THURSDAY SHOW - 9th April 📻

James Willis filled in for Ben Fordham on 2GB Breakfast, delivering a high-impact episode covering major national issues. Central to the show was the ongoing controversy surrounding Ben Robert Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, who was arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with five counts of war crime murder following a joint AFP and Special Investigator probe. The episode captured widespread public outrage, with listeners flooding in to defend Smith’s legacy and express concern over the treatment of veterans. Willis emphasized the emotional weight of the case, highlighting Smith’s six combat tours and the irony of a war hero facing trial decades after the alleged incidents. The discussion extended to broader systemic failures, particularly in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), where Willis and medical expert Dr Nick Coatsworth criticized the scheme’s $52 billion annual cost, unregistered providers, lack of means-testing, and the distortion of the labor market. The episode also featured a fiery interview with Nationals leader Matt Canavan, who unveiled a six-point plan to revive Australia through energy diversification, reduced migration, infrastructure investment, and scrapping net zero. Canavan criticized the current government’s green energy focus, arguing it has crippled fossil fuel development and left Australia vulnerable. Other segments covered Sydney’s controversial 24-hour trading proposal, dog-in-pubs debates, the Lurleen JobSeeker case, and the Kyle and Jackie O court saga. The tone was passionate, critical of government overreach, and deeply concerned about national direction, justice, and accountability.