Transcript – ABC Radio Brisbane with Steve Austin

Angie Bell MP

Shadow Minister for the Arts

Shadow Minister for Sport

Shadow Minister for Youth

Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

ABC Radio Brisbane with Steve Austin

20 March 2026

Subjects: Angus Taylor’s shadow ministry, Anika Wells’ taxpayer funded family ski holiday, Broncos World Club Challenge defeat, Saxophonist career, Supporting the local arts and music scene.

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

STEVE AUSTIN:

Let’s go to federal politics and look at both sport and art with my guest, Queensland Federal Liberal MP, Angie Bell, the MP, the Member for Moncrieff, based on the Gold Coast. Angie Bell was reshuffled, if you like, with Angus Taylor winning the leadership. And Angie Bell now has the role for the opposition federally. Normally called an outer ministry role, so I regard that as somewhat of a demotion, covering youth, sport and art. Angie Bell, do you see it as a demotion? Morning to you.

ANGIE BELL:

Good morning, Steve. Great to be with you. Look, I see it as a great opportunity to deliver Liberal values to young Australians, and that is through the arts and through the sport portfolios. Because it really is the great leveller when it comes to opportunities for young people, and we want young people to have those opportunities to be ambitious as artists and sports people. We want more Australians to be successful and we’re seeing great success on the world stage at the moment obviously at the Winter Olympics and our artists are doing great things abroad as well.

STEVE AUSTIN:

And Anika Wells the actual Federal Sport Minister, didn’t go to the Winter Olympics. Would you have gone?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, I think the question has to be asked there at every invitation, is it a good use of taxpayer funds and does it pass the Aussie pub test? Because I think Minister Wells is yet to be held accountable for all of that spending. We obviously saw the terrible events at Bondi unfold and it was diverted away from what she had been doing with taxpayer funding. I think she’s yet to be held accountable and that’s certainly something I’m looking at.

STEVE AUSTIN:

She did refer herself to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority around her spending on her husband and the children when she travelled and it was found to be within the rules.

ANGIE BELL:

Well, do the rules pass the pub test? And this is a question for the Prime Minister and those rules should be looked at again and reviewed because certainly it seemed excessive that her family was able to go on a ski holiday thanks to the Australian taxpayer.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Would you have gone to the Winter Olympics, though, if you were Sport Minister as the Shadow Sport Minister?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, did the Minister go? No, the Minister didn’t go because she’s been under scrutiny for spending taxpayer funds to send her own family on a holiday.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Sure, but I’m asking you. You’re the alternative. Would you have gone to the Winter Olympics?

ANGIE BELL:

I’m not in government right now. I am only newly minted as the Shadow Sports Minister, but certainly I don’t think that it was a good use of taxpayers’ funds to fund a family holiday at Thredbo. And the Minister clearly did not go to the Winter Olympics. So, as the Shadow Minister, I would certainly not go to the Winter Olympics.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Angie Bell is the Liberal Member for Moncrieff, the Federal electorate based on the Gold Coast. She’s now the Opposition’s Sport, Youth and Art Shadow Minister. This is 6.12 ABC Brisbane. Are you watching the World Cup Challenge, the Rugby League at the moment, overseas by any chance?

ANGIE BELL:

Indeed, I watched this morning. Unfortunately, not the result the Broncos wanted with Hull winning 30-24. I’ve got to say they’re probably tough boys over there in England, but it’s a fantastic showcase. Rugby league at its highest level. Of course, bringing together NRL like the Broncos and the English Super League. So highly charged. Unfortunately, the Broncos didn’t get the result they wanted, but certainly we have a great Broncos supporter base up here in Queensland.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Who would you support? So you’re based on the Gold Coast. Would you support the Titans or the Broncos in a rugby league game?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, it’s no secret I’m a proud Gold Coaster, so the answer lies in that.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Okay, there you go.

ANGIE BELL:

Tino’s my man.

STEVE AUSTIN:

But I think actually you’d probably support the Gold Coast Suns and the AFL I think, if I’m right?

ANGIE BELL:

Absolutely. That’s on my wiki page, first and foremost, that I am a Suns supporter through and through.

STEVE AUSTIN:

My guest is Moncrieff Federal Liberal MP Angie Bell. She’s now the opposition’s spokesperson on youth, sport and art. You play the saxophone. In fact, you played the saxophone on the green at federal parliament playing Never Tear Us Apart as a part of the Parliamentary Friends of Brewing. Did I hear that correctly? The Federal Parliament has a support group for brewers in Australia.

