Speaker 1welcome to the ben fordham podcast hi there welcome to
Speaker 2tuesday october 13 coming up today the new south wales premier chris minns live in studio as a 13 year old is accused of murder while out on bail over knife offenses we'll talk to chris minns about that also the head of an aussie mosque denies he's to blame for radicalizing a terrorist who wanted to fly a plane and crash it into an airport in israel an australian father freed from an iraqi prison after five years behind bars we'll hear from his wife a 100 million dollar plan to build accommodation for indigenous uni students scrapped eight million dollars worth of wine stolen in italy and coals jack up the price of their paper bags again get ready the show starts
Speaker 1now this is ben fordham live with sydney's best breakfast on 2gb 873 we start this morning with an
Speaker 2absolute shocker the parents of a soldier killed in action have slammed a heartless move from the department of veterans affairs they say they did not receive an invite to a memorial commemorating australia's service in afghanistan and that's despite their son sean mccarthy dying while serving in afghanistan back in 2009 a memorial to mark 25 years since australia entered the country for the first time in the history of afghanistan and the history of australia entered the conflict has taken place at the war memorial however grieving parents david and mary mccarthy were not asked to come they found out about the event from other families who were invited to the service david and mary say they later received a phone call from the chief of army susan coyle she informed them the department of veterans affairs did send them an invitation but get this it had been mistakenly sent to their son sean who passed away 18 years ago how does that happen does the defense force not update their records when they lose a brave soldier in a war zone sean mccarthy was killed by a roadside bomb back in 2009 the chief of army has apologized for the mix-up susan coyle has told the parents she's absolutely shocked sean's dad david has told news 24 a lack of compassion and empathy and to make it even worse this is not the first time the family has been bewildered by the actions of the department of veterans affairs or the defense force because eight years after sean's death mary and david received a letter from the adf it was a notice telling them that their son had been cleared of alleged war crimes but up until that point they never knew the allegations existed why are they being put through this kind of pain again
Speaker 1this is ben fordham live with sydney's best breakfast on 2gb 873 the price of
Speaker 2petrol is continuing to rise for the first time in six months it's climbed above 2.40 a liter 2.40 the national average for unleaded rose over the past week to nearly 2.41 diesel prices are at 2.83 a liter on average it comes as the energy minister chris bowen says australia does not want or need to follow the u.s in sourcing diesel from russia the nrma says australia's supply levels remain healthy peter curry from the nrma says supply continues to arrive there's nothing to suggest that that's going to change but for the first time in six months average prices above 2.40 for unleaded 2.83 for diesel let me know what you spot when you're on the road this morning now businesses cannot cop a break at the moment the cost of compliance and admin is pushing them into the danger zone it's been revealed small and medium businesses are forking out 85 million dollars a day on red tape an estimated 31 billion dollars each year is going towards accountants bookkeeping and navigating the tax rules despite that jim charmers is failing to take action it's been more than a hundred days since the board of taxation handed down its red tape reduction review but the federal treasurer is still sitting on the report there's no indication of when the review will be released or when the findings will be implemented small business owners say it's becoming increasingly difficult to follow the rules restaurant owner peter pappas has told the daily telegraph i've had to employ people just to keep up small businesses are expected to have the skill set of an hr department in a corporation he says jim charmers reckons he's a big supporter of small business but he's not a big supporter of small business he's a big supporter of small but the people working their backsides off and drowning in paperwork reckon he should spend a day in their shoes it's beyond a joke when you have a look all the red tape that businesses are expected to put up with we have the hsc starting today in new south wales more than 75 000 year 12 students are preparing to begin their exams it kicks off this morning english paper one at 9 50 a.m if you want to send a shout out to any hsc kids you can text it through right now zero four six zero eight seven three eight seven three i know some will be up really early cramming in some last minute study there are a range of language exams this afternoon and then tomorrow english paper two and later this week a stack of other exams including music modern history and hospitality the exam period will run for four weeks it wraps up on thursday november five and then the wait isn't long for the results they'll be released on wednesday december 16. the new south wales education minister prue carr has offered her best wishes to students telling the daily telegraph take care of yourselves as you embark on this final high school milestone get plenty of rest and sleep and give it your absolute best sounds like good advice good luck to all of the year 12 students who are kicking off with the hsc today it's october 13 and on this day a prize was awarded here's your only hint if you think
Speaker 3you know the answer you can send it through on
Speaker 2the text line now zero four six zero eight seven three eight seven three a prize was awarded if you think you know the answer send it through and you might win a hundred bucks the answer's coming up on this day like
Speaker 1what you're hearing make sure you've subscribed to ben ford thank you for being
Speaker 2with us jerry says ben isn't the prize being awarded on friday you were going to share your 100 million dollar powerball i haven't bought a ticket yet jerry i'll see if i can get a wriggle on and buy a ticket between now and friday and i'll see you next time bye bye and look jerry if i do win you'll be cut into the prize i can promise you that 131873 this is important so let me mention it right now there's a call out for aussies to donate blood we're told supplies of most blood types have plunged to their lowest levels in nearly a decade tens of thousands of people donated in response to lifeblood's recent winter repeal but supplies of the most common blood types are now critically low 16 000 donations are urgently needed lifeblood says a prolonged and record cold and flu season has left more than 1200 donor chairs empty every day nationwide to donate you can call 13 14 95 or head to lifeblood.com.au
Speaker 1this is ben fordham live with sydney's best breakfast on 2gb 873 new south wales greyhound
Speaker 2racing has a new home a brand new track at richmond will replace wentworth's park later this week wentworth park will switch off their lights for the final time the 94 year old greyhound track is being bulldozed it'll be gone by the end of the year paving the way for an urban renewal project the size of darling harbour rezoning around wentworth park will add an estimated 2 000 homes the southern end of the site will feature a wetland playground exercise equipment and picnic facilities and then you've got sporting fields multi-purpose courts and tracks that will be built on the central section which is currently occupied by the greyhound track the final races will be held this friday night it'll be a big night and 12 replacement sites in western sydney have been considered but greyhound racing new south wales has settled on a rebuilt facility at the existing richmond site according to the daily telegraph it'll cost between 50 million and 70 million to redevelop and from next week greyhound racing will shift to gosford it'll move to richmond from september next year in time for the 2027 million dollar chase so greyhound racing fans might have some feedback on that what do you think about richmond being the site and are you ready to say goodbye to wentworth park i think it'll be an emotional night for many people in the greyhound racing industry this friday now there's been a wine heist in italy one of the country's biggest family-owned wineries has had 30 000 bottles stolen the hall is worth about 8 million dollars it's the latest in a string of wine heists across italy security footage shows seven masked men breaking into a warehouse in Tuscany. They managed to disable the alarm system and escape with two truckloads. It wasn't until days later, staff discovered they'd been robbed. And the thieves knew what they were looking for. They carefully selected the most valuable bottles. Some cost up to 800 bucks. The boss of the company targeted says, we still hope that we're able to find the wine. Two trucks cannot just disappear. He says these wines have great value and I don't know how they can sell all this wine around the world without being seen.
Speaker 3You're listening to Ben Fordham on 2GB right now, eight
Speaker 2minutes to six. It's time to sign up to Red Energy's Living Energy Saver and receive up to $200 in bill credits. You can go to redenergy.com.au. Now there's a warning. Virgin has told travel agents they're increasing airfares. They've made the decision in the wake of surging fuel prices. Airlines globally are complaining that costs are rising. Virgin wrote to agents on Friday to inform them of the price rises. Their fuel bill is set to increase by 49 million in the first half of 2027. The airline says we're making fair adjustments to reflect these increased costs. They say costs across the aviation sector continue to rise at a rate well ahead of national inflation. Passenger demand is also weakening due to the surging fuel costs, apparently. And while we're talking airlines, Qantas has been dealing with a bed bug outbreak. On a plane, the airline had to cancel a flight from Rome to Perth on Saturday. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had to be taken out of service for a deep dive. This all started last week when passengers started complaining of being bitten mid-flight. The plane had been travelling from Perth to Rome. The people impacted were given medication, but supplies reportedly ran out. Qantas had to cancel the return flight. Affected passengers have been provided with accommodation, and they've been rebooked on other flights within 48 hours of the original departure. I cannot think of anything worse. I mean, bed bugs are bad enough, but trapped on a plane and being bitten by bed bugs? No thanks. News you can trust.
