Mornings with Graeme Goodings - 5 May 2026

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome to Tuesday, this fifth day of May. Hope we find you well. Thanks for giving us some of your time. You hope you can stick around anything happening in your neck of the woods. You think the five double A listeners would like to know about, give us a call on eight double two to three double O. On the show today, did you see that amazing foot footage of the fox stealing the newspaper? Just amazing, amazing pictures CCTV. You can criticize it for a lot of things, but we do see some amazing things. How it makes you wonder the creatures like foxes. I don't know. I like foxes. I must say they're cunning. Cunning as a fox, isn't that the same? But they do a lot of harm to natural flora and faunas, and no question about that. Introduce species in this country. Australia was on an island and you know we were protected and other creatures couldn't come from anywhere else, and then White Man arrived and introduced lots of species and lots of things that have done a lot to destroy the environment. Foxes are doing that too. But what should happen with these animals like foxes and wildcats and so forth. We'll take a look at that, and if you have any stories of animals encroaching in your territory, share them with us on eight double two to three double O double oh. Dire forecast has emerged as another interest rate rise is widely expected. That comes out this afternoon and you'll hear it on five double A first this afternoon, I think two o'clock it comes out and Stacy Lee will be all over it. The budget is just a week away. Treasurer Jim Talmers is ending at a string of broken promises. I want to take a look at that. In a moment. We'll speak with five double A CANBRA correspondent Michael Packy about that and on the subject if we do get interest rate rises, some very disturbing research by Finder reveals that almost one in ten mortgage holders say they could not afford their loan after just one or two hikes. And I think the prediction is that we're in for at least two more increases, maybe three, And this Finder research is very disturbing. Indeed, a further eighteen percent say they would default with three more increases. This means roughly one in three Australian homeowners are aging closer to mortgage stress and potential default. What can be done about it? We'll speak with find in dot com. The federal government pushing ahead with a long term plan for high speed rail. We've talked about this on the show. High speed rail is so successful around the world, justifiably so, and you can justify it in Australia. This is a massive continent. We need to link partic it along the East Coast. I think let's be fair about this. Adelaide doesn't need to be linked to high speed rail, although it would be good. But certainly Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane along that East Coast corridor would benefit by high speed rail. But the cost is prohibitive. The Prime Minister is talking about an initial corridor between Sydney and Newcastle. That alone would be ninety two billion dollars. Ninety two billion dollars, so just imagine the cost of high speed rail along the entire East Coast. Will take a look at that two. Something that comes up a lot on the show the fact that older adults reject new technology. They're concerned about privacy, they're concerned about surveillance and a loss of autonomy, and a lot of them just say it's beyond me. I can't handle it well. A new study from Flinder's University's Caring Futures Institute argues that technology alone cannot solve the challenges of an aging population. While smart devices like fall detectors and AI assistants offer safety and independence, that innovation often fails without ethical safeguards. Will speak with doctor clear Goff about that eight double two to three double o double oh. Something that has just come to my attention and you notice it on suburban streets, a car parked outside your house and you think, I don't know who that's a two days, three days, four days goes by, The car never moves. Has it been dumped? Why has it been left there? Well, it's causing it seems to be almost in plague proportions. Well now, Adelaide's largest council, on Kaparinga, has registered their feeling about this. They want legislative reform to tackle cars left on public streets for extended periods. On Kapringer itself have for received seven hundred and thirty reports of abandoned vehicles in the past year alone. I think every council could lay claim to having complaints like that, but in a lot of cases councils are fairly powerless to what they can do. Do you think councils should have more power to remove cars left on the street for extended periods. I think there would be universal agreement about that, But I'd like to know your thoughts on it. Eight double two to three double o double oh is the number to ring broken promises. This is something that really concerns me. It really concerns me, indeed, because it seems that politicians are wearing it like a badge. During his first term, Anthony Albernezi strictly adhere to election pledges. He even delayed tax cut recalibrations to honor his word. However, it seems things are a little different this term. Despite declaring negative gearing off the table during the campaign, arguing it it wouldn't boost housing supply, he also offered no signals on capital gains reform. Both and are firmly in the eye of the Treasurer Jim Charmers. Now, when challenged on the potential broken promises, Jim Charmers reframed the concept of political integrity now, rather than strictly following pre election mandates. The Treasurer argued that building public trust stems from making the right decisions for the right reasons. He says he will prioritize intergenerational equity over consistency. This shift suggests a government increasingly willing to trade literal promise a literal promise that they've made this we promise to do in keeping with standards. I mean, you know, if you a promise is a promise, it would appear that now they're becoming more pragmatic, making policy adjustments regardless of their previous stance. Now, whatever way he charges that, it looks more like government broken promises. How do you feel about that? A pragmatic policy shift and damn the promises now, whether justified or not, What are we to think at the next election when the government on the opposition announces its agenda, this is what we're going to do if we win power for the next term. Now we know full well a politician's promise isn't worth anything. How can we make an assessment of a party's policy platform. If I'm winning government, they can say all bets are off, we're going to do something totally different. But should we be surprised. I mean, just a brief look at history should tell us that there's nothing's new. Julia Gillard before the twenty ten election, there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead Tony Abbott, almost no cuts to health educational pensions. Before the twenty thirteen election. Guess what happened. There were cuts. Kevin Rudd promised strong action on climate change, which he called the greatest moral challenge of our time, but there were delays and shifts in policy. Paul Keating he promoted the fact that there would be tax cuts. They were law law, not just a promise that the second tranch was delayed or adjusted based on what he said with fiscal conditions. Then we come to more recent times. Anthony Albanezi promised two hundred and seventy five dollars lower power bills. Don't know about you, but I'm still waiting. Is there any one that most people have a very low opinion of politicians of all persuasions and Jim Chalmers looks like adding to the list in next week's budget. What's your opinion of our politicians? Has it changed over the years and who have been the politicians that you can trust? I'd like to know your thoughts eight double two three doublow back shortly five A Mornings with Graham, Fox on the Run. Why would we be playing that? Thank you Sam Dada, my producer. Well, did you see the vision? Quite amazing, wasn't it that? The fox stealing the paper in the suburbs overnight? Once upon a time Australia was an impenetrable fortress. We were immune to the incursion of invasive species. Then White Man arrived. Hundreds of invasive species have been brought here. Unfortunately, many have escaped from captivity or in a lot of cases, were intentionally released. It's created chaos for the environment and native animals. Well, overnight we saw just how close some of these invasive species are coming to dealing the hand to hand with man. A stealing of a paper. We don't know the motive for it, but it begs the question just how bad is Australia's invasive species problem, particularly foxes joining us now Invasive Species Council Rewilding Manager Rob Brewster, Rob, good morning to.
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Speaker 2: You, morning Graham. Thanks for having me.
00:09:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I mean it's cute, but you've got admit it. And there's something about foxes that are cute, but it can be a bit more smiless to them. This can't.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it certainly is a kind of cute and funny video, you know, a fox stealing somebody's newspaper just before dawn. But look, unfortunately, at least in the Australian context, there's nothing funny about foxes. They've caused the extinction or contributed to the extinction of almost forty mammals in Australia since since the eighteen seventies when they first arrived.
00:09:40
Speaker 1: So obviously, you know, conditions in Australia are perfect for them. They don't have any national or natural predator, I guess, yeah.
00:09:50
Speaker 2: Look that's right.
00:09:50
Speaker 3: And look, even from the eighteen fifties, we had people arguing against the importation of foxes, saying it will be an absolute desire stuff and why know, yeah, look, they.
00:10:04
Speaker 2: Were important into Victoria for hunting.
00:10:08
Speaker 3: There were all sorts of crazy things happening then as there are now. But we had acclimatization societies trying to make Australia feel a little bit more British, and so there was a lot of attempts of bringing things like rabbits and foxes and indeed multiple attempts that failed initially and and for example, rabbits didn't take off for some time because our coals were eating them, but eventually they got a foothold. And and with foxes quickly moving across the landscape, we lost our coals and that buffer to rabbit invasion, and and.
00:10:54
Speaker 2: You know the rest is history. And foxes one of.
00:10:58
Speaker 3: Those species that has really become really hard to control because they're so versatile. Some will protect themselves by having really small home ranges, some will rham hundreds of kilometers and foxes are really difficult to control because they don't just live in rural areas. But as we've seen overnight with this fox newspaper Ceily Fox, they live in urban areas as well, so really difficult to manage as an invasive species.
00:11:31
Speaker 1: So is there an organized program to try and eliminate foxes?
00:11:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, there are.
00:11:38
Speaker 3: Fantastic programs operating across Australia.
00:11:45
Speaker 2: At relatively small scales.
00:11:47
Speaker 3: We do have some sort of some landscape scale control programs and management programs for foxes. And look, one of the programs in South Australia is the Minor Bunger Project down on your peninsula that has installed a big eleven kilometer fence. It's a leaky fence, but it's a fence across your peninsula trying to stop foxes re entering that peninsula and managing quite intensively foxes inside that peninsula. Now it becomes very difficult to control foxes. We use baiting and shooting and trapping in those rural or wild areas. It becomes very difficult in urban areas. So essentially what we're having is urban areas acting.
00:12:42
Speaker 2: As a source site for fox.
00:12:44
Speaker 3: Reinvasion into rural areas once once they've been controlled in those rural areas.
00:12:53
Speaker 2: So however, there.
00:12:55
Speaker 3: Are some game changes coming I think, and we've got South Australia's very own PERSA or the Department of Primary Industries and Regions down there actually working on some exciting new AI driven fox bait spencer technology that would allow foxes to access baits but not allow pet dogs and other species to take those baits.
00:13:22
Speaker 1: That's the issue, isn't it. Because you can introduce baits and so forth, but if domestic animals or farm animals get to them, I mean, they can wipe out a stock.
00:13:31
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:13:31
Speaker 3: Look, look it's really it's quite a canid specific poison that we use for foxes, so it's ten eighty. But it also because it's canid specific, it affects dogs, so.
00:13:48
Speaker 2: For primary producers who have.
00:13:51
Speaker 3: Working dogs, it can be an issue, and obviously for our domestic pets it can be an issue.
00:13:58
Speaker 2: So it's been.
00:13:59
Speaker 3: A real problem delivering that target specicificity that we need when we want to control foxes, especially in those urban areas. So hopefully newspapers stealing foxes will become a thing of the past.
00:14:16
Speaker 2: And you know it, wouldn't it be great if we.
00:14:18
Speaker 3: Could see quolls and other native wildlife back on our driveways on our security cameras at nighttime instead of these invasive, destructive species like foxes and cats.
00:14:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, Unfortunately, there's something about a fox that people see as cute. I mean, I'm just looking at a text here from Anthony said, I worked on a construction site one so the young fox used to come and visit the guard hut every night. I'd feed it and give it a drink. It would sleep on the floor in the guard hut, and then that morning, before all the workers start coming, it would go home.
00:14:47
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:14:48
Speaker 3: Look, look, I think we can all acknowledge that they're incredibly beautiful animals. But just because they're beautiful and incredible, it doesn't mean they belong in Australia. And and look, I like to think that, you know, there's no bad animals, there's only animals in the wrong place. And yeah, yeah, they're just in the wrong place. And so a similar experience in the UK, where foxes belong wouldn't be problematic. And you know, because they're part of the ecosystem there. They're animals evolved understanding that foxes are a predator and ours didn't. And so when our incredible native wildlife comes up face to face with foxes, things like bilbies and numbats and betongs and bandicoots, they just don't see foxes as the threats.
00:15:42
Speaker 2: So that's why they're so problematic.
00:15:44
Speaker 1: Is the issue the fox problem nationwide or is it confined to certain areas?
00:15:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it's almost nationwide, so they don't get right up into the tropics. But in the look, they're all up through the Red center of Australia. They're particularly problematic in the southern part of Australia. They haven't interestingly managed to establish in Tazzi and one of the reasons might be because of the Tasmanian devil.