ANGIE BELL:

The Federal Parliament has a support group for everyone. There’s so many Parliamentary Friends of groups, including countries and, yes, brewing. But there’s also one for Aussie music as well, and it was a great delight to play on the parliamentary lawn with my good friend Sam Birrell. The irony of the song, Never Tear Us Apart. But look, what I will say is that playing the saxophone is the thing that gave me an opportunity coming from a disadvantaged background. And I think that sport and music are the great levellers when it comes to opportunity. And so, I would say to all of those young people out there, get good at something, whether it’s a sport or an art, and doors will open for you, and you will be very successful.

STEVE AUSTIN:

You’re apparently a pro sax player. Why get out of, I mean, playing sax? You could be, you know, smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey in bars and playing saxophone with dark sunglasses on at night, Angie. Why did you want to get into politics and leave, you know, leave the music scene?

ANGIE BELL:

I spent a very long time in Sydney pubs and Melbourne pubs and Adelaide pubs playing gigs around the country. And there is a time when you hang up your boots as a professional. And I had the opportunity to enter politics when my two worlds collided with music and the Liberal National Party and so here I am. Seven years later, I’ve been a parliamentarian for the LNP.

STEVE AUSTIN:

What is your favourite saxophone solo in a piece of contemporary music? Do you have one?

ANGIE BELL:

Goodness me, there are so many of them and I’ve played so many covers over the years around the world in, you know, Las Vegas and Malaysia and Indonesia and New Zealand and many, countries. played lots and lots of different songs. But I don’t know. There’s one I always go back to, when you’re talking about favourite songs or favourite saxophone players. I love Stan Getz and I love, of course, Art Pepper and, you know, John Coltrane. These are great, saxophone players.

STEVE AUSTIN:

They’re classic blues players, though. They’re classic blues players. I was thinking of sort of something more contemporary, but I’m impressed. I mean, you’ve just dropped the names of some of the biggest sax players in the world. There’s something about the saxophone. It’s used as not just a filler. It manages to end a song perfectly. I’m thinking of Lou Reed’s, Take a Walk on the Wild Side. I reckon that song would be totally different in feel if it wasn’t for the sax element at the end of it. Anyhow.

ANGIE BELL:

It is a very, very special instrument and it’s a very personal instrument and there are so many fantastic saxophone players around the world, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting many of them over the years.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Do you ever, other than playing at Parliament on the green, do you ever play anywhere these days?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, I think I might start to do some fundraisers on the saxophone. How about that?

STEVE AUSTIN:

Not a bad idea. You could get together with former US President Bill Clinton and do a double act or something.

ANGIE BELL:

Yeah, well, I hope I sound a little bit better than Lisa Simpson.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Because Bill Clinton certainly didn’t. My guest is Angie Bell. She’s the federal, I’ve been calling her Liberal MP, but she’s LNP MP in Queensland. Member for Moncrieff. So, as a professional musician, you would know about the struggles that the nightlife scene is having for bands and artists. The nightlife of Brisbane is struggling, particularly for bands, maybe because of the cost of beer. Students, young people can’t go to hear bands play as much. What would the opposition do to help foster local bands and artists and sort of revive the nightclub scene?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, you’ve certainly hit the nail on the head there, Steve, with the cost of living crisis. Because people tend not to go out and spend money in bars and nightlife and listening to bands when they’re having to tighten their belt. And this is, of course, at the top of the agenda under Angus and Jane, and that is to restore our standard of living and protect our way of life. And, of course, being free to go out at night and listen to any bands and plays and, you know, art galleries and those sorts of things do come at a cost. And so, families are struggling and this government is spending too much, so they’re pushing up inflation, which is pushing the prices up of everything else as well, and it’s just becoming unaffordable. So, of course, the arts do suffer under the strain of a cost of living crisis under this government.

STEVE AUSTIN:

What’s the latest theatre production you’ve seen? I’ve just seen Shaken Sturz production of The Great Gatsby at the Playhouse here in Brisbane. What have you seen?

ANGIE BELL:

I’m going to a local event tonight here on the Gold Coast, which is the historic disco play, and I’m really looking forward to that. And last night I was at the Pompeii opening at HOTA, here on the Gold Coast as well, with the UN Ambassador, here on the Gold Coast. So that was very exciting, and that’s a free exhibition here on the Gold Coast. So, I’d get all those Brisbanites to come up to the Gold Coast and have a look at that exhibition.

STEVE AUSTIN:

What’s the capital of Queensland, Brisbane or the Gold Coast?

ANGIE BELL:

The Gold Coast.

STEVE AUSTIN:

Angie Bell, thanks for your time.

ANGIE BELL:

Bye.

ENDS.