he made, the business decisions he made. And you know what? Sometimes you make decisions in business and they go poorly. But when they go poorly and the consequence of those decisions is 610 people lose their jobs and their livelihoods and their families lose a breadwinner.

Well, you need to front up and explain yourself, Mr. Sharp. You truly do. In the newsroom, Josh Bryan. G'day. Good afternoon, Chris. About 60 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a workshop at Smithfield, which is sending smoke over some nearby areas. Hamas is vowing retaliation following the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh, the group's political leader. He's been killed in Iran.

The first of the triathlons at the Paris Olympics is just half an hour away after days of speculation and doubt surrounding water quality in the River Seine. And popular accounting system Xero is back online after being hit by a global outage which was blamed as being linked to its cloud-based software system. In sport, Eels rookie Blaise Talangi has informed the NRL club he is leaving at the end of the season. We'll have more news in sport at four.

Good on you, Josh. 131873 is the open line number. Coming up, I'll speak to David Bassanese because inflation is up. 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. The Reserve Bank meets next week.

But can Australians really stomach and withstand another interest rate rise? I'd say broadly the answer is no to that. But some economists say, look, it just needs to happen. Surely not. Well, we'll find out next. 25 to 4. Now, annual inflation has risen to 3.8% in the year to June.

It's gone up 0.2% annual inflation, and it's the first increase, the annual CPI increase anyway, since December of 2022. So all eyes are now on the Reserve Bank. They're meeting next Tuesday, and their fear is that they will have to raise interest rates.

Look, surely not. The numbers from the ABS show that Aussies continue to spend more but buy less. Consumer prices are up by 1% in the three months to June. And the main drivers were high rents and building costs as well as the increase in grocery prices. And we saw the highest quarterly jump in fruit and veg...

Since 2016, electricity bills, unlike what the Albanese government tell you, they're up. They've increased by 6%. Petrol prices are up 7.7%. And look, it's hard to keep up, but they are concerning numbers. I did hear Jim Chalmers before, and he said that underlying inflation is going down.

in the right direction. So he doesn't expect an interest rate rise, but who knows at this point. David Bassanese is the chief economist at BetaShares and he's on the line for us. David, g'day. Good to be with you. What's your reaction to this number today?

Yeah, look, the numbers you mentioned, yeah, the headline number, as you pointed out, did tick up the year-on-year annual increase to 3.8. But the underlying measure, now, the thing about it, there's a whole bunch of prices that, you know, jump. You know, they can be volatile. Some things go up in a big way. Some things go down. And to sort of smooth it out, we have this underlying measure. And that actually went...

The annual rate has continued to fall. It ticked down to 3.9% from 4% in the March quarter. So it is continuing to move in the right direction. But it's fair to say that the rate of decline in inflation on that measure has slowed this year. So it had pretty nice decline through 23%.

continuing to go down, but at a slower pace. And it's still at a too high a level. Around 4% is still too high. Bottom line for the Reserve Bank, I actually think it's a good enough number to rule out a rate increase next week. But, you know, we do still need to see further declines in inflation to completely rule out rate increases. Because if it certainly keeps hanging around at these levels...

then the RBA, you know, will feel obliged to react. But we've got at least a month or a few more months' reprieve and hopefully inflation will continue to behave and move in the right direction. It's hard for us, the Australian citizen, when you're talking about, you know, the headline figure going up because of increasing groceries, petrol and electricity. I don't know what the government wants us to do. What? Not eat, not drive and not heat the house up? That's...

That's right. I mean, the problem... Yeah, a lot of the, you know, non-discretionary, I guess we call them, you know, things like food, petrol, rent, these are things you can't really avoid using, are going up and they continue to go up and they are stubbornly firm.

But in other areas, you know, inflation is coming down. So in goods generally, household furniture, clothing, these sort of areas, generally speaking, that's going down. And in fact, goods inflation on some measures is actually flat over the past year. There's been no increase. And all the inflation or most of the inflation we're still seeing is in the services sector. And, you know, hopefully that will also come down with a lag.

For someone who's not an economist, what's with economists and an obsession about guessing when interest rates will hike or be cut, David?

Well, look, in the financial markets, you know, a lot of people, you know, make bets on it from a trading point of view. Like if you can predict whether or not interest rates will go up or down in a month, you know, traders stand to make a lot of money. So that's why a lot of economists are employed by banks. I mean, they analyze these things for that specific reason. It's like the form guide.

Yeah, exactly. You know, and we read the economy in the same way that people might, you know, look at the track conditions and the history of the horse, that sort of thing. But more generally, I mean, obviously it does matter in terms of, you know, what the interest rates do affect the economy. And we, you know, forecast what's going on in the economy and then make calls about interest rates accordingly. Do you think the government is doing enough on this front?

Look, the government's in a bind because it wants to, you know, help with the cost of living pressures, the increase in inflation. A lot of the... But, you know, one of the key drivers of it is that overall, at least according to the Reserve Bank, overall demand, and that's just not consumer spending, it's infrastructure spending...

you know, a very strong increase in immigration, these sort of things, is still pretty strong and strong relative to supply. So they actually want to keep the economy soft, whereas the government obviously don't want a soft economy. They'd like a stronger economy. So they're kind of acting in an opposite direction. And there's no easy way to get inflation down apart from, you know,

keeping the economy soft at the moment and helping bringing down those pricing pressures accordingly. So the tax cuts, what they've done with electricity prices and the rental prices, they're actually not a bad thing because it is providing support, but it is also helping lower...

some prices in the economy and giving the economy more time to get the underlying rates of inflation down. So those sort of things I think is probably the best way they can help. But, yeah, other than draconian, you know, cuts in spending, they're kind of leaving it to the Reserve Bank.

It feels just like a bit of a hope at the moment from both the RBA and the government. We've done what we've done. We understand that the economy's very, very sluggish. We don't want to do too much in case inflation ticks up. So we're just sort of crossing our fingers and toes and hoping everything goes away.

Yeah, I mean, we're hoping that, you know, inflation can come down of its own accord as the sort of supply bottlenecks that we've had in the economy post-COVID resolve themselves. I mean, the good news is that it's going down globally. So the US inflation has come down quite nicely. And in fact, the central bank there is very likely to cut interest rates in September. So we are seeing evidence around the world of it coming down and hopefully that's going to continue to filter through into Australia. You're a good man. Thank you for coming on.

No worries. Talk to you next time. That's David Bassanese. He's a chief economist at BetaShares131873. You tell me. You're an Australian. Are you a mortgage holder? Are you a small business loan holder?

Would you be able to withstand another interest rate rise next Tuesday from the Reserve Bank of Australia? It's 14 minutes to four. Well, Peter Dutton has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he's met him in Israel overnight.

And it was an hour-long meeting understood to be convivial and constructive, according to Sky News' Shari Markson. So Mr Dutton arrived in Israel on Monday for a four-day trip. The idea to show solidarity with Australia's closest ally in the Middle East, of course, Israel. But it is understood that Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for Mr Dutton's decision to visit Israel

and his strong leadership and friendship for both the Israeli and the Jewish people. Now, Mr Albanese, Anthony Albanese, our Prime Minister, he was one of the only Western leaders who chose not to pay a solidarity visit to Israel in the aftermath of October 7, while Peter Dutton has. So isn't that an interesting development, especially what we've seen out of Iran, if you missed it?

Hamas leader in living, well not living in Iran, visiting Iran has been assassinated likely by the Israelis. So the head of Hamas has been assassinated plus there's

Things kicking off in Lebanon at the same time, too, with Hezbollah. So a fascinating time for Peter Dutton to be in Israel and in the Middle East, let alone meeting the Israeli prime minister. 131873. Now, Blaise Taolungi. Cover your ears if you're a Parramatta Eels supporter, if you've missed this. Blaise Taolungi has told the Parramatta Eels...

He will be leaving at season's end. He is a boom young outside back. I reckon he's a 5'8". But guess where he's going? The Penrith Panthers. So Jason Riles, oh, let's have a look at my roster. Oh, that Blaise Taolung, he looks good. That'll be good. I'll be able to coach him. First gig as the head coach. Hey, Rilesy, sorry, mate. I'm going to the three-time premiers. Could be four-time premiers by the time you get...

to Combang Stadium at Parramatta. Anyway, he's off. So he was offered the chance, Tau Lungi, to succeed Clint Gutherson as the Eels' long-term full... All I wanted in retirement was to feel confident with my money. So I picked an income account with my industry super fund. Now I take enough for day-to-day things, splash out when I fancy, and the rest can grow over time. Stick with your industry super fund in retirement.

