The very best from 4BC Breakfast with Luke Bradnam this week.

ANZAC Day is all about remembering and sharing the stories of sacrifice that our soldiers made throughout history. Major Barry Hampson is a returned serviceman, military historian and until recently worked with Unrecovered War Casualties Army. He did two tours overseas, to the Middle East and East Timor and he served for a total of 43 years. Barry Hampson told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "It's not just putting the names back, it's giving the identity back to an unknown Australian soldier." "It's the one thing that our country deserves to give to our lost soldiers is their identity again and that's what drives me to do the work I did for almost 10 years like it was," Mr Hampson said.

RSL’s across Australia play a pivotal role in ANZAC Day. Year round they are there to support veterans and provide a service for the community, but in the last week or so you would’ve seen them everywhere. Raising money and preparing for marches and services and no doubt today will be a huge day as well. RSL Queensland State Secretary Iain Carty told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "What an amazing turnout across the state today given some of our inclement weather." "Over 400 to 500 events across the state and all being very well attended." "So thank you, Queensland," Mr. Carty said.

It is the 110th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing in 1915 and thousands across Australia have started their ANZAC Day by attending dawn services. The MC for the Dawn Service at the ANZAC Square in Brisbane Darren Curtis told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "Anzac Day actually started in Brisbane." "This was the very first place where it was originated the idea and was actually put into practice was here in Brisbane so this holds very special for our hearts here in Queensland that we were the first to kick this off," Mr Curtis said.

There aren’t many songs that evoke the meaning of ANZAC Day better than ‘I Was Only 19’ by Redgum which was written and sung by John Schumann. John is returning to the music scene with the Vagabond Crew and their latest song is called Fishing Net in the Rain. John Schumann told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "This [Fishing Net In The Rain]  came out of the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide." "I've got a long interest in mental health, which I learned about when I wrote I was only 19 and I put Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I suppose, back in the national conversation, not deliberately, just quite unconsciously." "So I became a bit interested and I watched the Royal Commission into Veterans Suicide and it's always something that's harrowed me," Mr Schumann said. "We send these people away to do jobs, to wear our uniforms overseas and when they come back, they'll come back with physical injury sometimes." "Often they'll come back with psychological injuries, which aren't visible, but they are injuries, none the same." "We have to tell these stories," John Schumann continued.

On Tuesday this week there was an event called “Cash Out Day” run by the advocacy group Cash Welcome. The initiative is aimed at keeping the pressure on the powers that be to keep cash as a part of the currency makeup.  The first “Cash Out Day” was held last year with an estimated 1.6 million people withdrawing cash. Cash Welcome Founder Jason Bryce told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "The problem is there's no reliable private alternative to cash." "So the banks have got to stop restricting our access to cash." "The banks and the RBA are sitting down right now trying to work out how to make the cash distribution system sustainable and banks have got to pay for that." "That process is happening now." "Cash out day last year put a whole lot of pressure on the banks when there was a big spike in the number of withdrawals and it was obviously because people wanted to send a message that nobody wants Australia to go 100% completely cashless," Mr Bryce said.

Yesterday Health Minister Mark Butler was forced to clarify that there will still be some patients who are charged a gap fee at the GP. Meanwhile at a state level, the LNP government are scrambling to redraw Queensland's hospital building plan after another scathing review. Australian Medical Association of Queensland President Dr Nick Yim told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "when the government did first make their announcement at the very start of the campaign... we've always said that it's quite unlikely that all GPs or 90 per cent of GPs will be bulk billing." "When we surveyed our members, they've told us that if they choose to universally bulk bill, that's actually going to be a loss of 20 to 30 per cent of their revenue." "I guess in this current climate, I'd ask any business owner, any workplace, it's very, very unlikely that medical practice could survive if they have a 20, 30 per cent reduction in revenue," Dr Yim said.

Organisers of the Brisbane Anzac Day Parade originally announced that bands unable to keep up with a 116bpm score would be excluded from the parade, consequently excluding most pipe bands. The news that their presence was under threat sparked strong reaction from the public and musicians alike. The Chair of the Queensland Branch of Pipe Bands Australia Nick Tomkins told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "The Chairman of the sub-branch, Kerry Gallagher, was very welcoming, very apologetic for the decision that was made and conceded that it wasn't the best decision and has reversed the decision." "So all of the bands have been welcome to play."