00:16:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, predator, that's exactly right.
00:16:15
Speaker 3: So having that native predator in the landscape may have contributed to the fact that they haven't established there.
00:16:24
Speaker 2: And there's some evidence to suggest that Tasmanian.
00:16:29
Speaker 3: Devils, if they were brought back to the mainland, might actually push around foxes once again, they were here before, so they truly the Aussie devil.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: Andrew wants to know, do you know the scale of the deer population explosion in the Adelaide Hills.
00:16:44
Speaker 3: Look, I've heard about the problem, and we know that South Australia are actually doing really good things in terms of deer control and are looking at like they may get on top of that issue. The rest of the country not so much. We've got real problems with Victoria who treat their deer as a as a protected species down there. So look, Australia wide, we still don't give the significance to invasive species that we need to if we're going to get on top of this problem. And it's an Australia wide problem invasives and right from herbivores like deers through to those carnivores like foxes. So yeah, we certainly need national approaches that are shared between the states for how we manage things like.
00:17:41
Speaker 2: Deer and rabbits and foxes and so.
00:17:45
Speaker 3: Invasive Species Council is working with communities, with agencies, with politicians across Australia to try and come up with more comprehensive care if strategies for all of these problematic species.
00:18:02
Speaker 1: So if someone's aware of a fox issue, what should they do?
00:18:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, I think contacting their local council is a good start, or their local land management agency national parks for example. I think the community definitely needs to speak up and say, hey, we need to be managing these species because they are.
00:18:23
Speaker 2: Problematic to our incredible, unique wildlife.
00:18:26
Speaker 3: And look, I think you know, as Australians we love our wildlife and unfortunately, you know, kit or otherwise, we need to manage them.
00:18:37
Speaker 1: So yeah, good advice, Good on your Rob. Thanks for that. Rob Brewster, the Invasive Species Council rewilding how bad does Australia's fox problem? Well, if you have an issue, get in touch with the LABS Council. I hope that was okay, it was great, Thanks for your chat. Coming up after news headlines the budget is a week away. Is Jim Chalmers setting us up for broken election promises? Five double A Mornings Gram Goodings twenty seven to ten A on this Tuesday, the fifth day of May. Well, next week the federal budget will be handed down. There have been numerous leaks. I don't know what it is when there is a leak about a budget that rarely is positive. News. Joining us now is five double A CANBRA correspondent Michael Packy, Michael, good morning, thanks for being with us.
00:19:22
Speaker 2: Good morning, how are you, Graham?
00:19:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, good thanks. I don't know if I'm looking forward to this budget. What are you hearing?
00:19:29
Speaker 2: Well, look what we're hearing so far.
00:19:30
Speaker 5: As you say, usually when you get the leaks, the leaks are all the bad news and they're try and keep the good stuff for budget night, which is next Tuesday. Look, it's interesting that there's a story out today which has been given to news corps.
00:19:45
Speaker 2: It's about this offset.
00:19:48
Speaker 5: So essentially what they're going to be doing, well, this is what we think they're going to be doing. The government hasn't confirmed any of this. Is that if you're a worker, you're earning a wage or a salary. You could get up to three hundred dollars as part of this cash splash that the government is meant to be having in next Tuesday's budget. It's called the earned Income Offset, and it's only going to be available to people that earn a wage or a salary. Won't extend to income that's earned from investment. It's a one off measure that we're being told, and it will apply in the coming financial year. It's not going to be means tested. So that's what we're expecting as being one of the announcements that will be made next Tuesday. And that's a bit of a good news announcement. I don't know how much good news it really is, Graham, because the oppositions are already out there saying, well, if there's going to be this cash slash, won't that be inflationary? Won't that put more pressure on the Reserve Bank to continue raising interest rates. We're already today this afternoon, we're expecting the RBA to lift interest rates by another quarter of a percent. Won't a measure such as this giving all workers an extra three hundred dollars in their pocket. While it might be welcome if it's inflationary. Won't that just put more pressure on the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates down the track? And the other thing is I also think it sends a bit of a mixed signal gram because on one hand, you've got the Treasurer saying that next Tuesday's budget is going to be responsible, there's going to be more money saved than is going to be spent. Than a day later, we're hearing that we all could get an extra three hundred dollars in our pocket if we earn a wage or a salary. And while that's welcome, it also seems to send a mixed message from what they're also saying about wanting to save money and about wanting to pay down debt, that sort of thing.
00:21:43
Speaker 1: What are you hearing about the capital gains tax?
00:21:46
Speaker 5: Well, look, I think that there will be some sort of a change to capital gains tax discount and it'll probably also extend to negative gearing. The thing is, we just don't know exactly how it's going to work. So every time the government is asked about will there be changes to property taxes such as capital gains tax and such as negative gearing, they don't deny it. So obviously something's been considered. What we're hearing is that more than likely it's going to be what they call grandfathered, and so it potentially won't apply to everybody. And so the government is saying that if these changes do come into effect, that is that the capital gains tax is either scrapped or lowered, and negative gearing incentives are also rained in that they're not going to raise that much money. So from what it would appear is that if you've already got a property and you've got capital, and you've factored capital gains tax discount into that property, or you factored negative gearing into that property that you've purchased as an investor, that potentially you're not going to be affected too much. That it potentially will apply to new properties that are coming onto the market than properties that have already been purchased. So that's why the government is saying that if these changes were to come to effect, they're only probably will raise, you know, a couple of billion dollars over the next four years. They're not going to raise masses amounts of money. And I think that any changes to the capital gains tax discount or negative gearing, I think it's just meant to be symbolic. It's just symbolic just so the government can say to younger people, or we are doing something about increasing housing supply and trying to get more younger people into the property market and a foot on the property ladder. So I think it's more a symbolic gesture rather than rather than whole scale reform.
00:23:43
Speaker 1: I mean, there has been concern within the industry that capital gains tax cutting could be disincentive to speculative builders and therefore there could be fewer houses built, putting upward pressure on rentals. I mean, you know, doesn't sound like a lot of positive news coming out of it.
00:24:00
Speaker 5: And that's a fair point. See, this is the thing is that the government is saying that the reason that it wants to make changes or they're not saying that they will do it, but they're not denying it either. But if there are these changes to the capital gains tax discount, making it, you know, less attractive for people to invest in the property market, will that necessarily increase supply and put it actually, you know.
00:24:23
Speaker 1: Put more pressure on rents.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: And that's I think a fair question to the ask because there is a suggestion that if you do take away these sorts of incentives, you're not going to necessarily increase supply because you're probably going to have more people that are just going to decide to hold on to any investment property that they have because they say, what's the point of selling it, Because I'm not really going to earn, not going to really get that much benefit out of selling it. I might as well just keep it as an investment, and I might hike up the rent because there might be fewer rental properties out in the marketplace. So you know that pressure for rentals still remains. One of the reasons that I think that they are making these changes to CGT and negative gearing is because remember a few years ago they were talking about how they wanted to build one point two million new homes affordable homes. Well, I don't think they're achieving that target. I don't think that the government is achieving that target of building one point two million new homes over the next five years. So it's trying to find other ways to increase supply in that housing market to try and get more people on that property ladder. As I mentioned.
00:25:29
Speaker 2: But whether or not.
00:25:30
Speaker 5: These tax breaks or changing these tax breaks and making them less attractive, will actually go will actually do anything about raising supply or reducing rents. I personally don't think that that's going to be the case at all.
00:25:45
Speaker 1: Now, Michael, both the Prime Minister and the Treasurer using the term intergenerational equity. What are we we're supposed to make out of that?
00:25:53
Speaker 5: Well, essentially, what the intergenerational equity thing is that this is that you know, the buzzword they're seeing to be using every five minutes is that they're essentially saying is that they want to do more to help younger people. They're saying that older cohorts and older generations have benefited from these various tax breaks over many many years, whether it be on property or trusts or any other sort of asset class. That the suggestion is that older generations have benefited from those tax breaks and younger generations have been left out. So what the government is saying that its budget next Tuesday is going to be trying to rebalance the ledger and try and give younger people more of a leg up, whether it be mainly in property or income tax cuts, that sort of thing. So that's what I think that they're talking about, intergenerational equity. And that's why I say that when they talk about changes to the capital gains tax discount or negative gearing, it's all about sending that message to that younger cohort that the government is trying to help them out, because essentially it's a political equation for the government, Graham, it's a political equation. The government knows, or labor knows, it's losing voters, younger voters to the Greens, and a lot of older voters seem to be you know, pushing their pushing themselves onto one nation. So for the government and for labor, they're trying to see if they can get some of these younger voters back into the labor camp and try and peel them off the Greens. So that's the political equation in all of this. They're trying to attract those younger voters back into the labor camp because they've been bleeding those votes to the Greens who have been talking about housing and making changes to the capital gains tax and so forth. So by making these changes, I think on the sidelines of you know, they're really fringe changes that I think that the government is making here. They're trying to see if they can you know, send a message to those youngers.
00:28:00
Speaker 1: I can tell you there's a lot of older voters who are pretty concerned that it's going to come at their cost.
00:28:06
Speaker 5: Absolutely, and that's and I think that that's the balancing act that the that the government has got to find next Tuesday. So that's why I do think and that's why you're starting to hear these noises about things being grandfathered. So people that have already had that already have investments and mainly property, if they have those investments under those old tax arrangements, they're unlikely to be affected. It's probably people that are going to come into new people that come into that want to utilize these tax arrangements that will be affected. For instance, with negative gearing. One of the suggestions seems to be is that if you're a property investor, a young property investor, and you buy a new property, you may be able to negatively gear that new property, you know, but if you've already bought that proper but let's say in the last year or two years or something like that, maybe you won't be affected. So I think that what the suggestion is is that any of these changes that come in to effect will only come into effect for people that are starting to utilize negative gearing or the capital gains tax discount from now rather than those people that have used it before.
00:29:22
Speaker 1: All will become clear next week. Michael, thanks for analyis good to chat, Thanks for your time. Good on your Graham five Double A Canbra correspondent Michael Packey on the budget. What are you looking forward to or not looking forward to? It does appear to be skewed towards younger people, and I'm all for giving younger people a hand up, but if it jeopardizes the security of older people, it is a delicate balancing act. There's only so many dollars to go around. But as I just said to Michael, I guess all will become clear next Tuesday night, five Double A Mornings with Graham Goodings at twelve to ten calls in just a moment on eight double two to three DOUBLEO. Apart from the text line blue says intergenerational in equity, Oh my god, in the real world, the young people will inherit the wealth their parents created. It unfortunately takes time, but the younger generations want it all Today the government is exploiting their vulnerability to get their votes at the next election. Thank you, Lou, and Steve says, read the new tax laws. This is labor dipping their toe into the water to see if it costs them too many votes. If they don't lose many votes, they will go much harder, taking from older generations to give more wealth to the younger generations, much like Robin Hood. Thank you, Steve. Let's take a call Phil.
00:30:38
Speaker 6: Good morning, Yeah, good morning, Graham, Thank you. I'm really upset about her in the face of this morning the advertiser on page three and the heads off our elbows elderly abuse, which means that older Australia is over sixty five. They are from April next year, they're going to lose on their over sixty five self rebate.
00:31:07
Speaker 1: You're going to have to pay a lot more for health insurance.
00:31:09
Speaker 6: Yeah, sixteen hundred dollars for a couple. And it goes on to say the peak private insurance body says those days seventy and above with gold hospital cover could see premium jump by more but twenty one percent in April, compared to four percent for people under sixty five. Graham, We've been paying health insurance since I was fifteen. We need it now. We need it like we absolutely have to have it, but we can't afford.
00:31:41
Speaker 7: We're going to have to.
00:31:41
Speaker 6: Drop out if this goes up, and that's going to put more.