Visit compareyourretirement.com today. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Consider the fund's PDS and whether the product is right for you. But instead has decided to go and play for Penrith, likely to replace Jerome Luai. So I know that Newcastle, the Dolphins...

And my dragons were trying to sign him. Unfortunately, he shunned the offers from the weaker clubs and decided to go to the three-time premiers. I'll have my say about that a little later. I reckon we need a draft. You can't just have the best young kids going to the strongest clubs. Happens far too often.

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. Adam Hawes here with your Olympic update. Day five is about to get underway in Paris. Up first, the women's triathlon. It's been given the go-ahead after improved water quality readings in the River Seine.

Kyle Chalmers is making his mark in the pool at these games. A stunning anchor leg helps snatch a silver for our 4x100 freestyle relay team. Now he's going for individual gold in the 100 free. King Kyle knows it won't be easy, though, against world record holder Pan Junla from China. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to be there, but...

just to be in the Olympic final again is very, very special. Gold medal chances also in the men's 200-metre breaststroke final. Zach Stubbledy-Cook is out to defend his title from Japan. And Molly O'Callaghan and Shana Jack will go all out in the women's 100-metre freestyle final. So to the medal tally going into day five, Japan leads the way with seven gold. China and Australia are next with six. New Zealand is on the board with one gold, courtesy of their women's rugby seven side. I'm Adam Hawes. That's the latest from Paris.

That metal tally update was thanks to Toyota, Australian Olympic and Paralympic team partner. Oh, what a feeling. Thank you for that, Horsey. Now, on inflation, on interest rates potentially going up next Tuesday with the decision from the Reserve Bank of Australia, you tell me, 131873, can you withstand another rate rise? Deborah is in orange. Hello, Deborah.

Smug coming out of my ears. Chris, you might be able to answer my question. Excuse me. Between 30 and 40% of Australians have mortgages. Mm-hmm.

But the people who don't have a mortgage, probably predominantly baby boomers, have a capacity. They cashed up. They've got money to spend, and they are. Why do we continue to increase interest rates for those that can ill afford mortgage?

pay more when their discretionary spending is going through the roof and we have no other alternative than to increase interest rates. Am I missing something? And I'm not being facetious. I'm being absolutely serious. Deborah, it is a fascinating and I reckon a timely point you bring up because during the height of the hiking cycle, I reckon it was this time last year, I asked exactly the same question. You know what?

The truth is, yes, it is the only lever we have. Hiking or cutting interest rates. And I would have thought, Debra, in 2024, that feels a little simplistic.

I agree, Chris. Chris, what about, okay, we have to buy bread, milk, et cetera, et cetera. We have to pay for utilities. Living in Orange, that's going through the roof. So that we can't get away with. However, if I want to buy a Mercedes-Benz and the GST on that is going to cost me, I

That's my choice and I will filter that into what I can spend. Why are we not looking at increasing the GST, which is applicable to everybody? And then you decide what you can and can't afford.

Deborah, it's a very good point. I just don't think any politician has the, how can I say, you know what, to pull something like that off because there'll be people who don't have mortgages, there'll be people who rent, there'll be people who are on Centrelink, people who've paid off their homes who'll say, well, that's unfair. It's just the 33% of mortgage holders and small business loan holders who are copying it in the neck at the moment. Hey, Deborah, I really appreciate your time and thank you for your call, 131873. Now, Ian.

has called in from Camden. We spoke to Ian yesterday and we were talking about Centrelink and people's experience with Centrelink. I had Bill Shorten on the program and Ian told us he's a veteran and he tried for 18 months, 600 phone calls and had some of the most revolting customer service he has ever experienced at Centrelink after his wife passed away.

And it was quite an emotional phone call after Ian shared, bravely in my opinion, his story on Centrelink. And he's called back in. G'day, Ian. Hi, Chris. You had a bit of a response to your story, did you? Um...

And I never thought there were people interested in my problem, but thanks to your program, I guess to a certain degree, I've kind of regained my faith in mankind. And some people have been really kind to me. I suppose I slept very well last night for the first time in many months. Oh, I...

Well, I'm very pleased at the power of 2GB Radio, you just having the bravery to share your story. And, you know, there are some good people out there. What have they got in contact with you and said? What have they done?

A lot of people have reached out and have offered all kinds of help, just having a coffee, just having a lunch. But even some of my immediate friends didn't really know what was going on because I kept everything to my chest and just didn't say anything to anybody. And I was kind of going through this personal pain on my own, not knowing where to go, what to do.

and through the kindness of your program and your staff and you especially, I feel much better today. Ian, I'm so pleased to hear that because that's what we try to do here at 2GB, not just my program, but all the programs on this radio station that have been doing for many, many decades. Hey, Ian, on top of that, I've got a $200 voucher to the DD's Waterfront Group so you can take yourself out to lunch, okay? Yeah.

Thanks, Chris. Much appreciated. You're very welcome, Ian. That's coming your way. All right. That's Ian at Camden. See, there is some good in the world. He shared his story. He was treated appallingly by Centrelink, and we got email after email and phone call after phone call. Ian lives on his own, hasn't got family, lost his wife, went through this hell and back with Centrelink, and people just wanted to reach out and effectively...

See if he's okay. Jeez, I'm proud of this place sometimes. It's 4-4. Are you one of the 60% of Australian pet owners that have opted out of pet insurance? You tell me. 131873. Is pet insurance worth it?

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 Monday, Wednesday afternoon, not Monday. 131873 is the open line number. The text line 0460873873 or email me drive at 2gb.com. Lots to get through. Did you know that shark nets are to be removed early from Sydney beaches? Why?

I thought they work. And I reckon there should be a draft in the NRL. I am sick to death of these really strong clubs like the Panthers, like the Roosters, like the Melbourne Storm, signing all the best kids in the NRL. It's got to stop. Now, in Paris at the moment, there was some concern about the triathlon. We spoke to Clinton Maynard yesterday. He said it could be a duathlon, i.e.,

They'd scrapped the swimming leg of the Olympic triathlon and it'd just be running and cycling. How ridiculous. It's all because of water quality in the River Seine. A river, mind you, they've spent a little over two billion Australian dollars on trying to clean up. Unfortunately, the E. coli levels and all the rest of it was too high for them to compete yesterday. However...

Good.

Good afternoon, Chris. I'm coming to you from the Point Alexander Third Bridge, which is the start line for this triathlon. And yes, the 55 triathletes are in the scene at the moment. They are dodging the pollution. They're swimming to 1,500 metres before they come back to the bridge where I am now and transition to the bike leg, which is 40km. So they dive from a pontoon just below this bridge...

Spot on, 8 o'clock Paris time, 4 o'clock Sydney time. It actually looked like the Brazilian triathlete jumped early, so she may be in for a penalty. And they've been dealing with the river, saying that the current's actually quite strong. From where I'm sitting, look, it is a murky-looking river, but I can't physically see the pollution floating down the river, so they actually aren't having to dodge anything in the river.

Fortunately. But there was a meeting very early this morning, very early this morning, at 3.30 Paris time, where they examined water quality samples from the river for E. coli, and it was found that those bacteria levels had fallen to what they've determined safe levels. So that means the women's event now underway. The men's event will start in a few hours' time after the conclusion of this race. So...

That's great. I'm looking at the female swimmers now. Are they swimming against the current?

Yeah, so they do two laps. There's a circuit, a 1,500-metre circuit around buoys in the river Seine. So at times they're swimming with the current and other times it's against the current. And it's quite a strong current as well. And I was told yesterday by some triathlete experts that they are trained for this and they didn't believe it was going to be dangerous in the Seine. Obviously, it can be in other rivers around the world, but that wasn't going to be primarily the danger. The pollution was obviously...

going to be the danger, but it was declared that it would be safe. But the twist yesterday, Chris, was when I quizzed world athletic officials, world triathlon officials about this, about how I was allowed to get to this point where they actually considered dropping this swim leg today. And their response to me was, well, we've actually had to do this on several occasions over the past five years in international triathlon meets. Reason being, and these are the words they used, climate change.

They said there'd been more extreme weather conditions over the past five years, and that was caused by climate change. And apparently that's what we witnessed on the weekend because it actually rained in Paris on the weekend. That was an example of climate change, and that brought the pollution. Interestingly, I was up at 4 o'clock this morning for that meeting, Chris, and it was raining in Paris, and it has only just cleared in the last 10 minutes. There's been thousands of spectators here with their umbrellas out. The banana put them away.

But just ironic that it was rain that caused the problem. And then the rain turned up for race day, but they were swimming anyway. Just on the sport itself, the Australians, are we favourites? Are we competitive in the triathlon, both men's and women's?

