Why.

On Sky News, This is Sharry.

Good Evening, Barnaby Joyce's close friend Matt Canavan gives his reaction to him quitting the Nationals.

Canavan has been working overtime to stop his mate from joining One Nation and Canavan is coming up live from Canberra.

The Albaneze government's obsession with entitlements is pushing up inflation, with economists now warning we'rein for multiple rate hikes next year.

More on that with former Treasury official David Pearl, plus hundreds fear dead in the devastating Hong Kong fire, will get details on how the blaze is believed to have begun and those who've already been arrested, and a tragic shark attack today takes us to the deadliest six years stretch in nearly a century.

It's all coming up first Tonightonomists are now forecasting at least two intrast rate hikes next year.

It's a whinning that's sending shock waves through households already grappling with relentless cost of living pressures.

This after inflation rose again yesterday for the fourth consecutive month, and it's now sitting well above the RBA's target band.

Now it's clear the inflation problem is not easing, it's getting worse, and economists from across the spectrum are sounding the alarm.

They say this makes rate rises difficult to avoid in the new year.

If the RBA was serious about knocking inflation on the head, that just raise rates at the next meeting and probably do forty.

The market pricing as of this afternoon was that there is going to be a rate hike rather than a rate cut, as the next move, and of course that's that's bad news for people with home loans.

This is despite right the Albanezy government earlier this year claiming that Australia was successfully bringing down inflation.

You might remember before the election, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said inflation was coming down faster than expected.

Inflation is coming down faster as well.

Treasury now expects inflation to be sustainably back in the band six months earlier than anticipated.

Because of our collective efforts.

The worst is behind us and the economy is now heading in the right direction.

And also before the May election, the Prime Minister said Australia had turned a corner on inflation.

We have turned the corner there with inflation down to within the reserve being banned.

We have had two intrastrate decreases.

Yet now here we are with inflation so persistent, where looking at rate rises.

Albanesi was basically popping the champagne cox, celebrating the end of the inflation battle and taking it as a sign to spend, spend, spend taxpayer dollars one unnecessary example.

The move only designed to buy votes to pay off student hextet.

Now there's been no holding back.

The Albanese government was ready to blow two billion dollars on a climate summit in Adelaide.

There has been no restraint and Albanesi is still putting pressure on charmers to fund universal free childcare.

This is a personal legacy project, something he wants for his own ego.

He wanted the Voice to be his legacy, but voters rejected that.

Now he wants to become the childcare Prime Minister Alexander Downer spoke about this obsession with spending on Chris Kenny earlier.

There is an obsession with expanding entuttlements, payments to people, expanding eligibility without taking into consideration the cost.

Of doing these things.

I mean, it's all very well if the economy is growing robustly if business is investing heavily and making substantial profits from their investments, driving economic growth.

But growth has almost ground completely to a hold.

There's no question this government is running a big spending agenda.

Economists wan it's exactly the kind of irresponsible vote winning spending that's fueling inflation.

It's now leading to calls for the Albanezy government to make serious spending cuts to stop this resurgent inflation.

Journalist Jeff Chambers in The Australian reports that bureaucracies ballooned and spending growth has surged to record levels that economists one will keep inflation stubbornly high and stymy rate cuts.

The International Monetary Fund and the OECD are both OsO warning governments need to show fiscal discipline.

But with the management of the energy system, electricity bills are going to continue to rise for the foreseeable future.

It's a topic ABC host Sarah Ferguson pressed Chris Bonon last night.

High electricity prices and the impact that those prices are having on inflation is really the Achilles heel of this government.

When can you promise relief for households and businesses?

Let me just come back to that bill question, because if we're in a situation in the new year when those the prices of people's power bills are not coming down, there's going to be a clamoring call for more power, for more bill relief ruling it out.

Are we in a position now where the success really of the Albanesi government is dependent on you bringing down those energy bills.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but that's the question.

And in the final parliamentary sitting day for the year, Opposition leader Susan Lee seized on this narrative in question time today.

In his self described year of delivery, and after three and a half years of labor, the Prime Minister has delivered the largest decline in living standards in the developed world.

Lower productivity, more debt, higher inflation and now, as many economists warn, the real prospect of higher interest rates, Prime Minister on this final sitting day of twenty twenty five, will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility for all these failures?

So this is Australia's economic reality.

We now face sticky inflation, interest rate rises, are housing supply crisis, electricity prices soaring thirty seven percent in a year and mounting cost of living pressures against this backdrop.