00:31:47
Speaker 1: More of pressure on the hospital exactly. It's going to be a huge burden on the public hospital system. And that's why those of us that have had public or private health over the years have realized that it's an expensive insurance to have, but it is vital. And yeah, I agree with you. This cutback is going to impact the people that need private health cover more than anyone.
00:32:08
Speaker 6: We have written to a local federal member for the labor and I've got to reply back, but it's only spit absolute But yes, it really is. And I'm really annoyed that I probably can't mention the name one the radio, but it is not answering the question that we set and we're going to something's going to be done about this, and I just hope people can can understand and read today's paper on page three.
00:32:46
Speaker 1: Please, yeah, no, thank you for bringing that to our attention. Phil. We will get in touch with the Health Minister Mark Butler. I know that he said that the move's going to save the government three billion dollars over four years and is going towards age care. But I mean it's taking out of one pocket and putting into another, isn't it effectively or taking it out of those the people that we need a private health cover at a time in their lives when they're probably least able to afford the massive impulse because it's hugely expensive. The prediction is that it will be an extra sixteen hundred dollars from April next year. That's after scrapping the higher rebates for over sixty fives. So yeah, we will pursue this with the Health Minister. And thank you for that film. Let's go down the park, Mark, how are you doing, Good.
00:33:31
Speaker 8: Morning, Graham. Just listening to Michael PACKI you made some quite very good comments, I thought, But I just wanted to mention and remind people that the housing crists we're experiencing now for my children in their late twenties and thirty is the fact there's a desperate, desperate shortage of homes on the market. It's a supply issue, sure, and they've got to this point with the current capital gains tax and negative gearing situation. So people are saying it's going to make it worse. Well, we're in this situation where things like this need to be addressed now under the current situation. So as Michael pointed out, and I think it's true that we should really just put negative gearing on new builds and allow that and reduce it a bit and reduce the capital gains tax. Two to my mind, because I'm more worried about a generation of children, two generations now coming behind me. I am my home. We're in our sixties. I don't have an investor of property, I don't have a lot of super we don't have a lot of money in the bank. But I would rather people behind me got a better chance in life and a better start than me being selfish and saying, well, I'm more worried how it's going to affect me. I think it's time we need to move on a little bit from that, particularly with the supply crisis for our younger people. So I wanted to say that, and yeah, that's about it, Graham. So I just want to.
00:35:00
Speaker 1: A good point. Yeah, thanks for your call. Yes, it's finding the delicate balance, isn't it. I mean, the issue is that we just do not have enough homes to house Australians at the moment, the government's plan to build one point two million homes in what in the next three or four years. They're so far behind target. And yet we've seen the latest immigration figures that it was that ninety thousand new migrants came into Australia in January alone. You know, I think it's about four hundred thousand have come in so far this year. Where are they going to live? I mean, we just keep putting pressure on ourselves and it's crazy, it's crazy. The states are doing their best. I think South of the Stradia actually is doing better than any other state regarding new housing, but you know where the horse has bolted. You know, we're still so far behind, and any move now is just sort of putting a band aid on the problem. From the text line, no good putting health insurance savings into age care if you can't access age care. We've been waiting months to get Hervey assessed very frail and had another fall last night. Oh I'm so sorry to hear that. Glenn says, here's a budget certainty the Treasurer will describe it as a responsible budget. Glen Glenn, it's good to get a laugh out of the budget, but hopefully there'll be a few laughs in there. But yes, he will describe it as a responsible it will be a fiscally responsible budget. Let's wait and see. Louise says, I'm sick of hearing about intergenerational equity. It's not equal because the older generation have worked longer and possibly invested and save better. Now we are more than likely going to be tax more because of it. Is that not agist, Louise. You make a very fair point there, and there's no question. Part of the issue is that no longer boom is the biggest sector of the population and the biggest proportion of voters. So the government is moving on to appease the next level of voters who they if they can get them on side them win the election. Regarding foxes, Baz says in the early nineties, when manning the main gates as an ammin on the midnight to dawn shift at RWF based Edinburgh, we had a local resident fox and we used to handfeed him toast. We named him Basil, of course, and there's the picture. If only we could show you Basil being fed that Unfortunately thing foxes can present as quite lovable, but they are evil little credits, There's no question about that. Read the capital gains tax. A much simpler and better way would be to make capital gains applicable to new homes only, and once you own two properties, you only get a discounted deduction for the third property and none for future purchases. Yes, Steve, that is a logical way of doing it. Whether the government actually approaches it logically, I guess we'll find out, Billy says, So they're going to be sticking it to the boomers again, by the sound of things, just appeal younger voters away from the Greens. Yes, we own our own home, those of us who are lucky enough, but we have paid taxes since we started work. We had a huge interest rates in the eighties here, didn't it get to seventeen to a half percent? Do I remember that? Do they even get higher? We couldn't afford to holidays, flash dinners and cocktails, and are heading into our twilight years. We probably have to fund our own care as successive governments have made a mess of age care and the NDIS for that matter, And that's the root cause of it, isn't it largely the ndis that in essence a wonderful concept, totally out of hand, totally mismanaged, and people have become very rich on behalf of the NDIS. And yeah, we've been there before. Unfortunately, it's an area that the government is trying to fix once again band aid after the event. They should have done more, Alou says morning Gg. With respect to capital gains tax, the government should be doing the opposite. As a landlord, why would I sell my properties if I pay more in capital gains I won't sell this federal government is absolutely clue. Is more and more thoughts on the same token. What are your thoughts eight double two to three double double ow issues with foxes or vermin. We're hearing some interesting stories, mostly people with fond thoughts about foxes. But they are very destructive, killing our natural flora and fauna and that is a bad thing. Budget's a week away. Your thoughts on what you would like to see in the federal budget after the ten o'clock news. And this actually has an impact. One in ten Ossie households are at risk of defaulting on home loans after the expected rate rise today. Yes, the RBA is meeting this afternoon. I think they met yesterday and again today. They will hand down the decision at two o'clock this afternoon, and one in ten households may default if home loans the interest rate goes up. Others have said that if it goes up once or twice more, then they too will be in real trouble. We'll speak with Finders Money and Home Loans expert Chured Witten about that five Double A Mornings with Graham Goodings. Had a very good morning to you as we ended the second hour of the Show'd love to hear from you on the subject we've been talking about today eight double two three double O double OW or the subject we're about to talk about. And it's an issue that is of concern for more and more people. And unfortunately it doesn't look like going away anytime soon. As the RBA meets this afternoon and the all the tipsters, all the economists say there will be another rate rise. Find A data suggests another rate hike could push many Australians to the brink, joining us now as find Us Money and Home Loans expert Richard Witten. Richard, good morning to you, thanks for your time today.
00:40:41
Speaker 9: Good morning Graham.
00:40:43
Speaker 1: Just how serious is the situation.
00:40:46
Speaker 9: Look, Graham, it's pretty serious. We surveyed borrowers across Australia. We found that almost one in ten, around nine percent of borrowers say that one or two more cash rate risers would be enough to put them into serious trouble with their home lank repayment. That's just one or two more increases and they might not be able to make their repayment.
00:41:05
Speaker 1: So I think when anyone takes out a homeland they sort of think they budget for the fact that interest rates could go up. But we've had three rises in short space of time. Two or three more could just tip a lot of people over the edge.
00:41:19
Speaker 9: That's exactly right. It seems to be that way. If you look back to four or five years ago, rates were at rock bottom, and obviously people do expect rates to increase, that's obviously the reality. But they have risen very quickly in the last few years, and they've dropped a little bit and now they're heading right back up to the peak of two years ago. But with the cost of living being so high in every aspect of life, everything's become more expensive. So when you're adding higher homeowe repayments as well, a lot of people are funding them. There's really not much money left anyway.
00:41:46
Speaker 1: You've mentioned almost one in ten might be able to sustain another increase. What about those who are just a little bit further up the tree in terms of income, those on the next level that you know at the moment, but another two or three rises could take them over.
00:42:03
Speaker 9: Well, that's right, but yeah, we said that people we found that, Yeah, around nine percent say that three rate risers would push them over the edge, and then thirty seven percent say four is the threshold at which they would struggle to make repayments. Now that's a lot of people. That's probably year half the borrowers that are looking at three to four rate risers could be enough to push them over the edge. And that's really I mean, we're probably want to won't get to quite that point, but you know, the RBA could raise rates several times this year with inflation being what it is. So that's a lot of borrowers who are, if not at the edge, they're very close already.
00:42:35
Speaker 1: Recent home buyers more vulnerable.
00:42:38
Speaker 9: Absolutely, recent home buyers are the most vulnerable. If you've bought a half ten fifteen years ago, you've been making repayments for a long time. You're probably still doing it tough in some ways, but you've made a lot of repayments. You've you know, you've weathered the storm for many years. You're probably in a much much stronger position, and you also probably had to borrow less relative to people today. If you bought, you know, a year ago, two years ago, you're paying top dollars for property. Is you're borrowing a huge amount of money and then you've got rates rising on top and you've not had very long to make repayments and start building up the equity in your property. If you've especially if you've bought with a low deposit recently, you're really exposed to rate rises and cost of living increases. Those borrowers are the most exposed.
00:43:18
Speaker 1: And there's the specter hanging out of people's heads in some markets that the house prices are on the decline.
00:43:28
Speaker 9: We guess it's a really strange position to be in where yeah, you've bought a property, it's incredibly expensive, you've borrowed a huge amount of money, and yeah, and sitting in in Melbourne, price rises are really slowing, maybe not dropping and stuff, but there's something flappening and some properties could be actually losing values slightly too, and that puts you in a very tough position where you're repaying a giant mortgage on a property that might not be worth much more than when you pay for it may be worth less, So you're in a tricky spot when it comes to refinancing to get a cheaper home loan or selling in an emergency. You might actually struggle to break even. You may even actually end up following some money on the property. Though that's an absolute worst case scenario, but it is certainly one that's possible for some people.
00:44:08
Speaker 1: Sure, So what can people do to shore up their position if they're in that precarious level that you've mentioned that, you know, one or two more rate increases could tip them over the edge, make them default on the homelan? What should they be doing now?
00:44:21
Speaker 9: Well, yeh, if you're facing that position soon but not quite right now, then it's the best time to start preparing while you're still able to make repayments, while you're still on the books as a good borrower. Now is the time to keep making repayments. So do a budget, look at your spending again, just you know, go line by line, dollar by dollar, look where every single dollar is going and find ways to cut back. You might not be able to obviously change your mortgage repayments, but you can certainly probably can find somewhere at some areas where you can save money. One rate rise costs the average borrower around one hundred dollars a month extra in repayment, So if you can find an extra hundred dollars, then you're able to you know, at least offset that different And if you are making your repayments on time and your things are looking good, you might also want to shop around and compare other homelands and see if another lender can give you a better deal. Even a small difference a slightly lower interest rate on your home loan can make a big difference to your month of repayments and again can offset the overall rising costs. So shopping around comparing it is a really good idea as well.
00:45:20
Speaker 1: What about people who have been in the market to buy a house, do you have any advice for them?
00:45:26
Speaker 9: It's a very trick you out at the moment right now is the first time buyer obviously, people you know, they always worry about am I borrowing too much? Am I paying too much, Will prices rise, will prices fall? I think the best advice for any firston buyer is just to buy when you are ready. Try to tune out the noise of the market. Just make sure do your research, make sure you know you're borring an amount you can afford. Try to look at it. Maybe use a Homelan calculator factor in, Okay, if my rate is six percent, what are my repayments? Can I afford it? If my rate is seven percent, eight percent? Just you know, calculate the worst case scenarios. But ultimately you've got to tune out the noise and buy when you're ready to buy, regardless of what the market's doing. It's all about your own position. So it's about just being ready, being prepared, doing the numbers, and making sure it works for you.
00:46:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, we live in pretty precarious times. So looking at this current cycle, I mean, I think we've had three increases in recent months. We're looking like they're getting two or three more. How does this compare with previous cycles?
