Monday, 22 September 2025

E&OE

Karl Stefanovic:

Welcome back to the show. Great to have your company on this Monday morning. Well Anthony Albanese has defied the Trump administration to formally recognise Palestinian statehood to discuss. I'm joined by Shadow Minister for Small Business Tim Wilson and nine presenter Tommy Rehn. Good morning guys. Nice to see you on this Monday morning. Tim, Republicans, a warning of retaliation.

Tim Wilson MP:

Yeah well they are but I mean the US is going to say what they're going to say. Really this comes down to is the Australian government doing what's in our national interests? And I don't think they are. You've got the Australian government basically going out and rewarding a terrorist organisation for using civilians in their propaganda war. When you have terrorist organisations using civilians and propaganda war, they're going to keep doing it and civilians are the ones who are going to pay the price for this.

Karl Stefanovic:

So there are conditions, Hamas can't play a role, there are safeguards for corruption as well. How realistic do you think those safeguard are?

Tim Wilson MP:

Well the Prime Minister has basically conceded that if those conditions aren't met, they're not going to reverse their position so I think they're completely meaningless.

Karl Stefanovic:

Ok while the PM is in New York he is of course hoping to sit down with Donald Trump. He seemed to indicate to us a little earlier that that would be happening in about two days time, but he wasn't really sure what he was going to say. He's taking a leaf out of the Slim Dusty International Book of Diplomacy. This is where he ripped this one off from. Timmy, what do you reckon?

Tim Wilson MP:

Doesn’t it make you proud? Let's just wait and see whether he actually meets with President Trump. The President has both a history of snubbing people, but I don't get the impression that he's that keen to meet our prime minister, to be frank. Tommy, if he is going to meet with them. What a perfect way to do it with a bit of slim dusty.

Tom Rehn:

Absolutely. Something really Australian or what I wouldn't mind him doing is actually asking about his golf handicap. Can he play a little left to right fade, a right to left draw, you know, get to his level. I reckon that's the best way to get on board with him.

Karl Stefanovic:

Alright, back home, and a fourth death has been linked to Optus's triple zero outage. Tim, what needs to happen here as a response?

Tim Wilson MP:

Well, first, I think we just need clear answers because how on earth could it get to this situation? Second of all, there's questions about whether these calls were being managed by overseas call centers. I think with an independent inquiry and frankly in future contracts, it needs to be made clear that these call centres need to be managed in Australia. These sorts of calls shouldn't be going overseas. 

Karl Stefanovic:

It was shocking, wasn't it? 

Tim Wilson MP: 

Absolutely, but an independent inquiry and frankly whether it's, the government's calling for an inquiry that's being managed by ACMA, which is the government body that oversights these things, they're just as involved in it and interconnected into it, it probably needs to be independent and it probably at least needs to an independent senate inquiry. 

Karl Stefanovic:

Well, I don't know if the Singaporean investors are spending enough or whatever the case may be, but there is a responsibility here, Tommy. 

Tom Rehn:

No question. I mean, I can't believe Optus hasn't learned from the outage in 2023 Karl and to go through what we've gone through here is horrific. Lives being lost just is not acceptable. There has to be a change of leadership. People will leave in their droves and so they should. It is disgraceful, not good enough and there should be safeguards to make sure this doesn't happen and should never happen ever again.

Karl Stefanovic:

Tim should the Optus CEO survive?

Tim Wilson MP:

I can't see how he's going to survive based on the public pressure and when you have four people who have died because of it, exactly as Tom as said, it's disgraceful and should never have happened but how the board can stand by and not think there should be accountability is beyond me.

Karl Stefanovic:

All right. The footy finals are heating up this weekend obviously the Lions the Broncos in a great position Tommy you think they'll both take it out?

Tom Rehn:

I think, yeah, Brisbane are a huge chance in the AFL. They've got some injuries, but they just keep responding. Probably the deepest list in the comp, the Broncos. I mean, that win against Canberra a couple of weeks ago was unreal. Why not? Brisbane, double, double.

Karl Stefanovic:

Timmy, you're crying over your Weatbix still on this Monday morning?

Tim Wilson MP:

As a Demons supporter I gave up on this season ages ago but what I'd say is I'm a bit nostalgic for the old Roy boys in Brisbane so even though they used to be from Fitzroy in Melbourne so I'm happy to go with the double as well. 

Karl Stefanovic:

Well said, guys. Well said. Thank you very much. Have a good week. See you soon. 

ENDS