Instead of cutting spending to reduce inflation, Albanezi is focused on cementing his own legacy, his prioritizing his own place in the history books, instead of cutting spending, getting down inflation and making life easier for families.

Families are already under great financial strain, and that's before rates rise again next year.

This is a terrifying prospect and the economic conditions that we're now seeing could force the country to tip into a recession.

We'll come back to that topic shortly with former Treasury Secretary but now Barnaby Joyce today quit the National Party after thirty years, but he did stop shot of joining one nation.

His longtime friends and colleagues in the Nationals are incredibly frustrated.

They're angry at what they see as his obsession with the spotlight.

For close to five weeks, there's been a drip feed saga, the will he won't he leave the party.

Barnaby Joyce dragged it out until the final sitting day of the year before announcing this.

Apart from a ninety second phone conversation with the leader, I've had no communication with either the leader of the National Party or the deputy Leader of the National Party to try and resolve this.

So, after thirty years with the National Party, I am resigning from the party that really leads me with the heavy heart, and I apologize for all the hurt that that will cause.

And what I have to do if I'm going to continue on that fight is get myself into a better position than the ejection chair at the back bench of the coalition in opposition.

Yet, even after this long awaited announcement, the Barnaby Show isn't over.

There's still the question of whether he'll run for One Nation or be an independent at the next election.

His original reason for considering quitting the Nationals was because they were still supporting net zero, but now the party has dumped its support of net zero and Joyce's excuse for leaving has changed, he says today, because he's on the backbench and that tells you everything.

This isn't about policy or substance.

It's about him not being a team player.

Matt Canavan, who's been one of Joyce's closest allies over the years and closest friends, He's going to be on the show shortly but he's summed it up bluntly this week.

It's turning into a longer saga than days of our lives.

So I think people are all sick and tired of it.

But we shouldn't be surprised.

Joyce's very popular with voters, despite the fact his parliamentary career has been riddled with self inflicted scandals.

There was the Bundle of Joyce saga when he had a baby with his former media advisor that dominated the media cycle for weeks because he kept kicking it along.

He stunned even hardened political observers when he volunteered that there might have been a gray area over whether he was actually the biological father of the baby.

He just kept giving the scandal new life as it was starting to die down.

Then fast forward to last year and Joyce made headlines when he was filmed lying on his back on a camera footpath in a suit, swearing into his phone, belligerent and drunk.

He later said he'd mixed prescription medication with alcohol, called it a big mistake and embarrassing.

But when people in the Nationals, and that's politicians in the Nationals, say that their ex austed by the circus this is what they mean.

Whenever the spotlight moves away, Joyce is always right behind it, trying to catch up.

And now we're here again, with Barnaby flirting with One Nation, whining and dining, Pauline Hanson in her offers, eating Waggy's steak cooked on a sandwich press under the portrait of Pauline right in the middle of her latest burker controversy.

It's theater, but is it serving the voters?

And his friends appear to have had enough.

Former National Senator John Wacker Williams, a man who helped Barnaby raise money, recruit numbers, run campaigns, privately texted him this message, Barnaby, after twenty years of political friendship, if you join One Nation, then you will make me a political enemy.

I'll have to hold you in the same regard as Tony windsor your call.

And then there's Bridget McKenzie herself, a former Nationals leader, also warning Barnaby to think carefully about his next move.

He's actually done serious things and his legacy is significant that will be trashed if he goes to One Nation.

So these are his own colleagues.

Joyce wants to cast his resignation from the Nationals as a noble stand that he's been silenced, sidelined, unfairly treated by a party he gave three decades too.

But he's not leaving over a matter of principle or policy.

He's leaving because he doesn't like the leader and there's no future for him at least under the current leader on the front bench, and because perhaps most of all, he can't bear the idea of fading quietly into the background and not being in the headlines.

All right, I'll get Matt Canavan's reaction to that a bit later.

Joining us now from a Liberal senator Holly Hughes and Sky News host kayleb Bond.

Great to see you both, cayleb Went.

Even his closest friends like Matt Canavan and John Wacker Williams are sending messages like this.

You really do get the sense that many in the Coalition and particularly in the Nationals are utterly fed up with these tactics.

Well, I think they're probably also upseted at just the side show that it creates for the party.

But if what Barnaby said today is true, which is that you Peter Dalton asked him twice to leave the coalition that he's been told you know, we need generational change.

In other words, it's time for you to bugger off Barnaby at a time when he is still a successful and popular retail politician.

I can kind of understand why he's got the you know what's with the party.

I mean the point you make about disappearing quietly into the background.

You don't necessarily want to do that when you are still in the game.