00:46:27
Speaker 9: Well, yes, the previous rate rise cycle was very rapid. Between twenty two twenty three rates you know, they went from normal zero to very high, very quickly after the sort of post COVID inflation pressure we've seen now, it's obviously a much slower rise in rates now, but as I said before, the inflation crisis, the cost of living crisis hasn't gone away, so life is more expensive now than it was even a few years ago. It's got them the fuel crisis currently, the Iran war kind of ongoing up and down, unpredictable sort of background factor here too. Well, yeah, really they're paying more than ever, and so these rate rises, while they're slower, I think they hit people a little bit harder than all those extra combined factors.
00:47:09
Speaker 1: Richard, thanks so much for your timely advice. Today Finders Money and Homelands expert Richard Whitten, one in ten housie households at risk of defaulting on home loans. That is, taking into account a possible rate rise today and another possible one to come in one month's time. You will have the latest news on that RBA rate rise this afternoon with Stacy Lee. I think it will drop at around two o'clock five Double A Mornings with Graham Goodings Lay double two three double oh double. But first let's take a look at the stocks all Odds is opened down by fifty four points, ASX two hundred also down by fifty six points. The dal Jones closed in the red, down by five hundred and fifty seven points. Nasdaq down also down slightly forty six points. As for oil, well Brent crude is up to one hundred and thirteen US dollars a barrel, exis currently one hundred and five US dollars a barrel. Gold has dropped in ninety three dollars to four five and nineteen dollars US, and the Aussie dollar currently buying seventy one point six US Since time for calls came in, good morning.
00:48:14
Speaker 4: Good morning, I wanted to talk about downsizing. Sure, one of our neighbors had a big home in Bellevue Heights for veterrooms, so they decided to downsize. They couldn't afford to buy in the district for a start, They bought a unit and the stamp duty sucked up all their life savings by transferring. By the time they paid for all the things like removalists you know, swapping electricity, all those costs that come with it, all their life savings are now gone. And remember when they brought in gs two. They said they get rid of stamp duty. Well they haven't.
00:48:58
Speaker 1: Yeah, once a tax is entried is that rarely goes.
00:49:02
Speaker 4: And they went into the next bracket and they had to find another five thousand dollars more than they thought because the jump brackets with the stat duty.
00:49:13
Speaker 1: Goodness, gracious, that's really no incentive to downsize, is it. Thank you for your story there, Kayleen, Let's go out to Adelaide in town.
00:49:22
Speaker 10: George, good morning, Good morning, Graham.
00:49:26
Speaker 11: Just going back to the political discussions as they had earlier this morning. Yeah, politicians are mobiliers.
00:49:36
Speaker 12: They really are.
00:49:37
Speaker 11: They continuously tell lies and promise the public all sorts of making all sorts of promises regarding how they're going to save this, how they're going to save that. It's just continuous and it falls the public. And the best time they ever have is is on the.
00:50:02
Speaker 12: Oh just a here.
00:50:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, well why are you thinking about that, George? Federal politicians are protected by law. Now if you when I'm talking about now, when they're campaigning leading up to an election, the election advertising, if you claim a product can do a certain thing and it can't do it, you get fine. And it's happened over and over again. But if you're a politician, a federal politician, and you claim you're going to deliver this or do that and you don't deliver, you're covered by law, you won't be fined. So you know, no wonder very few people trust politicians because you know, their word is not their bond.
00:50:39
Speaker 12: Well, let's prove it over the years. It's a wonder that the public are called by this sort of thing come voting time, that the best time for them they have good times is election time. They spill out all sorts of promises to win the votes, and the people believe that, not all of them, but most people believe that they are carry out what they promise, and they never do so they continuously, and I put it downder seriously, they tell the lie, they tell lies. I don't think you'll be a politician to go unless you go to life school.
00:51:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, there are exceptions, George, let's be fair, but the exceptions are very much in the minority. And I think you know, look, when they do a list of the least trusted people, politicians are near the top of the list. And it's for a very good reason, because they do change and you know, they say things to get your vote and then change. Sean has a slightly different view, Graham, aren't we in a different world now than we were a year ago? Interest rates rise or rises, a war going on, inflation out of control, you call for change in Canberra as the budget continues to spiral out of control. I'd rather than a government that pivots due to the global climate rather than sticking to election promises that can cause more havoc. We live in a different world now than we were a year ago. All that into account, Shawn, and partially you're true. There's a lot of truth in that that a government making a promise that is dramatically changed by a war, you would expect the government to pivot and change on that. But if we look intrinsically at some of the promises made by the government and the suggestions made by the treasurer, Now, can you account for the government promising that your power bills would come down by two hundred and seventy five dollars? That was long before the war in the Middle East, and yet we're still waiting Margaret, good morning to you.
00:52:33
Speaker 13: Oh, good morning, Graham. I don't know if it's been covered. I was answering the part of the door. What about those that were seduced by the government guaranteed housing with five percent deposit? Potentially, if they need to default government guaranteed, that's put surely further impossed on the horrendous government debt. But we already for which wed future generations will have to pay.
00:53:07
Speaker 1: Margaret, you've raised a very disturbing point there. That is right. It's all well and good for the government to underwrite home deposits or allowing people to get into a home at a five percent deposit and underwriting the loan. But if the people default on that, who pays? You know who pays? Don't you? Margaret? Absolutely you do, I do, and every taxpayer does.
00:53:28
Speaker 13: I'm already horrendous government debt.
00:53:32
Speaker 1: Well, that's right, heading towards the trillion dollars. It will be interesting to see that there was a hint by the Treasurer that they would be cutting back on the debt. I will believe that when I hear it, because all suggestions are and this aspect that Michael Packy talked about this morning, that your government is considering a one off tax cut of up to three hundred dollars in the budget. Now, that would be to make everyone think, oh, this is nice for getting three hundred dollars. At the same same time the Reserve Bank is opping interest rates to cut back on inflation. If somebody puts three hundred dollars in your hand and you go and spend it, doesn't that add to inflation? I think it does. So the government and the RBA aren't on the same wavelength. It would appear tom good morning.
00:54:16
Speaker 14: You just just my buddy questions bugger go ahead, Yeah, no, I mean again, I'm not being smarter, but I actually retired in my forties from investing in.
00:54:28
Speaker 15: The real real estate. Long story short is, I have never bought this bs about the or the lack of connection between the Reserve Bank and the banks. I do believe there's actually a connection there somewhere. The banks always win, and I have never ever had somebody give me the argument and convince me that raising interest rates in any way, shape or form curves inflation. How the hell somebody's paying, for example, just to say four hundred dollars a month now on their mortgage and next month because the Reserve Bank increases things and the bank in their interest rate, they're playing six hundred dollars a month. How the hell does that actually curb inflation. It's the biggest load of horse hockey I've ever heard.
00:55:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's it's supposed to be curb spending, but instead of spending it on me, on going to a restaurant, you're spending you're getting it to the bank, so you're still spending the same money exactly.
00:55:26
Speaker 15: That's what I'm saying. I think it's a scam.
00:55:28
Speaker 9: I really do.
00:55:29
Speaker 15: I think it's a scam. And we've put up with this horse hockey is too long as bs mate, Good on your tom.
00:55:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I agree entirely. I've always said that putting up interest rates to curb inflation is a blunt instrument. It actually ends up impacting the people that can at least afford it. Having good morning, yes Graham.
00:55:48
Speaker 16: Yeah, the lifting of interest rates so money only goes to one place, or I should say many places, the plural of bank banks, banks, what do they do with it? For God's sakes? But anyway, apart from and that, something I've been sitting on for quite a few years is that in the United States of America, the way they operate mortgages mainly is by the simple interest method, which means that the mortgage payer pays the same amount of mortgage each and every month for the term of the mortgage, in other words, twenty five thirty years. Just imagine if we had that, Michelle boy could be out of work.
00:56:24
Speaker 1: So that's it in America. Interest rates, what you sign up for, you pay for the next twenty five years or whatever the term of the loan is.
00:56:32
Speaker 16: That's correct, unless it really has to be a serious and really serious government intervention along the way. But because it's because it's simple interest, it's not compounding, which variable rate. Interest rates are compounding interest upon interest upon interest. And there can only be one winner out of this, and that could be the banks, the foreclosure of banks. Sure, America has a large population of what getting towards four hundred million people, they do have foreclosures on a pro riter basis. Australia is a lot worse. So I'd suggest to people get out of Australia, get to Canada yesterday.
00:57:08
Speaker 1: Strong words Allen. So how in America do they control inflation?
00:57:12
Speaker 16: Then well, they have their own methody through their Federal Reserve and what have you. But they get by I mean they do it, so you know, that's something worth looking into thoroughly to see how they do it, because it might be something that Australia needs to duplicate because at the moment we've got some real duds of politicians that need ejection from Parliament and another election court and get rid of these basards.
00:57:35
Speaker 1: Good on you, Helen. Thanks ll call from the text line, Danny says the Treasurer. We'll also say we're in better neck than when they took over. Elderly worked hard fort Wars, went without the luxuries that we have today and paid taxes. That money will now contribute to migrants pensions as they haven't paid tax for long enough. Thank you for that, Danny. We've got to take a break for the news headlines. Then on a light and the National Railway Museum. Ever been there. It's a wonderful place to go to. Well, they're opening their doors this weekend. What does that mean? We'll find out five Double A Mornings with Graham Goodings. I could listen to that all day. That's just about my favorite song of all time, The Midnight Train to Georgia from Gladys Knight and the Pips, which leads us into a story about trains, not just any trains. The National Railway Museum. They're opening their doors this weekend. What's it all about? Bob Samson. Samson is the executive director. Bob, good morning to you.
00:58:34
Speaker 9: Good morning Graham House.
00:58:36
Speaker 17: Things.
00:58:36
Speaker 1: No, look really well, thanks. It was not that long ago that my wife and I took one of our grandkids to the National Railway Museum, the first time she'd ever been there. Not the first time for maybe, but it's a great day out, it's fantastic. So what is happening this weekend that's any different.
00:58:54
Speaker 17: Well, for a start, Brent Raguelas is not driving this weekend.
00:59:00
Speaker 1: That's in funny you say that because we jumped on board the train and I thought that's a familiar face behind the.
00:59:09
Speaker 9: Good volunteer.
00:59:10
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and he gave us the best ride.
00:59:12
Speaker 9: Yeah.
00:59:13
Speaker 18: Well.
00:59:13
Speaker 17: Look, as part of the History Festival, we're doing our annual behind closed doors and we try to vary it from year to year. Again. The highlights, of course for kids as well as adults, is we've got our one and only remaining Bluebird rail car. They will be running on the Saturday and then on the Sunday. The old famous red Hens will be making trips and in the meantime our little blue steam engine bub will be going around around the site with the constant trips, and all those train rides on the three separate trains.
00:59:49
Speaker 1: Are all included in the mission fantastic.
00:59:52
Speaker 17: What we have also found as a highlight is by opening up areas that are not normally open to the public because of various reasons. It does attract people to get in and have a look and a touch and a feel of areas that are closed off normally. So we've got volunteers that will be in position in several exhibits to show them through and talk about some history of those vehicles.
01:00:18
Speaker 1: So this will be areas that when you take the ride around the circuit of the Matter Museum that you can see so I wonder what's in there. So we're actually going to get to say firsthand, oh yes.
01:00:29
Speaker 17: The exhibits will all be inside the main display pavilion, but as said, they'll be unlocked and open to have a good squize. App the old nickname the jumbo rail cars. They are always popular getting on those nineteen eighty style and modern supertrains. That's another highlight. But also believe this or not, the Woodville signal cabin, which we are quite many years ago, there will be open and when people get inside an old mechanical signal cabin where you don't have laptops or VDUs or anything, it's just purely leaders of different colors that can be pulled and retired signal and will be in attendance to talk through how it all works.