Speaker 1Opinions that matter. Now, Ben Fordham comments.
Speaker 2We're keen to get your thoughts on this one this morning. America is on the cusp of entering what I think is a worrying new chapter. Because on December 3, the United States plans to execute former Army Major Nadal Hassan using a firing squad in Texas. And this is the part that's the real worry. If the Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth gets his way, it'll be live-streamed. So before Friday Night Football, you can tune in to see a man killed on camera. The administration wants a public spectacle. A state-sanctioned killing package for everyone to see. Why? That's the question I've got. And who would want to watch such a thing? Have they thought about the impact this could have on people when they're seeing another human being being killed? Surely the death penalty is a strong enough punishment. Why broadcast it live to millions of Americans? And why make the killer even more infamous than he already is? Hassan murdered 13 people and attempted to slaughter 32. It happened at a US Army base in Texas. He opened fire with a personal handgun at a processing centre for deploying troops. He was shouting, Allah Akbar, God is great. The victims included 10 men and 3 women. The oldest was 62, the youngest just 19. It was the deadliest mass shooting at a US military base. And Hassan shattered hundreds of lives, sons and daughters, mums and dads. He's arguably the most hated man in America. Hassan's execution will be the first US military firing squad since 1945. And if the live stream proceeds, America will stand beside a handful of regimes that still stage public executions. Places like Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. Based on available data, just 17 public executions have happened last year. 6 in Afghanistan, 11 in Iran. Saudi Arabia has not conducted a public execution in 4 years. As for America, they haven't gone down this barbaric path for nearly a century. In 1936, thousands gathered for America's last public hanging incandescent. You could even buy refreshments in Kentucky. And now, 90 years later, public executions may be making a comeback. The town square has been replaced by the internet. The audience could be watching on their phones anywhere in the world. Will kids end up seeing this thing? Does the youth of America, already smothered in guns and violence, really need to see it? And do I need to worry about my kids seeing it here in Australia? And my feelings are strong on this because when Islamic State started butchering Americans and releasing videos of the killings, I watched some of them. At the time, I was reporting on the rise of ISIS. And when ISIS started releasing high-quality videos of hostages being executed, I thought I needed to see it for myself. Some of the images were so graphic, so confronting, that whenever the topic of Islamic State comes up, even all these years on, my mind goes back there. I wish it didn't. But once you watch something like that, it's not easy to erase it from your head. There's also the very strong possibility of this event being used to help recruit another wave of terrorists. It won't take long for this guy's face to be on flags and posters at protests. The sickos will hold him up as a hero. And this livestream event will increase his influence from beyond the grave. Don't play a part in messing with young minds. Don't lower yourself to the standards of your enemy. And don't turn the monster into a martyr. I know a lot of people will be saying, if you don't want to watch it, you don't have to. I understand that. But it doesn't change my opinion. Being tough is one thing. Live streaming a public execution is another. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says, we'll make sure that people are able to watch it. That it's public. Because people need to know there are serious consequences for these types of things. The Vice President J.D. Vance has cast doubt on it being live streamed and says, he would not watch it. Donald Trump says he absolutely approves of the live stream idea, but no final decision has been made. The choice rests with him.
Speaker 1Like what you're hearing? Make sure you've subscribed to Ben Fordham.
Speaker 2On the public execution plan in the United States, Darren says, good, execute him. If you don't want to watch it, don't. Another one here from Mick. I think the point of the live streaming, is to act as a deterrent. Anthony says, he wants to be a martyr. I'd just leave him to rot in his wheelchair. Matty says, barbaric going backwards. Imagine if this happened elsewhere in the world. I'm disgusted. T says, the guy's a crim. Okay, get rid of him. But the viewing is not necessary. I agree with you. Ian says, you've answered your own question. Who wants to watch a public execution? And Nick says, on this one, I fully agree with you. All you're doing is giving fodder to the nutters to recruit more nutters. Nutters. Well, we have a 13-year-old boy in custody this morning after allegedly killing a Sydney dad on his way home from work. At the time of the attack, the teenager had been on bail for carrying a knife. The Daily Telegraph understands the charges had only been laid last month. Joshua Smith stopped near Mount Druitt Station to speak with some young family relatives. And the 36-year-old had been withdrawing cash from an ATM to help pay for those kids to get home. Police allege a nearby group of teens took offence to Joshua's conversation with the kids and then attacked him. The father of three was stabbed in the torso and he tragically died at the scene. The Mount Druitt commander, Darren Batchelor, says, I find it absolutely senseless. Police have arrested the 13-year-old when he presented for bail relating to a different offence. The one involving a knife. The teen has now been refused bail. A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact. Detectives have recovered the knife allegedly used in a drain outside the 16-year-old's apartment. Both teens will face court later this month. Police are preparing to arrest two other young people allegedly involved. And Joshua Smith's family and friends are paying tribute. Friend Lauren says Josh was a character. He made people sick. smile, laugh, and most of all he loved and lived for his children another family member says you had so much more life ahead of you and it hurts knowing that that was taken away so we have three children growing up without a dad and a 13 year old already on bail for carrying a knife now charged with murder the New South Wales Premier Chris Minns is live in the studio Premier good morning good morning Dan what's going on here a dad dead three children without a father and a 13 year old already on bail for carrying a knife now charged with murder well
Speaker 4look firstly I'm obviously devastated for the Smith family Joshua Smith sounds like a fantastic person and a wonderful dad and these children will be deprived his presence in their life for the rest of their lives it's it's a horrible horrible crime I can only imagine the pain that they're feeling at the moment the fact that a 13 year old's accused of such a senseless but incredibly violent attack is a concern for everybody in the community me included I'm devastated today for the Smith family and those people who are investigating the crime and his family and friends can we get tougher on youth criminals well I mean we have pursued a change in the law in New South Wales that we thought were necessary and we believe have made a difference it haven't hasn't made a difference according to the police as it relates to Joshua Smith but it has made a difference in different parts of the states whether it's removal of the or the rebuttal of the Dolly Inca Pax rules the additional bail test for 22c for car theft and property theft the break and enter into houses post and boast offences Jack's Law Operation Soteria doubling the penalties for knife crime I mean these are the changes we've pursued in the last three and a half years as it specifically relates to young people but we can't have a net we can't have a situation where we can't have a net we can't have a situation or a net that covers all circumstances and situations they'll still be people making horrible violent decisions this case will spark
Speaker 2further calls for adult crime adult time laws in New South Wales this would allow serious youth offenders to receive the same penalties in jail time as adults we brought you brought this up with you in 2025 so this was a year ago if adult crime adult time sends a stronger message to young offenders people even under the age of 14 why wouldn't we consider it
Speaker 4well I mean I think it's important to put on the table that it does apply for serious offences but if you're saying to me should a young person who's 12 years old be subject to the same penalty as a 32 year old man well I don't think that's the case are you still a no on adult crime adult time well I mean obviously the current circumstances colour both my comments then and now but I'll just make the point and I think that this is important in New South Wales unlike most other countries that we're in we're in a country where murder has always been what we consider a serious indictable offence and has never been part or tried in the Children's Court we've made it a Supreme Court jurisdiction case that hasn't been the case in Queensland and other jurisdictions around the country but in New South Wales there are 55 offences that are immediately taken out of the Children's Court and put into the Supreme Court where higher penalties apply and that's a good thing and we've proposed another four offences be treated if you like adult time adult crime and be tried in the Supreme Court so I believe that then and I believe that now there are some offences that are so serious that you have to send an unambiguous clear message from the judiciary that there will be serious penalties if you commit
Speaker 2the offence when a 13 year old is busted carrying a knife let's talk in general terms not relating to this case should
Speaker 4they be getting bail it's very hard for me to say I mean I want to look at the circumstances it's easier to say in all circumstances refuse bail and we have tightened the bail test in the state for example the 22 seed changes for car theft and robbery of men a bail refusal rate of 69 which prior to that it was in the 20s Ben but we believe that that was necessary in the circumstances should it be the situation that the parliament introduces a law to take all discretion away from all magistrates in all circumstances we're proposing that because there may be circumstances where the parents or some other caregiver is in a position to keep the public safe but should there be stronger offences and more opportunities for judges and police to refuse bail in all these circumstances the answer to that is yes violent criminals are getting younger that's the issue I I worry about it all the time I mean we've seen a situation where there are seemingly senseless crimes committed by young people on Sydney streets you've also got a set of circumstances where violent organized criminals who are basing themselves offshore are recruiting young people to commit murder for hire on Sydney streets and I think in many respects it's some kind of uh ability or sense from young people that they're being inured to the violence that they're not seeing the consequences of their actions that taking somebody's life has life-altering consequences for the person that you're killing but also you get New South Wales police for the serious and major crimes that have been committed over the last three and a half years I can't think of an offence where it hasn't resulted in an arrest usually pretty quickly after it's been committed on
