Wake Up Australia

Michael is joined by Steven Wardill, State Affairs Editor for The Courier-Mail/Sunday Mail, who one week out from the Queensland election writes that Labor’s campaign is looking a little wobbly after dominating for the first fortnight.

Mr Wardill writes, ‘Labor began throwing out claims that didn’t add up, like how the LNP should release its costings earlier even though Deb Frecklington has chosen the same date as Labor for the last two elections.’

‘It began tossing out policies that looked a little contradictory, like its “second Bruce Highway” promise which didn’t have federal funds even though it had condemned Frecklington’s promise on the much-maligned route for lacking the same thing.’

‘Despite a superior campaign so far, Labor has failed to shift the needle in the right direction and it’s at risk of losing in the critical seats.’

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Listen to the full show podcast with Luke Grant, filling in for Michael McLaren. 

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Luke Grant is joined by Nic Ashman, presenter, tipster and horse racing journalist, for his pics for the W.S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racing Club Saturday, 24 October 2020.

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Luke Grant is joined by Mark McCrindle, McCrindle principal, award-winning social researcher & best-selling author, regarding his latest study that explores the way COVID-19 is changing how Australians experience life today and into the future.

Despite the challenges of 2020 more than three in four Aussies (76%) were taking the opportunity to reprioritise their lives to spend time on what is important to them. 

However, it is the areas of travel and lifestyle (65%), life events (weddings, funerals, graduations - 49%), financial health (41%) and mental health (40%) that have been most negatively impacted. 

COVID-19 has changed the way we work, live and play. Half of Australians (50%) say they will look for a new home to rent or buy in the next year or two.

Apartment/townhouse dwellers (29%) are more likely to say it is extremely/very likely than detached home dwellers (18%). 

Most Australians have found the atmosphere/ambience of their home (84%), household members (82%), size of their home (80%), location (79%) and price (72%) to be positive during COVID-19. Detached home dwellers report greater levels of positivity than apartment/townhouse dwellers. 

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Listen to the full show podcast with Luke Grant, filling in for Michael McLaren. 

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John Svigos, Associate Professor Adelaide Medical School / The University of Adelaide, joins Luke Grant to discuss his calls for Adelaide to establish facilities for paediatric cardiac surgery after four babies have tragically died in the past month.

Professor Svigos, an obstetrician, says the four babies that had been unable to be transferred due to COVID restrictions would have "almost certainly" benefited from on-site surgery.

It would take $6 million and two years for the city to set up its own unit whereas interstate transfers have been at a cost of $5 million a year he says.

After that, he said, it would cost $1 million to maintain – saving the state $4 million a year.

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Luke Grant is joined by Shelley Hancock, Liberal Member for South Coast & Minister for Local Government, who yesterday had to step in to ensure Central Coast Council’s workers were paid, advancing Council $6.2 million to meet payroll expenses and overdue payments to suppliers.

Minister Hancock says given Council’s abject failure to address the consequences of its own financial mismanagement, the Government has no alternative but to arrange for funds to be paid to meet these urgent expenses.

“It’s hard to think of a more fundamental failing of a Council than to pay its own staff.”

“The local community is sick of excuses from Council. In the two weeks since Council’s financial dire straits came to light, all Council has done is write letters, issue media releases and set up a finance committee.

“Council reached a new low last night by deciding once again to approach the Government for a bailout at the risk of council staff not being paid.

“To use its own staff as bargaining chips is reprehensible from a governing body that has failed to address its own financial failings.

“There is no question that Council needs to be held responsible for these failures.

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Listen to the full show podcast with Luke Grant, filling in for Michael McLaren. 

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Edward O’Donohue, Shadow Attorney General & Liberal state member for Eastern Victoria Region, joins Luke Grant following yesterday’s extraordinary hearing at the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry that could see a number of senior Victorian public servants forced to reappear.

Key government witnesses including Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Department of Health & Human Services secretary Kym Peake look set to be re-examined by the hotel quarantine injury as the board tries to unravel misleading and incomplete evidence.

Evidence tendered yesterday shows that Professor Sutton was involved in an email trail which discusses private security, months before he told the inquiry he first became aware private was being used by the hotels.  The Professor conceded he was involved in the emails, but “didn’t register” the mention of private security. 

Other senior government figures remaining of interest include former Department Premier & Cabinet Secretary Chris Eccles and former health Minister Jenny Mikakos, who urged the board to disregard Premier Daniel Andrews' evidence about private security.

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Luke Grant is joined by Phil Slade, behavioural economist, psychologist, award-winning musician, psychologist & co-founder of consultancy Decida, about his new book ‘Going ApeS#!t’ which hits shelves today to help Aussies control their inner ‘Ape’ and improve their social, financial and emotional success.

“Whether you’re a parent losing your cool at your kids, a uni graduate figuring out how to control your emotions in the workplace, or feel like you’re losing control of your money and mind, the book has simple tips and tricks for everyone to understand themselves a little better,” says Mr Slade.

“Particularly in today’s highly reactive world where we face a digital revolution shaping the way we think and behave, we need an increased maturity of mindset. Without it, we will fail to make clear judgements as we make sense of everything happening around us, which could lead us into social situations with devastating consequences.”

‘Going ApeS#!t’ has been developed as a humourous and relatable guide to controlling your inner Ape and making better decisions in all aspects of your life.

Learnt largely through Phil’s hilarious, and sometimes s#!tty personal experiences, the book explores harnessing emotions in a way that’s constructive in life, be it in your finances or career, to health and parenting.

You can order Phil's book by clicking here.

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