And I think Barnaby is still in the game.

He certainly thinks he's still in the game, and he's positioning himself in a place where he can perhaps stay in the game.

And if he were to go to one nation and run as a senator in Queensland, I have no doubt he would still be in the game.

But you draw a contrast between Matt Canavan and Barnaby Joyce.

Matt Canavan is on the backbench because he chooses to be.

He is making news multiple times a week because of policy, because of issues like net zero that he's campaigning for and arguing for, not because he's deciding whether to leave a party or some other personal scandal.

Holly Hughes, let's bring you in what do you think about this?

Look, I'm really torn because I do understand Barnaby's position.

You know, I resigned from the Liberal Party.

God it feels like three years ago, but I think it was only a week ago.

But I did so over a policy position after I saw out my tenure and six months after the election, and because I was sick of the ser but it was one that I wanted to be able to commentate without fear or favor about.

I think it is really sad, though, when someone who has been a leader of a party gets to a point where they feel that they're unable to contribute to that party anymore.

And you know, I've learned it.

Lots of us in politics have learned it.

The one thing we know is loyalty literally only ever goes one way.

You can give your life to a political party and they will absolutely turf you out with the trash in two and a half minutes and never look back.

And you know, so I understand where Bunny's coming from.

I also understand how his colleagues feel.

I think it's been incredibly poorly managed when you look at what Barnaby has said about David little Crown and Kevin Hoygan perhaps not even reaching out him as leader and Deputy Leader of the National Party when this has been going on for five weeks.

It's not like Barnaby said it at the beginning of the week and ended at the end of this week.

It's been going now for a substance actual period of time, and if any senses needed to be meanted, they should have been.

Done by now.

Yeah, that is another side of it, as you just say, you know, the national leadership David Little proud at the moment.

You know, perhaps had he given Barnaby Joyce a front bench position, perhaps you know, they would still have that extra seat in the Parliament where we don't know how that would have played out.

He might have resigned anyway.

All right, let's turn now to this tragic story from the mid North coast of New South Wales today.

A young Swiss woman killed in a shark attack and her friend was critically injured.

This all has happened during the deadliest six year stretch for shark fatalities in nearly a century, and critics are demanding tougher action to prevent more attacks.

Now, according to the Telegraph, they've been thirteen shark attack shark attacks nationally this year and five of those were fatal.

So Caleb, this was a remote, unpatrolled beach.

But it also comes as you know, we're seeing this trend and as the state government in New South Wales is doing this trial where they remove shark nets, which would be really troubling families.

They want to know when they go to the beach with their kids over the summer period that they're going to be safe.

Yeah, and I mean we should take every precaution available.

And look, I don't profess to be an expert on what works best in that situation.

Obviously, if it's an unmonitored beach, you accept there is some risk when you go into the water that things like this can happen.

But if it is finding that shark and killing it, culling it, if it's having an overall shark cul if it is keeping sharkknits on beaches where they are currently used, which I think is a no brainer.

We also have smart drum lines, all these other things available to us.

Now we should be using a combination of all of them, because I don't care what the greenies say about Oh, you know, the water is the shark's home and you go in the water yet, bit, No, well you should just accept that you lost your leg, little Johnny.

No, we rose to the top of the tree.

We are the apex predator.

Evolution has made us, so we go in the water.

We're allowed to go in the water, and we're allowed to restrict other animals movement, kill other animals, so we can go in the water.

Simple as that.

I personally do not understand the hand ringing over the shark nets.

Have the shark nets there make people not just be safe, but feel safe when they're swimming, And of course that wouldn't apply in this scenario because it's such a remote beach.

But I just do not understand why the Men's government is progressing with this trial where they want to remove shark nets.

Holly, what do you think it's left wing Greens, blue nests.

We should absolutely have the shark nets.

But the reality is, I mean, is this a generation that did not watch Jaws.

I mean, we all know you don't swim at dusk, or you don't swim at dawn, particularly on unpatrolled beaches in areas that aren't protected by things like shark nets.

I mean, that is the peak time for shark tax to occur.

I mean, Caleb, listening to you, I've got a vision of you in bodies and I'm guessing a rashy at times.

I mean, no, no, no, I think your rashing.

Would be a color of it would distract all sharks.

That chast here is out.

Don't worry about that.

But no, look, I mean the shark net debate is ridiculous.

It absolutely should be.

You know, this is I don't know what means it's trying to do.

If you've got families down at Bondai or Tamarama or man.

Like, absolutely you should have the shark nets.

I think I should having the death.