Voting officially opened yesterday with almost half a million people casting their ballots ahead of the May 3 election. Yesterday was also the third debate between our two federal leaders. Australian National University Political Scientist Dr Jill Sheppard told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "It felt like they were trying to have a bit of a crack in these last few weeks of the campaign, one week and a half to go now and they probably should have done that much earlier."

As the world comes to terms with Pope Francis's passing, we’re starting to learn more about what's next. Jess Millward, Nine’s Europe Correspondent, joined Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast live from Vatican City to provide an update as next steps are revealed.

Research suggests ‘empty nesters‘ should downsize to free up large homes for young families trying to get in to the housing market. Recent research suggests that if more empty nesters made the move to smaller homes, it could free up to 60,000 much-needed properties across the country. Real Estate Institute of Queensland CEO Antonia Mercorella joined Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast to discuss the findings.

It’s a crazy time in International Relations with reports that Moscow had requested to base aircraft in Indonesia roughly 1300 kilometres north of Darwin and a trade war brewing between China and the United States. Intelligent Risks CEO Neil Fergus told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "Yesterday, China put out a warning from its Ministry of Commerce, a very clear warning, stating that it will take countermeasures in a resolute and reciprocal manner against any country that tries to make a trade deal with the USA at the expense of China." "Of course, that's where Australia gets brought into the mix because China is our number one trading partner." "So we are going to be put in a situation as a country where we're going to have to choose between our closest ally and our biggest trading partner," Mr Fergus said.

The world is still coming to terms with the passing of Pope Francis, after his passing last night Australian time. And while the Catholic Church mourns, discussions will soon start with a new Pope needing to be elected. Oxford and Deakin University and Catholic Church historian Dr Miles Pattenden told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "He leaves a very significant legacy for Catholics around the world." "In some senses, he reset the Church's relationship with the Catholic faithful."

The world is reacting to the passing of Pope Francis last night aged 88. Leaders from around the world have offered their condolences to the church and Catholic Community. Nine’s Europe Correspondent Jessica Millward told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "There's a fair bit of shock... not just here, but right around the world as this news broke and that's funny to say because we know that the Pope's been sick." "But after we saw those images, he didn't need assistance with oxygen yesterday." "So the fact we saw him out and about and then as the Vatican announced that he passed away at 7.30 this morning, it was a deep sense of shock," Mrs Millward.

The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. The main event at the annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club has Australia's two biggest sprint stars in Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy hoping to win the $40,000 grand prize. The Stawell Gift’s Event Management Chair Murray Emerson told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "The unfortunate part for Gout and Lachlan Kennedy they're just actually recently coming into professional running so they're going to get tight marks initially to allow the other runners who perhaps haven't got the same abilities to give us an even finish and that's the idea of it all."

Labor members Pat Conroy and Murray Watt ramped up their attacks on the Coalition over the weekend. While a Labor-funded website titled "He cuts, you pay" and an official Australian Labor Party advertisement posted to social media stated the opposition would close down urgent care clinics. Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "Another day, another Labor scare campaign." "That is absolutely categorically not the case." "We are absolutely committed to funding all existing urgent care clinics," Senator McKenzie commented. "They're filling a major gap in the healthcare provision of Australians and we're actually announcing new ones." "We've already announced an urgent care clinic in Cairns and in Carindale in Queensland and that's going to continue," Mrs McKenzie said.

Leighton Walters is an Australian expat who was told he could not serve Vegemite at his Canadian Cafe because of the added Vitamin B in the spread. However, there is some good news in Walters fight against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Leighton Walters told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "About 36 hours ago that the CFIA had a change of heart and basically gave us the tentative short-term thumbs up to put Vegemite back on the menu." "It is a win for small business and a win for Australia." "Don't touch Vegemite." "I said there are bigger issues in Canada than worrying about added B vitamins in a fermented yeast extract that's such an iconically Australian brand," Mr Walters said.

The very best from 4BC Breakfast with Luke Bradnam this week.

The ANZAC Day Parade Brisbane Committee has issued a response regarding reports that pipe bands could be excluded from local ANZAC Day services.