Speaker 2another issue Molly Tyser's killer wants to appeal his sentence he's been sentenced to 28 years prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend he'll be eligible for parole in 18 years and the Sydney Morning Herald has revealed he's lodged a notice of intention to overturn his sentence
Speaker 4well I mean one of the most despicable people we have in New South Wales prison a vicious murderer one of the most violent people that we've seen through our streets he's a a killer of women and I hope that he rots in jail there's always the there's always a the chance when you pursue an appeal that a higher court imposes a longer penalty and I certainly hope that happens
Speaker 2we can only hope away from that the opposition leader Kelly Sloan is making a move to support business she's planning to introduce legislation to cut payroll tax and tie payroll tax thresholds to inflation can you do something about payroll
Speaker 4tax Premier we're going to look at it really closely my focus is really on small businesses at the moment we want to have more to say about that soon about 95 of businesses don't pay payroll tax in New South Wales and there's a 350 businesses that pay 50 of the payroll tax so if I'm going to be putting more money into our hospitals and our police if I want to put more money into our public then you really have to explain how you're going to pay for it and the coalition's policy will rob the state of about three billion dollars over the forward estimates the New South Wales police budget is only six billion so that's a huge hit to our revenue numbers you've got to explain where that money's going to come from or what you're going
Speaker 2to cut and speaking of the economy Kelly Sloan says you've taken the state from the fastest growing economy to the slowest
Speaker 4Kelly's looking at the numbers from the beginning of the year but if you look at the latest figures we're certainly not last week and the highest unemployment rate in the in the country we're now the lowest unemployment rate in the country and we're in the middle of the pack when it comes to growth in New South Wales but you have to take into consideration the Reserve Bank has a specific policy of slowing down the economy particularly in New South Wales where mortgage rates are higher than anywhere else in New South in in Australia so I'm not doing a lap of honor we need to be doing far better to lift ourselves out of these difficult set of circumstances the first and most obvious thing is to not add recklessly to the debt faced by New South Wales consumers that reduces the pressure on inflation and interest rates in the economy and I think you know by most objective measures we've run a tight ship when it comes to public spending in New South
Speaker 2Wales One Nation is a major threat leading into the next election which isn't too far away by the way and you're pushing to give One Nation access to the independent parliamentary budget office to allow them to cost their policies but the One Nation leader in New South Wales Mike Newman doesn't want to cost his policies
Speaker 4I think Mike's making a mistake there I mean I think that there's a fundamental part of running for office in New South Wales not just being a random candidate or like the Greens where you don't really have a shot at forming government Mike Newman and the One Nation party do have a real shot of forming government in New South Wales and rather than everybody having buyer's remorse afterwards or saying to the election I really sorry about that but what we thought would cost x actually costs y it's better to have it independently audited I remember you gave me a which is your job prior to the 2023 election and I actually think it whipped us into shape having to submit our accounts to an independent office and have them come back and say well this is what your policies are going to cost you better trim here you better be careful there at the end of the day one of the biggest pressures on our economy at the moment is government spending and if every political party just ignores the rules of independent auditing I can guarantee you the proportion of government spending in the economy will go up not
Speaker 2down Greyhound racing has a new home track at Richmond will replace Wentworth Park so Wentworth Park is going to be bulldozed by the end of the year and you're
Speaker 4going to have 2 000 new homes there yeah there and also public space but we need more homes closer to the city we can't just dump new homes in Western Sydney it's not fair on those communities it's that's been the policy in New South Wales for decades and as a result we've had urban sprawl and I just think we need to take the foot off the throat of Western
Speaker 2Sydney communities and and the new track is everyone happy about it at Richmond there's always arguments
Speaker 4about using a new location I don't I well I couldn't make that claim Greyhound owners races that community's pretty uh boisterous they'll tell me if they don't like it Ben so I don't know they're all in favor of it or not the hsc starts today what do you say to all the year 12 students well i've got one message for one one in particular that's my son joe who starts his hsc today and i wish you the very best buddy i know tens of thousands of kids are going to walk into that room with their shoulders back and their heads up and they've got every right to do that they've done the hard work they've put in the effort i wish them the best of luck today how did you go oh okay i could have done better i could have done better it was i still have memory i still have nightmares about it if i'm going to be honest with you ben and it's joe's stressed or joe's cool for joe he's pretty stressed but he's a fantastic kid and he's put in ben so look it's not the it's not the end of the world i think we we put a lot of pressure on them but you also want them to fulfill their full potential and get the best mark possible
Speaker 2don't stress too much and go out there and do your best that's the message from all of us to all of those hsc kids who are starting their exams today good to catch up and thanks for coming in the studio you bet ben chris minns the new south wales premier i want to wish the best of luck to mave malone a young mate of mine who i caught up with over the weekend because mave is undertaking her hsc as well so it all gets underway today with english paper one and then some language exams this afternoon good luck to all the hsc students like what
Speaker 1you're hearing subscribe to the ben fordham live podcast through apple and spotify now this is interesting
Speaker 2we've uncovered the latest tactic for the tobacco black market they're going to great lengths to keep selling their products online there's a website where people can buy illegal ciggies on the internet and we've had a look for ourselves right up the top of the site it says we accept card payments now you will be redirected to our candle site then underneath it it says opal fragrances equals smokes our new website's now open candles are actually smokes that's what it says on the website please download the catalog to find which product is which and when you click on place an order it takes you to what appears to be a legitimate candle business all of the products have codes but you're really buying cigarettes not candles the website is called smokers connect au.com but it takes you to a site called opal fragrances.com and that's where the switcheroo happens for example man blue sea candles really stands for manchester blue crush cigarettes marl gold swiss candles really means marlbro gold swiss smokes and dunn blue candles represents dunhill blue flow filter ciggies you're hearing about this on 2gb breakfast for the first time they've even got a section on the website which sells roll your and it's really roll your own tobacco it comes as illegal tobacco consumption is surging across the country nearly 10 years ago just 12 percent of australia's tobacco was illegal today that number has exploded to nearly 80 percent sydney's best breakfast 2gb let's have a chat to you right now one three one eight seven three is the number you can email ben at 2gb.com and you can text 873 873 we're going to chat to andrew first of all about a 13 year old already on bail for carrying a knife now being charged with murder go right ahead andrew good morning ben what did you want
Speaker 5to say i'm just frustrated with uh the fact that a 13 year old carrying a knife it's bail i mean a 13 year old should be carrying a knife in the kitchen not out in the streets and how the chris says it depends on circumstances well that's just ridiculous i mean what circumstances would a 13 year old have a
Speaker 2knife out in the street correct wait and andrew the fact of the matter is if the 13 year old was not given bail then we wouldn't have had a situation that we've got right now where he's accused of murder up next is mark hi mark good day mate
Speaker 6thanks for calling um listen yeah i'm i like the last call you had um the bail laws are the what's got to uh change and some of the judges that give these kids bail every day you see an offense after offense on the news where oh and the offender was out on bail well how many times can it keep happening well well should be shouldn't be a second chance it should be a wake-up call
Speaker 2correct we've seen some cases mark to answer your question how many times can people get bail we've seen some cases where they get it 20 30 or 40 or 50 times what do you make of the plan for a public execution in the united states laurie hi hi
Speaker 7ben um look i think it's a crazy old world we're living in at the moment there's so many things that are causing people angst and all the rest of it but in terms of this man meeting his end he certainly meets the criterion um there's got to be a limit to what we can tolerate in a um society that's supposed to be you know aware intelligent and all those kinds of things but to put it to put it online or to put it to beam it out to the world to see i think is a little bit of a retrograde step and i just need to know that he's gone he's been erased from history and i'd prefer they didn't speak his name will give him the publicity to be
Speaker 2yeah i'm with you laurie and look when when you consider that public executions happen in places like north korea afghanistan and iran does america really want to be a carbon copy of those regimes i don't think so alan your take yeah what makes you
Speaker 8think they're gonna america is going to be a carbon copy of those regimes like this bloke slaughtered u.s military on a u.s military base like what do you expect trump to do just pretend that it didn't happen or just or whisper it instead of shouting it from the from the hilltops like you don't have to watch it like i won't be watching it but i'm but i'm pleased that it's going to happen and i'm pleased that people can watch it if they want to watch it if they want to witness it it's the same as going to an abattoir not everybody likes to go to an abattoir yeah but like they're there they work if you want to go and see what happens you can go and see what happens and