01:01:20
Speaker 1: What is it about trains? I mean, in this day and age, when kids love computers and digital video games, the works, the works, but put them near a train and their eyes absolutely light up.
01:01:30
Speaker 12: Look.
01:01:31
Speaker 17: I think it's because of the noise, the visuals. They're so different, well, especially the old trains, and I don't mean steam engines, even the railcos it just looks so different to what we see running around Adelaide today. It's just an association. I think a lot of it comes from early childhood days of reading books. I mean, for instance, Thomas the Tank Engines pro mind. But there's been numerous kids books produced that have a trained theme in them. And I've still got in my collection a book I had from my fifth birthday, The Little Blue Engine.
01:02:11
Speaker 19: That Could Could.
01:02:12
Speaker 1: Yes, I thought I could. I think I can. I think I can. Is that the one? Yeah, I couldn't get up the hill. I couldn't get up the hill, but I think I can. I think I can. And yeah, it gets the top of them down the other side. I knew I could. I knew I could. I knew something like that.
01:02:28
Speaker 17: You've done it before ground.
01:02:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, looks that has revived a memory, Bob, that I have not read that book to my kids. That's revived a memory that is you know, decades and decades and decades old, but you just mentioned it and it all comes back to me flooding back. There is a romance about trains, there's no question about that.
01:02:51
Speaker 9: Yes, that's right.
01:02:52
Speaker 17: So we, being very community minded, catering will be on the whole weekend. We've got road Tree in the old Capital carriage and we've got Prospect Scouts running the usual barbecue. So we like to give back to the community as well.
01:03:08
Speaker 1: Fantastic and all run by volunteers.
01:03:11
Speaker 17: Yeah, the volunteers. We'll probably about thirty to forty volunteers on site on each day to make sure everything's open and the trains are all running.
01:03:20
Speaker 1: So how do you get funding? I mean there's a lot of admittedly trains that don't run any longer, but a lot of expensive equipment there. Where's the money come from?
01:03:30
Speaker 17: Well, very good question. Where voluntary? Registered, not for profit. We have to find about seven hundred thousand dollars per year to keep the place running, and that's what we have to raise through membership's attendance, merchandising. Because there's no recurrent funding from any other external source.
01:03:55
Speaker 9: We have to do it on our own.
01:03:57
Speaker 17: So it's a challenge, but we've been doing it for a long time and we're certainly popular with forty five thousand visitors a year a lot of other.
01:04:07
Speaker 1: Places, so I reckon you get a few thousand this.
01:04:09
Speaker 17: Weekend, normally beginning in about two or three for the weekend. So we're hopeful.
01:04:14
Speaker 1: Well, I certainly hope the weather will be do the right thing by you.
01:04:18
Speaker 17: Yeah, no, we should be fine. There's lots of undercover space here anyway, so it'd be.
01:04:23
Speaker 1: Good, fantastic. Will you have a great weekend the greater chat good on your.
01:04:26
Speaker 9: Bob, Yeah, yeah, no worries.
01:04:28
Speaker 1: So yeah, that's Bob Sampson, executive officer of the National Railway Museum. The Little Blue Engine who could wow memories of books that go way back. I must say that the Far Away Tree and the Wishing Chair are two of my favorites that I used to love reading to the kids. Is it becoming a lost art? The parents not read as much as they used to. I mean there was just a special bond that builds up with parents and kids and grandparents and kids just reading a book. It's not quite the same looking at a video game or sharing a screen. It doesn't work the same way. How do we get there? Anyway? Go along to the National Railway Museum this weekend the History Festival. Once a year it happens like this. They open areas that aren't usually open. It will be fun for all. Let's hope the weather is fine. Eight double two to three double is the number RINGCM, says Hi Graham. I'm very confused about tax and inflation. It seems to be that any reduction in tax paid means more money in people's pockets, So that's inflationary. So interest rates have to go up. Does that mean we should be paying more tax? Totally confused, cam you're asking the wrong person here. No doubt there will be an economist, a tax expert that we'll be able to explain it to us. But look, I just don't understand See says I thought about inventing a pencil with an eraser at both ends, but there was no point locke, says Graham. From an economists perspective, when the RBA raises rates, it doesn't directly remove money. It raises the cost of credit, slows borrowing, spending, and asset prices, and that brings inflation down. Their direct tools are interest rates and less commonly balance sheets or sheet operations like buying or selling bonds to add or drain liquidity. But fiscal policy matters too large. Deficits stimulus and spending at all levels of government add to demand in the economy over the past few years. That's worked against the RBA. So it's not just Martin place, Canberra and the state's share responsibility for the inflation that we're dealing with. And I think this is largely problem, isn't it. You can get people to reign in spending by bumping up the interest rates or that only impacts directly people with mortgages. Those who don't have mortgages, or those who in fact have for long term deposits are smiling they're getting more money for their money. But the big issue would appear to be that the government, particularly the federal government, is spending They're spending money hand over fist, hence interest rates, inflation rate goes up, hence we have to pay for it, High Graham. The labor government want us all old people to dieally, so we don't cost them any money. Chris, No, no, no, surely not, High Graham. Your caller about mortgages in the USA is correct. Your mortgage is fixed for the entire term of the loan. Thank you for that bell. How good would that be? How good that would be to take out a mortgage, mind you, only in times of low mortgage. If you'd gone way back to the era when interest rates were seventeen percent and took out a mortgage at seventeen percent, and thirty years later when interest rates were three percent and you're still paying seventeen percent, not so good. But the other by the other extreme, if you took a borderhouse an interest rate of two and a half three percent and it's gone up four and a half five percent, you'd be laughing, wouldn't you. But at least you'd have surety. At least you would know from the day you took out your loan that from that time forward you could budget for it. You could say, well, I know that the cost of paying off my mortgage will never change. So if you get incremental pay rises over the years, inflation gives you more money. Whatever, you know what you're going to pay. It's not going to be impacted as it is here by the RBA making monthly decisions on your interest rates, and that effectively what happens back shortly Die five double A Mornings with Graham Goodings eleven A on this Tuesday morning, and it's my very great pleasure to welcome to the studio the inaugural Essay Giving Week founder Kay Burton, Ky, good morning to you, Thanks.
01:08:51
Speaker 20: For tiking at, thank you for having me on.
01:08:53
Speaker 1: So tell us what is Essay Giving Week all about.
01:08:56
Speaker 21: Well, it's the first one and we're so excited to launch it. We launched yesterday actually. But it's about inspiring a greater sense of generosity across our states, so encouraging and celebrating others to get involved and to give where it matters most to them.
01:09:11
Speaker 1: I think it's fair to say that South Australians per se are very generous people. You know, history would show that when it comes to giving, we are more than happy to reach into our pockets.
01:09:20
Speaker 21: We are, but we're just too humble about it and we don't celebrate it enough. So what we're trying to do throughout the week is to inspire others to tell their stories about how they give back in all ways, shapes and forms, so everything from volunteering all the way up to structure giving.
01:09:33
Speaker 1: So that is interesting you say that, I mean people are happy to give, but usually we don't want to anyone else would keep it to ourselves. It's a private thing. But you're saying it's good to let people know.
01:09:44
Speaker 21: It's good to let people know because it inspires others. So we're hoping that by telling stories throughout the week, and we've got over seventeen events that we're hosting open to the entire South Australian public that are all free to attend, that will encourage more people to get involved and to share how they give.
01:09:59
Speaker 1: So what sort of events we're looking forward to.
01:10:01
Speaker 21: Well, we've got everything was something for everyone, an event for everyone, So we've got seventeen events catered to a wide variety of audiences. Everyone from enough for profit leaders through to advisors all the way through to on Friday, we're hosting three events for people looking at learning more about how and the different types of ways that they can give back through philanthropy.
01:10:21
Speaker 1: And that's the trick I guess with philanthropy, I mean time, a lot of people doing it tough, there's no question about that. But there are also people that have done well in their life and sitting on a little nest egg and probably looking towards retirement. So you're suggesting that this could be the time to make a nice donation.
01:10:38
Speaker 21: Absolutely well, We're in this interesting situation in which cost of living is difficult for a lot of people and the over thirty five hundred charities that are in South Australia are doing it tough. But however, we do have this intergenerational wealth transfer coming through where people are inheriting or making considerable amounts of money. And so what we're trying to do through the week is just to inform and educate them on the different ways that they can give back should they choose to be generous and do so.
01:11:05
Speaker 18: So.
01:11:06
Speaker 1: Is this directing people specifically who to donate to.
01:11:09
Speaker 21: Well, we do have one of the platforms that I run is called give Essay, and that's a platform where any charity in South Australia can post a project that they need funding for completely for free, so you can browse those. But we're not it's not a fundraising week. The idea was just to inspire and educate people on them multiple ways that they can give back and we're hoping that charities can use it to their advantage and to help them amplify their voices throughout the week as well.
01:11:34
Speaker 1: We talk about charities and that probably there's never been a greater time when there's been a need for charity and charitable outlets because people are certainly doing it tough. There's what you're suggesting. Also, want to generate people to become volunteers and charitable charity workers.
01:11:53
Speaker 21: Absolutely, And you know a lot of the times that I'm having conversations with people and we'll be talking about philanthropy or giving and they'll say, well, I'm not philanthropus, and then I asked him to add up the time that they've you know, donated, you know, in terms of And yesterday we had a wonderful story of a gentleman who got in touch with us, and he's given thirty nine years, you know to the South Australian Motorcycle Riders Association. So we consider volunteering just as important as you know, donating financial resources, and that is.
01:12:20
Speaker 1: An important thing because there'd be people listening out and say, look, i'd love to give, I would love to give. I'm not financially in a position, but if they've got time, they can give them.
01:12:28
Speaker 21: That way we can all give, you know, and that's where I guess there's sixties now, but I'd like to say the three t's, you know, time, treasure and talent, and whichever form that takes for you is just as important.
01:12:39
Speaker 1: So where did the idea of giving weight come from home?
01:12:42
Speaker 21: Well, Queensland's actually got one, so they started about fifteen years ago, and I'd always thought, you know, what would happen if we could kind of you know, South Australia's is a similar size to Queensland, you know, and we're all relationship based here, so I used to think, well, why could we do that in South Australia. So we were watching very closely what they were doing, and the idea started forming and then we put together a remarkable group of committee members. So we've got it's a collective group that have kind of put this forward, not just one. So there's about five or six organizations Foundation, Essay Philanthropy Australia, the Essay Philanthropy Network which I run, and then we've got private film tropic support to actually fund the week so that we could make it free for everyone to attend. And we were very excited yesterday to receive news from the State Grament that they've contributed two hundred and fifty thousand to actually keep this weak going into futures, which is outstanding.
01:13:29
Speaker 1: Oh I was going to say, is there any government support but obviously.
01:13:32
Speaker 21: As of yesterday yes, very excited to announce that. But this week has been one hundred percent privately funded, which is wonderful.
01:13:40
Speaker 1: When we talk about and you sort of say people should be proud of donating, and I guess people can be proud without announcing it. But it's the Great Australian Reserve.
01:13:49
Speaker 8: You know.
01:13:50
Speaker 1: We don't like to crow and say we've done something spectacular. What would you say to people who say, look, you know, I'm happy to be a philanthropist or give, but I just don't want any want to know about it.
01:14:01
Speaker 20: I think you have to respect that.
01:14:02
Speaker 21: That's my personal opinion, and I think that giving comes in all forms, and you know, whether or not you want to be loud and proud or if you want to be private, that's your choice. But I would say that by leading by example and telling others you know and encouraging others to do the same, and even talking about charities that you support, is really important because it helps raise awareness for the organizations that are near and dear to your heart. So instead of talking about yourself as a giver, which we often feel very uncomfortable in doing, you know, perhaps talk about the organizations that you're supporting and help them spread the word about the great work that they're doing.
01:14:33
Speaker 1: So what are the pathways? If anyone's listening says, oh, that sounds good, how do I become involved?