The Easter and School Holidays are the perfect time for a weekend away and the Sunshine State has plenty of great destinations. Tash Wheeler from the Queensland Tourism Industry Council joined Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast.

Queenslanders have been blessed with fantastic weather this Easter which is a welcome reprieved from the rain that has fallen in the past few months. Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Angus Hines joined Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast to preview the Easter long weekend.

Tipping this NRL season has been a nightmare for a lot of punters and this weekend is likely to be another tough round for tipsters. Darryl 'The Big Marn' Brohman' joined 4BC Breakfast to give his tips for Round 7 of the NRL with the action kicking off tonight with the Sea Eagles facing the Dragons.  

With ANZAC Day just around the corner, many Aussies have made the smart play of turning this into a ‘super-break’—taking extended holidays and making the most of some well-earned time off. But with so many people hitting the road or jetting off, that means homes right across the country are sitting empty and unfortunately, that can be an open invitation for opportunistic thieves. Security Expert Gina Field told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "As silly as this sounds but 30% of homes broken into simply because the front door has been left unlocked." "I can hear people saying oh geez that's only just common sense but that's actually one home every two seconds across Australia that's being left unlocked," Mrs Field said.

For over 80 years, numerous pipe bands have played their part in the ANZAC Day marching parade.  But this year, the local RSL and ANZAC Day Parade Committee have made a decision which threatens the presence of pipe bands at the parade. Queensland Branch of Pipe Bands Australia Chair Nick Tomkins told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "From our perspective, the organisers not able to give a reason."

Luke Bradman has shared his thoughts on the campaign trail, criticising both major leaders for a lack of authenticity.

Research is showing that the bank of Mum and Dad isn’t just helping young Australians with their home loans. Around half of Australian adults say they have given money to family in the past 12 months to help with living expenses.  The Deputy Program Director of Grattan Institute’s Housing and Economic Security program Joey Moloney told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "One thing stopping kids settling down and starting a family is it's really hard to get the stability of home ownership and a lot of people want that before they start a family."

Fifteen Queenslanders have become overnight multimillionaires after their syndicate scooped up the entire $70 million jackpot in the Oz Lotto draw. Anna Hodbell from The Lott told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, " This one was actually quite a larger syndicate, it was actually $600 per share." "If you want to put in that much, it's really up to you, but we always encourage our players to spend within their means," Ms Hodbell said. There are many different ways to get help and information about gambling. You can visit the National Gambling Helpline or call on 1800 858 858.

Wests Tigers young gun Lachlan Galvin has knocked back a five-year deal to remain at the Tigers and will be testing the open market for the 2027 season onwards. Galvin will be hunting a deal in excess of $1 million per year, which will have plenty of teams checking their salary caps to see if they can fit the rising star into their squad. Dolphins CEO Terry Reader told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "I think people are more obsessed with talking about what happens for the seven days around the day of the game, but we must have an unlimited salary cap that we're being linked with that." "That's not the space we're in or part of, but we did see with interest that story yesterday and I'm sure that'll go on for many weeks and months to come, but nothing to do with the Dolphins." "We're happy with our squad," he said. "It's the same thing we talked about with DCE and exactly the same thing, so we don't have an unlimited salary cap." "Every player that seems to come on the market, apparently we're going to sign, but no, that's not something we're in for at the moment, that's for sure," Mr Reader continued.

It’s only 18 days out from the federal election vote and the campaigning is well and truly heating up. Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley joined Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast and declared that the coalition are 'underdogs' in the upcoming election.

Both major parties have announced policies targeting first home buyers as part of the 2025 federal election campaign. It’s a decision that is set to add unprecedented risk to an already expensive and delicate housing market, raising the question of who will build these new homes. Quality Home Improvements Group CEO Scott Chalen joined Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast to discuss how the skills shortage could impact first-time home buyers' ability to enter the market.

South East Queensland is now a more expensive place to live than Melbourne. South East Queenslanders are spending up to $20,000 more on essentials than Melbourne residents. Yahoo consumer expert Joel Gibson told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast,"It's a lot cheaper to rent or to buy a home in Victoria than it is in South East Queensland," Mr. Gibson continued.