Speaker 2that's why we have the open line alan so everyone can have their say ross let's wrap it up with you what do you think about the whole
Speaker 9thing uh yeah ben i've got to tell you mate we uh i i saw the footage from uh october 7 basically as it was coming up and through uh online on the phone just by accident uh horrific mate and once you see things like this they're never unseen you can't get them out of your head and i'll be quite honest with you watching the aftermath of that with the here right in our own city with the normalization of celebration of death man nothing good comes of this and you know what i don't want my children i don't want my grandchildren seeing it by accident i don't want people giggling about it and and making jokes about it which children would do oh wow look at this look at this yeah no mate we're 21st century we've got no electricity we've got all these problems here in the country and we want to put this on top to our children with the with the whole social media and every every other problem that they've got to deal with yeah thank you good call i think
Speaker 2we're better than that ross thank you barnaby joyce has had his say on it he's told news 24 it's roman amphitheater stuff i certainly don't want any children or anybody to witness another human being being shot by a firing squad you've just got to wonder too once that video is out there and this is what worries me how long before someone says to your son or your daughter hey have a look at this
Speaker 1like what you're hearing make sure you've subscribed to ben fordham now dodgy cabbies
Speaker 2are in the spotlight again this morning can reveal today a major company's been banned from operating ma cabs they've been shut down ma cabs is a rather large company as far as i'm aware they've got more than 200 cars in their fleet some of their drivers have previously been sprung adjusting settings on the meter they've been caught adding to the cost of tolls and now the company's been blacklisted but there's a concern that they're already trying to get around the ban the boss of the new south wales taxi council nick abraham is on the line hi nick good morning ben so they shut down ma cabs and ma
Speaker 10cabs have had their uh authorization to operate as a taxi service provider cancelled that means that's a permanent ban and they are no longer allowed to operate or provide any passenger services and as a result of that ben it means that all the cars the fleet must come off the road and ma cabs can no longer be operating and
Speaker 2why is this because you felt that ma cabs had more than just a few road cabbies
Speaker 10look look ben we've spoken about ma previously and uh you know we've been uh talking about this for a long while and we've had other measures in the past with uh work we've done with sydney airport with our concierge programs um and unfortunately uh the reports coming our way whether it be to do with their operating systems uh like the meters as you uh you rightfully noted or their um policies and procedures even the way they handle complaints or the lack of and the volume of their complaints have always been a concern for us so we were really pleased to see the steps taken by the point-to-point transport commission i do want to acknowledge the commission in this regard working with the industry as well but also sending a strong message that this type of activity behavior won't be tolerated and just to be very clear ben we're not talking about drivers just doing the wrong thing operator we're talking about a service provider you know the company that's actually running the fleet of taxis condoning this type of behavior well that's not on and the message i have to them and anyone any other rogues that want to operate this way is get the hell out of my industry enough is enough and we are fed up and industry is absolutely fed up and and and our concerns are there ben and so we
Speaker 2shouldn't be seeing any ma cabs on the road but are they disguising themselves under other names
Speaker 10well firstly that yeah no you shouldn't be seeing any ma cabs on the road and if they think that they want to uh flout the laws and flout their um the cancellation that's been issued by the commissioner well i know there are serious sanctions and penalties uh that will apply uh to anybody who um who breaches such cancellations but um industry does have concern and i've already received reports that um a majority of their fleet of their cars have literally the day that they were meant to come off the road have gone um into another brand and um and are out there operating at the moment ben and uh that is something that we want to uh to sort out we want to work with the commission we want to work with the government around tightening up any legislation to give the commissioner further powers and support to uh you know once these cars you know have to come off the road they are off the road you know we saw this previously when apex cabs was banned you know very quickly they had um those cars uh phoenixing under a different brand um and uh it looks like we may be seeing a similar thing again and we just want to work with the commissioner and others to make sure that uh they can't work around this system that anybody that is operating under a different brand um and uh it looks like we have to work with the commissioner and others to make sure that anybody that is operating on the road is complying with the full force of the law and doing the right thing as you know majority are ben and uh but any any rogue operators don't deserve passengers getting to their cars you know and yeah we've got western sydney airport opening up in less than two weeks you know we we're excited about that and we want yeah our drivers to be putting the best foot forward we want to be welcoming uh these passengers and giving them you know best in class service and that's what we want to be
Speaker 2talking about well done nick uh first apex now ma cabs you're cleaning up the industry bit by bit thanks for your time thank you ben nick abraham the ceo of the new south wales taxi council have you noticed an improvement since that crackdown started first it was apex now ma cabs taken off the road it's eight minutes to eight coals is quietly increasing the price of paper bags the supermarket giant is hiking their price by 20 percent the paper bags at coals of course used to be free that changed about six years ago at first they started charging shoppers 15 cents per bag now they're going from 25 cents to 30 cents one customer says why are we even paying for paper bags it's such a scam larger chiller bags are also rising in price from four dollars to four dollars twenty in 2018 coals and walworths phased out free single-use plastic bags they said it was for environmental reasons walworths now charges 25 cents for a paper bag we'll see if they follow the lead of coals and go up to 30. coals has told daily mail australia prices of individual products may need to increase this is due to changes in costs such as materials and transport customers can continue to bring their own reusable bags when shopping at coals but if you're like me you never remember to bring the bag along and you know what there's not a big difference between these two major supermarkets and if i knew one of them was not a big difference between these two major supermarkets and if i knew one of them was not charging a cent for the bags i'd be giving them my business like
Speaker 1what you're hearing subscribe to the ben fordham live podcast through apple and spotify now how
Speaker 2are you sleeping at the moment because this might be a sign to get moving new research has backed up what we've been told for ages exercise leads to better sleep i know a lot of people will be saying oh thanks scoop we knew that but now we have a study out of the university of new york and we're going to have a study out of the university of texas which seems to prove it it's tracked students over several months the findings suggest that those who moved more regularly tend to get the better rest they also reported feeling less stressed and having more energy and here's the good news you don't have to run a marathon or spend hours in the gym just 10 minutes of moderate physical activity makes the difference and they suggest you spread your exercise throughout the week don't do it all at once so if you feel like rolling over this morning and going back to sleep get up and get
Speaker 1moving this is ben fordham live with sydney's best breakfast on 2gb 873 this bloke is
Speaker 2about to get moving his name is lewis he's about to cycle 400 kilometers from sydney to parks the long journey is in honor of his late son ben who tragically took his own life five years ago lewis is raising money for the black dog institute he's got a lot of money in his pocket and he's got a lot of money in his pocket his goal was to raise twenty thousand dollars he's already gone past that and he's been training really hard we wanted to give him a wrap and pump him up before he takes off lewis is on the line hello lewis good
Speaker 11morning ben good
Speaker 2morning mark you're ready to ride yeah i'm ready to go ready to go how many k's 400 it's
Speaker 11400 k's uh and uh if we uh depending on which way you go but we want to do 400 k's 400 k's and uh if we uh depending on which way you go but we want to do 400 k's 400 k's if we're a bit short we'll make it up for it we'll make up for it after after we get to parks and not ride out towards condoblin and make it up but i want to do 400 k's
Speaker 2right so if you don't hit the 400 you'll do a little extra tell me about your late
Speaker 11son ben benjamin was my eldest son uh he was my third child down a beautiful boy he was a builder had ran his own building business and honestly ben he was respected and loved by everyone that knew him um just met a lovely lady that he'd been going out with a very strong character very good ethics uh i was unaware of his mental health problems and uh sadly he took his life uh five years ago and i just uh as his father wanted to do something didn't know what to do come up with this idea not only for ben but for all people uh that suffer from mental health and started learning about it and just felt uh what i'm doing is a good thing it's a
Speaker 2great thing that you're doing and i'm so sorry you went through that with ben and you've got a family behind you i understand so you bought a second-hand push bike and all the equipment you need to get the job done and you've got ben's two brothers who are going to be involved too
Speaker 11i i've had a lot of help from a lot of people ben um a lot of support and help it's been amazing my two younger brothers are following me in the support car uh they'll be making sure that i'll you know get there or uh carrying all the food and equipment and so on and so on um but i've had a lot of help a lot of help from my wife and sister uh special thanks to john robinson from jane j robinson transport who's been an amazing help um he's the reason i'm on the air at the but yeah john had a lot of help from a lot of people it's amazing how many good people are out there and how generous people have been i just it's been an eye-opener for me because i've never done anything like this before this is all new to me i knew nothing about mental health i don't think i still do i don't really understand it but jesus if i can save someone's life it's it's been worth
