#ASKJIM episode 82 with Jim's Group founder, Jim Penman and Joel Kleber

You going live, have you?

Good job.

I know, you're right, you're right.

How's it sound? I reckon it sounds good.

It sound a lot better. I've got one of these mics, I think, similar to mine, so good mic your time, how long? Hi, everyone. Welcome to another hashtag Ask Jim. I think we're up to episode number 82, so we're 18 from 100. Let's hope we can get to 100 and be back in the office to do something special for it. So Jim, welcome along and thanks for doing this again every Wednesday night for us. Then we've got people tuning in, leaving questioning comments, which is fantastic. And we're going to. Actually now what we want to discuss first, Jim, is your appearance during the week for TV about you've done another letter and obviously there's some other appearances. Maybe you want to touch on those regarding the dog washing especially.

Yeah, yeah, dog wash is a. What can you say about it? Salons can open, you can have five or six people working in them and that's okay. Not affect public health. But one operator doing the same job alone, experts say according to Premier Serious Danger to Health, which is a really interesting point because according to everything I've read, what actually causes infection is people in close proximity. But they're saying no, no, the more people in close proximity, the less the danger to health, which is lunatic. Now obviously what's happened is Andy Medic of the Animal Rescue parties. That's what it's called, something like that. Animal.

Animal Liberation or something like that.

Animal liberation, whatever, some name like that. Basically he's the casting vote that's given Daniel Andrews six months more of arbitrary dictatorial power so his salons can operate and we can't. It's. It's lunatic and it's corrupt. I don't. Look, I don't blame Andy for making a deal, but I thought it was a pretty pathetic price to ask for what he's given the Premier. The Premier is just a life and death power over the whole state and all he said is just dog salons.

I remember one of the things I first asked was could our franchisees leave their trailer in the driveway and open up a salon at their house. I don't see what the difference is.

Not allowed to. They've investigated that. I said they could use Foothills, they could come there and set up a salon. But apparently it's all set up in a way that specifically stops anybody doing something like that.

What's the reasons why? Do you know? Because it seems to me it's less risk if you do that.

Health experts, I've got to by bar the health experts, you say I'm very well.

Who are they?

Oh, I can't say that, you know, I mean, what's the health experts that say that it's safe to have council workers in groups doing a job, but not safe to have individuals? It's lunatic. I mean, he barely puts a fig of explanation over any of this stuff. He doesn't need to because people are blindly supporting him. You know, the Premier is like God Almighty, he's perfect in every way and whatever he does must be right. People come to me and my email is about 21 in favor of me these days. But the ones that are negative, I answer and every time I ask the same question. How can you justify this? You know what? Not one person has ever explained why, why people can work in groups doing the same job. People individually can't. Not one person has a reason. All they say is, you know, you got to support the Premier. You know, Premier is doing everything. He's a wonderful man, he's a great, he's co consultative, which is a pretty big joke when he doesn't talk to anybody.

The dog wash one's very frustrating. I feel sorry for our dog washing and grooming franchisees. There's a lot of them and they do a great job. I know a lot of their customers are sending through photos of their dogs being wild and matted and rubbing at their eyes, irritating eyes and stuff like this.

You know, I can go to salons now and they might, it might get infected and they might cause infection, but at least, you know, Andy medic gets his payoff. So I don't know, it's pretty disgusting, it's horrible, but the same thing is crazy, you know, the Premier. I've seen a picture of the Premier's lawn, it's beautiful, immaculate. It gets cut probably twice a week because obviously that's a clear danger. If the Premier's lawn got to be a centimeter long, that would be a terrible danger to public health. But of course, a pensioner has knee high grass and trips over, it doesn't matter, you know, he breaks a hip. But that's not, that's not public health. We're only caring for the public health of the community and the Premier is a priority and pensioners aren't.

Let's get onto it then because we have a few comments coming out. So Dave McDonnell says good evening, Jim and Joel. Jim on this day at this time, 7pm In 1956 television aired for the first time in Australia. Do you remember? Do you remember that?

No, we didn't get a TV too much later. I remember seeing my first TV when I was a kid. It was this weird looking box thing. Didn't seem very impressive to me really.

