4BC Breakfast

The very best from 4BC Breakfast with Luke Bradnam this week.

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Listen to 4BC Breakfast with Luke Bradnam filling in for Peter Fegan weekdays from 5.30am-9am.

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ANZAC Day is all about remembering and sharing the stories of sacrifice that our soldiers made throughout history.

Major Barry Hampson is a returned serviceman, military historian and until recently worked with Unrecovered War Casualties Army.

He did two tours overseas, to the Middle East and East Timor and he served for a total of 43 years.

Barry Hampson told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "It's not just putting the names back, it's giving the identity back to an unknown Australian soldier."

"It's the one thing that our country deserves to give to our lost soldiers is their identity again and that's what drives me to do the work I did for almost 10 years like it was," Mr Hampson said.

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RSL’s across Australia play a pivotal role in ANZAC Day.

Year round they are there to support veterans and provide a service for the community, but in the last week or so you would’ve seen them everywhere.

Raising money and preparing for marches and services and no doubt today will be a huge day as well.

RSL Queensland State Secretary Iain Carty told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "What an amazing turnout across the state today given some of our inclement weather."

"Over 400 to 500 events across the state and all being very well attended."

"So thank you, Queensland," Mr. Carty said.

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It is the 110th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing in 1915 and thousands across Australia have started their ANZAC Day by attending dawn services.

The MC for the Dawn Service at the ANZAC Square in Brisbane Darren Curtis told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "Anzac Day actually started in Brisbane."

"This was the very first place where it was originated the idea and was actually put into practice was here in Brisbane so this holds very special for our hearts here in Queensland that we were the first to kick this off," Mr Curtis said.

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Listen to 4BC Breakfast with Luke Bradnam filling in for Peter Fegan weekdays from 5.30am-9am.

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There aren’t many songs that evoke the meaning of ANZAC Day better than ‘I Was Only 19’ by Redgum which was written and sung by John Schumann.

John is returning to the music scene with the Vagabond Crew and their latest song is called Fishing Net in the Rain.

John Schumann told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "This [Fishing Net In The Rain]  came out of the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide."

"I've got a long interest in mental health, which I learned about when I wrote I was only 19 and I put Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I suppose, back in the national conversation, not deliberately, just quite unconsciously."

"So I became a bit interested and I watched the Royal Commission into Veterans Suicide and it's always something that's harrowed me," Mr Schumann said.

"We send these people away to do jobs, to wear our uniforms overseas and when they come back, they'll come back with physical injury sometimes."

"Often they'll come back with psychological injuries, which aren't visible, but they are injuries, none the same."

"We have to tell these stories," John Schumann continued.

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On Tuesday this week there was an event called “Cash Out Day” run by the advocacy group Cash Welcome.

The initiative is aimed at keeping the pressure on the powers that be to keep cash as a part of the currency makeup. 

The first “Cash Out Day” was held last year with an estimated 1.6 million people withdrawing cash.

Cash Welcome Founder Jason Bryce told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "The problem is there's no reliable private alternative to cash."

"So the banks have got to stop restricting our access to cash."

"The banks and the RBA are sitting down right now trying to work out how to make the cash distribution system sustainable and banks have got to pay for that."

"That process is happening now."

"Cash out day last year put a whole lot of pressure on the banks when there was a big spike in the number of withdrawals and it was obviously because people wanted to send a message that nobody wants Australia to go 100% completely cashless," Mr Bryce said.

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Yesterday Health Minister Mark Butler was forced to clarify that there will still be some patients who are charged a gap fee at the GP.

Meanwhile at a state level, the LNP government are scrambling to redraw Queensland's hospital building plan after another scathing review.

Australian Medical Association of Queensland President Dr Nick Yim told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "when the government did first make their announcement at the very start of the campaign... we've always said that it's quite unlikely that all GPs or 90 per cent of GPs will be bulk billing."

"When we surveyed our members, they've told us that if they choose to universally bulk bill, that's actually going to be a loss of 20 to 30 per cent of their revenue."

"I guess in this current climate, I'd ask any business owner, any workplace, it's very, very unlikely that medical practice could survive if they have a 20, 30 per cent reduction in revenue," Dr Yim said.

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Listen to 4BC Breakfast with Luke Bradnam filling in for Peter Fegan weekdays from 5.30am-9am.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.