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Michael is joined by Senator Jim Molan AO, Liberal Senator for NSW & Former Australian Army Major General - Chief of Operations, Coalition Forces, Iraq, regarding yesterday’s report from Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work revealing that Australia ranks last among all OECD countries for manufacturing self-sufficiency.

On our reliance with China Senator Molan says ‘we should continue to trade and to interact in all ways with China, but we should do it from a position of national strength: a strong economy, finances, diplomacy, governance, society and our military.’

‘Australia has significant potential capacity in all national security areas, and we have seen how we might do that in our effective reaction to COVID-19 and the priority for the government at the moment is to get our economy open and running.’

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Robert Borsak, NSW Upper House Member & Leader of the Shooters Fishers & Farmers party / Chair, Select Committee on the Government's management of the Powerhouse Museum and other museums & cultural projects in New South Wales, joins Michael to discuss the opening day of the new Powerhouse Museum inquiry.

Mr Borsak says “It does seem from questioning today that the knee-jerk change in direction and backflip on the ultimo building demolition was made purely for political purposes, and there is no plan yet and certainly no business case to justify what they've done.”

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren

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Michael is joined by Dr. Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work based at the Australia Institute, regarding his research that reveals Australia ranks last among all OECD countries for manufacturing self-sufficiency.

 

While this indicator confirms the dramatic decline of domestic manufacturing in recent years, it also reveals the enormous potential benefits that would be generated by rebuilding manufacturing back to a size proportional to our national needs: including $180 billion in new sales, $50 billion in additional GDP, and over 400,000 new jobs.

 

“As Australian governments and business leaders realise the importance of manufacturing in rebuilding the national economy after COVID, this research shows that Australia now has the smallest manufacturing industry relative to domestic purchases of any OECD country,” says Dr. Stanford who authored the report.

 

“These findings confirm the enormous task ahead of the country in rebuilding our domestic manufacturing capacity. However, it also highlights the enormous economic benefits that would be generated by getting manufacturing back to a proportional size: including $180 billion in new sales, $50 billion in new GDP, and over 400,000 new direct jobs.

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren

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Michael is joined by John Ferguson, Associate Editor The Australian, who in covering Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis writes that ‘with every bad day, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the government will hit its target of a six-week lockdown.’

 

‘This means a quarter of the national economy remains in hibernation for probably weeks more and a steadily climbing death toll after the lockdown began on July 8.’

 

‘Seventy-seven Victorians have died so far, with the fatality demographic lowering ominously from the 80s and 90s down to the 40s. There are babies (who have survived) among those who have contracted the virus.’

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Michael is joined by Matt Kean, Energy and Environment Minister & Liberal member for Hornsby, who has announced a goal of doubling the number of koalas by 2050 in a bid to defy projections the marsupial could become extinct in the wild in NSW by mid-century.

 

Following reports found that found numbers were down to 15,000-20,000, Mr Kean will ask the Chief Scientist to assemble an expert panel to develop the 30-year plan that would likely involve a combination of expanding or adding new national parks, removing feral predators, fighting the chlamydia disease, and "actively managing our fortress populations", Mr Kean says.

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren. 

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Michael is joined by Bernard Lane, The Australian newspaper roving editor, leading writer & data journalist, regarding Australia’s top sport agency being under pressure to safeguard women’s sport, with rugby emerging as the first international federation to consider a ban on transgender players to prevent injuries and unfairness.

‘In news this week World Rugby experts cite a 20-30 per cent higher risk of injury for women tackled by biological males who identify as female, and new research showing trans players born male lose little of their physical advantages after 12 months on drugs to lower their testosterone in line with 2015 International Olympic Committee rules’, Mr Lane writes.

Liberal Senator Claire Chandler, who is campaigning for female sport, says” These findings are consistent with concerns raised by many athletes, participants and administrators about biological males competing in women’s sport.” 

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