Speaker 2it well you're inspiring a lot of people and i know you're planning on getting to parks on tuesday next week so why don't we see whether we can chat on either tuesday morning or wednesday morning and i encourage people to go to teamblackdog.org.au and donate a few dollars to this very important cause you go well and stay strong thank
Speaker 11you very much ben and thank you to spiro and to gb and for all your support and help and spiro's been talking to me uh for a few months now and i appreciate his help and uh and everyone that's helped me and my god bless you all love you
Speaker 2god bless you love you as all he says as jeff fennick used to say so he's writing 400ks and you can help out by going to teamblackdog.org.au bringing you the
Speaker 1best at breakfast this is ben fordham live on sydney's 2gb thank you very
Speaker 2much for joining us tuesday october 13 there's a real focus in western australia i mean the focus is in the northern territory and other parts of the country as well but in wa a real focus on the protection of children at the moment and this case has now been brought to light it was from a few years ago but they're highlighting some of the crazy decisions that are made in our courts and this one involves a serial child sex abuser who received a reduced jail sentence because of his so-called good character and significant connection to country his name is jeffrey brown and he was found guilty of abusing four children in western australia all of the victims were under 14 he did not plead guilty or show any remorse and he'd been a prominent community leader in his local aboriginal community and during his sentencing in 2024 the judge considered multiple factors they included character references from the accused's family and friends these references cited things like having several leadership roles in aboriginal organizations who cares he abused children they also say cited him being a man of integrity again he's a child abuser there's no integrity associated with that another one making attempts to keep his culture alive who cares it's got nothing to do with the facts in the case another one being a kind and generous and family orientated man well he might have been good to his own kids but not to the kids he abused and apparently they also mentioned the fact that he doesn't drink the judge at the time gary massey took these arguments into consideration as mitigating factors and the australian newspaper covers this today as a result the judge said he would not impose a crushing sentence on the child sex offender he was sentenced to a decade behind bars and this just highlights some of the crazy cases in our country courts when people are putting forward character references for people who are absolute scumbags
Speaker 1you're
Speaker 3listening to sydney's
Speaker 1best breakfast ben fordham live and now the business report
Speaker 2the housing slump is having ripple effects stamp duty revenue is plunged by almost a quarter in new south wales peter switzer from switzer.com.au our money man's on the line hi switz
Speaker 12yeah hi ben so people have to understand this when we sell property stamp duty revenue is plunged by almost a quarter in new south wales peter switzer from switzer.com.au stamp duty is paid september last year ben 864 million dollars went to the state coffers because of real estate sales it's dropped down to 663 million lots of money but a lot less that's a 23 percent fall comparing september this year to september last year and for the past three months pretty well since the budget there's been a 20 percent fall on the money collected by the new south wales peter switzer and the new south wales peter switzer and the new south wales peter switzer state government because of the federal government's budget and also interest rates as well which has really crushed the property market and new south wales is the biggest real estate market in the country and therefore we're going to cop it the most it's unbelievable the collapse in state revenue which of course has meant now that all the debt rating agencies are saying well these states all the states are in trouble because of the stamp duty collapse as interest rates go up which really will mean our money is going to go down credit rating could go down which of course then push interest rates up so it's a real schmuzzle they really
Speaker 2spooked the housing market after the last federal budget didn't they switz all of the real estate agents i talked to say that no one's willing to move everyone's just in a holding pattern at the moment
Speaker 12yeah exactly right so i went to an auction last night where they were expecting to get five million dollars for a great property in wallara and it didn't getting it higher than four and a half million and it didn't sell the bottom line i think is this ben treasury and the treasurer you have to ask the question what were they smoking when they came up with this budget given the fact that the reserve bank was raising interest rates like never before it was crazy politics crazy economics and this is a consequence and the markets yeah down up 160 points that's half an hour before the close because daylight saving means wall street's not closed now local market will be up seven points at the start aussie dollar 69.6 usd good man i'll
Speaker 2talk to you tomorrow thank you peter switzer from switzer.com.au michael says ben my work mars forklifts is doing a car show at weatherall park at our main office this saturday rain permitting all funds raised go to little wings there are heaps of awesome prizes the owner is mario conti i work with him as a mobile forklift technician well well done to everyone who's taking part in that this saturday and hopefully you can raise some good funds for little wings
Speaker 1you're listening to the ben fordham podcast and now ben fordham comments
Speaker 2if it feels like you're drowning in taxes you're not imagining it there's a glaring fact that cannot be ignored in new data since the pandemic the combined tax take from federal state and local governments has surged 61 meanwhile the economy itself has grown by 40% and the economy itself has grown by 37% in nominal terms so tax revenue is growing significantly faster than the economy governments are now collecting an extraordinary 893 billion a year and look at where that money's coming from according to macro business chief economist leith van onsolen personal income tax is up 64% since 2019 2020 company tax is up 70% payroll tax is up more than 80% stamp duty has jumped by 112 percent economist saul eslake says most of these percentage increases are by more than gdp and that attests to things like bracket creep on higher income taxes now you might think that after collecting all of that extra money government finances would be in good shape but they're not public debt is already around one trillion dollars and combined federal and state debt is forecast to eventually reach two trillion dollars which means taxpayers aren't only funding today's spending they're increasingly paying for yesterday's borrowing as well by 2029 2030 interest costs are forecast to rise from 4.1 percent of government revenue to 6.2 percent and the states have 226 billion of cheap pandemic era debt that'll soon need to be refinanced it was borrowed at less than three percent it could be refinanced at around five and a half percent adding roughly eight billion dollars a year to the federal government's budget so the trap is pretty simple more debt means more interest more interest means more pressure on budgets and unless spending is brought under control that means even more pressure to raise revenue from taxpayers and here's what makes all of this all the more confronting while governments collect record amounts of tax australians are struggling to afford the basics a survey of one and a half thousand people receiving working age income support has found 25 percent are struggling to afford groceries 46 percent are skipping meals 52 percent are cutting back on meat fresh fruit and vegetables some people are going days without a proper meal or skipping meals so their children can eat 79 say they can't afford their energy bills three and four are having trouble accessing medication it all costs too much one says after bills i have maybe fifty dollars for food medical and emergencies this is getting ridiculous and it brings us to the unavoidable conclusion australia's governments are taking sixty one percent more tax and it's still not enough to stop the debt pile growing meanwhile aussies at the bottom of the ladder are skipping food and medicine because they can't make the household budget work so spare us the argument that across australia governments need more of our money the tax take is already enormous and struggles street is just getting longer and when you have a look at those tax increases that i took you through these are not small increases personal income tax since twenty nineteen twenty twenty up sixty four percent company tax seventy percent payroll tax more than eighty percent stamp duty a hundred and twelve percent no wonder people are saying i can't keep going like this
Speaker 1you're hearing make sure you've subscribed to benn ford
Speaker 2now what else is making news this morning the head of an australian mosque is denying that he's to blame for radicalizing a terrorist hamam al hamami attempted to hijack that fly dubai passenger plane to carry out an attack on israel it's believed that al hamami had been motivated by radical islamist ideology the united arab emirates is investigating how the pilot was radicalized the prosecution believes that al hamami's time in australia played a role it's alleged he became radicalized while he was studying at the royal melbourne institute of tech and he'd been attending a mosque affiliated with that university the leader of the my center mosque is now hitting back at the accusations abu hamsa has released this cryptic
Speaker 13message right through the ages there's something common you'll find those who are righteous they've always been attacked abused accused killed imprisoned and this is the way it is
Speaker 2the islamic leader says he will now commit to a fast from talking he says regardless of how much you explain yourself to people that's it they're fixated with their ideas so the best thing sometimes is to not say anything the my center mosque has received nearly seventy thousand dollars in government grants sydney's best breakfast two gb this is long overdue the aussie engineer robert pether is on his way home from iraq he's been allowed to leave the country after spending more than five years behind bars in twenty twenty one the fifty one year old was found guilty of deception by a criminal court the charges were related to a contract dispute between the consulting firm that robert worked for and the central bank of iraq criminal proceedings only lasted fifteen minutes and he's not going to be allowed to leave the country for the rest of his life and robert has been trying to prove his innocence ever since he's been forced to live in an overcrowded cell Over his jail term, he's battled cancer, kidney infections and severe depression. Two years ago, we spoke to Robert's wife, Desiree. She told us about the impact his imprisonment has had on their kids.
