A tense war of words has erupted between radio host Ray Hadley and his ex-colleague Alan Jones over the broadcaster's anti-lockdown stance and his claims Covid-19 is no worse than the flu.
Jones has repeatedly criticised New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian during Sydney's three-week coronavirus lockdown for enforcing strict public health orders to stop the spread of the virus.
Last week, he used his Sky News segment to call for the pay of Australia's 'contemptible' politicians to be scrapped until they stopped implementing lockdowns.
'We are being run by an ignorant rabble who don't do any homework,' he said in another rant directed at Ms Berejiklian on Monday.
Hadley - a 2GB breakfast host who worked with Jones until his move to Sky - accused Jones of taking a 'ridiculous stance' and doing the Australian public a 'great disservice'.
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Broadcasters Ray Hadley and Alan Jones pictured left and right together while at 2GB. Hadley has hit out at his ex-colleague - who now hosts his own segment on Sky News - over his anti-lockdown stance
Pictured: A Covid-19 testing clinic at the Fairfield Showgrounds in Sydney on Monday. Hadley accused Jones of taking a 'ridiculous stance' and doing the Australian public a 'great disservice'
'According to him, they’ve made mistake after mistake after mistake,' Hadley said on Tuesday morning.
'If you look at the figures worldwide, as opposed to our figures, even in the middle of this pandemic problem we have in Sydney at the moment, (we are at the) top of the world in terms of controlling the virus.'
Hadley also claimed Jones' Sky News stablemate Andrew Bolt was acting like his 'lapdog'.
'His disciple and lapdog, Andrew Bolt, will no doubt disagree. But Andrew, I couldn’t care less what you think,' Hadley said.
Jones had argued the fact Sweden had a lower death rate than the UK despite using less strict social distancing restrictions for much of the pandemic proved it was possible to achieve 'herd immunity' against the virus.
He also claimed the number of influenza deaths are comparable to the Covid fatality rate - with 705 flu deaths in 2019 out of 300,000 cases, compared to 910 coronavirus fatalities stemming from 30,000 infections since the pandemic hit Australian shores in early 2020.
'Were there lockdowns, mandatory masks, border closures, businesses ruined, egotistical power hungry Premiers and a Prime Minister locking the country down and talking about how we wouldn't return to normal for years?' Jones said of the influenza figures.
'Stop hyperventilating over Covid cases and think about the people right now who are hyperventilating over how they are going to pay their mortgage, their bills, their wages, their kids' school fees.'
Ray Hadley arrives ahead of the 2019 NRL Hall of Fame at Carriageworks. Hadley said Jones' Sky News stablemate Andrew Bolt was acting like his 'lapdog'
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday announced her state had recorded another 89 cases of Covid-19, of which 30 were out in the community for part of, or the entire time, they were infectious.
Ms Berejiklian said she would announce on Wednesday or Thursday whether Greater Sydney's three-week stay-at-home lockdown would be extended beyond July 16, but it appears certain as the premier said community transmission rates would have to be at or near zero before it was lifted.
Busting the conspiracy theories anti-vaxxers use as 'proof' the Covid vaccine is unsafe
Australia's return to normal after Covid-19 depends on how quickly the nation gets vaccinated.
However, a small but noisy group of anti-vaxxers is trying to hold the country back by spreading myths about the vaccines.
They include concerns the jabs will alter DNA, cause infertility or even connect people to the internet.
Some also claim the vaccines are still on trial until 2023 - but actually it is normal for them to be monitored for a few years after approval.
Here Daily Mail Australia publishes official Department of Health advice to help you sift the fact from the fiction.
Are Covid-19 vaccines still on trial until 2023?Both of Australia's vaccines currently in use - Pfizer and AstraZeneca - were approved by the country's regulator, the Theraputic Goods Administration, early this year after completing phase three trials.
No part of the assessment process was rushed and there was no emergency authorisation granted, meaning experts made a complete assessment of all the