I'm just being reminded that after the last death, you know, the father who was killed on the Northern Beaches and paused the trial.

So it's not completely counseled, that just paused it for the meantime.

No, it's a worry, and you know, I think we need to know more about why there is this increasing training to this year.

In twenty twenty five, let's turn out to the horrific scene near the White House.

Two National Guard troops ambushed and shot, leaving them in critical condition.

President Trump has called it an act of terror by an Afghan national who entered the United States in twenty twenty one.

Here's what Trump had to say.

The Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect and custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth.

We must now re examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Baden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here.

So, Caleb, you know, Trump is now calling for a full reinvestigation of the Afghan entrance under the Biden administration.

What do you think of that move?

I think that's fair enough.

I mean, we saw a very similar thing in the UK recently where it came out that I think there was a big leak of the names of all the people who've been brought over from Afghanistan into the UK in the midst of the war ending.

And look, I think there is a responsibility for nations like the US to resettle people in Afghanistan who helped the US during the war over there, because of course, under the rule of the Taliban, again, it's pretty much guaranteed that they would be dead, So we do have a responsibility to them.

But when you have millions of people taking advantage of that scheme and coming in, you can quite legitimately ask the question how closely did we look at the particulars of each of those people and are all of those people right to be living in the US at the moment, particularly when you've just had one of them go and attack critically injure with a gun two members of the National Guard.

I don't think there's anything wrong with doing what he's doing.

Should be doing it everywhere, Hollywood, do you think, because there are a lot of shootings in the United States that are by Americans, not just immigrants as well.

Yeah.

But look, if for anyone that knows DC and knows where K three D is in northwest of DC, it's right part of that area around the capital.

It's absolutely an incredibly busy part of Washington, DC.

And I think the call that they've made that this is a possible terror attack is probably correct.

But we need to look at our own immigration system.

You know, how many did we bring in for Gaza without appropriate checks?

And this is the problem when you have left wing governments who are falling over themselves to bring in immigrants to the country with zero profit checks and balances in place to make sure that we're getting the right people with the ability to share our values coming into our country.

So this just isn't a problem for the US, It isn't just a problem for the UK.

We're probably a few years behind them.

But we've got the Albanesi government stepping up its immigration plan, and not skilled migration, not the immigrants we need to boost productivity in this country, but an expansion of their left wing ideology trying.

To bring in the people that.

They I don't know whether you're ridden or whatever their issue is, but I don't think and I'm sure many Australians have concerns that they're not being bought in with their correct checks being put into place.

I mean, the Albaneze government claims they did do proper security vetting of the guards and cohort, but we did hear evidence from various officials at estimates that it was fast visits, that it was fast tracked.

And now of course there were meant to be tourist visas, but you don't see Tony Burke moving to send anyone back to Garza.

Now that there's a ceasefire, well, let's turned to the so called miserable ghost, Malcolm Turnbull.

He turned what should have been a polite and respectful portrait unveiling into a spray at his own side of politics.

I mean, what's new.

And this was in front of Susan Lee on a day when the Coalition was already reeling from failing to strike a deal with Labor on environmental reforms.

His Turnbull taking aim at the party.

It's an interesting now that we're still having the same insane conversations on the right of politics about energy.

I mean, it really is ludicrous.

When I was Prime Minister, I used to say tediously, and I'm sure to everyone who listen to me, energy policy should be determined by engineering and economics, not ideology and idiocy.

There's still, you know, reality denial, physics denial is still all alive.

You know, she's dealt quite a few of the cards in the hand herself, right.

So that was turmbul there.

He was asked about, you know, whether Susan Lee has been dealt a tough hand of cards, so to speak.

Didn't hear the question there?

And he says she has dealt some of those cards herself.

So he's blaming her at this time when she's really anyone, even her biggest critics would say she has taken on the leadership at a very difficult time.

I mean, that was not gracious at all.

And then of course there was the swipe.

You might have seen this already, his line about conservatives at chasing approval yet again trying to blame us on Sky News.

There are a group of people there by now I think essentially majority who think the object of politics is to win the approval of a relatively narrow part of the what you might call the right wing media, you know, the sky and Sky up the dark and you know fellow travelers in social media and radio, and so they're running on culturalar issues, on reality denial.

You know, that's it's like, it's really sad.

I mean, the only thing that's sad Caleb is that he's still so bitter after all this time.

And I mean that just showed that he can't move on.

Why couldn't he be you know, an elegant former statesman, former prime minister who turns up for his portrait unveiling and doesn't take a crack at anyone Hello.