Speaker 14We're all broken. They're broken. Watching the impact on them, watching, you know, you can see it in their eyes. The boys have grown into men while he's been away and just so excruciating. They were so proud of him for what he was doing. And then this happened and, you know, and Nala was only eight and trying to explain to her that bad things happen to really good people. It's just so hard.
Speaker 2That's Robert's wife talking to us in 2024. And finally, after years in limbo, Robert Pether will be reunited with his family in Ireland. The Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, says the Australian government welcomes this decision. I've expressed to Robert our relief. I wish him well for his reunion with his family and I also wish him well for his recovery. It would be a difficult road back after spending five years in an Iraqi jail. Our number 131873 if you'd like to join us. Pat, congratulations. You are one of the finalists in the $20,000 gold bullion giveaway thanks to Jaguars. And there are more chances to win across the day today on 2GB. Darren needs a favour. Ben, morning. Good morning, Ben. How are you? I'm well. What can I help with?
Speaker 15Well, today is my 47th wedding anniversary. Congratulations. And my wife is visiting my daughter, our daughter and grandson up at the Sunshine Coast. And I actually was supposed to contact you earlier on to give her a happy anniversary wishes. And all of a sudden, I'm listening to you on the radio. Oh, my God, I haven't contacted you. So I put a late SMS in. Thank God, you know, I've got through to you. So thank you. And also, just an FYI, that three weeks after I turned 19, we got married. And if you remember the late Teddy Knott from the Wayside Chapel? Yes. Yeah, he married us.
Speaker 2Right. Well, 47 years on and you're still going strong. And Sandy, a big I love you from Darren and happy anniversary. Always happy to help out, particularly when your other half is not with you. And you want to make sure she's listening. And of course, you know, she'll be listening to 2GB.
Speaker 1Subscribe to the Ben Fordham Live podcast through Apple and Spotify.
Speaker 2We've just been sent a note here. This relates to Flexi Schools. Now, I'm just trying to get my head around what Flexi Schools does. I think this relates to school canteens. The Reserve Bank of Australia announced that from October 1, businesses are no longer able to recover the cost of accepting card payments via a separate surcharge on FPOS, MasterCard and Visa payments. As Flexi Schools currently applies payment surcharges to these transaction types, we're updating our fee structure. What's changing? They say from October 1, you will no longer pay a surcharge for payments made by credit card, debit card or PayPal when using Flexi Schools. Our cost of accepting card payments is now $1,000. The cost of accepting card payments will be incorporated into fees that you pay for Flexi Schools. So this is another example of the charges being passed along. The standard fees charged to account holders will be online order fee will increase by $0.06 for each online order charged per student per service. The order fee for each service and school varies. So the exact order fee will be displayed to you on the app. Student card payment, $0.18 for each transaction. Purchase made using a student card at the counter. So this is now impacting school kids buying something at the school canteen. They also say we're introducing a $10 minimum at checkout to help manage the cost of processing small payments now that surcharging has been removed. So a $10 minimum. So what happens if a kid wants to get a sausage roll? What, you've then got to make them get a drink and a wagon wheel too. They say if you're used to paying for each order individually, rather than topping up your account balance, you'll notice this change at the checkout. You can still place an order for less than $10 and any balance will be saved for you to use next time. I see. These changes will apply to your use of Flexi Schools from the 1st of October, 2026, which was two weeks ago. So there's then a question and answer section from the Flexi Schools team. So another knock-on effect from this brain-dead idea about surcharges. Great idea to remove them, but a dud idea not to work out in advance who was going to pay the difference. Anna, good morning.
Speaker 16Oh, good morning.
Speaker 2What's happened to you this morning?
Speaker 16I was swimming. I normally swim at Ryde Pool in the morning and I was swimming up and down the pool this morning and I noticed something right on the edge of the pool. So I stopped to have a look and it was somebody's dentures, false teeth, right on the edge of the pool they left them. Right. So I called the duty manager, alerted him to it, and he went and got some rubber gloves and a big piece of paper towel and removed them immediately.
Speaker 2Right. Okay. Yeah. Very strange. Someone's left their dentures at the Ryde Pool.
Speaker 16Yes. Yes. And he said to me they weren't there this morning. I said I didn't notice them there this morning. So somebody who'd got into the pool had obviously taken their teeth out and left them on the edge of the pool. Yeah. Very strange.
Speaker 2Well, Anna, you never know. Someone with the missing dentures might be listening right now. Unbelievable. Anna, because you're such a good Samaritan trying to help people out, I'm going to send you a beautiful bunch of roses from Mr.
Speaker 16Roses. Thank you. No problem. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2You hang on there. 12 long-stemmed roses, a beautifully scented Mr. Roses candle, a Mr. Roses vase and delivery valued up to $195. It's thanks to mrroses.com.au. So is anyone missing their teeth? Because Anna located some dentures at the Ryde Pool this morning, we believe it was someone having a dip today and they're now with the duty manager at Ryde Pool. So anyone with missing dentures, I'd suggest you get in contact with Ryde Pool and hopefully they can return them to you today. Bringing you the best at breakfast.
Speaker 1This is Ben Fordham live on Sydney's 2GB.