Okay, let's go on then. And then we got Jason Pollock tuning in. Here you go Paul Sandals crazy regarding Dog Wash was so sorry to read that last week. Hang in there guys. That's from Paul Sandals from Jim's Diggers. I think Paul's bailed from Victoria up to New South Wales. Paul, let us know where you are exactly in the country Paul, Michael King as well has gone in here. The question Jim, do you think the curfew is a political move to distract the other failures within the rules off the roadmap? If so, would you believe this is to be unconstitutional? If so, would you consider taking his place as premier? From Michael King?

Well, the whole, there's a very strong question of the legality of the whole thing. In actual fact, this group of lawyers have asked me to act as the front for a lawsuit to be put in the Supreme Court. Basically that they've done various things but this particular lawsuit is on the basis that the financial cost is out of proportion to the savings in health. They reckon they've got a reasonable case that's going, they want a front person and that'll be me. So there's all kinds of ways of challenges in these laws. They're very doubtful but of course when the police is behind the Premier and the police will do whatever the premier says, how can you fight them? I mean the courts take ages to go through. So as to me becoming Premier well that's not going to happen.

Every week. Every week Jim for PM everything it's, it's quite, it's getting a big move. But I was going to say we saw that cafe owner suing the government today and there's another young person doing it as well. So this is the same, this is.

The same people actually there's one case with a cafe owner and they're going to run another case with myself. This is what they're talking about. I'm still waiting to get a call from them but that's, that's been planned. The biggest problem they have is people are too scared to speak out. There's fear, there's so much fear. A lot of people know how bad things are but they're not prepared to speak. The unusual thing about me is that I couldn't. I just don't have any fear of the Premier because, I mean, what worse can he do? He's destroyed, as far as he can, my whole business. He did that without me antagonizing him at all. So, you know, how can you make things worse, Premier? What do you reckon?

Yeah, and that's the one thing I hear, is that governments have a way of getting people back, which it shouldn't be that case. But you have. You do hear that comment around the trap saying, oh, maybe they'll come back and get Jim somewhere down the track, years to come. I hope not, not the case. But that's what I've been.

Well, he did, in effect, what happened is the police commissioner, when I made that first comment on Channel 7, the Police Commissioner ordered his police to target Jimis Moen, not gardening contractors, James Moen. In other words, the premier said, this guy's having a go at me, I'm going to get him. But then again, they can't work anyway, so it doesn't make a lot of difference in any case. So I don't think. I think actually speaking out and making a fuss has had some difference. It's quite noticeable that he mentions gardeners and landscape gardeners, which would include a lot of other people that we do, you know, like fences and so forth, working outside starting on the 28th. In the past, he didn't even bother to consider us. As far as he was concerned, we could stay out till Christmas. So I do think speaking out has an impact. It's given. It's given us a voice. And from what I've heard, public opinion is starting to shift. I heard there was about like a 20% shift against the. Against the Labor Party in terms of public opinion, which is why they've also been a move to within the party to try and boot Andrews out. Hasn't worked, but he is feeling some pressure and I'm very pleased that we've contributed that in some way.

Well, if they want to protect their seats at the next election, they're going to have to do something because they're going to be tied with the same brush.

Well, there's also council elections coming up too, and then there's federal elections too, which are before the state elections. So the Labour Party, the Federal Labor Party is not particularly keen on Andrews because he's doing a lot of damage to the brand. So they do have reasons to try and modify things, but not enough to actually do something like launch a sensible and reasonable irrational response to the crisis. Nothing as bad as that. But he is feeling some Pressure, no question.

Now Craig Watson's gone here. Hi. Are you going to bring a gym doll just like Scotty Cam from the block? So Scotty Cam's a block. They must have a dollar thing. So someone's asked, are we gonna do a gym doll? I guess we could do some 3D printing.

I don't know what kinds of things do those T shirts.

The T shirts. I haven't heard anything back from the lady yet. I think Sue's watching. I never heard her saw an email or anything. I know you saw it, said an email back, getting it around, but I haven't heard anything back. So if I know about it, I'll share it.

I think it'd be great to have a whole everybody wearing T shirts. That would be fantastic. That'd be a very visible way of getting things out.

Definitely get a bit of traction online.

Maybe we should do it ourselves. I don't know. I don't know. We could do it. We could run a campaign and get them out there. Imagine if 10,000 people started wearing T shirts. There was one that was said about, I just want to go back to work. That was a good one. Maybe we should do it ourselves.

We could do it.

Anybody wants to write in and tell us whether you'd buy some sort of T shirt protesting about these ridiculous, you know, just, just the way that this thing is crushed. Crushed state unnecessarily.

