Wake Up Australia

Dennis Shanahan, Political editor of The Australian Newspaper, joins Michael regarding a new push for parliament to revisit and rectify the unjust, unfair and politically motivated dismissal of Labor MP Hugh Mahon which was spurred by personal animosity, political gain and a grab to secure government.

Mr Shanahan writes, ‘one hundred years ago on November 11, 1920, amid a fever of anti-Catholic and anti-Irish sentiment, a fervour for the British Empire after World War I and one of the most divisive political debates in Australian history over conscription, Nationalist Prime Minister Billy Hughes successfully moved to expel Labor MP Hugh Mahon from parliament.’

‘The expulsion was passed on partisan lines after the debate was shut down by the government.’

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren. 

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Off the back of an explosive investigation run A Current Affair the amount of illegal tobacco circulating Australia has been brought to public attention. 

According to a report 20% of all tobacco consumed in Australia is not legal and it’s believed that the funds are being used to fund organised crime.

Michael is joined by former Federal Police Officer Rohan Pike who is of the belief that the Federal Government needs to be doing much more to stop this illegal tobacco from entering our borders.

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Listen to the full show podcast with Clinton Maynard, filling in for Michael McLaren. 

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Clinton Maynard is joined Steve Coleman, Chief Executive Officer of RSPCA NSW, who welcomes the announcement that the NSW government will push for tougher penalties for animal cruelty offences.

NSW Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said he will introduce into State Parliament notice for legislation in what would be the harshest penalties for animal cruelty in Australia.

The new set of measures will increase maximum financial penalties and prison time under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, as well as introduce new powers to ban an individual from ever being allowed to own, care for or breed an animal in New South Wales.

“We are absolutely supportive of these proposed changes,” says Mr Coleman.

“We hear from our members and supporters far too often that they consider sentences for cruelty offenders to be inadequate, and this is a big step towards addressing those concerns.

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren. 

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Dr. Brendan Nelson AO, Former Director of the Australian War Memorial, joins Michael to discuss Remembrance Day which has been observed by Australia and other Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of First World War on that date in 1918.

Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month", in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.)

The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day.

The initial Armistice Day was observed at Buckingham Palace, commencing with King George V hosting a "Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic" during the evening hours of 10 November 1919.

The first official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace the following morning. During the Second World War, many countries changed the name of the holiday.

Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations adopted Remembrance Day, while the US chose Veterans Day.

In Australia, Remembrance Day is always observed on 11 November, regardless of the day of the week, and is time when people can pay their respects to the substantial number of soldiers who died in battle.

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Michael is joined by Cory Bernardi, Former Senator for South Australia, regarding President Donald Trump’s claims of voting fraud during the U.S. election.

Attorney General Willaim Barr has authorised federal prosecutors across the country to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential race is certified.

Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden’s favour. 

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Michael is joined by Richard Shannon, Manager, Policy & Advocacy at Growcom -  Queensland’s peak horticulture body – regarding COVID-9 border closures which have exposed Australia’s over-­reliance on overseas workers.

With millions of dollars’ worth of produce being left to rot, farmers are desperate for hands to pick bumper crops while they face a shortage of people interested in a potentially high-paying job while a million Australians remain out of work.

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