Look, women's, we probably are an outside chance of a medal today. Sophie Lynn, and I can't tell you exactly where they are in the race at the moment because the information that's placed on the big screen is very limited where I'm at the moment. Look, Sophie Lynn is probably an outside medal prospect. Natalie Van der Koevenen also, she's a veteran. Where our big chances come are in the men's today. We are...

ranked number one and two. So there is a real prospect of a gold medal, perhaps two medals in the men's later this morning Paris time. I'd cop a little bit of Giardia or Crypto Spiridium for a gold medal, wouldn't you? Look, talking to some of the triathletes officials, they basically said, look, we deal with this all over the world. You swim in Melbourne and the water tastes like diesel. So I think the triathletes themselves, I think they were keen just to get onto it. Yeah. Good on you, Clinton. I appreciate your time.

Thanks, Chris. That's Clinton Maynard live in Paris at the triathlon. The women's have kicked off and they're swimming in the River Seine as we speak. The breaking news you can trust. It's Drive with Chris O'Keefe on 2GB. Well, in the space of about 18 hours, the Middle East and Iran's axis of evil has been turned on its head.

So last night, Israel killed a bloke called Fuad Shukur. He was the chief of staff and third in command of Hezbollah. He was their main military figure of Hezbollah in Lebanon. And they did it in a precision airstrike on the suburbs of Beirut. But a few hours ago, this is some big, big news. So the head of Hamas's political bureau, his name is Ismail Hanyar.

And he's been assassinated in Iran. So he's the head of Hamas. Think Bin Laden to al-Qaeda has been assassinated by a precision strike that hit the bedroom he was sleeping in in Tehran. Now, he didn't live in Gaza, and yet.

With the people he supposedly represents, he lived in Qatar, enjoying a life of luxury. He's reportedly, or was, worth more than $4 billion. He was in Iran for an Iranian's funeral.

And it's understood the Israelis got to him. So the question is, what happens next? Given that he was killed on Iranian soil, will the Iranians decide to retaliate? Well, joining me for his analysis is Middle East expert Dr. Roger Shanahan. Roger, g'day. Yeah, hi, how are you? This is a big deal, yeah? Yeah, no, it's significant, particularly these two events occurring so close to each other.

Explain to us a little bit about the head of Hamas. Who is he and what is he known for? Well, Ismail Haniyeh has been based in Qatar. He's taken a very active role in the negotiations with the Israeli government over...

potential ceasefire for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas in the 7th of October attack. He's traveled outside of Qatar previously for those talks and he was in Tehran for the inauguration of the new Iranian president. So

Israel has previously said that any Hamas member inside or outside of Gaza is a dead man walking, but they obviously saw this is their opportunity to kill him on the soil of their sworn enemies. And the response to that, what do you think?

Listen, I think it will probably be more muted than people may think at first blush. Details about how he was killed are very sketchy at the moment, so nobody knows exactly how it occurred. We also have to remember Iran signalled what kind of response they were going to take when Israel conducted

Conducted a far more provocative attack against and killed senior Iranian figures in the consulate in Damascus. While Ismail Haniyeh was the political leader of Hamas, he was Palestinian, so he's not obviously an Iranian nationalist. There's going to be far less political pressure on Iran to respond. So I think we'll have a relatively muted response to this.

even in the backdrop of what's occurred with Hezbollah? Yeah, listen, same goes there. I think Hezbollah understood there are unwritten rules for these engagements between Hezbollah and Israel. There's been a conflict going on essentially since the 7th of October on the Israeli-Lebanese border. There have been several hundred Hezbollah members

fighters including some mid-level commanders killed it doesn't get that much media and but after the attack in Marjol Shamps Hezbollah would have understood that there would be a response and this is sure a senior Hezbollah figure but there was very little collateral damage

And I think, again, Hezbollah will understand that there was always going to be a response. Senior military commanders can always be replaced. And I think there is probably going to be, again, a more muted response from Hezbollah than people might expect.

Doctor, just before I let you go, given that we have the leader of Hamas now dead, what does that mean for a ceasefire? What does that mean for both the Palestinians and the Israelis getting together and trying to find an end to this thing?

Yeah, listen, I mean, it's the $64,000 question at the moment. You know, there's arguments to be had for both ways. One, that it'll completely kill the idea of ceasefire negotiations. You can also mount an argument that perhaps Hamas might need to...

open up negotiations lest Israel does more of these types of actions against senior Hamas leadership. So again, the jury's out, but you'd probably think there won't be much progress in the immediate future. I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Yeah, my pleasure. That's Dr Roger Shanahan, 131873. It's a shame.

Everyone wants to see an end to this thing, but I think also everybody wanted to see an end to the leader of Hamas without question. Now, just on the NRL, I think we need to talk about an NRL draft. And as good a job as Peter Volandis and Andrew Abdo have done with rugby league in this country, it's in utterly rude health at the moment.

I'm just getting a little sick and tired of seeing the best young players in the game signing with clubs who have entrenched themselves in the top four for the last decade. So today we saw Blaise Taolungi, a Parramatta junior, and star on the rise. He leaves, and who does he sign with? Penrith. Three-time premiers. How does everyone else compete?

Look, I don't blame the Panthers. They developed and have now lost some outstanding players, so they've got a right to go and replace them. But how would you feel if you're a Parramatta fan? They're legless this season, no grand final wins since 1986, and your hottest young prospect walks out the door to your sworn enemies at the foot of the mountains.

Not to mention the Knights, the Dolphins, and of course my Dragons, mid-table clubs, trying to sign a young playmaker or outside back. They miss out too. And it's not just Blaise Taolungi. Stefano Utukamano, boom young front rower, leaves the Wooden Spoon Tigers likely to sign with De Storm or the Bulldogs. When David Fafita came on the market, the Roosters snapped him up before a black flip.

Chad Townsend, premiership winning halfback. He signs with the Roosters. Warriors prop, Adam Fanoa-Blake, signs with the Cronulla Shucks. Every time you hear a reasonable player come on the market, it feels like the Storm, the Panthers or the Roosters are in the hunt for them. I understand that good clubs get the best players. They run well and they deserve success because of this. But every...

The NRL has a salary cap, supposedly, and the salary cap, the idea behind it, is to spread talent across the competition and allow every club to have a crack at winning a comp every so often. But that's not how it's worked out. Listen to this. Since 2007, Melbourne has won five grand finals, Penrith three, Roosters three, Manly two, and then you've got the Dragons, Souths, Sharks, Cowboys, and...

They've all got one each. So you've had eight clubs in 17 years win a comp, and the Storm, Roosters and Panthers have won 11 grand finals of the last 17. Are we really spreading the love across the competition? Is the salary cap really working? Not to mention we've got the Perth Bears, Papua New Guinea and another team in New Zealand likely to be playing by the end of the decade. So we'll have 20 teams. It'll be even harder.

I think there is more and more of a case for a draft. And I think there's more of a case for the NRL to fund all junior development, all junior competitions should be funded by the governing body, the National Rugby League, all around Australia.

That way, there will be a national pool of juniors rather than tiny little siloed competitions, Penrith, Balmain, the Sharks, relying on the generosity of leagues clubs and Reggio to spend on that development. If you have a national pool of juniors, that means the best kids could end up at the weakest clubs. You can have different rules.

But the idea is spread the talent over a period of time. Certainly makes sense to me. 131873, what do you think? Does something need to change? It's 21 past four. It's 26 past four, 131873. I'm just having a look at the triathlon, the women's triathlon. And they've been swimming in the Seine. Carl Langdon from 6PR is with me. Carl, what's the update? They're out of the...

Well, they're not so nice water. Yeah, look, I didn't see any floaties or anything like that. The girls have got through it okay. So field of 55, 1.5 kilometre swim has been completed. Sophie Lynn of Australia is currently in 24th place, one minute 49 behind the leader Flora Duffy of Bermuda.

And Natalie Van Coverden, she's 40th, two minutes 13 behind the leader. So the girls on a 40k ride now and then they'll finish with a 10 kilometre run. Just think about that. They're fit, aren't they? I'd rather not. Good on you, Carl. Have a good one. It's Carl Langdon from 6PR, of course, commentating all things Olympics here on 2GB. 131873. Well, there's been a drama with the food at the Olympic Village. Have you seen this?