Speaker 2Your chance to win members tickets to the Everest this weekend between now and nine o'clock. Just a few cheerios. Morning, Ben. We want to send a shout out to our daughter, Chloe. She's in Sydney. Starts her HSC today. This is from Mariel and Chris. It'll be a big few weeks for her and we want to wish her all the best. Good luck, Chloe. One here from Julian and the family. Can you wish our beautiful daughter, Shira, a happy eighth birthday for today? And Tanya says, can you please wish my very talented son, Jensen, a big happy 17th? Happy birthday, one and all. You're with Ben Fordham on 2GB. A plan to build a $100 million accommodation centre for Indigenous unis. The aim of the building had been to raise $1 million for Indigenous students. The University of Technology Sydney, UTS, has stopped the tender applications for the National First Nations College. The uni had been planning to build the country's first residential college for Indigenous students. The project had been awarded $10 million from the New South Wales Government. Woolworths were chipping in money as well. The City of Sydney planned to buy in $1 million. The aim of the building had been to raise aspiration and maximise opportunities for entry to higher education. And UTS said at the time, the college aims to remove the barriers that prevent Indigenous participation in education and the economy. But the project has now been halted and UTS is not saying why. The Financial Review is reporting that cuts to foreign students are partly to blame. UTS Chief Operating Officer, Glenn Babington, says with the benefit of information gained through the process, UTS is now developing another approach. The university had previously claimed the housing project would be world-class. And the uni has not announced plans for another Indigenous facility. And I guess you'd have an issue as well. I'm not suggesting this is one of the reasons why this has been shelved. But you would have an issue if you've got accommodation for Indigenous students only. And as we know, there are more people identifying as Indigenous in 2020 and 2026 than ever before. You may have some people ticking the box claiming to be something they're not. It's 20 minutes to nine. This is a very sad stat. Workplace deaths have soared to their highest level in more than a decade. 222 workers lost their lives in 2025. The biggest number on record since 2012. Vehicle collisions remain the leading cause of workplace deaths, followed by falls from a height and being hit by fire. Those working in remote areas are most at risk. They're eight times more likely to be killed on the job. Machinery operators and drivers account for the largest proportion of worker deaths. The number of serious workers' compensation claims is through the roof. In the last financial year, more than 147,000 claims have been made. That's up 38% compared to a decade ago. The Australian Council of Trade Unions says, is the spike in workers' deaths a shameful statistic. They've urged governments at all levels to lift safety standards. And an Australian man accused of murdering a 17-year-old girl in Thailand is agreeing to plead guilty to one of the charges. Simon Carman allegedly murdered the young woman and dumped her body in a suitcase. The West Australian man has previously claimed the girl had been responsible for her own death. Carman is facing trial in Pattaya Provincial Court. The presiding judge has been urging him to enter a guilty plea. The judge says CCTV shows Carman dragging a suitcase out of the building he'd been staying in. The 45-year-old has told the court, why should I plead guilty? I would be lying to myself and everyone. He's maintaining his innocence in relation to all charges except for concealing a court case. If found guilty, he faces life in prison or the death penalty. The young victim's family are seeking compensation from her alleged killer. The family's filing a civil lawsuit demanding 70,000 Australian dollars. The family says the money will assist in paying for funeral expenses and ongoing support. Both court proceedings will occur at the same time. And Simon Carman says, I'm innocent and they can't lock up an innocent man. But you would have to say, having seen all the evidence, including that very damning CCTV footage, he's going to be a long shot of proving that he's innocent. 1-3-1-8-7-3 is the number. Now, your message is about drowning in taxes. Chris says every time the government announces money they're giving away, they should announce how much it's going to cost us to pay it off. Denise says, that's what Labor does. Spend, spend, spend. Keith says, on top of all of that, council rates have doubled and tripled in many cases, plus the extra government charges, including passports and visas. Basically, we're over-governed to the eyeballs and we're heading to the edge of a cliff.
Speaker 1I mentioned the
Speaker 2ripple effects of the credit card surcharge fiasco. You've got school canteens charging more, and this comes through FlexiSchools. Dave says that FlexiSchool app is not only used for lunch orders, but also to purchase uniforms at our daughter's school. So I guess that all goes up as well. What a joke. So this should be reaching the prime minister and the treasurer today. The fact that we've now got school kids who've been caught up in the surcharge drama, impacting them when they go to the tux. It's madness. Mark Levy's up next. Good morning. Morning to you, Ben. It's really taken off as an issue, hasn't it? It started when I was away when James was filling in on breakfast. But now, everywhere you go, every story that's being covered, the surcharge ban seems to come into play.
Speaker 17And like you, Ben, I've heard from so many small business owners who are talking about it, customers as well. And the whole ATO story, they've been forced to delay things because Jim Chalmers has got involved. But I just think it goes, to show that the government of the day and the bureaucrats who are running these departments have no idea about the challenges in the real world. That's what people are facing.
Speaker 2You need an adult in the room, not some of the time, but all of the time to say, just be aware if you do X, Y, Z, you may have ABC happen as a result. What are you doing after nine?
Speaker 17Josh Frydenberg's on today, as we touched on yesterday, and he's certainly been making a few headlines at the moment. And I guess he's become a bit of a distraction for the Liberal Party. And a lot of the questions yesterday were pointed towards the government of the day in relation to the mismanagement of the economy. And then the government of the day gets up, the prime minister and the like, and starts talking about Josh Frydenberg making a return. So we'll ask Josh a few questions about whether he is coming back. I think you and I know he certainly is by the sounds of things. And we'll find out what Tony Abbott thinks about Josh Frydenberg, because the former prime minister's pretty fired up today about another issue. It relates to a fallen soldier's parents who were killed in the war. And I think it's a very important issue. And I think it's a to a commemoration on Sunday at the War Memorial. And I think this is another strike against Matt Keogh, the Veterans Affairs Minister, a bloke I've been going after the last few months.
Speaker 2Yeah, David and Mary McCarthy. And I've spoken to them before, the parents of Sean McCarthy. And how bad's this? It's not only the failure to invite them to the memorial service for Afghanistan. We also spoke some months ago about the fact that they received a letter saying, we're letting you know that your son has been killed in the war. And I think of any war crimes allegations. Only problem is he'd been dead for eight years. Yeah. Shocking. And
Speaker 17the other aspect of this story to Ben and what was revealed last night on Peter Credlin's program is that when they got an explanation over the weekend from defence as to why they weren't invited to the commemoration, the invitation was sent to their son
Speaker 2who died 18 years ago. Unforgivable. We'll have to wait and see. I've got a note here from Kelly saying, do you know if the bird was found from the other day? Joel's on the line. Hello, Joel. Oh,
Speaker 18good morning, Ben. I've got some wonderful news for you guys. Yesterday, around just before lunchtime, we had a phone call from these lovely people down at, I think it's called the stage set at Domain. And they told us that they got the bird. The bird had flown from Chippendale all the way down to the Domain. God only knows. And that was over two and a half days. So God only knows what it experienced along the way. But the bird was in a train and it landed on this gentleman's head. Right. And that's what he used to, she used to do with my daughter. She used to land on her head. And tell me, how did he know to find you? Well, my daughter went on all these different sites, these lost bird sites. And blow me down, one of the ladies who found the bird. And then they rang up, they looked on the site because it's such a beautiful bird. It wouldn't be just a bird that's flying willy nilly. And they found the bird. They located my daughter's number. I rang her. She was upset like you wouldn't, happily upset, as you can imagine. And we both went down there and I was holding back tears herself, actually. But yeah, no, they were absolutely fantastic.
Speaker 2All's well that ends well. What's the bird's name? Just remind me. Lily. Lily. All right. Well, I'm really pleased to know that Lily is home safe and well. And I must admit, I had forgotten that Lily was missing. I feel terrible for saying so. When Kelly said, you know, if the bird was found, I thought, oh, that's right. I forgot about the bird going missing. Anyway, shame on me. Lily's OK. ComBank knows that running a small business comes with lots of questions. What's coming in? What's going out? When did they back in business with digital tools in the ComBank app? Track cash flow and get insights on the go. With ComBank Companion currently under testing, you'll be able to ask about your cash flow and get answers based on your business financial data. Now, that's smart. That's ComBank smart. More clarity to get on with the day. With ComBank, you can. I want to send my best wishes to the Baird family. The respected former Liberal politician Bruce Baird has been farewell to the following his sudden passing. He died at the age of 84, survived by two sons and a daughter, one of them being our former Premier Mike. Mourners from all sides of the political spectrum attended St Andrew's Cathedral and they paid their respects. The former Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and John Howard were there. So was the former federal politician Julie Bishop, who delivered a cracking eulogy, I'm told. And there's a comment that was made by his son Mike Mourner. Mourner, the former Prime Minister, said that he was not trying to win an election. He was doing what was right. He was doing what he believed in. There are many people here today who've started a new life off the back of some of that hard work. And so we're thinking of Bruce Baird's family. One of the first jobs I had as a young news reporter at Radio 2UE was to go out and cover a press conference involving Bruce Baird to do with buses. I don't know whether they were bendy buses or some type of fancy bus, but I remember it because it was one of the first jobs I ever covered. And they typically send you out to some story that really isn't mattering all that much as you try and find your feet and work out what to do in a job like this one. And he was just always so nice to anyone who was asking questions or making inquiries. And of course, he played a lead role too in bringing the Olympic Games to Sydney. So we're thinking of the family of Bruce Baird.