Both Labor and the Coalition have unveiled almost $25 billion worth of cost-of-living and housing relief policies. Peter Dutton has announced a $10 billion tax cut measure for those who earn less than $144,000 a year, along with a plan to allow first-time buyers of newly built homes to deduct an amount of the interest paid on their mortgages. Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "We've had 21 months where our economy hasn't grown on a per-person basis." "It's a record, by the way, it's the worst we've seen, so we've got to get the economy moving," the Shadow Treasurer continued.

There’s a company here in South East Queensland that is doing great things for the community. MR Roads is an infrastructure company based in North Lakes and last week they kicked off a community carpark safety program. MR Roads Co-Owner Daniel Mikus told Luke Bradnam on 4BC Breakfast, "You've got to pay it forward somehow." "When I was younger, people gave me a helping hand, and I think it's time we give back," Mr. Mikus said.

The very best from 4BC Breakfast with Peter Fegan this week.

The 2nd-placed Broncos take on the Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium tonight in a bid to hold onto their place at the top of the ladder. Captain Adam Reynolds is right to play in a huge boost for the club. In regards to the NRL's crackdown on high tackles, Broncos half and club legend Ben Hunt told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "They're [referees] getting told if there's any contact with the head, it has to be a penalty, so they're just doing their job, so it's not on them." "But there's a lot of them that are slightly grazing someone's chin or something like that and it's just slowing the game down too much, I think, just let the boys play," Ben Hunt said.

Peter Fegan has had say on 4BC Breakfast regarding an email from the International Olympic Committee announcing the addition of more teams and athletes for Los Angeles 2028 as a part of a "strong commitment towards innovation and gender equality." Peter Fegan said, "Athletes measure their success on commitment, skill, hard work and dedication." "Not for being picked via default."

The Live for Lily Foundation was created in honour of nine-year-old Lily who sadly passed away from a rare form of liver cancer. Her father Aaron and his team have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and much-needed funds for childhood cancer research. One of their biggest efforts is the Ride for Lily, a grueling 1,000 kilometre bike ride from Port Macquarie to Noosa, kicking off this April. Live for Lily Foundation co-founder Aaron Hester told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "The Foundation was never front and foremost." "I never even would imagine in a million years that I would have been heading up a foundation in her honour," he said.

Yesterday, 4BC Breakfast revealed a university student was marked down for not including an Acknowledgement of Country in her assessment. Today, a listener revealed he was rejected from a job in the state government due to not including an Acknowledgement of Country in his interview. Peter Fegan said on 4BC Breakfast, "Woke corporate organisations are bullies, and if they don’t agree with you or should I say, if you don’t agree with their agenda, you have no hope of securing a job."

The alarm bells are ringing for several clubs ahead of round 6 of the NRL with the first match between the 14th placed Dolphins and the 15th placed Panthers.

The Federal Election is less than four weeks away and there are still plenty of questions around policy, energy and the cost-of-living. 4BC Breakfast's What Australia Wants welcomed Federal Sport and Aged Care Minister Anika Wells to answer questions directly from 4BC listeners.

A shocking superannuation scam has cost a Queensland woman $406,000. The 74-year-old had six unauthorised withdrawals taken from her account and it took AustralianSuper nearly a week to act, even after the woman raised the alarm. Detective Superintendent Craig McGrath from the Queensland Police Financial and Cyber Crime Group told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "Well, last year, we had 25 and a half thousand [scams]." "It works out to about 500 a week and the average loss is about 14,000, so it's an enormous amount." "Aside from the financial part, the impact, as you can imagine, the impact on people's lives, their mental stress, their relationships, all that sort of is enormous," Superintendent McGrath said.

The Federal Government has continued its health splurge with a further one billion dollars into mental health which is on top of Albanese's $8 billion Medicare promise. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "We're using the well-trusted Medicare brand, telling people essentially, this is free of charge." "You don't have to bring a credit card, because a lot of these people are on very low incomes, usually fixed incomes." "This has meant we're actually getting to the people we need." "It was well worth the money, in my view," Mr. Butler said.

A 4BC listener has revealed that her daughter, who is studying Diversity, Crime and Justice, received demerit points for not including an Acknowledgement of Country in an assessment. The student told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "I [felt] quite annoyed because I go off the criteria sheet and whatever's on there I address and the fact that it was not on a criteria sheet and I still got marked down for it." "That's pretty annoying, especially since I'm paying 60 grand for this degree." "It's really not fair," she said. Her mother declared, "it's actually bullying, it does feel quite threatening and it needs to be stamped out so that's why I was speaking up about it."