So I noticed James Magnuson, he's over there for News Corp, and he was speaking on a podcast with Matty Johns. And there's this giant weightlifter who was at the Athletes' Village. Unclear what country. Big, big guy. So you imagine they'd consume a fair bit of protein, right? Well, it's all about this sustainable Olympics in Paris. And supposedly, he went up to the chef's, supposed to be Michelin star and all the rest of it that was spruiking.

in the athlete's village guess how many chops this weightlifter was allowed one he'd eat the whole lamb forget one chop and they said no no we haven't ordered any meat but i've got all this tofu and all this vegan stuff for you because we are quote unquote the sustainable games well hang on a second as what did the aoc president matt carroll say the ceo it was a great quote

He said, hey, listen, and they've had to put all the air conditioning back in people's rooms because yesterday it was 40 degrees. They said, no, no, no, we're putting air conditioning because, again, carbon emissions. The Australian said, hey, we've organised air conditioning for our own crew because I get the carbon emissions thing, but it's the Olympics. It ain't a picnic. Now, just on a potential NRL draft, Ian has called in from Pendle Hill. Hello, Ian.

Yeah, g'day Chris. Just wanted to point out that the likelihood of a draft being introduced into the NRL is zero and that's because Terry Hill back in the 90s, the NRL wanted to introduce a draft then and he took them to court because it was a restriction on his ability to trade his

his profession, being told where he could play and how much he'd get paid. And he won the court case. So it's been through the courts. It's been deemed a restriction on their trade under the Trade Practices Act, and therefore it's illegal and it won't be introduced. Yeah, I don't know if it won't be introduced. There's always – it might not be a draft. It could be something else. Well, it's –

Well, if it's not a draft and it's something else, someone else will take it to court and say it's having the same effect. If you're restricting a person's ability to trade their profession...

and restricting the amount of money they can earn. I mean, the only reason it works down in Melbourne is because Australia's the only place that plays Australian rules. Yeah, but you could argue someone could have their trade restricted. If you've got some boom kid that could be offered a million bucks at the Sydney Swans, yet they're drafted to play for the West Coast Eagles on 200 grand, that's restricting one's trade. That's the logic. But I take your point, Ian, and I'm not saying it's going to happen. I just think it should be...

thought about because I don't think the salary cap at the moment is doing the job of evening the competition out but I absolutely take your point good on you Ian thanks for your call Grant's in Penrith hello Grant hey good afternoon Chris what do you think

Yeah, I disagree with the draft. As a Penrith supporter from the late 60s and early 70s, when we used to park on the side of McGill Road, it was just one lane and go and watch Penrith play. We were the easy beats. We were beating 40, 50 nil continuously. And now we're having a couple of wins and everyone's on the pylon. The second point I make, and Gus Gould has raised the point, that besides the salary cap,

that the clubs who nurture these players and invest the time and energy in, you know, should be given some compensation. Now, we've lost a great string of players, as you know, and it's well recorded, and we're about to lose another one. And once again, you know, the pile-on continues. Oh, you're picking a couple up, though. I disagree with the draft. I'm picking a couple up. My view is I don't think you'd have...

I don't think you'd have a draft without the NRL paying for the junior development. So the Panthers wouldn't have to then put their hands in their pockets to sustain their own local comp. It would be the NRL doing that. I reckon that is a must, a critical qualifier if a draft is to be introduced. Good on you, Grant. I'm sending you a double pass to the new psychological thriller Gaslight. And the reason I'm doing that is because you've been following the Panthers'

Since the 1960s. Good on you. I reckon you're a dead set certainty for another grand final win this year. 1-3-1-8-7-3. Gaslight the play. Is it madness or manipulation? The gripping psychological thriller arrives at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in August. Hey, Grant. Go the Dragons.

Josh Bryant, g'day. Good afternoon, Chris. A 19-year-old woman has been charged over a crash which killed her 17-year-old passenger on the New South Wales Central Coast. The women's triathletes have successfully completed the swimming leg of the triathlon and...

The Sen, after testing, cleared the waterway for Olympic competition to go ahead. The postponed men's race is now due to be held tonight as well. Experts fear the assassination of Hamas's political leader Ismail Hanea in Iran could trigger an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East. And infants with peanut allergies will be given a daily dose of peanut powder in a controlled environment in hospitals as part of an Australian trial designed to build up their tolerance...

to the potential allergen. In sport, Panthers players are dismissing speculation that champion winger Brian To'o is leaving the club. The Blues' origin star is signed until the end of 2027, but there's reports he wants an upgraded deal. We'll have more news in sport at five. Good on you, Josh. Coming up next, 60% of Australian pet owners have...

thrown in their pet insurance is this one of you is are you one of these people 60 percent of australian pet owners have said no to pet insurance if this is you give us a call 131873 is it the cost is it because you don't think you get enough out of it what's the reason well this story has caught my eye so if you're a pet owner tell me if you have pet insurance

Because there's this new research out by Budget Direct, and Budget Direct has found that over half of Aussie pet owners aren't bothering insuring their pets. If you're one of these people, give us a call. Look, I know that people are making tough decisions about where to spend their money these days, but pet insurance can be a lifesaver. Because you can get hefty vet bills when your pet falls ill or your pet has an accident. And if you're insured, well...

Those bills are significantly lessened. But with costs skyrocketing, I know you look at the family budget and you go, well, okay, what can I afford? What can't I afford? And pet insurance may be seen as a luxury. I don't know. Emma Hurst is from the Animal Justice Party. She's on the line for us. Emma, g'day. Hi, Chris. Is pet insurance important in your mind?

Yeah, look, I mean, it certainly has saved lives in some circumstances and it's been a relief for many families, you know, when a beloved animal has an illness or there's a vet emergency. But I also recognise that, you know, we're currently in a cost of living crisis and that we definitely need other options.

What do you think those other options are? I've had this discussion at length on this program, and I upset a lot of people in the veterinarian industry and the pet care industry because I said that the bills, in some cases, are eye-watering for people, and it does come at quite a shock. Do you think pet insurance as a whole needs to be restructured?

Yeah, look, I think one thing that we really need to look at, and I think this actually supports the entire veterinary industry as well, and it was a recommendation from an inquiry that I was just on that looked into the veterinary shortage, is we need to have a system like Medicare in New South Wales, particularly for lower income earners and pensioners, because we know that there are significant benefits for people to have companion animals. We know that there's mental health benefits

If you think about a retiree, that might be their companionship for an entire week, for example. So we know that there are huge benefits, but we can't really have a situation where having a companion animal is a luxury for the wealthy or people having to euthanise an animal that could potentially be quite easily saved. But, of course, one thing I think a lot of people don't realise is

is that, you know, as humans, when we present for medical care, that is subsidised by the government. But, you know, we don't have any subsidies for vet care. And that's why when people take an animal to a vet, they get, you know, quite shocked at how high those prices are. Now, vets don't actually take home a large amount of money themselves. That's the actual cost without any kind of government subsidy. And I think that the government, the New South Wales government, needs to review that.

Do you think that vetting care, I don't think, would get much support at all? Because you can't have Medicare for pet owners. Some people might not be pet owners and say, well, why should I subsidise it through my tax? And you've got all these other competing issues that humans need addressed. However, do you think pet insurance should be a requirement for owners when they register their pets?

Look, I mean, I just don't think that... Again, I think that that pushes it so that, again, only people on higher incomes can actually afford to have an animal. You know, as I said, you know, there are other options. For myself, I mean, when I first... Well, when my cat adopted me, I was on about $60,000 a year. And the problem was that my cat was already seven years old, so he had health issues. And so the health insurance companies wouldn't insure him...

for the health issues he has. Now, he's nearly 19. He turns 19 in September. He still has those health issues. So every time I take him to the vet, I wouldn't have those health issues covered by that pet insurance. So what I ended up doing was I set up his own bank account and instead of putting that monthly amount into an insurance company, I put it directly into that bank account. And so far, you know, that has actually covered his veterinary fees. But I've got full...

oversight of that and I think that's another really good option for people as well. People do that with health insurance. Can I just ask you, what did you mean by your cat adopting you, Emma? Ah!

Well, you know, this is going back some time. So this was back, you know, 12 years ago or so and I had a housemate at the time who adopted a cat whose owner was moving overseas and that cat actually just sort of moved into my room and kind of adopted me. And so then when I moved out of that apartment, I sort of said to my housemate, look, I think that the cat's adopted me and she agreed. So...

It wasn't my idea to have a cat. I was waiting for some esoteric answer, but no. Just didn't leave. Emma Hurst, thank you for coming on. I appreciate it. Wonderful. Thank you. That's Emma Hurst from the Animal Justice Party. 131873.

