TRANSCRIPT – Sky News Afternoon Agenda with Tom Connell

Angie Bell MP

Shadow Minister for the Environment

Shadow Minister for Youth

Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

Sky News Afternoon Agenda with Tom Connell

5 September 2025

Subjects: National Threatened Species Day, EPBC reform, Coalition’s energy policy

E&OE…………………………………………………………………………………………………

TOM CONNELL:

Sunday marks Threatened Species Day, raising awareness about Australia’s unique flora and fauna. 59 species have moved into a higher threat category since May 2022. When Labor took office, the government seemed to overhaul environmental laws before the end of the year. The Shadow Environment Minister, Angie Bell, joins me live now. Interesting to note, this day falls on the same day the Tasmanian tiger became extinct, the most famous of the extinct animals in Australia. But a lot of the other species at threat get a lot less attention.

ANGIE BELL:

Well, that’s right, Tom. Sunday is the day to think about threatened species. And we’ve had 100 species go extinct in 200 years and it’s important that we elevate that and get Australians to understand that it’s invasive species also that have a very big impact on our native flora and fauna. And so, you’re right, there has been extinctions. There has been 59 species elevated in threat category since May 2022, which is quite a big number. And so, we need to decline. We need to stop the decline, sorry, in the environment. And we need to reform the EPBC Act this term. Labor’s had three years to reform this Act and they’ve failed at every turn. And we’re hoping, well, they’re hoping to have another go this term. And the Minister has signalled that he’s going to introduce that into the Parliament in the last sitting week or thereabouts to fast-track EPBC reform.

TOM CONNELL:

OK, so that’s in train. We’ll see some of the details on that. I am struck, though, that the highest-profile recent species when it comes to being extinct or at threat, the Maugean Skate in Tasmania. Now, Liberal Party members were saying Labor better not stand in the way of the salmon industry, saying on that particular matter, so more concern for industry over that species. Does that fit in with you raising concern about extinctions in Australia?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, I think we should always raise concerns about extinctions and we should always do what we can to stop the degradation of our environment and of our threatened species. And that’s what the EPBC Act is supposed to do. It’s supposed to protect our environment and conserve our environment and I know that the Minister has made a recent decision on salmon farming in Tasmania and the Maugean Skate and delivered some oxygen into the bay there and made sure that the Maugean Skate is protected to the degree that it can be whilst having a sustainable salmon farming conducted as well at the same time.

TOM CONNELL:

Well, that’s the thing. You can raise concerns, and I’m sure plenty of people would applaud you doing so. At the same time, when there’s an industry there, what we’ve heard from Liberal MPs is, well, we hope the Skate will be okay, but industry seemingly takes priority.

ANGIE BELL:

Well, let’s look at national environmental standards that came out of the Samuel Review as a recommendation. That’s what we need to be applying, Commonwealth National Environmental Standards. And we need to be streamlining approvals through the states and territories, bilateral agreements. And we need to reform the EPBC Act.

I have been in meetings with the Minister to talk about both parties of government coming to the table to come to a sensible agreement on this because the EPBC Act is not conserving the environment the way it needs to. It’s not providing the certainty and the approvals in a timely manner to industry to provide jobs and certainly also for overseas investors in our country. And of course, the resources sector has delivered a lot of wealth to our countries. It’s delivered education, it’s delivered health. But we must make sure that we preserve our environment as we go. And I think reforming the EPBC Act is part of that, a very big part.

TOM CONNELL:

Ok. Talk of Labor’s 2035 emissions target, or overall emissions target across the economy. It’s fair to say, isn’t it, whatever happens within the Coalition, there’ll be a strong push to have a much lower target than the Labor government.

ANGIE BELL:

Well, we voted against legislating for a target and the very reason we did that last time was because it’s no good setting a target if you fail to meet it. And this is what the Labor government is doing currently. It’s not going to reach its targets. It’s failing on the promises that it had before the election, which was a decrease in electricity bills. Electricity is up by 30 per cent. Emissions are flatlining, Tom, and so they’re back to the levels of when we left government. So Labor is actually failing on their energy policy on every single measure at this point in time… [interrupted]

TOM CONNELL:

Well, I mean, overall emissions. The department had. Just to jump in, sorry. The department had Labor getting to, the country getting to 42.6 per cent compared to 43 per cent is their target. Would you really call that a failure?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, the Labor government is not on track to get their 82 per cent renewables and net zero emissions by 2050. They’re simply not on target to do that. And so, they have to speed up what they’re doing by some two or three times… [interrupted]

TOM CONNELL:

Well, 2025 is a long way away. Because I asked about 2035. 2030 is 43.. [interrupted]

ANGIE BELL:

It’s good to hear you say that, Tom. 2050 is a long way away.

TOM CONNELL:

Yeah, I know, but who knows? It’s just so far away. The shorter one’s the easier one to assess. 43 per cent is what they say. Now, they could miss it. This is the department, but they say they’ll get to 42.6 per cent. If they get to 42.6 per cent versus 43 per cent, that’s a pass, isn’t it?

ANGIE BELL:

They need to increase what they’re doing and double the amount of rollout of what they’re doing at the moment. But my point is that they are failing when it comes to emissions because emissions have flatlined and also electricity bills are up by 30 per cent when renewables are supposed to be the cheapest form of energy. So, what we’re doing as a responsible opposition and Coalition is to review our policy on energy and emissions, to make sure that we have a reliable, stable, affordable energy grid. You’ve heard this before, but this is what’s important to Australians who are hurting now with their energy bills, and to make sure we do our part in lowering emissions.

And so, we are methodically going through that process through Dan Tehan, who’s leading that, and we are looking at all the inputs into our grid and making sure that we review that and we will come to our position on our electricity, energy and emissions policy in due course.

TOM CONNELL:

Do you feel as though it’s your job on the left to try to make sure the Coalition isn’t seen as a laggard on this policy once you land on something?

ANGIE BELL:

Tom, I reject the idea that I’m on the left. I’m a Liberal Party member. I sit in the Liberal Party room and it is true and good and right that we review our energy policy and our position on net zero and on emissions. That is what we owe the Australian people because let’s look at the cost of what it is costing the Australian people, the taxpayers of this country, and we saw that modelling today that was up to $530 billion that it may cost Australians to set a lower target. And so, you know, I think it is absolutely our responsibility to review energy and emissions policy, look at all the costs and yes, in time, through our process, model those costs as well, which this morning some of my comments were taken out of what I was talking about, you know, and I think that we need to do that. That is our job in opposition, is to make sure that we hold the Labor government to account. That’s our job.

TOM CONNELL:

We’ll see what they come up with and then you and chat about it then. Angie Bell, thank you.

ANGIE BELL:

2050 is a long way off, Tom, as you outlined.

TOM CONNELL:

It is. I did mean 2035, I suppose. But yeah, I don’t think either of us will be in these jobs in 2050. I hope that’s not being too presumptuous, Angie Bell.

ENDS.