To the miserable ghosts tonight.

I'm sure you are, But sir, you are a bit loco.

I mean, the problem is that he is standing there criticizing Susan Lee, who you would think, of all the potential people to lead the Liberal Party is the closest to him ideologically.

So who does he think would be better?

Does he want Andrew Hasty?

Does he want Angus Taylor?

No, he wants Malcolm Turnbull.

That's the problem.

He doesn't think there is anyone on the face of the planet who could do the job better than him.

Well, Holly, what about that comment?

So when he was asked, you know about Susan Lee, the hand that she's been dealt, hasn't she been dealt a difficult hand?

And yet he twisted the knife in further.

Oh isn't it just delightful how much Susan's copying from absolutely everywhere.

She's had a great couple of weeks, and yet.

Wherever she turns, whatever corner of the Liberal Party it is, they call out of.

They cannot wait to have a crack adder.

I mean, honestly, you know Malcolm's point, we should have energy policy designed by engineers and scientists, not ideology, ideology and idiocy.

I'd like to see energy policy not driven by investors into renewable energy, which is live.

We're in this absolutely obscene situation at the moment.

We've now got an epp SEE that's going to fast track all of these renewable projects overrull and regional areas where they don't want them, where the rate of return is absolutely.

Diminishing at a rapid rate.

They're not going to be that successful.

It'll just be interesting even if they get the environmental approvals that these government is so determined to make sure they receive, whether or not they'll get the final funding decisions, because everyone I'm still talking into the sector is saying that these renewable projects just do not start.

Up, all right, Hally Hughes Calebon, great to see you, Thank you, and let's return now to the inflation figures, and joining me is far Assistant Treasury Secretary David Pearl.

David, great to see you again.

I want to get your view.

So we've seen now inflation rise for consecutive months.

Are you expecting that rates will rise as a result next year?

Thanks for having me on, Sharry.

Look, I don't like to make definite interest rate predictions.

A lot of private sector economists have got egg on their face after predicting multiple rate cuts this year.

But let me say this.

What we do know for sure is that inflation, both in headline and underlying terms, is now above target, and in fact, inflationary pressures have been building for some time now.

The risk that Michelle Bullock and the RBA board face is that consumer and producer inflation expectations could become unanchored.

What that means is that they start to factor in the higher inflation we're now experiencing into their pricing behavior, which will itself fuel further inflation.

So I think what Michelle on the board have to do is recognize that they've taken the eye off the ball with inflation, which is their most important job, and they may have to act decisively early next year, if not in December, to put a check on potential inflationary expectations.

SOT And you just said they may have to act decisively as early as December.

Well that's a possibility because I do think Michelle and the board have been quite lax with inflation.

Let's recount the history, Charry, which I know you're aware of yeah, that coming out of the pandemic, we had an inflationary crisis, and Michelle on the board said let's protect full employment and go easy on inflation, and as a result, we had higher inflation for longer than other OCD countries.

And then this year, on the eve of the election, Michelle and the board cut the cashwright prematurely, underlying inflation had not returned to target, it hadn't returned to target in a sustainable way, and now they have egg on their faces.

So what I'm saying, Shari, is that they may have to jump ahead what the market is expecting in order to regain some of that lost credibilities.

So we could be looking at a rate hike next month Christmas.

I'm not saying December necessarily.

At the very least, the board will have to put out a very strong statement in December.

I think it would have to be a Meeta Coulper saying that that made some important judgment calls wrong and that inflation was well above target.

It's not just energy subsidies, it's across the board.

So the genie is out of the bottle, and as we know from Philip Low, credibility can disappear very very quickly if you get calls wrong.

As a central bank governor, m because I thought we'd we have had the final board meeting, haven't we.

They're not going to meet again to raise rates this year.

They're going to meet in two weeks I think.

In okay, December, all right.

Just in terms of how much of this inflation spike is down to the labor government's refusal to rain in spending, how much is down to the electricity price problem, which we know has Electricity prices have risen thirty seven percent just in the past year.

Do these two factors play a large role in the inflation surge we're seeing?

They do, But there's no doubt that electricity rebates coming off is affecting inflation.

But if you look at the CPI in the year to October, you've got above target rises in prices across the board, food, housing, recreation, So it's not just energy bill rebates.

Government spending is definitely playing a role.

I think the major factor, however, is the fact that we've had three interest rate cuts this year when the economy was already at full employment, already at full capacity, and the RBA Board and Michelle Bullock underestimated the consumer and firm response to that, So firms are now passing on higher energy and labor costs to consumers because spending is picking up.