Lots and lots of people here. Lots and lots of people here texting. Here's Grant. Good afternoon, Chris. We did away with pet insurance because premiums seem to be getting dearer every year. And when you read the fine print, there is very little they cover when you make a claim. Also, a lot of vet clinics are... I don't... The last bit's a bit incomprehensible, but that's Grant. So he's done away with his...

Here's pet insurance. And I can understand why it is getting expensive, but by the same token, if you're making a decision about paying the $150 a month or whatever it is, it's not that expensive in some cases, or making a decision about putting your dog down, well, you will be happy that you spent the $150 a month, I'm sure. I've used it with great success over many years, but I also recognize I'm in a fortunate situation where I can afford the monthly premium.

Maybe if you can't afford the monthly premium, then you can't afford a pet. I don't know. You call me 131873.

Day five of the Games is underway with the women's triathlon. The men's event will follow. The Matildas could be on the plane home unless they do something special against women's football powerhouse, the USA. The Tillys go into the game early tomorrow morning knowing anything less than a win could spell the end of their tournament. Socceroos legend Mark Bosnidge delivered them this piece of advice. Don't sort of be wondering in 10 years' time, sitting back as you do when you retire, maybe we should have... Don't. Don't.

Just go for it. Day one of the men's golf will start later this afternoon with Min Woo Lee and Jason Day flying the flag for Australia. Jesse Moore will be going for gold tonight in the artistic gymnastics men's all-round final. To the medal tally and Kaylee McEwan's gold medal swim late on day four has lifted the Aussies to third place with six gold, four silver and one bronze. Japan still leads the way with seven gold. 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, Horsey. And did you realise this? Thank God for Australian women. Because us blokes, we're hopeless. Every single gold medal won at the Olympic Games is by an Australian female. Not a bloke to be seen. I think blokes won silver here and there. But, you know, if there wasn't women in Australia, we'd have zero gold medals. We'd be running down somewhere near Tunisia.

So good on the girls. So the blokes haven't managed to bring home a single gold. So we're ranked third in the medal tally behind Japan and China. We've got 11 medals. Of our six gold, we've got Jess Fox in the canoe slalom, Grace Brown in the cycling, Molly O'Callaghan in the 200-meter freestyle, Ariane Titmuss in the 400-meter freestyle, Kaylee McEwen in the 100-meters backstroke, and then the 4x100 freestyle.

Women's relay team. Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, Shana Jack, Molly O'Callaghan. So Berto, my man Berto, Christopher Burton, who scored a silver in the equestrian, that's about it. There's no, I don't see any Greggs or Christophers or Joels on that list. Do you? What's going on with Australian blokes? Maybe we're not that good anymore. It's the Australian women. Thank God we've got women in this country who are as talented as they are because if we didn't, we'd be embarrassing ourselves.

Live on 2GB. Have your say. 131 873. Just on pet insurance, Patrick's at Bondi. G'day, Patrick. G'day, Chris. I like your comment, too. Go the girls, mate. I agree. They're flying. Hey, on the pet insurance, I'm not underplaying the professionalism or the training that these pet surgeons go through. They're worth a dollar, there's no doubt about that. However...

If you go along, they're overcharging, clearly overcharging for the service they provide. Because, for example, if you go along and you've got to get some antibiotics for your dog for a cut or an infection, you'll be able to pocket $120 for the pills. These are the same antibiotics we can pick up for like $30 or $40 or whatever. But they're on the PBS. Our ones are on the PBS. The animal ones aren't. Well, OK, maybe that's a bad example. But if you're doing a knee replacement or a hip or something,

or an ACL or something, they charge you $25,000 to $30,000. It's ridiculous. I think the problem here is that they're charging too much. They really are. Patrick, I take your point. And to be honest, I thought the same, right? I did. I thought the same. And then I spoke to a few vets and I had a look at a couple of parliamentary inquiries into it. And...

Unfortunately, the fact is we demand human standard care for our animals. So the animals get human standard care, yet not a cent of that care is subsidised by the government or Medicare like we are accustomed to.

As human beings. And I think that's where this thing is well and truly out of whack. And I say the only possible way that we can ensure that veterinary care and pet care more broadly is affordable is restructuring pet insurance. I honestly believe that. Patrick, good on you. I appreciate your call. Carla's at Greenwich. Hello, Carla.

Stop howling and get off the dressing table. Sorry about that. I have a cat. She's a teenager. She's an indoor cat. We did have a vet in the beginning, but it was very expensive. So there's not really that much reason for it.

But I do have another reason, and they didn't help me fix it. She's a sport of knocks, a little brat who thinks she owns the joint. So, you know, what can I do? Do you love her? I adore her. She is the cutest, most adorable little brat. That's a problem, isn't it? That's exactly it. And she's got my partner wrapped around her little paw. And he didn't even like catching, you know. It's, oh, wow. Little.

Oh, good on you, Carla. I love it. Thanks for your call. I enjoy them as always. Margaret's at Lura. Hello, Margaret.

Hi, Chris. I just want to say that I wouldn't waste my money on pet insurance. I think it's just like any other insurance and it can only be guaranteed to go up. I'd rather put that money towards their food and beds and that sort of thing. And I give my... I've had plenty of pets in the past and I still have them. And I think if you...

feed them well and look after them well. I give mine mainly a raw diet, all mine, and I can't tell you when I last had to pay anything at the vets. You're lucky, Margaret. Sometimes they'll run out. Things go wrong, right? They can have a health issue that you didn't pick up or they're hit by a car or whatever it is. You hope it doesn't happen, but...

That's what insurance is there for. But all power to you, Margaret. I hope your beautiful animals are as healthy as they are right now for much longer to come. Pat's in Richmond. G'day, Pat.

Yes, because I cancelled my pet insurance on my long head after 14 years. She had an ACL operation, which was covered. But now the reason why I cancelled it, she only has medication once every three months, and I was paying twice that every month. So that's why I cancelled it. Yeah, right. So it just wasn't worth your while anymore.

No, it was too expensive because what I was paying, I'd pay, say, $200 every three months for it, but I was paying that every month. Yeah, sure. All right, Pat. And I had good cover with Woolworths, excellent cover. Good on you, Pat. Well, and I think people are running into this all over the place, and, you know, when you need to rationalise your budgets, well, you look at the things you can and can't afford, and if you've got a, you know, a beautiful little chihuahua and...

you know, he's 14, 15, 16 years old, whatever it is, you think, well, you know, he'll be okay. I probably don't need to fork out the 200. But if you've got a younger dog that's got plenty of life ahead of it and you can afford it, then you pay it, right? It's five to five. Chris, it's Penrith has sent me a text. Chris, very arrogant statement. Don't get a pet if you can't afford insurance. Only someone from a privileged background would say this. Don't drive if you can't afford a new car. Well, Chris, you're forced to get insurance if you drive a car.

It's called compulsory third party. What I was saying was, is there an argument to say when you register your pet, you may need to get insurance, compulsory, just like a car? I wasn't saying that's the hard and fast rule, 131873.

Now back to Drive with Chris O'Keefe on Sydney's 2GB. It's seven minutes past five. Thank you for your company on this Wednesday afternoon. 131 873 is the open line number. You can text me 0460 873 873 or email me drive.com.

at 2GB.com. Now, coming up, I'm going to cross to Brisbane. Don't usually do that, but I'm going to speak to Natalie Willicks, and she's from the Green Bank Gators Swim Club. And little old Green Bank, 25-metre pool, has made two Olympic champions. Think Molly O and Shana Jack. I'm looking forward to that one.

Now, repeating today's top story, the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has been assassinated this afternoon. So the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, is dead.

And that's just hours after the assassination of the military leader of Hezbollah, Fuad Shakur. Now, these are significant strikes. So Haniyeh was killed by a targeted strike in Tehran, Iran itself. Now, earlier I spoke to Middle East expert Dr Roger Shanahan, and he said while they are significant scalps, he doesn't think that this will result in a broader regional war between

But when it comes to the prospect of a ceasefire...

Yeah, there's arguments to be had for both ways. One, that it'll completely kill the idea of ceasefire negotiations. You can also mount an argument that perhaps Hamas might need to open up negotiations lest Israel does more of these types of actions against senior Hamas leadership. So, again, the jury's out, but you'd probably think there won't be much progress in the immediate future.

Now, in the past 20 minutes, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has said that even with the events of the past day, he still believes the region can avoid war. And he told reporters in Manila that, quote, I don't think that war is inevitable. I think there's always room and opportunity for diplomacy. And I'd like to see the parties pursue those opportunities, be it Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran and Hamas, of course.