01:14:38
Speaker 21: Well, the first thing is to head to the website, so Essay Givingweek dot org dot au. We have a range of resources to help you on your journey. We've still got I think it's fourteen events throughout the rest of the week that are free and open to attend, so anyone can register and come along.
01:14:52
Speaker 20: We'd love to see you there.
01:14:54
Speaker 21: And then if you do want to continue your journey into giving all of our contact details are, then we'd love to hear from anyone who's interested and then we can help direct you to where you need it most.
01:15:03
Speaker 1: So tell us a bit more about some of the events that you've still got coming up this week.
01:15:06
Speaker 2: Right.
01:15:06
Speaker 21: So I just left a session and David Ward from Australian Film Tropic Services was meeting with a group of twenty different lawyers, accounts and advisors and so he was educating them on the types of structures that you can set up. Tonight we've got two sessions. There's an organization coming down from Queensland to present on they're actually electricians and they've set up a model where they give away all of their profits which is outstanding. So that's more for corporate giving. Tomorrow, we've got a few reports released and we've got one at the Zoo and then one at the Museum and those are all going to be about intergenerational wealth in the way that we communicate with others.
01:15:44
Speaker 20: On Thursday, we're so excited.
01:15:46
Speaker 21: To announce that PLANTHPY Australia has someone from the Rockefeller Foundation coming over to speak, which would be incredible so we'll have a bit of international exposure there and then on Thursday night we've got Impact one hundred so you would have heard of that model in South Australia, a very is collective giving model run by Catherine House.
01:16:02
Speaker 20: And then on.
01:16:03
Speaker 21: Friday we've got a breakfast with Patricia Saluta, a showcase which is going to be our signature event for the year in which we're encouraging everyone to come along and that's going to be sort of a this is how the world of philanthropy works whichever, and we've got something on structure giving, corporate giving, volunteering, community foundations, so the whole realm of giving and people can come learn and then decide which deep dive they want to do. So five DOAA is beautiful. Jess Adamson is going to be m seeing that event and then we are going to cap it off with a lunch with Darryl Wade. So Daryl Wade is the Chair of Philanthropy Australia. He's also the founder of Intrepid Travel, so he's going to be doing and speaking about his personal experience with giving, so everything from when he started off as a backpacker all the way through to leading the nation's sort of you know, peak body for giving now, so really looking forward to it.
01:16:51
Speaker 1: Oh, it sounds fascinating. Something that just springs to mind. Though when we think of philanthropy and you mentioned the Rockefeller Foundation, you know, we're generally people we're talking big money here, we're talking hundreds of thousand, we're talking millions of dollars. What about people who's just got to say, I'm just not in that. I want to give, but I'm just not in that league.
01:17:12
Speaker 2: You know.
01:17:13
Speaker 1: What's the role for them?
01:17:14
Speaker 21: Well, I would say if you go back to the meaning of philanthropy, it actually means the love of mankind, you know. And so that's where I say everyone's a philanthropist, you know, and every form of giving matters, everything from volunteering your time to your skills to the big amounts.
01:17:27
Speaker 20: And I think it's really important.
01:17:28
Speaker 21: And what we've tried to do throughout this week is to make it accessible and make giving accessible to everyone. So if you do have millions of dollars to give away, great, you know, we're going to celebrate that.
01:17:37
Speaker 20: We won't knock you back.
01:17:38
Speaker 21: But you know, even your time and your skills and even if it's you know, dropping in a coin, you know, on your way to the footy, you know, while you're walking over the footbridge, you know, into the variety jar. Every bit counts, and I think if we can encourage more people just to have a conscious awareness of how they're giving back, you know, whether it's starting at home and having conversations with your kids, you know, to speaking to your colleagues and your networks, or you know, just to kind of and hopefully what my husband and I hook to do is inspire a sense of generosity in our five children. You know, So every bit counts. But I think we've never had a week where we've put generosity on a platform, and so that's what we're hoping to achieve through this week.
01:18:12
Speaker 1: And it's all starting this week. SA Giving Week. Thank you for coming in. We appreciate your time and we have it goes well. I'm sure it goes well, Cab and thank you so much.
01:18:22
Speaker 20: Thanks so much, Graham.
01:18:23
Speaker 1: It's SA Giving Week. If you want to find out more, go to WWWSA Givingweek dot org dot AU. Five A Mornings with Graham Goodings seven past eleven and five A on a Tuesday morning. Thanks for joining us for the final hour of the show. Well, the federal government is pushing ahead with a long term plan for a high speed rail corn network, initially a corridor between Sydney and Newcastle. The government has already allocated to more than six hundred million dollars for planning, with the overall cost estimated to be at least ninety two million dollars. This is what the Prime Minister had to say.
01:18:57
Speaker 22: I will not be the prime minister when high spl is finished, but I am determined to be the prime minister has starts.
01:19:05
Speaker 1: Yes, so six hundred and forty million has been already allocated. The estimated cost nine hundred and ninety two billion dollars. I'll get it right in a moment, ninety two billion dollars. Joining us now is Urban Task Force Australia. See Tom Forrest. Tom, thanks for your time today.
01:19:21
Speaker 2: That's a pleasure.
01:19:23
Speaker 1: High speed rail, it's a dream. It's something that is probably long overdue in Australia. But can we afford it?
01:19:29
Speaker 2: Well, the short answer is no.
01:19:31
Speaker 10: And it's probably surprising to some of your listeners to hear an urban development organization like the Urban Task Force, who represents the property development sector, arguing against government funding for such a big infrastructure delivery opportunity. But the problem is that from a financial feasibility perspective, we don't have the density of population to justify this sort of investment and then then pay for the operation of that high speed rail line. We're talking ninety two billion dollars potentially going into a project, and if you believe it's going to be ninety two and not two hundred and ninety two, then I think you're off with the tooth ferries because big projects like this that have never been done in the Australian context before typically blow out massively. We're talking a tunnel from if you could just paint a picture for your listeners when you're talk Newcastle to Central Coast, that's relatively easy to build a high speed rail line from the Central Coast to the Hawksbury River to the north of Sydney. You've got marshland, so you're going to have to build some form of either underground, deep or a viaduct going through the top. Then you've got across the Hawksbury River.
01:20:49
Speaker 2: That's a big river to cross.
01:20:51
Speaker 10: You get to what we call the Cowayan Bank, goes from the hawks River all the way up to Kowayan. You can't do that, it's too steep, So you have to go into tunnel. Tunnel will go all the way from from the north of Sydney the Hawksbury River into the center of Sydney and then the second stage out to Western Sydney Airport.
01:21:11
Speaker 2: That's a ninety.
01:21:12
Speaker 10: Kilometer tunnel that's longer than the English Channel tunnel that takes the Eurostar. It's the longest rail tunnel in the world. Really, how do you deal with the fire safety, how do you deal with the evacuation, the clean the requirement for clean air. We're talking the longest tunnel in It just beggars belief, frankly, that you should that you'd be going and spending hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, that is billions and billions and billions of dollars on a project like this, when at the same time we have Western Sydney with its new airport, a five point two billion dollar airport that doesn't yet have road infrastruction, uctual water infrastructure structure to support the growth that is the potential of that Western Sydney pressinc. So what I say is now is not the time to be doing detailed financial analysis on the future of what is frankly an anorak clad transpot OF's dream. Instead, let's spend money on the infrastructure that we need right now for the delivery of the growth of Western Sydney in and around the brand new five point two billion dollar airport that's just about to open.
01:22:33
Speaker 1: And I think that story could be replicated around Australia in terms of infrastructure needing to be spent, because this is federal money and we're here in Adelaide, and here we would be propping up a corridor between Sydney and Newcastle, which is only a tiny stretch and at the moment, I believe it only service is about thirty or thirty or forty thousand people a day. So we're not talking about a massive movement of people.
01:22:57
Speaker 2: No, you're not.
01:22:58
Speaker 10: And I mean when you talk about big high speed rail projects, you're talking about linking Shanghai to Beijing and Tanjan. You're talking about places in Korea with massive populations and high density. Japan, of course everyone thinks of the shin Kanzen. You're talking thirty two million people in Tokyo and another and another twenty million people in Osaka along with ten million people halfway in Nagoya. They're the sort of numbers that can deliver you the capital investment and also the operational recurrent feasibility to effectively compete with aeroplanes and cars. In fact, those sorts of between Paris and London, your two massive cities, you've got enough people to justify the Eurostar, the high speed rail link.
01:23:49
Speaker 2: And then similarly.
01:23:52
Speaker 10: Out to both Berlin and Brussels, you've got population density in Spain and in Europe. You know, it doesn't even the high speed rail system in America was abandoned between running between Boston, New York City and Washington DC. If they can't make it work, what are we even thinking?
01:24:14
Speaker 1: I mean geographically, Australia lends itself to high speed rail because you know, you're covering vast distances between and we're looking along the Eastern seaboard, which is the greatest population center. And in an ideal world, yes, it'd be great, but as you've just pointed out, logistically, it just doesn't make any.
01:24:31
Speaker 10: Sense logistically, financially and frankly, just as you do in Adelaide, there are other infrastructure priorities that are demanding the call on federal government infrastructure funds right now. We need the federal government but to be taking that money out of its pipe bit dream project and investing it into housing related infrastructure to support housing growth in our suburbs. That could be the delivery of public open spaces and parks, it could be the delivery of roads and water infrastructure. We don't mind what it is. Just don't waste on a pipe dream project. Spend it on something that we need right now.
01:25:04
Speaker 1: Do you think this is just the Prime Minister wanting to have a legacy piece in the future generation saying well, I started it.
01:25:11
Speaker 2: I reckon.
01:25:11
Speaker 10: The Prime Minister must have had a mate down the road with a really really cool train set in the garage and he's always had a bit of trainset envy and he's going to now that he's got the opportunity. He's saying, I'm going to show you I'm going to build a high speed royal system in Australia. And I reckon, he's pretty much a one man Cheers squad.
01:25:30
Speaker 1: And we mentioned the ninety two billion dollars that's the initial estimate, you reckon, that could blow out many times.
01:25:38
Speaker 10: I would be staggered if it didn't blow out many times, and I'm talking many times. What they've done is that spent the six hundred odd million that they've already dedicated to the project on developing up a desktop business case. From the desktop business case, they're now going to move to a more detailed analysis of what it might cost and what the root options might be. I think it's at this stage you'll see the ninety blow out into two hundred and fifty plus.
01:26:02
Speaker 1: Hah Yeah, And they're already allocated six hundred and forty million dollars just for planning the whole concept.
01:26:08
Speaker 2: Well, that's exactly right.
01:26:09
Speaker 10: I mean, it's good that governments are not racing into this without properly detailing the costs and the potential benefits and the rude options and the best, the most viable way.
01:26:19
Speaker 20: To do it.
01:26:20
Speaker 10: It's a sensible way to do it. But frankly, right now, I just look at the yawning need for infrastructure supply to support the housing growth that we're currently experiencing, but not at a fast enough pace, and why not because we don't have the infrastructure to support it. So we've got a housing supply crisis. We've got an affordability crisis. One of the key things is the delivery of infrastructure to support the growth in housing. That's the missing part from the federal government. I think there needs to be a reprioritization towards that.
01:26:52
Speaker 1: Tom Forress, thanks so much of your time today. Urban Paskporce, Australia. Is Tom Forrest echoing the sentiments. So I think that we're all thought that this is just a vanity project that the Prime Minister has come across. I mean, this is what he had to say.
01:27:07
Speaker 22: I will not be the Prime Minister when high speed Route is finished, but I am determined to be the prime minister has starts.