So I think that's the main factor.

If Jim Chalmers was a real treasurer and not just a commentator, he would be taking some of the pressure off public spending.

But that's just not within his capabilities.

In fact, he's probably thinking right now, Shari about extending the energy bill subsidies and offering more cost of living relief.

That's not a recipe for bringing inflation down.

That's what third world countries do to fight inflation.

It just disguises inflation, as we've seen with the energy subsidies.

Oh absolutely, all right, David Pearl, really appreciate your time.

Thank you so much.

So worry that's for sure.

All right.

Still to come back, Canavan will join me live to give his reaction to Parnabe Joyce plus a wild road rage incident in Melbourne just meters from a police station.

That's next.

Welcome back, and just on that.

The final IBA board meeting for the year is December eight to nine.

So according to what we just heard from the former assistant Treasury Secretary, it is possible that there's a rate hike then pre Christmas.

That would be devastating for families and a sign of just how badly the Albanese government has mismanaged the economy this year.

All right, let's turn now to these wild scenes in Melbourne's North an alleged road rage chase with cars on the wrong side of the road, and then a young man allegedly stabbed with a kitchen knife, all of this meters from a police station while officers were inside.

Joining me now to discuss as the Victorian Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crazier.

Georgie, thanks for your time.

I mean this kind of assault in broad daylight, right outside a police station.

This is getting all too common now in Victoria.

What needs to be done, Chary?

These brazen crimes that are happening almost on a daily basis.

As you see, it's completely out of control with crime, and it's because the Allen Labor government have lost control of community safety, have no answers in fixing this crisis, and as a result, we're seeing these brazen crimes happen every single day.

They're very serious.

Crimes and they're happening right outside police stations with no regard to law and or or authority.

And that's just this state of Victoria at the moment.

There's just no regard for law and or and the crime crisis is just getting worse by the day.

You had a special Shadow Cabinet meeting today, domestic violence squarely at the center of the agenda.

This, of course is Victoria's new opposition leader, Jess Wilson's one of her first moves she's pushing for.

She's pushing to criminalize coercive control.

So this is patterns of controlling and manipulative behavior.

Why is Jess starting with this issue as one of her top priorities?

Well sary, getting the budget under control is Jess's top priority.

But this issue has been in the making for many months.

Our Shadow Minister Responsible, Cindy McLeish has been working on this policy and it just coincides with the annual walk against Family Violence that is scheduled for tomorrow.

So it's nothing untoward.

It's not something that is taking the huge amount of focus budget getting the budget under control so that we can deal with these issues, but it is a serious issue and it will bring us into line with other States and Cindy has done a great job in prosecuting the failures of the Allen labor government who promises a lot, talks a lot, but delivers very little on all of these issues.

I mean, the biggest issue that all Victorians are worried about, as we've been talking about, is the crime crisis.

And yet we're seeing the Allen government recalling parliament for what will be the fourth formal apology to Indigenous Victorians.

Do you think parliament should be recalled for an apology instead of urgent laur and order reforms.

Well, Shara, you said it.

I mean this came out of the blue.

We were notified last night the parliament was going to be recalled for a one day Tuesday week for an apology.

This is the fourth apology.

By just Sinta Allen and her government.

But really, we've got a debt crisis, We've got a crime crisis.

There are issues in our health system that I have responsibility for.

There is just a housing crisis.

There are issues right across the state in every single portfolio area, and the parliament is being recalled back for an apology.

This is the focus and the priorities of the government it's not focusing on the needs of all Victorians, and I think that just demonstrates the extent of the priorities of the Alamobor government.

They don't want to fix the debt crisis nor the crime crisis.

So the state election is about a year away now.

We saw this survey in the Herald Sun newspaper.

Voters across Victoria are struggling to name the political leaders, even as they did express their concerns about crime, debt issues you've been speaking about.

Have a look, not all that's a new premiere.

Toplic is pigmal Liberal.

But I can't the name.

I can't even a name Jacinta Ellen, and that's probably about it.

She's just been voted in for the Liberal Party, has achieved it.

I don't know her name, Georgie.

This is a major challenge.

How do you cut through to voters.

Well, I think the voters are those people that were vox popped identified some issues, and may of the issues that they identifying too.

But Jacinta Allen doesn't have an enormous recognition even in her own seat.

So I would be worried if I was her.

But there we have to cut through on the issues that are important to Victoria Brians and Jess Wilson is very focused and energized on doing just that, and it's up to everyone of her team, like me and others, to get out there and prosecute the case for a change of government that will turn this state around, to get rid of this tired, corrupt government.