And Palestine, of course. Look, I hope he's correct, but Israel always has the right to defend itself. And it's proven in the past 24 hours that when they say they are going to wipe out military leaders and leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah, i.e. terrorist organisations, they certainly mean it. 131873. Now, a fire has destroyed an automotive workshop in Smithfield this afternoon. So this was on Percival Road in Smithfield.

And there were large volumes of smoke erupting out of this workshop at Smithfield. So a whole bunch of fire trucks showed up. They needed more. 15 ended up going in the end. And 60 firefighters managed to put the blaze out, thankfully stopping it spreading to adjoining properties. You had 20 people evacuated from the workshop as well as surrounding premises. One person was treated on scene by paramedics and taken to hospital.

but it is not known at this stage what has caused the fire. But if you were in and around Percival Road at Smithfield, that's what was going on. A big fire at, looks like a car yard of some sort, 131873. Well, Brian Toto, he was a notable absentee at Penrith training this afternoon. So there is some mail that Brian Toto, of course, a New South Wales fan,

Hell of a winger and triple premiership winning winger for the Penrith Panthers. He's unhappy about what he's being paid. And there is some reports that he is restless and wants to leave the Penrith Panthers. And now he wasn't at training. So Penrith have confirmed that they've met with Toto's management and they're also planning to sit down with the Blues winger before Sunday's clash at Newcastle.

So Penrith have been pretty open. They said, look, you've signed a contract until 2027, Brian Toho. It was $650,000 a season. That's probably unders. He'd get a couple of hundred grand more than that if he went to the open market. Regardless, I don't think Penrith have any, any inkling of...

You know, letting him go. And why would he? He is the best winger in the competition by some margin. 1-3-1-8-7-3. Still on sport, the Olympics. The triathlon is well and truly underway. The women's triathlon, if you missed it. They ended up jumping in the Seine.

They swam the 1,500 metres in the Seine, and we've got two Aussies swimming, Sophie Lynn and Natalie van Kervorden. And I'm pleased to say Carl Langdon from 6PR is back with an update. Carl, what's happening? Well, Chris, I can tell you that there were five of the swimmers that actually got a 15-second penalty because they went before the gun. So Petra Kurikova of the Czech Republic, Jennifer Arnold of Brazil, Vicky van der Meer from South Africa, Melanie Santos of France,

Portugal and Xingzhu Lin of China have all copped a 15-second penalty. There's been three withdrawals. There's been a lot of incidents that have happened in the race. There's been a lot of girls come down. And just a moment ago, before you crossed to me, one of the girls in the leading pack from Germany, Laura Lindemann, came down.

So she was in that leading group of what was 10. She's now 23 seconds adrift of the nine riders that are out in front. Taylor Spivey of the USA currently leads the way from Julie Derren of Sweden and Maya Kingma of the Netherlands. The Aussies, Sophie Lynn is in the chasing pack. Only...

Only 1.16 behind. So a minute 16 behind the lead. So they're not too far away. And the other of the Aussies is down the page a little bit currently. The last time I had a look was down there in 40th place. And that is at the moment...

Where are we here? Natalie van der Koven. So she's currently down in 40th position of the riders to the left in the field. I've just been watching a little bit of the triathlon in the news break. And because there's been a bit of rain, it looks like the streets of Paris, they're quite greasy or something.

Yeah, on a very greasy and of course you've got some uneven ground. There's some, some cobblestones on, on certain corners. And there have been, as I said, a number of the athletes that have come down at the moment. We've just had another report of another rider that has had to withdraw because of a bike accident. So Lottie Miller, uh,

and she is from Norway, so she is also a withdrawal as we speak. So, yeah, there's going to be a few more you'd suggest in the bike, but this is lap six of seven. Then they'll go into the transition, and then they'll head out on a 10K run. Well, hopefully none of the ladies in the green and gold come off the bikes. Good on you, Carl. 131873. That's Carl Langdon from 6PR, of course, calling the Olympics here on 2GB.

Drive with Chris O'Keefe on to GB. Now, this outrage about supposedly biological men competing against women at the Olympics, it's taken off again today. I don't know if you caught any of the boxing last night, but there was an Algerian boxer by the name of Aman Khalif, and she boxed in the women's category, and she punched the absolute daylights out of her Mexican opponent. Now, Aman Khalif...

was previously disqualified from competing in elite women's boxing, not because she was a biological male, but because she was born with a variation of the usual XY male chromosomes. So she was categorised as a DSD athlete, which is known as a difference of sexual development athlete.

Now, World Athletics, it's interesting. So World Athletics bans DSD athletes from competing in the women's division in the 400 metre to the one mile events. And these are events that require speed and endurance. The only way they are allowed to, the DSD athletes, compete is if they have testosterone levels below a certain threshold. Now, Aman Khalif...

She was banned at the Women's Boxing World Championships because her biological makeup was deemed unfair in a combat sport like boxing.

But at the Olympics? No worries, says the IOC. Now, the Daily Telegraph reports that there is an Australian academic working for the International Olympic Committee, and she is advocating for biological men to be able to compete at women at the Olympics. Now, her name is Madeline Pape. She competed herself. She's a former middle-distance Olympian, and she sits on the IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She's a specialist.

And this is a quote, ready, when it comes to all this stuff. The IOC recognises that trans women are women. Now, this is a fraught topic, of course, because depending on the sport, it is nuanced. And testosterone, of course, it naturally occurs in female bodies. It's not just a male chemical. It occurs in female bodies.

And in some instances, there are blokes who have very little testosterone. They compete in Olympics and competitive sport against men who have much more testosterone. Now, I know what I'm about to say may sound cold, but I just don't think there's any other way around this. Biological men cannot compete against biological women in sport. They cannot. Especially combat sports, but really any sport.

And it doesn't matter when said person used puberty blockers, what their levels of testosterone are, yada, yada, yada. Because being a trans adult is absolutely fine. And that person should be supported by the community. Every person, regardless of their gender identity, deserves respect and dignity and the opportunity to be happy. And if transitioning from a biological man to a woman makes someone happy as an adult, then be my guest. Be whoever you want to be. However...

You cannot balance fairness in sporting competition with inclusivity. It doesn't work like that. Biological differences such as muscle mass, bone density, hormonal profiles, impact athletic performance. Of course they do. These differences are significant and they've been well documented in sports science. We all know that. When individuals with male physiology compete in women's categories, there is a chasm between women.

what is fair and what is not. And each and every one of us, every single human being on earth has been dealt a different hand of cards in life, physically, psychologically, environmentally, economically. Every human has a different makeup and that allows us to excel at some things and prevents us from doing others. That is just life. If you're a trans woman, your lot in life is you can't play competitive sport against biological women.

That is your lot in life. You might not like it, but that is just how it is. And if you have a variation of the usual XY male chromosome, which gives you a major physical advantage, well, maybe you can't box at the Olympics either. I know this is cold, but it is just true. We all know it's true, and we're trying to squish the square diversity ideology into the round hole of common sense. And I'm sorry to say, it just doesn't work.

19 past five. 23 past five. This story in the ABC. So poker machines could be removed from venues owned by Lane Cove Council. So it's been voted through by council. So the council owns the land and the buildings on which Lane Cove Bowling and Recreation Club and Longerville Sporting Club stand.

So Lane Cove Bowling and Rec Club and Longerville Sporting Club, they have 17 machines between them, 10 at Longerville and 7 at the bowling club. So council owns the land and the buildings, but clearly there is a lease agreement. Now, I'd be interested to see whether or not they'd be happy with this, the people who are leasing the council land.

They've got a business to run. So anyway, Greens Councillor Rochelle Flood, she said this, Council shouldn't be in the business of supporting gambling or supporting poker machines in any way. I think it's quite clear the harm that poker machines cause in our communities. And she said the aim was for the sites to transition into pokey-free venues, okay, when their lease was next up for renewal.

So you've got Lane Cove Bowling and Rec Club. They're up in 2028, so they've got four more years. Unclear when Longleaf Hill Sporting Club's up. But 10 machines, 7 machines, it's not the end of the world, is it?

Anyway, so the Liberals opposed it. They described the move as a nanny state, saying you're taking away the right to choose. We're not talking about a casino in Lay Cove. I can't see this as a major concern. It is ultimately a principal thing for the Greens and Lane Cove Council. Maybe a bit of virtue signalling, if that's how you see it. But regardless...

the chairman of Lane Cove Bowling and Rec Club, his name's John Burke. He said, quote, removing poker machines would have a significant impact on the finances of our club. And from our point of view as a small club, the impact is huge because every dollar is huge for us. We are very community based and it would affect quite numerous community groups within the club. We have kick for kids, karate. We even have elderly yoga.

