Karl's Melbourne Cup Day sermon promised "no jargon, no spin" and just the truth. So Burndog checked his numbers. The vibe's right. The stats aren't.

A quick solo bonus while Julie's busy with the US election. On Cup Day, the same day the RBA lifted rates for the fifth time this year, Karl Stefanovic posted six and a half minutes from the kitchen table of the soul: 15 claims, one rosary and a request for fishing spots. Burndog goes through them one by one. The pain is real: the rate hike, Foodbank's hunger numbers, the oil shock, small business insolvencies. But the abyss, the doubled mortgage, the politicians' pensions and the divorce wave don't survive the fact-check.

In this episode:

- The rate hike to 4.85% and Foodbank's 37% of middle-income households

- "Not everyone has that choice": Karl's year of sackings and a seven-figure contract

- The "global excuse" that was a war, the Strait of Hormuz and $3 diesel

- A trillion dollars of debt: growing hole or absolute abyss?

- AI, and whether our kids really are the first generation worse off

- Taxpayer-funded pensions for politicians, which closed to new MPs in 2004

- Mortgages "doubled in real terms" (they're up 83%, before inflation)

- Farmers, "I see you", and Miss Helena from Romper Room

- The divorce wave that isn't, and productivity: behind the top half or among the worst?

- Check on your mates (genuinely good advice) and tell Karl where the fish are biting

We're a podcast, not your doctor (or your financial adviser). If money stress is getting on top of you, the National Debt Helpline is free on 1800 007 007 or ndh.org.au. If you're doing it tough, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, any time.

Support the show and the search for Karl: patreon.com/karlstefanogriftshow

Clips nightly on Instagram (@karlstefanogriftshow), YouTube Shorts (Karl Stefa-no Grift) and TikTok (@thekarlstefanogriftshow)

Sources:

- RBA, Monetary Policy Decision (3 November 2026): https://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2026/mr-26-30.html

- Foodbank Hunger Report 2026: https://www.foodbank.org.au/hunger-report-2026-media-release/

- Productivity Commission, The fraying generational bargain: https://www.pc.gov.au/media-speeches/speeches/generational-bargain/

- ABS, Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2025: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/marriages-and-divorces-australia/latest-release