They've been in for twelve years and they are not delivering for all Victorians a better state.

As we've seen the debt crisis, the crime crisis, the issues in health, the issues right across the state, its energy potholes.

It's never ending, and we would change it.

So that's up to every one of us.

It would be truly unfathomable if voters support the Alan government again at the next election.

Jorge, you appreciate you.

I agree, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Still to come.

Arrests made over the catastrophic fire in Hong Kong, plus Matt Canavan will join us live.

Here's on the show after the break.

Welcome back, and let's return to the b News today.

Barnaby Joyce leaving the National Party, although not clear whether he will be joining One Nation yet and joining me now our National Senator Matt Canavan Matt, thanks for your time.

Now, it was almost a certainty that Barnaby Joyce was set to join One Nation today, you wouldn't accept that outcome.

You work tirelessly to try convince Barnaby not to join One Nation.

What did you say to him?

Look, I'll keep those conversations largely pot private, but Shari, I've been making the points this week about One Nation that I don't think they can deliver real change, I mean effectively.

What we've seen from Pauline this week is her play the victim card, constantly blaming others for her either misunderstanding of Senate procedure or just simply wanting to ignore it for political purposes.

She could have had a debate on the Burke Evand there's lots of ways you can have a debate in the Senate.

She tried one way and that way.

That way actually doesn't generate a debate the formal motion process.

It proceeds without debate, and any one senator can object to that.

And that's what happened.

So the Senate didn't say no to Pauline Hanson.

One senator did.

She could have moved her motion, her bill through general business.

She could have suspended standing orders.

That would have those both those techniques would have brought on a debate and she could have done what she says she wanted to instead.

Of course, for one nation, it's almost always about the outrage, not the outcome.

And they've got a lot of outrage.

They've generated a lot of headlines.

But I bet you this Shari that just like eight years ago when Pauline tried this trick, this recycled stunt is not going to generate any change.

It's not going to Madam Can to speak you about Barnabeys, not the Burker stunt, because that's a few days ago.

Now, Barnaby Joyce did quit the Nationals Party.

Today you couldn't convince him to stay as much as you tried.

What's your reaction to that?

Well, look, I don't know if much has changed with Barnaby Shari.

A few months ago he said he was a free agent.

When the story leaked and he said he was a free agent, he was going to consider his future in a sense.

Today he formalized that by leaving the Nationals Party.

So he is now formally a free agent.

He hasn't joined another team though, so I haven't given up I'll continue to work on him over the summer.

I've already sent him a couple of messages, and look, you know, there's always the Bible story of the prodigals an.

He's so loved in the Nationals Party.

I know many members today are very sad.

I've spoken to many, had messages for many, very very sad that it's come to this.

But just like the prodigal son, I think Barnaby would be welcome back if he reflected on this over summer, thinks about whether he wants to join in the circus at call one Nation or does he feel that pull and that tug from those Nationals members who he did speak so glowingly about today.

You said earlier this week that this is turning into a longer saga than Days of Our Lives.

You said, I think people are all sick and tired of it.

Are you personally sick of Barnaby Joyce's antics?

Well, look I am over it.

It's not something I want to be doing, but look, I suppose we've got to this.

The end of this particular episode of Days of Our Lives and the and the two be continued has flashed across the screen.

You know, we're not.

We're not there.

We're not we haven't haven't found out who killed Jr.

Or whatever the particular storyline is.

But so while that's the case, I'll keep fighting to try and get a good outcome for my party and what I think it should be the country.

To my mind, there's no doubt that if we have Barnaby as a NAT we have a much better chance of killing off net zero, which is a terrible idea, costing Australians an arm and a leg.

We finally built up a substantial parliamentary team now of seventy LMP members at least before Barnaby wentz at sixty nine now in the MP opposed to it.

I mean, one nation given their due.

They've been fighting against that zero two they've got four centers.

But on this point I want to win.

I want to win, and we just on this point.

I mean, Barnet's original reason for considering leaving the party was NET zero but now thanks to your leadership on this issue, the Nationals don't support net zero.

So it's it's what is this exposed about why he has actually quitited.

Look, it wasn't just me thank you for the credit, but had Roscadell lead this review with me page research that did great work, and Barnaby did amazing work too.

He brought this back on the agenda the first day, back up the.

Point of my question that appeal was not leaving for policy reasons.

Yeah.

So there's obviously this issue with the leadership, and as I said a few months go, I think now it's incumbent on David Little Proud as leader to do what he can to bring Barnaby back to the team.