Absolutely, yeah. Let us know in the comments here, guys, and we'll get into them and just. We can maybe do it. I reckon it's just a matter of how can we get him out to be shipped. So we might have to use Sue. She's watching. But we can definitely look at it if you would be interested.

Just bring them here, put them into foothills. We get somebody to do them.

Okay. All right. That's an option. Absolutely. Damien Donald says the Premier didn't even know if people could travel through a stage four from a stage three to another stage three. That was a question today for travelling the big ring of the ring around Melbourne.

Now that's the trouble. Everything's based on off the cuff comments from the Premier. Nobody knows the rules. The bureaucrats don't know it, the police don't know it, even the Labor Party politicians don't know it. Nobody knows except the Premier. He doesn't even know what he's going to say from one day to the other next. So it's complete chaos. It's not only ridiculously extreme, but it's totally arbitrary and uncertain.

And William's got A good evening everyone. Love the show and Jim, thanks for standing up for small business from William Rickett. That's nice. They've got press shant's gone in. Now that the number, now that the number are as expected by Dan, do you think he might allow sole traders like us to go back to work earlier than the 28th from Prashant?

No, not at all. The premier thinks that he's going to be a tough man. Can't change his mind, can't backtrack anything that's more important than lives or welfare or anything. That's how I read the guy. He's very. He's not, almost certainly not personally corrupt in the sense of corrupt in terms of money taking bribes and stuff, but he is immensely corrupted by power. He's driven by power to an extreme degree and that's obvious in so much of what he does. And he cannot be perceived to be, to be giving way to anybody. Otherwise it takes away from his image of power.

That's all Dave McDonald's going to. Jim, non Covid question. I was listening to a podcast this week with Sheldon Solomon and it got me thinking. Do you believe in an afterlife? Are you afraid of death? And what, and what to you is the meaning of life? Gee whiz, David, that's a very, very open ended question.

Well, I mean I'm a Christian so I guess I accept there is something beyond. But I love my life as it is. One of the things I'm not too keen on is that Jesus said in heaven there's no marri and I like being married. I wouldn't be married to Lee. I don't want to die. I like living. If you ask me, there's one particular wish I had is the fountain of youth be invented by scientists so I can get young again and never have to get old. I mean that would be, that would be fantastic. So sorry about that, but we've done.

A lot of podcasts with Jim.

I love what the poet says. Do not go gently into that dark night, but rage, rage against the dying of the light. Which somehow fits a little bit different to my Christian principles, but still that's how I feel about it.

If you want to check out Jim stuff, go on YouTube, type in Jim on religion. There's a lot of good stuff with Jim will go into detail about that as well. It's a good question, David. Steve Thompson goes. Does anyone find it interesting that they are trying to get restaurants to trade more outdoors, but it's mowing guys can't work the Point is, apparently it is safer to be outside. Good point, Stephen Thompson.

That's the whole stupid thing about it. Gardening, pool clean, those kind of things about the safest job you could imagine. They're actually at least as safe as professionals and lawyers and accountants and everybody are working from home. At least as safe. It's just a pure politics. Here's these small business owners the Premier loathes. If he had his way, everybody would be employed by the government or by huge businesses with unionized workforce. That's his wet dream.

The Eric jaggings going. This is taking a very heavy toll mentally on all of the dog groomers. I have no doubt. I know my wife is having a lot of trouble coping with all of the customers from the metro area that are begging her to please come and do their dog. She has taken quite a number of days off because she just can't cope with all the phone calls from customers. That's from Eric Juergens wife Ricky.

It's awful. I mean, I hear terrible stories of people suffering and the fear, the uncertainty, the depression, you know, alcohol consumption is way through the roof. Suicide rates are up 30%. The damage this thing is doing to that community. I would have favored a moderate crackdown, a reasonable one. But I said, what the way it is now, I reckon we should have done Sweden. It would be better than what we've got now. And he'll never crush this thing. He'll never wipe it out. Once it's out, it never, never goes back. That's my absolute prediction. It was from the beginning. You cannot suppress it once it's out into the community. And it's out because it's his fault. He did it. And we'll never get it under control. But he'll keep on trying until there's nothing left in the state.

Then Jill Stallwell. G'. Day. Jill from Colsona goes. I have used the dog groomer for near on nine years and even though she is a private studio at home, she rang me today to say she can't even operate during it to being a home business. So now we have animal cruelty to add to the list of Dan's doings from Jill.