If you're serious about reducing gambling, it probably wouldn't be my first point of interest. Interesting, isn't it? And this is the problem. We're not going to have poker machines because we're the Greens and we're desperately against gambling. And then they say, well, hang on a second. You know those poker machine dollars that people come and willingly put through the poker machines? The seven that we've got? Not many.

We do elderly yoga, karate, kick for kids, a whole bunch of really worthwhile community programs. The money's not there. They can't be run. So, you know, virtue signal away. But there's a consequence to all of these decisions.

Live on 2GB, have your say. 131 873. Now, just on the, you know, biological men competing in women's sport, Andrea's called in from Chatswood. Hello, Andrea.

Good afternoon, Chris. I think you're pretty fabulous. I think that was very brave, the way you put that. It was succinct. It was clear. It was human. You covered all the boxes. It was really well said. It stopped me from what I was doing, you know, and I thought...

Yeah, that was great. That was really good because there were a lot of people out there with all sorts of situations that don't get a voice and we overlooked them. And I think this particular situation, I've seen a lot of sports where, you know, I can't remember which one it was, but there was only games that they lost, they lost, they lost, one after the other. And it's because they were unfairly competing against biological men. And I just don't see why.

No, it doesn't. And you know what? It's extremely simple. And I made the point, Andrea, and thank you for your call, is that we all get cards dealt, right? You could grow up in the wrong side of the tracks. You could grow up with a silver spoon in your mouth. You could grow up with, you know,

imprint on your DNA for anxiety, for depression, for schizophrenia, whatever it is. You could have a congenital heart condition. There are millions and millions of different variations to why human beings are made up. And you wouldn't have it any other way because that's what makes us human, our differences and our variations.

But if you transition from being a biological man into becoming a woman, and you're an adult, that's your decision. Go for your life. You'll get my support because it's got nothing to do with me. And if that makes you happy, then I'm happy for you. But unfortunately, when you make that decision, you can't compete against biological women in competitive sport. It just can't happen. It's just as simple as that. 131873. Paul's at Mount Kira. You've seen something on the roads, Paul.

Yeah, hi, Chris. Westbound just a couple of k's west of Mount Kira Road on the Picton Road, there's been an accident where someone's been T-boned quite heavily in the driver's door.

I don't know how they got to that stop way, but there's a few people there assisting and there's only one lane through there. It was where there were two lanes and it's only one lane because of all the people assisting and cars everywhere, so it's a bit heavy at the moment. So that's Picton Road after Mount Kira Road. Is it one lane each way?

Not in that particular part. It's an overtaking area. And somehow they've come together and, yeah, they've hit quite hard. Did you get a chance to have a look at the person in the car, Paul? Were they okay? I couldn't see, but the door has stowed in very heavily. Oh, dear, oh, dear. All right, Paul. I appreciate that. So I'm assuming the traffic will be building up, yeah?

I was just starting to bank up, yeah. All right. Good on you, mate. Thank you for your call. I appreciate you giving us a heads up. So that's Paul at Mount Kira. There's a crash westbound on Picton Road just after Mount Kira Road. By the sounds of things, that is very nasty. So if it is nasty, we know what happens on Picton Road. If there are accidents like that, it's going to be a very slow trip home. So if you can avoid the area, please do. Picton Road westbound just after Mount Kira Road.

In the newsroom, Josh Bryant. G'day.

Good afternoon again, Chris. The US Defence Secretary says he doesn't believe that a wider conflict in the Middle East is inevitable after Hamas's political leader was assassinated, adding to fears of growing tensions in the region. It's not yet known at this stage what sparked a fire which has destroyed a car workshop in Sydney's west and left one person injured. The Premier says the state will work with the federal government to

To ensure that regional communities have access to crucial air services as Rex enters voluntary administration and a support member of the Cuban Olympic team has gone missing, the judo coach failed to show up for her flight home. In sport, the Matildas take on the US early tomorrow morning in what's a must-win clash if they're going to keep their Olympic dream alive. We'll have more news in sport at six.

Thanks, Josh. 131873. Coming up, we'll get a check in with the weather, of course, see how the markets went, and there will be another Olympic update. I can't wait for this one. Green Bank School in Brisbane, a little 25-metre pool, and it has made two Olympic gold medalists. We'll talk to them soon. It's 25 to 6. A weather update. We'll be here to help in unexpected weather. NRMA Insurance, a health company.

Partly cloudy right now. It's 13 in the city and 12 in our west. Temperatures tonight, 10 in the city and 9 in the west. Tomorrow, showers. Unfortunately, tops of 16 in the city tomorrow and 16 in the west.

All odds closed up. They've had a big day, the markets today. Listen to this. All odds up 1.76%. Ka-ching, ka-ching. ASX 200 up 1.75%. One Aussie dollar currently buying 64 US cents. Come on.

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. Adam Horsey with an Olympics update. The gold medal drought for our men in Paris could be about to end. Logan Martin is out to defend his crown from Tokyo in the men's Park BMX final. Natalia Demm is in the women's final.

She's promising to leave nothing in the tank. You know, with only one run counting, you can afford to go with that little bit harder, and I'm excited to do that and show everyone what I've been working on. Plenty of gold medal chances in the pool. Reigning champion Zach Stubbledy-Cook is lining up in the 200-metre breaststroke final. Kyle Chalmers, he's chasing glory.

in the men's 100 metre freestyle final. Molly O'Callaghan and Shayna Jack are competing in the women's 100 metre free. Moesha Johnson is in the women's 1500. In artistic gymnastics, Jessie Moore will compete in the men's all around final. And the Matildas Olympic dream goes on the line tonight against the USA. So to the medal tally early on day five,

And Japan still leads the way with seven gold. Australia is in third place with six. That is the latest from Paris. I'm Adam Hawes. That Paris 2024 medal tally was thanks to Woolworths, proud fresh food partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams. Good on you, Hawesy. 131873. I'm just going to go to Gerry speaking of the Olympics. Gerry's at Alfred's Point. Hello, Gerry.

Hello, Chris. How are you? I'm all right. Gerry, what's happening? Chris, just the weather forecast say it was like a summer's day in Ireland. You know, gee, I just wanted to say it.

I'm just so excited, Chris. We won a gold medal. We won a gold medal. The first gold medal ever for Ireland in the pool. And Ray Hadley this morning, I was listening to it and it was so exciting, Chris. Unbelievable. I'm sure Ireland is really celebrating over there. It was the 800m freestyle, wasn't it? It was the 800m freestyle. Daniel Whiffen.

Yes, exactly. And it was just unbelievable. And as I said, we'd never won a gold medal before in the pool, which was, I think Ireland had just gone mad over there. Out of the Irish swim, generally, Gerry? Backstroke, normally. What, at midnight when you're leaving the pub? No.

Exactly. Go on, you're a funny man. Hey, Gerry, I love your work. Go, the Irish. Here's something for you. Bit of Monday for you, Gerry. Well done to the Irish. Their first ever gold medal in the pool. Daniel Whiffen winning the gold medal in the 800 metres freestyle. It's 21 to 6. It's 16 to 6. Harry's just sent us a text. Chris, there's an accident on Showground Road at Castle Hill between Gilbert Road...

and Victoria Avenue westbound. Heavy delays in the area. Thank you for that, Harry. So, accident, showground road, Castle Hill between Gilbert Road and Victoria Avenue westbound. Well, how incredible are our Aussie women in the pool? My goodness gracious me, they are electrifyingly fast. The best in the world, and they're putting on a show in Paris. Now, in Logan, in Queensland...

There's this little 25-metre pool, and it's at a state school in Logan. And that 25-metre pool has produced not one, but two Olympic champions. You've got Molly O'Callaghan and Shana Jack. They both went to Green Bank State School, 40 minutes south of Brisbane CBD, and they trained at the pool on school grounds. Look where they are now.

They've both won gold. They broke the Olympic record in the 4x100m freestyle alongside Meg Harris and Emma McKeon. Molly then won gold against Ariane Titmuss in the 200m freestyle. And they're both swimming in the 100m tonight. Well, tomorrow morning, our time. Natalie Wilcox is the president of the Green Bank Gators. It's a swimming club at the girls' old pool. And she's on the line for us. Nat, g'day.

Hello, how are you? Pretty rare that a 25-metre pool in little old Logan attached to a state school would produce two gold medalists at the one Olympic Games. I know, right? It's pretty cool. It's pretty cool to think both those girls came out of that pool. They both learnt to swim in that pool and they've both gone on to bigger and better things. And look at them now. They're just amazing to watch on the Olympic coverage, seeing two gold medalists come out of that pool and out of that school. Paint a picture for me. What does the pool look like?

