2GB Afternoons - Highlights

Michael McLaren has called out Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers for trying to ignore record level government spending led to the RBA's decision to raise the cash rate on Tuesday.

The RBA has increased the official cash rate.

Michael McLaren has issued a warning to the various American allies, including Australia, who have chosen not to get involved in Trump's bid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Pauline Hanson's One Nation has caught up to the major parties, with NSW voters vastly preferring them over Labor and the Coalition.

Executive Director of Ron Finemore Transport Ron Finemore joined us to discuss the impact of the closure is having on the Great Western Highway. 

Minister for Roads and Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison joined 2GB Afternoons to provide an update on why the highway will remain closed for a further three months. 

Since the start of the US-Iran conflict, international law experts and politicians have claimed the United States of America's actions were illegal.

Michael McLaren has warned Australia needs to invest heavily in water infrastructure as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East serves as a "timely reminder".

Michael McLaren has made some reflections after seven of the Iranian female soccer team were granted asylum by Immigration Minister Tony Burke.

Economist Adam Creighton warns that legislating work-from-home rights may backfire by making Australian white-collar workers too expensive and easily replaceable by algorithms or cheaper overseas jurisdictions.

Australia faces a dire economic reckoning as regional conflict and a blockaded Strait of Hormuz reveal the nation’s "unprepared and vulnerable" 36-day fuel stockpile, far short of international obligations. Michael McLaren says decades of "populist nonsense" and a blind faith in just-in-time supply chains have left Australia standing on a "national security gamble" while global powers like China secured 100-day reserves.

With the nation’s "diesel economy" paralysed and $130 billion wiped from the ledger, Andrew Hastie demands a pivot from political point-scoring to a strategic "war-footing" that secures domestic refining.

Minister Jenny Aitchison faces a "fragile" infrastructure crisis as the state’s primary East-West corridor remains closed indefinitely due to sudden pavement cracking and shifting substructures.

Michael critiques the ACTU’s "yoga mat approach to economics," arguing that the push for a 35-hour work week and five weeks of annual leave ignores Australia’s decade-long productivity doldrums.

As corporate giants like Morgan Stanley and Block initiate mass layoffs, the "unstoppable march" of AI shifts its focus from blue-collar automation to the displacement of university-educated professionals. Michael McLaren warns that unless we regulate this "AI beast," we risk hollowing out human uniqueness and relegating our collective expertise to a state of functional irrelevance.

Michael McLaren delivered a scathing critique of the Australian fuel industry, labeling the current situation "bunker nonsense" and arguing that the "price cycle" is a system stacked against the average motorist.

The ACTU is blindsiding industry with a high-stakes push for 25 days of mandated annual leave, claiming workers are "27% behind" on the fruits of their labor. SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer joined Michael to argue that after 50 years of stagnant standards, a 2% labor cost hike is a "justifiable uplift" for a workforce already giving four weeks of unpaid overtime back to the boss.

Michael McLaren suggests that a world without the Ayatollah is a better one, achieved through decisive military action rather than the "impotent" talk fests of the United Nations.

Director of Audiology Mona Hemsley joins Michael McLaren to discuss how Audika is tackling the silent impact of hearing loss on mental wellbeing. From modern AI-powered devices to safe earwax removal, learn why regular testing at an Audika clinic is a vital part of your overall health story.

In a live interview with Fox News America Sean Hannity, Benjamin Netanyahu argued that immediate military action against Iran’s nuclear and missile sites was a "now or never" necessity to prevent future blackmail and empower the Iranian people to overthrow their "terror machine."

Australia’s reliance on just-in-time imports and overseas storage facilities has created a precarious energy weakness that threatens to ground the entire economy. Michael McLaren warns that a complacent national attitude toward dwindling refining capacity could lead to a total domestic collapse if Middle Eastern supply chains are severed.  

From dodging the "clickety-clack" of city trains to surviving a 1985 bomb scare with the Prime Minister, Executive Chairman Tim McFarlane reflects on the Theatre Royal's transformation into a 1,200-seat architectural gem that remains the intimate heart of Sydney's stage scene.

A retired Australian army major general has revealed what the likely outcome of the death of Iran's supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei means for the regime.

Michael McLaren has reacted to the scenes out of the Middle East over the weekend, saying it's clear Iranian officials can no longer sleep soundly at night.

From its humble beginnings in 2012 to high-profile collaborations with the Foo Fighters, director and co-founder Dan Hampton shares how staying true to local roots and "sessionable" liquid helped this inner-west brewery survive a shrinking market and fierce international competition.

As Treasury weighs consequential changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, former CBA boss David Murray warns that Australia’s rising debt trajectory and inefficient public spending are creating a productivity "growth limit" that could lead to a financial crisis.

Michael McLaren warns that government "addiction" to high taxes on legal products, like tobacco, inevitably drives consumers back to the black market and fuels organised crime. While advocates argue that legalising illicit substances will dismantle criminal networks, recent international failures and the thriving black market for heavily taxed tobacco suggest that "regulating" the trade may only exchange one crisis for another.