Yes, it's bruticulous.

Okay, all right, let me just go and hear one from Anthony as well. For pretty long name. Perpetual violations under the PHW act is disproportionately keeping everyone under control. Section 5, 7, 9, 10, 1, 5, 7 are all being violated in a continuous manner. They want to lock us up. Meanwhile they get to run free to Cause chaos is.

From Anthony's comment, I don't know, I wonder. It was up to me, I think we'd have wide scale civil disobedience. I think what's happening is so outrageous. But people are very scared these days. They fear they won't speak out. They won't speak up against the Premier because they're afraid of him. They won't break the law because they're afraid of the police. And you know, I mean, in general terms, I'm strongly in favor of obeying the law. But sometimes if a law is unjust, I always think of Gandhi and the salt tax where he led his vast army. Remember the film Gandhi where they actually went to the salt works and they got and these like the Sikhs armed with clubs and each person came up two rows, they clubbed them and they fell down and they wore out and they clubbed them again. That was an amazing moral courage and Gandhi was wonderful. And so I wish we could have some of that moral courage. But we are very timid people these days by comparison. What those guys went through.

Well, do you think people are scared because of potential retribution that they might have imposed on their business? Let's say an ATO the blue or something, you know what I mean? Down the track. Do you think that's one of the reasons why they're not as hard as they probably should?

People are very scared of the Premier. He's been so powerful for so long, he controls so much. He controls the police, he controls to a large extent the courts too. It's going to be interesting to see what happens. I hope franchisees watching and independent business watching have actually put your claims in for compensation. Now the interesting thing about that is you can appeal to vcat. To what extent is vcat? I mean, the claims are overwhelmingly good because there's no health reason for shutting down small businesses working alone. There's no evidence that we're a danger to health. So if you looked at the law, we've been unjustly deprived of it, so we should get full compensation. But will VCAT do it now? I was asked my son, who's one of my sons, who's a lawyer, he says that. I asked him what kind of pressure can the Premier put on VCAT people and he says, well, they're appointed every seven years on the advice of the Attorney General. So in effect what the Premier can do is say if you don't do what I want, you're out of a job, you know, when your term is up. So that's going to be interesting to see, can the premier control the courts? Because that's of course, when you've got a dictator and Daniel Andrews is an elected dictator. The two differences are we've got a strong media, at least certain media, that the ABC is totally craven, of course, and they support him. But you've also got the judiciary. Now, to what extent is he able to control the judiciary? We don't know quite that yet. But he's got extraordinary power, much more power than anybody thought possible. What he's doing and what he can do.

Well, we might be interesting to see what happens. Post this. You know, whether it be things changed in, you know, various things to limit powers. I don't know. What are your thoughts on that?

Well, I hope so. If anybody's seen our last letter. Did you post a letter? 5. Number 5 on YouTube. That's basically an appeal to people to contact the Labour members of Parliament and ask them to get rid of the premier. And, you know, I'll offer to go and talk to them. They change the I'll go and talk to them. And I'm not at war with Labor Party. I just want to see my people fairly treated and the rest of the economy too. So the best thing the individual can do is to put pressure through the public, pass everybody, you know, and get people to go for the MPs, because they're the only people that can hold this guy to account. And there is a move within the part of the power brokers are very concerned. They're trying to look at getting Andrews out. They know he's toxic. They know he's going to hurt him a lot if he continues. So what we've got to try and do is to help that along. So practical thing is pass the word, pass my letters around, write to your mp, especially if they're Labor. I mean, liberals would be wonderful. They're on side and they take my calls These days. I'm very important.

Liberals share all your stuff on Twitter. A lot of politicians are very, very active on Twitter. And every time you do a letter, they share it. So they're very, very vocal with that.

Share it through social media in any way you can. Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, the whole lot. Just I'm not much on social media myself, but share it as much as you possibly can. And let's try and get it through to the MPs to tell them the community is turning against this guy. What he's doing is not popular.

Twitter's probably. Twitter and Facebook are the two easiest ones for anyone watching And Jim's near up to 2,000 followers on Twitter, so make sure you follow him there. So we've got. Colin Harper has gone in business. It is said to never waste a crisis. With this in mind, what has the Jim's group done to not waste the crisis? That's a good one, Colin.

