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Michael is joined by Terry McCrann, Business Commentator with The Australian, who says the COVID-19 economic lockdown has made huge deficits inevitable.

 

They are the “good” deficits we had to have, and if we can get the economy — and our lives generally — back to some sort of normality, they’ll be much smaller in the years to come’, Mr McCrann writes.

 

Australia's budget deficit hit almost $86 billion last financial year and is expected to reach another record high next year at more than $184 billion.

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Mark Latham, Political commentator, former leader of the Australian Labor Party, One Nation state leader in the upper house, joins Michael for his take on the Black Lives Matter rally planned for July 28 which oranisers claim will go ahead even if the rally is outlawed in the Supreme Court.

 

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller announced he would take the protest organiser, Padraic Gibson, to court in an attempt to get the demonstration declared “unauthorised” because of COVID-19 restrictions. 

 

The decision has been adjourned until later today.

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Michael is joined by Kylie Winkworth, museum and heritage consultant, who says the proposed Parramatta Powerhouse should be moved to a more suitable location to better embrace the city’s culture while protecting heritage sites - the 1870s-era Willow Grove villa and St George’s Terrace, built in 1881 – which are currently destined for demolition.

 

Ms Winkworth says building a museum in the Fleet Street Heritage Precinct at North Parramatta could tap into “deep community pride of place” by celebrating local culture and history.

 

“If the new museum was in the Fleet Street precinct, there is (also) an opportunity to propose adding the 1818 Greenway Female Factory to the World Heritage List of serial convict sites,” she says.

 

Ms Winkworth adds that a World Heritage listing would prove a boost for international tourism. 

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Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren

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John Rolfe, The Daily Telegraph investigative reporter, joins Michael to discuss his latest investigation that reveals that wealthy investors in water are revelling in returns three times better than the best super fund, but farmers say those gains are pricing them out of the market and destroying manufacturing jobs.

 

Mr Rolfe writes, ‘The Daily Telegraph can reveal Australia’s largest water fund, run by Argyle Capital Partners, delivered an 11 per cent gain in 2019-20. And that was a lean year.’

 

‘Since starting in 2012, the $300 million fund has averaged annual returns of 17.7 per cent for clients, who are all certified as “sophisticated investors”, meaning they earn at least $250,000 or have net assets of $2.5 million-plus.’

 

‘Meanwhile rival manager Duxton Water, which has been accused of hoarding water, reaped a return of 7.7 per cent in 2019-20.’

 

‘By comparison the top super fund made its members 3.8 per cent in the year to June 30 – half of what Duxton achieved and a third of Argyle’s gain.’

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Michael is joined by Senator Rex Patrick, Centre Alliance Senator for South Australia, who has called for the pay of Federal MPs and Senators to be docked by $1,000 for every scheduled sitting day which gets cancelled, rather than rescheduled. 

 

"Millions of Australians are facing huge financial difficulties as a consequence of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions," Senator Patrick says.

 

"All too many Australians have lost their jobs and many others are working reduced hours with significantly reduced pay. Federal politicians should not be insulated from the impacts, especially when many MPs are not doing fundamental work they are rightfully expected to do; oversight of Government and reviewing and voting on legislation."

 

"While the immediate advice of the Acting Chief Medical Officer needs to be followed, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to cancel rather than reschedule two scheduled sitting weeks at the beginning of August is highly disappointing and sends precisely the wrong signal to Australians."

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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 writes of the bungling of Victoria’s hotel quarantine that the guts of the judicial inquiry can be boiled down into the following main points.

 

‘Who knew about the problems with the system, what was reported to authorities and who failed to act?’

 

‘And to what extent has the hotel quarantine debacle fed through to the soaring number of cases that have crippled Melbourne, probably led to deaths and has slammed the brakes on the national economy.’

 

‘It’s no surprise Labor is petrified about the outcome.'

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