TRANSCRIPT – Sky News Afternoon Agenda

Angie Bell MP

Shadow Minister for the Environment

Shadow Minister for Youth

Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

Sky News Afternoon Agenda

12 January 2026

Subjects: Albo’s delayed recalling of Parliament; Weak leadership from a weak Prime Minister; Royal Commission; Critical minerals; Environment Minister lacking accountability and transparency.

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

JULIA BRADLEY:

Joining me live now is Shadow Environment Minister, Angie Bell. Angie, thank you so much for your time. We’re hearing Parliament’s returning next, well ahead of schedule, to debate that legislation in the wake of the Bondi attack. Does the opposition plan to put forward any amendments?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, look, the opposition hasn’t actually seen the legislation yet, Julia, and so once we get that this afternoon, we’ll have a very, very close look at that. Like many Australians, the Coalition’s very skeptical about what will be in this Bill from the Prime Minister, because as we know, hate speech laws and gun laws are two different areas of law. And so, we’re a little bit skeptical after, you know, the debacle of not calling a Royal Commission for so long and the Prime Minister’s backflip on that as well. Australians, rightly, have doubts about the leadership of our country right now.

JULIA BRADLEY:

We heard the Prime Minister there say there’s nothing political about this, even though that journalist asked the question, is this an attempt to wedge the Coalition by putting the hate speech reforms in with the gun reforms too? What’s your view?

ANGIE BELL:

My view is the Prime Minister sees everything through a political lens, solely. He has been ousted as doing so and the Australian people will not have the wool pulled over their eyes when it comes to this Prime Minister and the fact that he is protecting his own backside and not the backside of Australians. He should be focused on the safety of Australians. He dropped the ball when it came to rising anti-Semitism in this country. He’s taken three weeks to decide on a Royal Commission which is absolutely outrageous and simply not good enough.

JULIA BRADLEY:

There was a bit of criticism initially with that selection of Virginia Bell to be the commissioner. What did you make of that pick now that we do hear Jewish leaders get around that and say we need to back this and we need to get the answers that are deserved here?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, I think there needs to be more than one Commissioner on this Royal Commission. I think there needs to be a Jewish expert or anti-Semitism expert as well as perhaps even a Jewish leader from the community. But, I think the Prime Minister has made his pick. There were early criticisms. I’ll let others criticise that. I think it’s good that the Royal Commission is going ahead. It’s what the community expect from their leaders. It was long awaited. And those who have suffered loss in our community and the Jewish community in Sydney at Bondi will have their say through this Royal Commission. It’s certainly timely that we have it but I think we should have had more than just one Commissioner.

JULIA BRADLEY:

Are we confident we can get to the bottom of this issue of anti-Semitism and social cohesion with a one-year duration for this Royal Commission?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, I think there have been Royal Commissions before that have been extended beyond that initial one year and that of course is always open for discussion. The Prime Minister could decide to extend that timeframe. I certainly think it is welcome that we’re having a Royal Commission. It was the Coalition that put pressure on the government to go down this path. It is a monumental backflip from a weak and spineless Prime Minister who did not call this the next day like Malcolm Turnball did, for example, when he was in office. Let’s be clear about this, it was not a record that it took him three weeks to come to this decision. Because we have had Prime Ministers before who have called Royal Commissions the very next day.

JULIA BRADLEY:

And just on another topic, of course we’re seeing the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, head to the US to spruik Australia’s critical minerals as we set up this reserve with the aim of selling them to friendly countries. Surely this is Australia’s secret weapon amid trade uncertainty when the US and China is concerned.

ANGIE BELL:

Well, certainly we have a lot of critical minerals in Australia and uranium being a very important part of that. And we should absolutely be important in the supply chain when it comes to our AUKUS partnership with the UK and the US. And it is very important that we are part of that supply chain. I agree with the Shadow Minister. Susan McDonald. who was on Sky earlier today talking about this. She made the point, to which I agree, that mining companies need to be front and centre and able to mine these critical minerals without being held back by the restraints of the EPBC Act, for example. We’ll see how that plays out when that comes into effect and mining companies, who are responsible for critical mineral mining, are tied in knots when it comes to approvals processes that the Prime Minister has said are supposed to be faster, but the proof will be in the pudding to see if that is actually the case. But certainly, it is important that we support our allies around the world with the critical minerals that we need to defend our countries.

JULIA BRADLEY:

Certainly, the US President very keen to get his hands on critical minerals. Environment Minister Murray, what we’re reading today, is refusing to hand over planning documents that would indicate why a massive solar farm in Victoria was approved. We know that some locals there who are opposed to the project, they want to get access to these documents under FOI. Why do you think it’s essential that they get a copy?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, for transparency reasons, of course. They want to see how it’s going to affect their farming community, their social licence in their area where they live. And they are entitled to that. And this is from a government and a minister who is spruiking transparency and that is exactly the opposite of what we are seeing from them today with this news story. I mean, Minister Watt is a slippery character, we know that. I’ve got to know him quite well over the last year when it comes to the EPBC Act. He’ll say one thing and do another just like the Prime Minister says one thing and does another. Australians are losing faith and losing trust, they’ve lost that, with this government, they’re finally starting to see through the lack of depth this government delivers for the Australian people. They are not focused on what’s important to Australians, which is still this cost of living, housing is a problem and now social cohesion on top of that with the Bondi massacre. This government is failing on every front.

JULIA BRADLEY:

We’ll have to leave it there. Angie Bell, thank you.

ANGIE BELL:

My pleasure, thanks for having me.

ENDS.