Well, we've done actually very well out of the crisis, out of COVID if you want to look at that problem has been, as any franchisee will know, we've tended to have far more work than we can cope with. The volume of leads has risen dramatically over recent years, particularly since we put the surveys in and the customer service has improved. We're not growing as fast as we could because it's been hard to attract franchisees because the economy has been so good that this year, until the crisis, we were doing phenomenally because the work was up, but franchise inquiries like doubled. So we've got a tremendous potential to grow. So, you know, we're doing quite well out of the crisis in that particular sense. And I have to say, a thousand times over, I would much rather it never happened because the pain it's inflicting on so many people is beyond, beyond belief. And the destroyed lives and everything else that's going on, terrible things. I know two families of franchisees who've had attempted suicides in the house. These people I personally know about. I mean, what's going on there is shocking. But as Jim's group, as I said, we're doing okay. We're actually, we're doing some wonderful things. We've reorganized our. Revamped our divisional support systems, and we're doing a lot better that way. We're starting to actively sell regional franchises interstate for our new divisions, which we've got off the ground. We're starting to move those. Jim's jobs has been launched, it's being tested. It's still got a lot of way to go, but it's going to be the most fantastic program. Even by the end of the year, it'll be really, really good and it's going to be so much better next year. So there's a lot of really, really good things happening in Jim's. In fact, this is one of our most productive years ever. But, yes, I just want to go back to work, that's all.

And also from the media, Jim's obviously done a lot of good national stuff as well, which obviously we didn't want to do, but Jim was good enough to do it and been pushing it as well.

Well, look, in the beginning, a Lot of people were very scared of the fact that, you know, we'd be seen as negative. And you do get customers occasionally writing and saying because of, you know what Jim said, I'm going to cancel their service. But the overall impression has been overwhelmingly more positive. And I spoke to people who expert in this area and he said this is the most incredible PR thing you've ever done, ever seen. Your image and image of Jim's has gone through the roof because of this. I would say, you know, many, many, many, many times over. We're going to be benefiting from this. Now again I say I don't welcome the crisis. I wish it would never happen. I wish it could go away tomorrow and economy be back to. But from a PR point of view it's actually done us a lot of good.

Yeah, I think the comments from some sometimes in Queensland stuff you hear, oh, Jim's is not as well known up here. Well now they know with the national coverage that Jim's getting. Sorry, they know now great support from.

Interstate too, if anybody. People in the state are a bit more, bit more supportive than Victoria. People in Victoria are very woke, very timid, very, very scared.

Very woke. Good word, good word, Jim. That's a very young person's word.

Well, we're the most left wing greeny state in the whole Commonwealth. People like if I immigrate, I'd tell you what, anywhere else but Victoria right now it's just my family and everybody else. Everybody's here but goodness gracious, it's the worst state there is.

I like that. Stay, stay woke. You're picking up the lingo. That's a good one. Daniel. Aki's gone. G', day Jim. How are you going, mate? Jim, what do you reckon? Who would win in a punch on with you and Dan Andrews? If there's any conciliation, I reckon you'd have him.

Well, he's probably 20 years younger than me, but I think I would. He looks pretty soft and flabby, that guy.

Jim's got his coverage for cardio. I reckon you wear him out in the later rounds. Jim.

Yeah, I'm pretty fit. I work physically hard quite a few hours a week. I do my running and rowing and lots of past walking and stuff. I think I'd probably wear them out. But having said that, I don't really believe in political violence. I think we've got to get rid of this guy from other means. I do believe in the systems of democracy even though sometimes he would be very nice to land a big Sucker punch into his belly. I won't do that even if I could.

No, no, no. No violence. Jim Mayweather. Jim Mayweather. Look out for it. Ricky. Ricky Wallace is gone. Jim, you said you had legal advice claiming we could work, so why wasn't there legal action taken by you from Ricky Wallace?

Yeah, but what happened in the beginning, you're referring to the original stage forward guidelines that came out. What, how long ago was that? 7 weeks ago actually said small operators, single operators working alone can work. That was in the guidelines. Now when the Premier came on and made a statement about you can't get your lawns mowed and your house is clean, I got onto two different lawyers and said, what's the law? And they said, the law is what's in the regulations from the Department of Health and Human Services. They're not based on what the Premier said at a press conference. That is the law of Australia. In that case, if you work, you'd win any appeal because it's the law that you're following. Now. Did the Premier change the regulations? Of course, because the regulate law. And so at that stage we couldn't work. But as far as people working is concerned, these laws are a doubtful legality. There's every chance that if we appeal the fines and we will actually, if any of our franchisees actually get fined, we'll actually defend you in court, we'll appeal, we'll pay all the costs. If anybody does get fined for working, we'll do that. There's a good chance you would actually get you off because of the fact that these laws are a very, very doubtful constitutional ability. But to do that you have to be paid to go out and be fined and most people aren't prepared to do that. I know some people are working but not most.