01:27:14
Speaker 1: And to hell with the cost ninety two billion dollars, as as Tom Forrest said, it's more likely to be two hundred and fifty billion dollars two one hundred and fifty billion dollars. And this is just for a corridor linking Sydney and Newcastle. The traffic that it has each day is less than we have traveling from Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills into the city. And we're going to get billions spent on our little corridor. I don't think. So what are your thoughts, love to hear them. Make double two three double ow back shortly five double A Mornings with Graham Goodings twenty past eleven five double A on a Tuesday morning New York call shortly on eight double two three double O double ow But a short time ago, the Prime Minister held a news conference telling us what to expect with the budget coming up next week.
01:28:01
Speaker 22: What I can guarantee is that certainly we're very conscious about putting that downward pressure. We've already had one hundred and fourteen billion dollars of savings in our budgets. There'll be more savings in the budget that is announced next week. This will be a responsible budget. We inherited a fiscal position which showed budget deficits every year, and what we did was we turned that into two budget surplaces and then lower deficits. And I can confirm that we're we're doing hard work looking at savings in the budget as we always do. We want to make sure that there's good value for money.
01:28:46
Speaker 1: And then Jie Minister Chris Bowen had this to say regarding EV tax breaks.
01:28:51
Speaker 23: The EV tax cut will continue, but will apply from the first of April twenty twenty seven to cast under seventy five thousand dollars, with lesser support for those cars between seventy five thousand and just over ninety thousand dollars.
01:29:04
Speaker 1: This is very sensible.
01:29:05
Speaker 23: When we came to office, there was no EV available for under forty thousand dollars.
01:29:10
Speaker 1: Now Australians do have those choices. That was Chris Bowen and Opposition leader Angus Taylor had this to say regarding tax breaks.
01:29:19
Speaker 24: Well, it should be wound back faster immediately now, I mean it's not means tested. Some of the wealthiest Australians getting a hand out from this government. That's just a sign of how they've got their priorities so wrong.
01:29:31
Speaker 1: That was Angus Taylor regarding EV tax breaks eight double two to three double double. If you have a comment, love to hear from you. Let's take some calls Murray, good morning, Oh, good morning.
01:29:43
Speaker 25: They lost me there are they talking true or not.
01:29:49
Speaker 1: Talk them true? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
01:29:52
Speaker 25: Well, there was a group of fellows last night. They were talking last there. They was just talking a few political things and they're talking now you had we're talking about the Snowy River scheme, a few weeks.
01:30:08
Speaker 1: Back a snowy too.
01:30:10
Speaker 25: Yeah, yeah, the cost flight, Well they said there's there's been another disaster with it. Do you know whether that's true. There's a big flood going on in there apparently.
01:30:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, Safe Work New South Wales is monitoring what is happening. There's apparently two separate funding incidents have been reported.
01:30:30
Speaker 25: And that's going to put the cost up more. That's gonna you know, they're bringing costs down. And you know when we had zero when everything was sold and there was zero debt, and now we got this cumulative debt is so big. But the other thing was that mister kreets And was supposed to have said that the Chinese are interfering with our steel works here and in Hobart and causing problems.
01:31:11
Speaker 1: That's just because they're dumping cheap metal onto the world stage. I think, so we can't compete. I think that's that's the problem.
01:31:20
Speaker 25: But what cord of meant are still doing. You know they must be getting paid, you know, a few billion by now trying to get this work things out. I thought they were there to fight things like this.
01:31:37
Speaker 1: Well, I'm sure that is that is happening, but it's.
01:31:41
Speaker 25: Required about them. You're hard to hear about them anymore.
01:31:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, the government.
01:31:45
Speaker 25: Has been a long time now since this has been going on.
01:31:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we're certainly trying to sell off the Whaler steel Works, and they're still trying to get the steel works in a condition that it can be sold off. It's a long haul, a long way to go, Peter says, Chris Bowen is about as useful as a wire mesh water bag. Dan says, it's bizarre that they didn't even consider Sydney to Melbourne. Are we're talking about high speed rail a much busier corridor. That being said, I've been lucky enough to travel on high speed trains in Japan and more recently China, and is a fantastic way to travel between cities. Well, Dan, the issue is that they're considering, they would consider, certainly high speed rail between Sydney and Melbourne. That is the game. But if you look at a map down the East Coast, this would be the first tiny leg of that Sydney to Newcastle, you know, a tiny what would it be a tenth of the whole distance, probably less than that, And that is going to cost ninety two billion dollars An estimate, our last guest said, in fact, probably to be two hundred and fifty billion dollars. Two hundred and fifty billion dollars. But the distance between Sydney and Newcastle is less than one hundred and so many kilometers by car. So that is an awful lot of money to spend for high speed rail, and it is a dream. It would be wonderful to have high speed rail here. But as our guess Richard Witton said, even the United States, you know, population bordering on four hundred million, has abandoned plans for high speed rail. They can't justify it. It can't be justified between major population centers in Japan, in China, through Europe. You know, we're talking massive population basis. In Australia, it is not possible, not possible at all. And of course i'm talking about Tom Forrest Urban Task Force Australia CEO, not Richard Witton, who we spoke to earlier from Finder. Yes, Tom Forrest was very scathing in where he thought the money should be spent. If we do have all these billions of dollars, it should go to other infrastructure. Maybe it should go to age care, Maybe it should go to hospitals, but certainly not to a pipe dream of a little piddling high speed rail set that Anthony Albanezi sees as his legacy. Good morning gg on Elbow's pipe dream on high speed rail. Our government task, as government's task, is reckless spending to bankrupt the country. This proposal just proves the idiocy of our prime minister, a fool and his money are easily departed. Well, I think we've got to let him know, because you know, we know the can rebubble. You know, I can't believe that it's got to the stage that they've commissioned six hundred and forty million dollars as a feasibility study on this section of high speed rail that doesn't even carry as many people as the Southeastern Freeway covers carries on a daily basis. Yet they want to spend ninety two billion dollars. The blowout, as Tom Forrest said, is more likely to be two one hundred and fifty billion dollars. That's as our national debt pushes on towards a trillion. They're just numbers, folks, Phil good morning.
01:34:58
Speaker 26: It's good morning. Actually wrote a detailed letter to a liberal politician while back he thought it was a good idea, but of course that's where it stopped. My thought was that we should build a high speed rowling between Adelaide and Melbourne. We enforced the fact that any truck traveling into state between the two centers should have to travel on that train, like they do on the Eurostar, and like they do in Europe. They put the trucks on the trains.
01:35:34
Speaker 1: They wouldn't put them on high speed trains. Fill surely, well why not? Well, if you've seen what a high speed train that travels at three hundred and fifty k's looks like I have.
01:35:44
Speaker 26: I've been on the Eurostar a number of times. I've been on the Shinko in Japan.
01:35:49
Speaker 1: I'll bet they're not bearing big trucks.
01:35:51
Speaker 26: No, no, But what we should then do is all freight comes overnight for all the freight trains travel through the night from city to city, and in the day it's for passengers. So that way we get the trucks off the roads. We reduce the fuel load required, we reduce the damage to the roads. We basically save all of that fossil fuel. We make it safe. We don't have trucks coming down the freeway and we have a high speed roill link in the daytime that we can use between Melbourne and Adelaide, and you can then go down to the station an hour before instead of having to be at the airport three hours before. You're then dumped in out in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and you've got to spend another hour and a half getting into Melbourne. You get dropped off in the middle of Melbourne. So my thought was all freight travels at night and it is enforceable if it's traveling from city to cit and all passenger of our travels during the day.
01:37:05
Speaker 1: Interesting, phil, Interesting, I don't know how to work. But in terms of high speed rail, if we're talking serious high speed rail two hundred and fifty three hundred and fifty k's an hour, I don't think it will ever happen in Australia. Certainly not in your lifetime, not in my lifetime, and not in Anthony Albaneze's lifetime. Although he wants to get high speed rail up and running, he wants to see the start of it. Although you know, damn the cost ninety two billion dollars and canning. What are your thoughts? Eight double two three double o, double oh after the break, after the news headlines how technology can assist with aging five double A Mornings with Graham Goodings twenty eight to twelve five double A on this Tuesday morning. Hope we find you well. Still time few calls on eight double two to three double o double oh. Still want you to know what you're thinking about. The local councils move on cars that appear to be dumped in the streets Onkaparinga has received one hundred and thirty complaints in the council area. They say they're effectively powerless to do much about removing those vehicles that are apparently dumped or left for a long period of time. If you have experiences in that way, in that manner, give us a call tell us about them on eight double two three double o double oh. Let's take a call. Christine, Good morning, our good.
01:38:19
Speaker 18: Morning, Graham. Just a quick comment about this ridiculous high speed rail we went up to. We traveled up on the National Highway up towards Portaguster and through porta Guster, and we were absolutely amazed at the number of a quadruple and a triple of bogie trucks on the road. They start outnumbered the cars, they're dangerous. I mean, we do have overpasses on that note, but they need to have a dual highway on the National Highway. It's about the only highway that I've traveled on that doesn't have a dual carriageway. And to think that they're going to spend these billions of dollars on a high bed rail for just a few people when this this is a connection for the whole of Australia to Western Australia and the Northern Territory. For this for these big trucks. And that's my comment, and I just think that it should be done ASoP.
01:39:16
Speaker 1: Good point Christine. I think the priorities in the list of priorities, in the list of things that Australia needs and needs now, a high speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle wouldn't rank in the top two hundred. Prove me wrong, Prove to me that it is an essential piece of an essential piece of our infrastructure. Ninety two billion dollars costed. We've had an expert to say it's more likely to be two hundred and fifty billion dollars and it's to serve us less than fifty thousand people a day, absolute lunacy. We have to let the government know we're not going to put up with this. We don't want to see or hear any more of the Prime Minister's Vanity Project. What are your thoughts? Give us a call eight double two to three double. Many older adults reject technology. They have concerns over privacy and the surveillance, loss of autonomy. Often it's just a fear of the unknown. Well, a new study from Flinder's University's Caring Futures Institute has looked at technology and the aging population. Joining us now is doctor Claire Goff. Doctor. Good morning to you, morning Graham.
01:40:22
Speaker 27: How are you going?
01:40:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, So tell us about your findings.
01:40:26
Speaker 27: Yeah, this has been really, really quite interesting and very topical. I think at the moment, given changes to age care support, but also the strain that we've got on age care workers, you know globally, I could probably stay. We've been looking specifically about how technology can improve these things. So I think some of the key findings that we've come up with is that really technology has got huge potential to make care easier and more efficient for our workforce and to improve the services and the care that older people receive, which can really keep them in their homes and independent for a lot longer than perhaps would be required if technology wasn't supportive. So technology has got these big opportunities to enhance our care, not replace it, but also improve lifestyle and that ongoing connection not just physically within our environments, but also socially as well.
01:41:31
Speaker 1: Is this technology sort of a quick fix for the things that they are the elderly unfortunately not?
01:41:39
Speaker 27: Look some of them can be some of them can be quite nice and simple, and they can come in, as you know, something to pop into your house that assists with turning the lights on and those sorts of straightforward things. But the issue that we've got with technology is that no one size fits all, and that's the bigger picture that we're having more more of looking too, is the complexities of not only what technologies might be suitable and for who, but also the acceptance of them. So are they useful? Do they cause ethical issues and security cyber safety type problems? Which is certainly a bigger conversation around the technologies that exist. But one of the main things I think that we've come out of this really knowing. Is that taking a technology off the shelf and giving it to older people and saying, okay, what do you think is this helpful? Is certainly not enough. We need to include older people in the code design process of technologies when it's in those very early stages of an initial idea, and then make sure that actually it's what older people want, what they're going to use, and it's going to be helpful, which will then mean that it's accepted and it can be used in daily height life. To make it different.
01:43:00
Speaker 1: I mean that makes sense, doesn't it. You're taking them along with you. You don't present a fat of complete we've designed this, this and this, it's going to be really good for you. There it is. And they're sort of saying, you know, we don't understand. But if you take someone along from day one through the process and value their input because surely their input is.
