Transcript – FIVEAA Breakfast with David Penberthy and Will Goodings

Angie Bell MP

Shadow Minister for the Environment

Shadow Minister for Youth

Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

FIVEAA – Breakfast with David Penberthy and Will Goodings

1 August 2025

Subjects: Labor’s glacial response to the algal bloom crisis.

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

DAVID PENBERTHY:

The Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, was rightly derided for the glacial pace at which he responded to the algal bloom crisis here in South Australia. He’s still got his head in the sand. He still refuses to acknowledge that it is a natural disaster.

WILL GOODINGS:

Well, he came here with a tape measure and a dictionary, didn’t he? Because he told us it was too far out to sea to be a Commonwealth concern, it didn’t quite neatly fit the definition of a natural disaster.

We didn’t need a dictionary and a tape measure. We needed help for struggling South Australian businesses.

DAVID PENBERTHY:

And the cherry on top was that 72 hours prior, if not for the intervention of a couple of federal MPs, saying, mate, you really need to get on a plane, he wasn’t even going to be coming anyway. He was going to be sending one of his most senior cardigan wearers from the Department of Environment.

Well, the federal opposition is coming to South Australia to have a look at the crisis firsthand. Angie Bell is the Shadow Minister for the Environment in Sussan Ley’s team, and we have her on the line now. Shadow Minister, thanks for your time. You probably heard that preamble and enjoyed every word of it, but…

ANGIE BELL:

My work is done.

DAVID PENBERTHY:

We sort of felt that this has been a pretty poor example of our federation at work here in South Australia

ANGIE BELL:

Absolutely. Thanks, Dave and Will, for having me. Good morning, 5AA listeners. It’s great to be in Adelaide. I think you absolutely nailed it, Dave and Will, when you were just talking about the glacial pace at which the Minister found himself on an Adelaide beach for 10 minutes taking a photo, and also the fact that the Minister for Adelaide Beaches, Mark Butler, has also said that it could have been a lot quicker they’ve basically admitted that they were too slow to act on this.

So, look, we welcome the funding announcement, the $14 million from the federal government. Finally, they’ve done something. And, of course, that’s also prompted the state government to put some funding in to match that, which is good for families and good for those people that live in coastal areas who are suffering now with their businesses. But you have to ask, why did it take so bloody long?

DAVID PENBERTHY:

Absolutely. Does the federal opposition have a position yet on whether it should be declared a natural disaster? Because it seemed to be this sort of pedantry on steroids, talking to the minister about it.

ANGIE BELL:

Well, look, I think my understanding is there’s some boxes to be ticked in order for the government to declare that, and I’ll leave that up to them. That’s their job to do that. But what we have done immediately is piled pressure on the government, onto Minister Watt, onto Mark Butler and the Adelaide MPs to move towards a Senate inquiry. So, that is underway and my good friend and colleague Andrew McLaughlin, I’ll be with him today visiting scientists and listening.

Doing what Labor didn’t do, and that is listening to the scientists about the algal bloom and its impact and why it has arisen. And, you know, the scientists have been asking for 18 months for funding to monitor this, and the government, under two Ministers, under Labor, have ignored their request to monitor it. I mean, they were only asking for $40 million over ten years, and that’s a pretty small ask to understand what’s going on so that locals can be forewarned.

DAVID PENBERTHY:

Spend more money than that on golf tournaments here in South Australia Thanks for joining us, Angie Bell, the Shadow Minister for the Environment in the Federal Coalition.

ANGIE BELL:

Thanks for having me.

ENDS.