So we got Dave McDonald says the three things people find the hardest to say is, I was wrong, I need help and Worcestershire Source. Third one, Worcestershire. It's a good one, Daniel. Aki's gone. Jim, would you walk away from Christianity if it meant you'd get to sack Dan Andrews during a press conference? That's a pretty unique question.

No, no, no, you don't, you don't, you don't, you don't. No.

That's a unique question, Dan. Never had it. But we ask everything on our stream.

You can't, you can't give up what Jesus said. You. What's the point if you give up the whole, the whole world? You get in the whole world but lose your life. What's the point of it? What's the point of life if you.

Don'T do what's right and then Ricky Wallace has been gone? Jim, if the law is unjust, why aren't you taking legal action against the world? Oh, that was, we just answered that one again. Okay, Damien Donald, do you watch?

I am actually, first of all, as I said, we would defend anybody, but secondly, I'm actually fronting, going to be fronting this legal action for this exact point and hopefully it's going to happen in the next few days. So, yes, I'm doing everything I can legally to challenge the premier and I'll put my own money into it, too.

Make sure, guys, you share and comment the feed if anyone wants to join in on it so they can tune in and ask you a question about it, too. Damien McDonald says, Do you watch Grand Designs? It's my favorite show at the moment. I like watching all the unique houses that people come up with. One day. I want to build a house out of the shipping containers. So you watch Grand Designs at home, Jim, is the question.

I like political stuff, actually. The loudest voice in the room about Roger Ellis. That was really interesting. I mean, it's a total sleezebag. But it was, it was really interesting what he did, because this is the guy did Fox News last week. Yeah, that's right. So I love that kind of show and I love historical things like anything about Rome or those kinds of areas. And yeah, most, mostly we watch, we watch this thing called Molly, something about Molly who was, as a run, a professional card game and so forth. That was really interesting. So a lot of interesting stuff around.

Well, what's your opinion on. Well, speaking of Fox News, Donald Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

Really? Yeah, he got there.

Have you seen it? He's been nominated for two Nobel Peace Prizes from the Norwegian, someone on the Norwegian parliament or something for the UAE deal with Israel.

Oh, I don't think.

I can't believe you didn't know what he's.

He's a horrible man. I mean, I mean, I have to say that being, being generally right of center and I have real, real sympathy for the people who support him. I mean, the people who are so despised by the, the Left Quinn establishment. But all the same, he's an awful man.

You have to check it up after this. But he's been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and I'll tell you what, if he wins it, look at, look.

Better be such a joke. I mean, it really would be.

That'd be 2020 summed up in a nutshell, Anthony, he gone. He. Would you go as far as to call it treason? So, Anthony Duchenne with a question. Would you go so far as to call it treason what Stan Andrews is doing?

No, it's not treason because he's the powers that be overturning him would be treason. I guess if you're talking about dictatorship, but no, kids can't t. There's a rhyme that says treason never prospers. So they say, tis true enough forsooth. And he is the reason. If traitors treason fails, the traitors lose their heads. If treason prospers, none dare call it treason.

There you go. We'll move on to the next one with some nice poetry there. Okay, Christopher Canavaro. Here we go. Rode my bike past of the few lawn mowing jobs today within the 5k radius during my exercise time and what a mess. A couple have been done by some owners, but most don't have anyone to mow them and wear. A mess. Also saw six council workers carrying on no masks. I'm not happy, Jim. From Christopher, you're right.

That gets people more upset than anything because it's so inconsistent. There's no possible way to justify council workers in groups able to operate. Single operators alone cannot. That's not health, that's politics.

Yeah, I feel sorry for you, Christopher. Very frustrating. Then Duane Paisley's gone. Jim, with only 300 cases active in the public and the other 900 in aged care, do you think this will make Daniel Andrews open up earlier and use some common sense from Duane?