What's it like? When they were there, it had little sort of concrete blocks, really old-school blocks, you know, and it used to make the kids nervous getting up on them because they were tiled and slippery and that sort of thing. Since the club's come into inception, so the club came in in 2018, we've upgraded the blocks. We've actually put Olympic blocks on the pool now. It's a little eight-lane, 25-metre pool. It's...

It's a good little EQ pool, like Education Queensland pool on school grounds and that sort of thing. But we've got a good little squad and obviously the girls learnt to swim. And Trevor Kulik was the learn to swim coach that Molly had and he's still around and he still coaches our kids under the gaiters and that sort of thing as well. So it's very cool. Do the kids know that they're swimming in hallowed ground, hallowed water? Yeah.

The older kids do that are attached to the gators, and obviously we've actually had some of our gator swimmers that don't swim with us anymore because they're getting to that state and national level now for some of the senior swimmers. So we've actually lost quite a few because it is a 25-metre pool. The younger generation of kids that are coming through now, they actually don't realise it until the Comm Games, until the Olympics come through. And I know school held something on parade last week to...

you know, tell the kids that not only two swimmers have come out of that school, but we've actually got a third athlete that's competing at these games, Cameron Newton-Smith, in the heptathlon next week. So to actually tell the kids, and the kids are walking away going, I didn't know this, I didn't realise this sort of thing. And some of the swimmers are even like,

oh, we didn't realise because they haven't been able to interact with Molly and Shana at swim meets, which some of the older swimmers do, like because they're at the same age and the same level. So they get to interact with them when they're out and about. So it's pretty cute to realise that the little ones are just sort of realising that it's pretty special having three Olympians come out of that school. Absolutely. Trevor Kulik, their coach, you say he still bounces around, still coaches them.

He does. He doesn't coach the girls anymore, but he coaches the gators. Yeah, he's still around for us. What does he say about it? Did he recognise early on that these two could fly?

Yeah, so he didn't have Shana, unfortunately. He wasn't there when Shana was there, but he had Molly in Learn to Swim. He still has contact with Molly and with Molly's mum, Toni, and he's actually off caravanning and he's off holidaying at the moment because we're in winter. But he's so proud. I spoke to him early this morning and that sort of thing, and he's so proud to see...

Molly especially, because he really knows Molly, up on the dice. And just to have both of them on that dice in the 4x100 was pretty special for us. How fast is Molly O'Callaghan, seriously? I know, right? She's just amazing to watch, like in the 50-100 and now the 200 as well. And to think that she actually qualified as well for the 100 back, but she dropped it from her program.

And I think actually originally she was a backstroker sort of thing when she was coming through in her junior years and then switched to freestyle. So she's just an all-rounder. She's just amazing sort of thing just to think of. And she's still so young. She's only 20. By the time 2032 comes, she's only going to be 28. She'll be hitting her prime by then. So she will just be amazing. I know we're in Sydney, but the way the Queensland government's handling the... They might hold the swimming at the...

At your pool, the 25-metre one. That'd be cool, but I don't think so. I don't think so. You never know. They're trying to save a quid, aren't they? I reckon we'd actually be able to get a few more swimmers out of that pool by 2032. There's a few more that are just about to hit their strides, I think, in nationals and stuff. So it'd be very cool.

Good on you, Nat. I really appreciate you coming on. All the best and good luck for the 100 metre freestyle final. It's going to be a hell of a race. I'll be up early in the morning, I think, watching it at 4.30. It's the first race up, so I'll be up at 4.30 to watch it. You'll be hearing me scream, I think, in all of Green Bank. Good on you, Nat. Enjoy. Thank you so much for coming on. No worries. See you later. Bye. That's Natalie Wilcox. She's the president of the Green Bank Gators Swimming Club. Both Molly O'Callaghan and Shana Jack learnt to swim there. How good.

Now, we just heard there, of course, you'll hear all this on 2GB. So 4.30am, you've got 100m freestyle final, O'Callaghan and Jack in the 100m freestyle final. And then you've got the men's 200m butterfly final. You've got the 1500 women's freestyle final on at 5.07am.

At 10 to 6, you've got the women's 200-metre breaststroke final. And then King Kyle Chalmers. Maybe a bloke will finally win a gold medal. Maybe. 6.22am, 100-metre freestyle final. Kyle Chalmers will be jumping in the fall, racing for his life. Can't wait.

If it's happening in Sydney, you'll hear it on Drive on 2GB. Alright, do you want to win a bit of free petrol? 131873. It's all thanks to Shell V-Power. It is the jewel for fuel. If you think you can play, give us a call now. 131873. 200 bucks of free fuel. Up for grabs next. On 2GB Drive, let's jewel for fuel. We are jewelling for fuel this Wednesday afternoon. Our contestants, thanks to Shell V-Power. I've got Donna at Kellyville. Hello, Donna.

Hello, Chris. How are you? I'm good, thank you, Donna. And Rob's at Kalara. G'day, Rob. Hey, Chris. How you doing? I'm good, Rob. You want to kick us off? Should be ladies first. I'm not sure. You don't get a choice, son. Your time starts now. Which band had hits with Africa, Hold the Line and Rosanna? Toto. Well done. Are cucumbers grown under or above the ground?

Above. Correct. Dean Young played which position for the St George of the Warra Dragons in the grand final? Prop. Hooker. What is a baby goat called, pup or a kid? Kid. Correct. How many James Bond films did the character Jaws appear in, two or five? Two. Correct. True or false, the Bermuda Triangle is located in the Pacific Ocean? Correct. It's false. It's in the North Atlantic. Pretty good effort, Rob. Very good effort. Four. Very strong. Very strong outing. Hey, Don, are you ready?

Ready as I can be. I've got faith in you, Donna. Your time starts now. Liam Gallagher belonged to which band? Oasis or Blur? Oasis. Correct. Elton John changed his name in 67. What was his original first name? Reg. It was Reg. We call it Petrel. But what do the Americans call it? Gas. Correct. New York is famous for what colour cabs? Yellow. Correct. In what city would you find the famous building called the Gherkin?

London, Ian Healy played which professional sport for Australia? Ian Healy, did you say? Yeah, Ian Healy. Oh, my God. I was cricket. Yay! You got it right at the death. Oh, Rob, you've been pipped at the post by Donna from Kellyville. Donna, 200 of free fuel coming your way. It is the jewel for fuel. It's all thanks to Shell V-Power. We do it 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 coming up. Levy, the triathlon's on. Tom wants to know, were the athletes swimming in the Seine or just going through the motions? That's clever.

That's clever. Well, the French woman's just won the women's triathlon to a big roar of the crowd. So some success for the host nation here. And following on from this is the men's triathlon. So French win gold in the women's triathlon after what's been a very turbulent few days. They did it under turn. LAUGHTER

Were they running or did they have the... No, I won't say. I'm with you. What's wrong with a bit of Cryptosporidium or Giardia? Just kidding. I like that. I was driving and I heard you say that and I had a great chuckle. Remember those days we used to have to boil the water and everything? Yeah, and they had the ads on TV. Cryptosporidium, Giardia. Remember that? We had an Oz tag team. We called ourselves the Cryptosporidiums. We went just like it too. Bastards.

Hey, I've got an issue with Australian men. Yeah, go for it. We can't win golds. What do you mean? No, I'm one of us. I'm an Australian man. Right. So are you. Yeah. And we're hopeless. The women are the only thing saving Australia from embarrassment at the Olympics. Did you see the men's water polo team yesterday? Yeah, but they didn't win gold. Yeah, hang on. Well, we beat the gold medalists. Yeah, but hang on. We haven't won it yet. And I'm trying to find positives here, right? It was a bad day for us yesterday. Berto. Berto got so right. Berto's flying the flag for the blokes. Yeah.

Do you think we've got an issue with gold? We do have an issue. Well, we can't afford it at the moment. I mean, it's tough times out there. We've been propping the whole country up. Keep going, girls. Because this is the thing, right? So when you're doing rolling coverage of the Olympic Games, you're trying to be positive about things. But yesterday and this morning, there's nothing to be positive about. I ended up calling Simone Biles and the gymnastics from the United States.

Anyway. Oh, good on you. Well, what am I saying here? 21st, the Australian Sophie Ling. Ah, 21st. 21st across the line. In the women's triathlon. All right, the blokes is coming up. Supposedly we're a good chance in the blokes, but probably get bronze. Good on you, Levy. We'll be listening to the coverage. Righto, Mr Negative. We'll be listening to the coverage. That's it from me. I'll see you 3 p.m. tomorrow. Bye-bye.