The leaders should always, of course try and keep the team together.

It's I mean, I don't know.

I'm not going to I'm not look.

I think in these circumstances you should try to do whatever it takes.

I'm not going to suggest any particular thing.

And to be very clear, Barnaby hasn't asked for anything in particular of me or anyone that I know of.

But you know, it's been a it's a welcome outcome that the Nationals Party has not lost a seat at a general election since two thousand and seven.

It's a pretty remarkable record, but it is unfortunate that in the last three years we have now lost three members of the party room to defections and we lost a Senator at the last election as well, and so that's almost a fifth of our room gone in the last few years.

And look, to lose one member of your team to a defection could be misfortune, as Oscar Wild would say, lose another might be carelessness.

But to lose a third now just looks like recklessness.

We can't keep losing people.

Blaming the leadership, blaming David m Proud.

You're blaming David.

It's incumbent.

It's incumbent on the leaders in particular.

I've spoken to former leaders of the party about this, and it's a lot hurting cats in this place obviously, and there's a lot of things that go on that you and the public wouldn't even know about trying to keep a team together.

And yes, all of us have that responsibility to try and do that, but no more, the most responsibility rests and falls on the shoulder of the captain of the team.

So you know, I would like our leadership to reach out to Barnaby over summer to see what can be done.

There's a lot of time now we're away from Parliament.

Now we've just finished in the Senate.

I think the House will have to reconvene briefly, but within the next twenty four hours we'll all be out of here and not back till February.

So we've got plenty of time to put out for why Barnaby would be the best best fit for him, would be the National's Party, best fit for the country would be in the Nationals Party.

And as I say, ultimately it's not about personalities or who we like.

Who I'm not here, I'm not.

I mean, look, I consider Barnaby a mate, but I'm not here to make friends.

I'm here to get things done, and I think we'll get more done with Barnaby as part of the Nationals team.

Just finally, if Pauline had cooked you wag you on a sandwich, press would you need in it?

I don't think I'm that cheaper date.

Shari always like a bit of red meat, but I don't know.

I don't know about that cooking.

Look, it's not a glamorous life here in camera.

Sometimes you think I've just just before I came on air, we hadn't eaten because we've been in the chamber the whole evening and I cracked open a bit of smoke salmon I had in the fridge.

That's my dinner tonight.

So Lisa's got good protein.

Skinny eat a bit more.

All right, Matt Canavan, maybe you need to put around to Pauline's off it since you'll put some meet on the sandwich press barbie for you.

Right, great to see you.

Thank you for your time.

Well arrests for manslaughter after the devastating Hong Kong blaze, investigators probing whether unsafe scaffolding fueled the fire.

Those developments after the break well to the devastating scenes in Hong Kong now where firefighters are searching for hundreds of people still missing after the horror inferno ripped through a housing estate in the Typo district.

It's feared many are dead, with the blaze taking over eighteen hours to get under control.

I am devastated, says Jesus Kong.

Yeah, there are so many neighbors and friends.

Some eight hundred firefighters responded, rescuing dozens who were sent to hospital, some didn't make it.

Rescue efforts continued through the night, fire crews saving a baby and a senior.

Still, as of Thursday morning, more than two hundred remain unaccounted for the search a challenge.

The temperature inside the buildings concerned are very high, so it's quite difficult for us to enter the building.

So as you heard that so hot even firefighters are struggling to get inside.

I mean, you can only imagine what families must have gone through.

Already, we know fifty five people have perished, including as you heard, they're a firefighter sixty two in hospital.

The latest images from the scene show eight high rise buildings blackened and still smoldering, looking like burnt matchsticks.

The high rises were undergoing major renovations when they called a light yesterday afternoon, and investigators are looking into whether the bamboo scaffolding and mesh used on the construction met fire retardment and other safety standards.

Already, three people from an engineering firm have been arrested on suspicion of man's slaughter, two directors and a consultant.

Residents who've escaped the blaze have said they didn't even realize their building was on fire, and some of these people were up thirty one stories.

Now, this is Hong Kong's deadliest fire in years.

It's eerily similar to London's Grenfell fire, where seventy two people perished due to combustible cladding.

Look, there's going to be many grieving families and friends across Hong Kong tonight.

It's incredibly sad and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone.

All Right, thank you so much for your company this week.

Have a lovely and safe weekend.

I look forward to seeing you on Monday at eight pm.

And stay tuned right now, here's Paul Murray.

And wasn't that a fantastic tribute?

By the way to Paul last night.

Terrific to watch