If he had common sense, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. This is a guy driven by politics, driven by power. I don't think common sense or humanity or concern for the less fortunate or anything really relates to this guy. I think he's a kind of. You know, they say all power tends to corrupt. Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. I think he's been corrupted by power to an extraordinary extent and that's all he can think of. You know, be powerful, be strong, get my own way, crush anybody who gets in my way. And it's worked for him so far. He's a very politician. He's not crazy. He's very cunning, clever politician. I think in the end, our civil society is strong enough to bring him down. But he's been very, very successful at what he's done. But he's a really. It's shocking what's happened. I just couldn't comprehend that this could go on in Australia, that somebody could have this Kind of arbitrary power so. So cynically displayed. Not even. Not even a fig leaf of health to cover his naked power grabs. It's. It's quite appalling.

Yeah, I'm very frustrated, you know, this personal story for anyone watching, but my mum's got early onset dementia due to bipolar and she's in a nursing home at 63, so she had a birthday on the. On the Sunday, you know, and that's. That's a year I won't get to see her in person, you know, and that's. That's what it's cost me and it's quite frustrating. So, yeah, I know there's a lot of stories like that.

Dying alone, it's awful, but what you hear is just so heartbreaking and in a sense, I don't know, I mean, this whole struggle is kind of energizing, but there's this leaden weight hanging on all the time about all the people I know who are suffering. It's very hard to take. It's really like a. Like a weight on you all the time. I can never. Because people would contact me. I've got so many people. My inbox is overflowing with this stuff.

It's.

It's really. I just wish the Premier could. It could hear a tenth to what I hear. I don't know whether he changed his mind or not, but he's so insulated. He's so. Apart from any sense of the. The terrible hurt that's been done, I.

Think he's immune from empathy, you know, I don't think if you've got a nap, if you've got a normal emotional intelligence, I don't know how it couldn't affect you to make change in decisions. So Paul Sandals has gone. Evcat is the lowest court. We just need a case to be successful at the county court via appeal. And all future VCAT decisions must use this as precedence. Only legislation can override.

Yes, that's actually what we intend to do. It's a new policy for those who haven't quite. I don't think we. I've actually urged as many franchises as possible to make the appeal to compensation, which will almost certainly be refused, of course, then we'll actually pay for a number of appeals to vcat. And then if and when they're knocked back, depending on. They might get through actually, it might actually be accepted. I don't know quite what the Premier's going to be able to pressure vcat, but if not, we'll appeal to the Supreme. It's actually the Supreme Court. That makes one up. It goes from VCAT to the Supreme Court. So we'll appeal to them. Now if we get that established, you're right, then everybody else puts a compensation claim and goes to. And then. And then it's going to be automatically has to be. They have to follow the Superior Court. So this is a good one because the. It'll. It'll cost franchisees nothing except down the track a bit. They'll have to pay the. The vcat, but that's only a couple of hundred dollars. But, you know, most commonly lost a lot more than that. You know, we're talking about people losing $20,000 and so forth and dogwash more. So I'm hopeful that if we rush it right, and we're gonna fund all this, this isn't gonna cost franchises anything. We will fund these cases. We'll do it ourselves. Or we'll get GoFundMe. We'll get support from different people. So we're gonna fight this out and I'm gonna try and get every one of my franchisees all their money back.

It's a good comment, Paul. The day MacDonald says I was surprised on Sunday that the prep that the Premier knew where Horsham was on Sunday. We had one case, but it was someone who moved to Melbourne four months ago. I would like to know the percentage of the virus in the public from Dave McDonald. He's originally a country person, the Premier, David. So that's probably why I knew Horsham. Bradshawni, when are you appearing on Qanda? Q and A? That's a very good question, Brad. When are you appearing on Q and A?

Well, we've been asking.

Yeah, two weeks ago.

I'd love. Yeah, I've actually said to Joel that I'd love to be on Q and A because, I mean, Q and A is incredibly leftist. You've got a leftist audience, you've got a leftist commentator and you've got everybody else who's going to be leftist there. But I would love for them to go on and try and explain on national television why it's safe for group people to work together when it's not safe for one person to do the same job. It's unanswerable. And you can argue about the curfew, you can argue about lots of things, but how can you possibly justify that? I'd love to see these lefties actually explain on national television how this can be anything but a power grab. And I just keep on hammering the point again and again. I'd love to go on Q and A. I don't think they put me on because they don't want anybody who's going to crush this. They're comfortable doing left wing Greeny Love Festival.