Wake Up Australia

Michael is joined by Dr Cameron Murray, Research fellow at the Henry Halloran Trust at Sydney University, who has co-authored an article regarding how Australia has lost control of house prices and how to get it back.

 

‘Real home prices across Australia have climbed 150% since 2000, while real wages have climbed by less than a third.’

 

‘Sydney and Melbourne rank among the most expensive cities in the world. Australia-wide, home ownership levels have fallen from 70% to 65% in the past 20 years and home equity levels have fallen from 80 per cent to 75 per cent.’

 

‘Younger workers have been completely priced out of the major cities.

Among those who can afford homes, the increase in household debt to income ratios is weighing on consumption and increasing financial fragility.'

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Michael is joined by Adam Marshall, Minister for Agriculture & Western New South Wales, regarding his announcement to help farmers & agricultural workers cross the NSW / Victorian border.

 

Farmers and critical agricultural workers who reside outside the Border Region Zone in Victoria will now have a new pathway to enter NSW and move outside the ‘border bubble’ for work.

 

Under the changes, individuals will be able to access a new Highly Specialised Critical Services (Agriculture) Permit if they:

 

·        Provide a highly specialised critical agricultural service;

·        Are moving and working anywhere within 100km of the New South Wales/Victorian border, on the NSW side;

·        Comply with strict conditions if staying overnight; and

·        Adhere to other safety requirements, including self-isolating when not delivering the critical service.

 

Exemptions for individuals needing to move beyond the 100km limit for work will be considered on a case-by-case basis with the changes coming into effect at noon today and the new permits will be available via the Service NSW website.

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Michael is joined by James Morrow, Opinion Editor, Daily Telegraph & co-host of Outsiders on Sky News, who writes that Australia’s travel bans are looking less and less sustainable as the world opens up.

 

‘Australians are increasingly prisoners of the government’s success fighting coronavirus, but it looks like we don’t have an exit strategy to get us mixing with the world and each other’, writes Mr Morrow.

 

‘Not only are foreign visitors (and returning Australians) forced to spend 14 days in dreary hotel quarantine at their own expense - reasonable, perhaps - but we Australians also have to apply, like naughty students looking for a hall pass, to leave the country.’

 

‘Even if we are planning on staying away for months, or years, or hold a second passport of another nation.’

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren

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On the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain, Michael is joined by Malcolm Brown, journalist, editor and author who covered the Chamberlain case extensively for The Herald.

 

Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain was two months old when she was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980, on a family camping trip to Uluru in the Northern Territory.

 

Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo but the body was never found.

 

Lindy Chamberlain was, however, tried for murder and spent more than three years in prison but released when a piece of Azaria's clothing was found near a dingo lair, and new inquests were opened.

 

In 2012, 32 years after Azaria's death, the Chamberlains' version of events was officially supported by a coroner who was highly critical of the police investigation.

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David Littleproud MP, Federal Minister for Agriculture, who today is urging state Premiers to inject themselves into serious cross border issues that unaddressed could impact the cost of groceries, animal welfare and even critical human health for regional Australians.

 

“The arbitrary closure of state borders particularly between state borders have had serious unintended consequences not only on agricultural supply chains but also regional Australians wellbeing,” Minister Littleproud said.

 

“Hard closures are stopping the flow of silage contractors and grain harvesters between Queensland and NSW, Queensland veterinarians and agronomists are also unable to visit clients in Northern NSW, and there are numerous human health impacts impacting on residents who rely on GPs, specialists and allied health care across state borders.

 

“Prime Minister Scott Morrison has consequently undertaken to raise these issues as a priority with the National Cabinet in response to the developing crisis unfolding across many regional communities.

 

“Keeping all of our agricultural supply chains secure is absolutely critical to ensuring supermarket prices for fresh products remains affordable for Australians while maintaining some of the best animal welfare standards in the world. 

 

“Our farmers must be able to continue their important work and regional economies that pose little to no COVID-19 risk must be allowed to continue operating. They deserve our full and unwavering support,” Mr Littleproud said.

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Dr Brendan Nelson AO, Former Director of the Australian War Memorial / former Australian Ambassador to Belgium, the European Union & NATO (2010–12), on the 75th anniversary of the day that Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end.

 

A little after noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito's announcement of Japan's acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration was broadcast to the Japanese people over the radio.

 

Earlier the same day, the Japanese government had broadcast an announcement over Radio Tokyo that "acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation [would be] coming soon", and had advised the Allies of the surrender by sending a cable to U.S. President Harry S Truman via the Swiss diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C.

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