01:43:21
Speaker 27: Vital, Yes, definitely. And this is sort of where we've sort of got again this complexity as well of almost the agism that comes with technology, and you know, the false belief that older people are not going to want to use technology, or that they're not capable of using technology, and that now just is not the case. Everyone's wandering around with the smartphone with them, So really that technology and that exposure and our aging population and what they look like and their demographic and what they're going to need and want in the future is changing, so we certainly need to take the age is view out of this. The other key finding from this is really that we're starting to look at the use of AI, that artificial intelligence to model and make things appropriate for individual older people.
01:44:11
Speaker 6: But really the.
01:44:14
Speaker 27: Data that's used to train AI, there's a huge underrepresentation of older people in those data sets. So actually some of that agism is being taken progressively into future use of AI, which definitely needs considerations for us to improve this in the future.
01:44:32
Speaker 1: And of course older people all aren't the same because some are very technology savvy, others are moderately interested, others don't give a damn, others are scared by it. So you can't have a blanket ruling because someone's reached a certain age, therefore they have no concept or understanding that's exactly right.
01:44:53
Speaker 27: And to complement that as well, we've not just found that it's older people, but actually even workers. We've got some different presentations from them. We've got some that are very willing to use technology embedded in their daily work, get people motivated to at least give it a try. And then on the other hand, we've got care workers who are already overloaded in their workload. And really, if you're to put a new technology in and say, okay, it's your responsibility to one set this up, charge it, connect it to the internet, and then use it in your day to day life, really a lot of people can't see the worst in that sort of early investment. That's actually going to take more time. But we need to get past that to a point where we can be supportive and these things are embedded, which means that we're going to make things more efficient in the long term. So it is very dependent on the person, the older person, the network and family members around them. And that's why we've sort of realized that it's not just the technology, but it's actually that environment and the human factors around them that really impact the upstate and the acceptance and just the general use of technology.
01:46:08
Speaker 1: So what would be your key recommendations as a result of your research.
01:46:13
Speaker 16: I think the.
01:46:13
Speaker 27: Key recommendation here is that we need to go back to the drawing board and include older people within the co design, because if we do that from the very beginning, we're going to remove some of those issues, some of those spears and ethical considerations very early on and work out what technology should look like and what it needs to be for older people.
01:46:37
Speaker 1: Doctor Claire Gough, thanks so much for your time.
01:46:39
Speaker 27: Today, Thanks for having me.
01:46:40
Speaker 1: Thank you Sunder's Universities, Doctor Clear Gough. Older people and technology, how do you fit in? Where are you on the scale of things? Are you really comfortable with technology? Do you adopt it? Are you an early adopter or are you wary of it? Let's know your thought eight double two three double double from the text line will take calls in just a moment, Andrew says. Sydney Melbourne Melbourne Sydney is the second busiest airline route in the world, So if you're going to put in high speed rail anywhere in Australia, this would be the route to put it as there's the highest demand. That is dead right, Andrew. But you have to consider that Sydney to Newcastle is on the way. It's only about one hundred and seventy k's along the way, but it is along the way. And that little route could cost up to two hundred and fifty billion dollars. So, as the US has found, high speed rail is not an economic proposition even in a country of four hundred million people. Here we are what twenty seven million and growing and vast stretches, huge stretches. High speed rail would be wonderful, but I think it is a bridge too far at this stage. Lauren, good morning to you.
01:47:47
Speaker 28: Oh hello, Brian. Look I heard you talking before about under of what's happening with elder people. So basically I'm seventy or bus seventy months soon now. But my husband and I have lived in this house down no longer they no longer counsel won't define where my street is. And so originally when we came here, we've had.
01:48:11
Speaker 13: Fairly wide roads.
01:48:12
Speaker 28: But what the councils do now is they they narrow your road quite substantially. And then now they set off adlocks, which we've been in sup forty two years. Here, the blocks get sold and they put half a house on, you know, so half a house each form one block. So that's basically what it's like. So then you get the situation of someone that has moved into a half a house, they have cars, plus they have a permanently left truck. Now, I tried to bring air council and say about her, you know, because I also volunteer at a hospital. So I'm thinking that there are elderly people now like me in this area, older than me even and sad. For instance, if something happens, an emergency happens, and an andulance tries to navigate that, you know, cars opposite, you know, can cut the permanent truck there. It's just a risk factor and I don't, you know, the counsels say they can't do anything. So when I found out, first of all, the truck wasn't even registered, you know, sitting there all that time and not registered. So all of a sudden it's suddenly registered.
01:49:26
Speaker 1: So really, because I was going to say, if it is unregistered, they can take action, but if it's registered they can't.
01:49:33
Speaker 28: Yeah, but that's the thing. They've they've somehow become aware of the factor and gone out and registered it. But it sits there, it never moves, and it's so frustrating, not only for me, but for older people, you know, like that's the emergency, and not only that they've put well so if you go down the end of my streets down they put a new double story doctors area there, so occasionally that gets so full of people they get park on the street as well. So going onto a main road, we have two narrow streets which the council should have panned ahead. That's going to be a doctor's surgery with two underground parking. Why would you narrow the streets.
01:50:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, that makes sense. Well it doesn't make any sense what they're doing. Look, Lauren, I feel for you, and what you're saying is happening all over Adelaide where they have subdivide blocks. So where there might be a property with two cars, all of a sudden, the same property has got six cars. No off street parking, park on the street and cars are well, even those that are used on a daily basis, there are plenty that are just sitting there and you know they're not moved on. And the council's so frustrated because they can't take action. And this is why local councils are looking for a legislative chains or change so they can can they John, good.
01:50:55
Speaker 19: Mate, listening to the conversation with trucks, cars and whatnot. Years ago we were discussing with friends that've got trucks at the stop traffic on the road like semis, and that, why don't they have a depot, say here in Adelaide and every city they take their trailers there, they load them onto a train and they take them to a depot to Melbourne, Sydney or whatever. So you get hardly any any semis on the road.
01:51:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a fair question, and it must have been looked at, John. Surely is the rail service inadequate? I mean, why can't we have more freight? It would certainly clear the roads, no question about it, because this nation could not get by without our truckees. I mean we thank them for the great work they do, but they clog up the roads and they largely make it unsafe at times. So yeah, why can't we do more rail freight.
01:51:49
Speaker 19: It'll be they'll be off the road, I don't have to worry about any traffic, be quicker.
01:51:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, and there'd be less maintenance on the roads. It would be safer on the roads. Why don't we have more or rail phrase? We will look into that. And thanks for you, Carle. Let's go out to seat in John. No, Tony how are you.
01:52:07
Speaker 7: Good morning, Grant. That's the way you're talking. We want to get on further with this country. Just then the horse can't be.
01:52:19
Speaker 1: So you think we should go ahead with a high speed rail.
01:52:22
Speaker 7: Of course it should.
01:52:24
Speaker 1: It doesn't bother. You tell me about your pan.
01:52:29
Speaker 7: Just before the bullet train, all right, and it's still going today.
01:52:34
Speaker 1: And by the way, yeah, but what sort of population does I mean? Tokyo is twenty five million. Where does that go from Tokyo to another population of fifteen million? We're talking serious populations here that can justify bullet trains.
01:52:47
Speaker 7: We can't, Graham, I can't justify it because at the moment, why you're not telling me any facts or anything. But what it is is between the east and seaboard Sydney moment, what's the population of Sydney, what's the pop lation?
01:53:01
Speaker 1: Six million? Six million? Both of them around six million?
01:53:05
Speaker 7: Okay, she got twelve millions just there.
01:53:07
Speaker 6: I mean.
01:53:09
Speaker 7: Between the castle.
01:53:12
Speaker 1: Compared to Japan, compared to China, compared to Europe, they're pedddly little numbers. I'm afraid it can't be justified.
01:53:22
Speaker 7: Something we're not very spinning in the sad. What we can do is justify. We don't know that they spend a penny. We can get these Japanese train networks to come here and set it up for themselves, and then we.
01:53:37
Speaker 19: Not three.
01:53:39
Speaker 7: So the toll roads in Europe, all the rights belong to the government, some of them are private, and then those toll roads they're paying for it.
01:53:47
Speaker 1: Well, your an interesting point of view, Tony, and I'll take it on board. But I don't think even any Japanese company would look at Australia. So we can make a lot of money out of this by sending up high speed rail. If in the US between major population centers they turn their back on high speed rail because it couldn't be justified. There's no way in a sway that we could justify it, and particularly even if it could be justified at a time when the nation is groaning under debt almost a trillion dollars, here is the Prime Minister wanting to spend on a vanity piece up to two hundred and fifty billion dollars on a stretch of high speed rail that is less than two hundred kilometers long. Five double A mornings with gram goodings, we'll find out exactly what is going to happen this afternoon. Stacy Lee's on at one two o'clock the big announcement.
01:54:32
Speaker 29: Stacy two o'clock our time, The Big Announcement, will have it live and then from three o'clock, which is just after the press conference that the RBA holds, I'll have Michael Rogero in the studio. He's an accountant, he's the chairman of partners at Bentley's right here in Adelaide, and will be breaking down all the info that you need to know. After the announcement's made, everyone.
01:54:53
Speaker 1: With the mortgage will be holding their breath and money and savings as well. Always with long term interest deposits will be saying bump them up, and those who have a mortgageule saying keep them as they are.
01:55:05
Speaker 29: Yeah, yep, So we'll have all the information on that this afternoon. The other topic I'm talking about is one you've been discussing, Graham, in terms of cars parked on streets long term. It's such a big issue and this is something I've covered before. I was really surprised when I found out the councils can't actually do anything about it, powerless, yeah, which is ridiculous. So this afternoon you're going to hear from the mayor of the City of Onkaparinga, Moira Weir, And quite fortuitously, I already had the local Government Minister, Rhiann and Pearce coming on after two o'clock, which is just before the very first question time of the year, so she'll be frantically getting ready for question time. But she's made some time to come and chat with us because last week I did an interview about standards of local councilors and there's one local council which is also the City of on Kapringa, that's written to her saying we should require local elected representatives to have a police check, working with children check and are working with vulnerable people check as well if they're going to represent us on local council. So I'll ask her about that. I'll ask her about the cars parked long term. Is she planning on changing the rules so councils can actually intervene and do something about it and free up streets on that to.
01:56:17
Speaker 1: Call it just before saying that they had a truck parked an unregistered truck. Now council can act on an unregistered truck, but all of a sudden it became registered, they'd been reported to the council. All of a sudden the truck was registered, so it could legitimately stay on the road. So I'm not naming the council or wherever, but there was obviously sort of a little bit of in house trading there, or.
01:56:40
Speaker 29: The council reached out to the person who owns it and says, oh you're or just said your truck is parked and it's unregistered.
01:56:46
Speaker 20: We've got a right to remove it, which you would assume.
01:56:48
Speaker 29: A council would have to give notice to someone before they just remove a car. So maybe that person's gone, oh, I'll register it.
01:56:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I mean that's a loophole, isn't it. I mean, should vehicles be allowed to just remain permanently effectively on the straight?
01:57:02
Speaker 29: Yeah, well it's a bigger question for sure, So we'll cover it this afternoon plus with the minister. Two years ago, a review into the legislation surrounding local councils was launched. Last year, they announced new legislation was going to be introduced.
01:57:16
Speaker 1: I don't know where the legislation is, so we'll ask for an update. Slip down the back of the chair. Something like that. Yeah, Conee, Stacy, thank you, grat Stacey Lee. Coming up this afternoon, of course, with the important RBA interest rate announcement. Final word from cam Hi Graham. I agree in principle that the high speed rail project is a vanity project. If you think about it, what the US spent on getting them to the Moon could have fed everyone on the planet for ten years. It's a bit tangential. But how do we differentiate between vision and ego? I'm not sure. Good point, Cam, certainly a good point, and that the US could afford to send man to the Moon, Australia can't afford a vanity project that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. That's it for today. Thanks for company