Speaker 1Donald Trump's war on the media continues.
Speaker 2The Department of Justice is now investigating five of the biggest TV networks in the country. Harley Carnes, what's going on?
Speaker 19Well, here's the question. Did CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and CNN all agree together to boycott White House events in order to punish the president? for barring Politico, CNN, and MSNOW from the White House over left-wing biased coverage. If they did that, that's an antitrust collusion-type crime, potentially. And the Justice Department is investigating exactly that. Now, it appears obvious that probably the phones rang a little bit and some calls were made and said, let's all do this. But maybe not. Maybe they all acted independently and there won't be any proof that they colluded. The FBI wants e-mail, Internet, and phone records. And so, you know, that's where it is. What Trump says he wants is fair coverage. He said, you know, the good and the bad. He said, but when you do coverage and the only thing you do is negative, even when there's a lot of positive report, that's just not fair. And he said, we have the right to decide who is and isn't in the White House to cover things. And if we don't like what you're doing, we'll give you the hint. So, it is an argument. It is a fight. And, you know, is it a war against the media or is it a war back and forth? Is the media just as much at war with him?
Speaker 2Yeah, it's been going for some time now. The fake news media versus Donald Trump, as he likes to call them. And the world's oldest tortoise might have an answer to aging.
Speaker 19Tell me. Yeah, well, maybe. We'll see. They're studying the DNA of Jonathan, 194-year-old, a tortoise, to understand why he's living so long. Does he hold a secret to long life for humans? Now, here's what we know. His body repairs DNA like a five-year-old. As we get older, we have little switches, gene switches, that switch on and off as they should. His works like he's a little kid, and he's 194 years old, which means that his body automatically kills off cancer cells, regulates insulin, reduces inflammation without having to, you know, take any supplements. He's learning why and how his body's gene switches stay so young might be one of the keys. They're studying DNA. They took a cheek scrape and, you know, like you can do if you offer your, offer, you know, look for a DNA test of some sort. They wanted a blood sample. But the people who care for the tortoise in St. Helena, at Plantation House, they said, no, you can't take it. You can't take any blood from him. Might not be good for him. Hello. But we're talking about long life for humans here. I don't care. We're taking care of Jonathan. Get away from here. Oh, well, hopefully we'll get some answers. That would be great.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'm on team Jonathan. After 194 years, he's got the right to keep on going to 200, I reckon. Harley, thank you so much. We'll talk tomorrow. All right. Thanks a lot, Ben.
Speaker 1You're listening to Sydney's Best Breakfast. And now, the UK Report.
Speaker 2There's an urgent review into security arrangements protecting high-profile public figures. Adam Gilchrist, good morning.
Speaker 20Morning, yeah. Announced by the Home Secretary here, Shabana Mahmood, about a review of the current security provided for, well, members of the royal family, other royals, ministers, lawmakers, prominent politicians. This is in the light of the fact that we've seen two MPs murdered in the last 10 years. And the fact that we also currently have a guy called Joshua Kerry charged with the murder of Ann Widdecombe. So, three murders in total, I guess, although Ann Widdecombe wasn't directly an MP at the time. She was nonetheless a very prominent politician in the Reform Party, having moved over from the Conservatives. And it's been alleged that this guy, who's currently in custody awaiting trial, had a file of people that he was planning to attack and had staked out, including Nigel Farage and other members. So, it's not just about that one guy. I suppose it's the threat level generally. And we see threat levels of all kinds kind of being raised, partly thanks to Russia and Iran. But here, it seems like homegrown, hardline extremism coming from both directions, whether it's right-wing or left-wing. And absolutely, it needs to be nipped in the bud. We don't want to see another horror happen right before us. So, it may be. It makes sense, doesn't it? Yes. Absolutely, you need to review security.
Speaker 2Certainly needed when you consider what happened to Ann Widdecombe. That was just such a tragic case. And you're searching for Britain's best bus driver?
Speaker 20We are. We'll know in about a month's time who the winner is. And you can kind of think, you know, is the best bus driver basically beholden to the traffic, the people who get on and off the bus, the route where they are? There's quite a few factors involved. But a guy called Ian Strachan is certainly in the running. Because apart from. Being a good man who turns up on time and drives his bus with passengers and has a cheery smile, he likes to sing to them. This is on the eastbound Bexhild. So, we're right on the south coast of England in sort of Sussex area. He likes to sing to his customers. He's known as the singing bus driver, although others call him Papa Pig because he looks like the daddy pig, I should say. He looks like Peppa Pig. He has that lovely rotund nature. Apparently, one of his favourites is, is this the way to Amarillo? I think it's lovely to have a cheery bus driver. I'm just thinking about myself. I'm a bit grumpy at that, you know, 7 o'clock in the morning. I'm not sure I want a guy singing to me, but maybe that's just me.
Speaker 2Oh, you are so politically correct. I love you saying that he's got a lovely rotund figure. Are you saying he's fat?
Speaker 20I'm saying he's on the portly side.
Speaker 2Lovely to talk to you. We'll catch up tomorrow. Cheers, Ben. Adam Gilchrist on the line from London. Back home, we've got some news that's just come through. Opera Australia today is announcing it's bringing one of the world's most legendary musicals to Australia.
Speaker 3And still I dream he'll come to me That we will live the years together But there are dreams that cannot be And there are storms we cannot
Speaker 2weather Les Mis is back. The world's most popular musical to have its Sydney Opera House premiere. This is the announcement that's just come through from Opera Australia. They say it will storm the Sydney Opera House in 2027. This is the first time the celebrated fully staged production has played in Australia in over a decade when it broke all box office records. The 2027 Sydney season comes 40 years after Les Mis first premiered in Australia. In 1987, marking a new milestone in the musical's enduring Australian history. So that news just in. And what are they saying here? Early access to Les Mis tickets are available from today, October 13, by booking through this website, opera.org.au.
Speaker 3Just a little bit of history repeating.
Speaker 1And now on Ben Fordham Live on this day. Stay independent in the home you love. With Catholic Healthcare's aged care and private home care services. catholichealthcare.com.au slash homecare.
Speaker 2Today is the 13th of October. It was on this day in 2010 that 33 Chilean miners were rescued after a copper mine suffered a major collapse. They were trapped 700 metres underground for 69 days until they were freed.
Speaker 5All eyes on that pipe. This little boy clutching a balloon. And the capsule. Florencio Avalos, the first miner, is on the surface.
Speaker 2In 1933, Australia's first traffic lights were installed in Sydney. In 1983, cell phones were introduced to the US. In 1965, The Who recorded this.
Speaker 3To my generation. To my generation, baby.
Speaker 2In 2016, Bob Dylan became the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Congratulations, Roger. You had the correct answer first. Happy birthday to the Aussie swimmer, Ian Thorpe.
Speaker 21Ian Thorpe is number one. A kickstart for Australia. Size 18 feet. And look at that world record. He's got a feet and Thorpe is coming in. Gold and a world record.
Speaker 2He's 44 today, Thorpey. And the Thorpedo broke 22 world records and won five Olympic golds through his career. Happy birthday to the UK actor and comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen, also known as Borat.
Speaker 21Well, well, well, he's very nice.
Speaker 2He's 55 today and Paul Simon is having a birthday too.
Speaker 3If you would be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal. I can call you Betty, and Betty when you call me, you can call me out. Call me out.
Speaker 2What a superstar Paul Simon is. He's 85 today. It all happened on this day, the 13th of October. And that is it for the podcast for today. Thank you very much for podcasting. If you want to listen to the show live, you can tune into Tuesday. 2GB Sydney 873 on your AM dial, or you just go to 2GB.com. There are so many ways to listen. And we're on from 5.30 until 9 a.m. Monday through until Friday. If you just want to keep on podcasting, that's great. Leave us a comment, leave us a review. And if you want to leave us a five-star rating, I'm not going to argue with you. Thanks so much for tuning in. Let's do it again soon. Bye-bye. © BF-WATCH TV 2021
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