The federal government is preparing to sell the historic Victoria Barracks in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Paddington. Built in 1840, the site is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Australian Army and has stood at the centre of the nation’s military history for more than 180 years. Acting President of the NSW RSL Vince Williams joined 2GB Afternoons to discuss the RSL's position on the federal government's push to sell the historic site. 

The Albanese government has committed $230 million to kick-start a 194km high-speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle, a project estimated to cost nearly $100 billion. High Speed Rail Authority CEO Tim Parker argues the investment is justified by Australia’s population density, noting that 60% of the population lives on just 2% of the land mass along the east coast.

Michael McLaren explores the polarising history of journalist Wilfred Burchett, the first "stateless" Australian, and questions why the current government hesitates to use its legal powers to bar modern security threats like ISIS brides from returning home.

Michael McLaren expresses deep concern over the "spirit" of education reform being undermined by universities admitting students with ATARs under 50. He argues that while professions like media maintain high entry bars, the teaching profession is settling for lower standards, signaling a potential crisis in classroom competency.

Michael characterises the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision as a "seismic" blow to Donald Trump. He notes that while it proves American checks and balances still operate, it erases nearly $200 billion in expected annual revenue and weakens Trump’s hand just before pivotal trade talks with President Xi.

As global arms control treaties expire and regional threats escalate, defense experts warn that Australia may need to consider developing its own nuclear deterrent to maintain sovereignty and military credibility. Peter Hartcher, Political and International Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald says that Australia must be "wide-eyed" about a crumbling global order.

The Australian government’s "carbon leakage" review suggests implementing new import tariffs to protect local manufacturers from cheaper, high-emission foreign competitors. Michael McLaren warn this "rising tide" will ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers.

Head to https://www.pretzelwealth.com.au/ for more.

Michael McLaren secures the Opposition's official support for his petition to save Sydney's historic Victoria Barracks, as new Shadow Defense Minister James Paterson calls out the government's "shortsighted" plan to fund defense by selling off 67 military sites.

Michael McLaren argues that while Angus Taylor has successfully built a "prosecutorial" hit squad to hunt down Labor’s big hitters, the Coalition’s flank remains dangerously exposed in the two areas that actually decide suburban elections: Energy and the NDIS. "Why on earth did Angus Taylor pick Dan Tehan for the job? Like Taylor with Chalmers, Tehan has so far failed to land one blow on Bowen, despite no shortage of opportunities."

Michael McLaren argues that while geographical "blanket bans" are too blunt, Australia must strictly vet applicants' ideologies to ensure they align with the country's core democratic principles.

Michael McLaren analyses the massive buildup of U.S. naval firepower in the Persian Gulf, arguing that the blunt rhetoric from the Munich Security Conference signaling "regime change" is no mere bluff. He suggests we are witnessing a high-stakes move in a global game of geopolitical chess designed to finally checkmate the Ayatollah and shift the tectonic plates of power.

From the Northern Beaches to the world stage, two-time AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher discusses the sacrifice, the "Brain Buster," and his high-stakes homecoming ladder match at Qudos Bank Arena.

Michael McLaren warns that the "short-sighted" sale of Victoria Barracks ignores the "rearview mirror" of history and creates a dangerous security gap in the heart of Sydney. Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, former Vice Chief of the Defence Force and former Chief of Army argues that losing this secure CBD site would be a "straight loss" to our immediate defense capability and our ability to respond to emergencies.

With the Liberal leadership settled, Michael McLaren shifts the focus to whether Angus Taylor can expose the "fantasist" energy policies driving up bills and threatening Australia’s industrial base.

Michael McLaren and Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson condemn the Albanese government's plan to sell off historic military sites like Victoria Barracks and Fort Queenscliff, calling it a "reckless" move that compromises national security and heritage for short-term budget fixes.

Michael McLaren rebukes NSW Premier Chris Minns for comparing the potential sale of the historic Victoria Barracks to a neighbour clearing a boat off the street. While acknowledging that everyone makes verbal slips, McLaren argues the comparison is "dopey" and "insensitive" given the site’s status as secular sacred ground and its deep connection to the soldiers who marched out of its gates to fight for Australia’s freedoms.

Michael McLaren examines the tension between sports as a neutral escape and its reality as a platform for activism, arguing that selective neutrality is inherently political and suggests that "sport for sport's sake" may be an impossible ideal.

Former Labor Minister for Defence Material Dr Mike Kelly has put his support behind the call to not sell off the Victoria Barracks

Head to https://www.pretzelwealth.com.au/ for more.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has called on the federal government to hold on to some defence sites, including the historic Victoria Barracks.

Labor MP for Coogee Marjorie O'Neill has called on Richard Marles to not sell off the historic Victoria Barracks site.

A former defence minister has given his support for the sale of some of Australia defence force sites.