17 Dec 2019

The Panel with Michele A'Court and Thomas Pryor (Part 2)

From The Panel, 4:02 pm on 17 December 2019

A pair of round sunglasses once owned by John Lennon just sold at auction for $275,000 NZD. They were put up for auction by the late musicians former chauffeur Alan Herring at Sothebys. Sydney's air is so polluted it's now a public health emergency, health officials warn. A joint statement signed by 22 organisations calls for immediate government action as the state prepares for heatwave, and the onslaught of more smoke. We speak to reporter Jason Morrison from Sydney's channel seven news. Huntly has been named S...Town of the Year by public vote on the satire facebook page of the same name. But Stuff writer Lorna Thronber says the town doesn't deserve to be called the country's worst. It hosts a great half marathon, New Zealand's oldest, it's got a speedway and the Kauri loop track, and you can get a scotch fillet with a beer on Friday's for under $20 at the local RSA. We speak to RSA president, and Huntly councillor, Frank McInally. Police today named the two people whose bodies are still missing following the Whakaari/ White Island eruption - they are Kiwi tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman and 17-year-old Australian Winona Langford. Meanwhile, criticism of the response to the tragedy has begun. Stuff published an opinion piece today by a PR director Mark Blackham. It's a pretty harsh take on the police's response to the disaster - saying it exposed a growing "institutional cowardice" among emergency services.