Listen to the full show podcast with Michael Mclaren

Michael is joined by Mike Schneider, Managing Director of Bunnings, who encourages customers to plan ahead for their Easter projects.

 

Research shows that 65 per cent of Australians have at least one unfinished D.I.Y. job to do at home, so with Easter traditionally being one of the busiest times of the year at local stores, Bunnings customers are being encouraged to plan ahead and shop earlier in the week.

 

“We know the importance of customers being able to access the products they need, whether it’s for urgent home repairs and maintenance, supplies for tradies to keep their businesses running or items for home projects to keep people active,” says Mr Schneider.

Listen to the full show podcast with Michael Mclaren

Michael is joined by Matt Kunkel, Director of the Migrant Workers Centre in Melbourne, who warns that jobless migrants in dire financial hardship need welfare support to avoid becoming homeless and contributing to a public health crisis.

 

He says people were "literally begging for food on Facebook" and those at risk of becoming homeless would find it difficult to self-isolate to contain the spread of infection.

 

“We cannot afford to leave anyone behind.  Excluding 1.1 million temporary visa holders from any income support will push them onto the streets at a time when food and housing security is essential for fighting this pandemic.”

 

“If we don’t expand the wage subsidy to include temporary migrant workers they will be forced on to the streets at the height of a pandemic – we can’t allow this to happen and this is why over 100 organisations have come together to call for a wage subsidy that covers all workers.”

Listen to the full show podcast with Michael McLaren.

Michael speaks to Matthew Henderson, former British diplomat in China and the Director of Asia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, who has co-authored a report saying China should be sued under international law for trillions of dollars over its initial cover-up of the coronavirus pandemic which so far has caused more than 60,000 deaths and trillions of dollars in worldwide economic damage.

The report claims that the Chinese government’s early handling of the disease and failure to adequately report information to the WHO breached Articles Six and Seven of the International Health Regulations [IHRs], a Treaty to which China is a signatory and legally obliged to uphold.

These breaches allowed the outbreak to rapidly spread outside Wuhan, its place of origin.

Listen to the full show podcast with Michael Mclaren

Michael is joined by Judith Sloan, Contributing Economics Editor with ‘The Australian’, to discuss her recent opinion piece where she writes ‘the unprecedented coronavirus crisis will have significant and sustained effects on young people’s lives, careers and incomes for years to come.’

‘The massive downturn in the economy associated with the current public health restrictions, which sparked widespread job losses, will likewise have a profound effect on the prospects of many people, both in an immediate way but also across time. The same goes for the interruptions to education and training.’

Listen to the full show podcast with Michael Mclaren

Michael is joined by Dr Lurion De Mello, Senior Lecturer, Department of Applied Finance at Macquarie University's Business School, who says fuel companies deserve greater scrutiny and are fixated on their profit margins.

 

Dr De Mello says "when crude oil prices go up the retailers jack up their prices overnight, but it always takes longer — up to a month — for prices to come back down when the crude oil price drops."

 

He said fuel retailers usually operated on profit margins of 15 to 20 per cent, but that the current margins were significantly higher.

 

He expected fuel prices to drop in the coming weeks as demand eased on the back of new Coronavirus social-distancing laws.

 

Dr De Mello said consumers frequently overlooked independent fuel retailers and this could be costing them.