It's been a tough year so far for Queenslander farmers with recent floods impacting over 30 million hectares of land and more than 150,000 head of livestock lost. For many families, this has completely wiped out their livelihoods. That’s where Farm Angels has stepped in to deliver financial and mental health support. Farm Angels CEO Jason Law told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "Quite a few are yet to get back to their properties." "On a lot of the recovery meetings they're still trying to work out how to access it but we know that the statistics say that it takes three to five years to recover from any single event and for every year of extreme drought." "Now remember that a lot of these farmers have been through extreme drought so they're still recovering from that essentially in terms of debt and the like and now they've been faced with this," Mr. Law said.

Young social media influencers are showing off stacks of cash, flashy casino visits and placing huge bets on red or black on the internet. Co-Director of the University of Sydney’s Game and Play Lab Dr Mark Johnson told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "One big part of this research project was a big survey of people who watch gambling streams on Twitch and TikTok and YouTube and we asked them, do you think watching these streams will make you more inclined to play with your own money or less inclined?" "Roughly half of the respondents said they feel watching these streams does make them more inclined," Dr. Johnson said.

The Government has appointed John Sosso as a non-judicial member of the body that determines the state’s new electoral boundaries. Mr. Sosso has a long history of working for the LNP and the appointment has raised concerns around voting bias which has promoted Tony Fitzgerald to get involved. Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "He [Tony Fitzgerald] has said in writing previously that he really thinks this individual is susceptible to influence." "So I think David Christopher needs to listen because if it calls into question the whole next election, I think Queenslanders should be, quite rightly, really concerned about where this government is taking Queensland," Mrs. Fentiman said.

The Coalition has backflipped on it's key working from home policy as Labor holds a narrow lead in the polls. The party has also walked away from sacking 41,000 public servants and instead will rely on natural attrition. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "What we've said is that we've got it wrong in relation to the policy that we had out there." "I think if you think back to Peter Beatty's leadership, I think one of his attributes, which I admired at the time, was that if you get it wrong as a leader, fess up, throw your hands up, admit that you've got it wrong and explain why." "And then you can move on," the Opposition Leader commented.

New research from Finder has revealed some Brisbane households are being quoted nearly $15,000 a year for home and contents insurance. Areas like the Lockyer Valley, Townsville, and Bundaberg are also seeing huge increases on premiums with experts saying it’s a mix of increasing natural disasters and severe floods in recent years. Finder Insurance Expert Peta Taylor told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "Unfortunately, the way that insurers are pricing these areas, they all have their own risk calculation and essentially, they'll factor in things like floods, fire, storm to figure out how prone these areas are." "They'll look at things like crime rates, labour costs, materials, all of that kind of stuff to figure out just how much the premium is that they're going to charge." "It is really, really tricky for everyday families when they get served a bill that is as huge as upwards of sometimes $10,000," Peta Taylor said.

The Albanese Government has rolled out its Cheaper Home Batteries Program which could save people who install a new solar and battery system up to $2,300 a year. Former 2GB and 9News broadcaster and current Clean Energy Council spokesman Chris O'Keefe told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, " If you've got rooftop solar, people listening right now know it saves them money." "If you put a household battery with it, it can save you, instead of $1,300 a year, $2,300 a year off your power bill." "The idea is bring the upfront cost down to make it more enticing for people to do it, and that benefits everybody because we've got one in four Australians that have got rooftop solar panels, yet only one in 40 have home batteries." "So, clearly there's an opportunity there to plug that gap. If we plug it, it's good for people's bills." O'Keefe continued.

The problems within the taxi and uber industries have been brought back into the spotlight following some events over the weekend. Taxi Council of Queensland CEO Blair Davies told Peter Fegan on 4BC Breakfast, "They think that they're making some easy money, but there's a $3,000 fine that can be issued to them." "What we need is we need more compliance officers out of the state government to get out there and catch these folk." "The drivers are unsupervised because they're working for themselves." "There's only so much that a cab company can do without strong support from state government compliance officers," Mr. Davies said.