TRANSCRIPT – Sky News Regional Breakfast with Nikolina Kharoufeh

Angie Bell MP

Shadow Minister for the Environment

Shadow Minister for Youth

Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

Sky News Regional Breakfast with Nikolina Kharoufeh

9 September 2025

Subjects: Environmental law reforms are too important to get wrong, Shark nets, 2025 Drought Forum in South Australia, Screen-obsessed parents spending 14 years of their lives on devices.

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

NIKOLINA KHAROUFEH:

Well, joining me live now on Sky Breakfast is Shadow Environment and Youth Minister Angie Bell. Angie, we have a few things to cover today. Thank you so much for your time. Now, first, Australia’s peak business lobby has been warning the nation’s project approvals process needs some improvement under environmental law reform, or they say significant investment will really amount to nothing. Labor has promised to set up a National Environment Protection Agency to really restore trust in the rules. What are your thoughts on this?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, environmental law reform is too important to get wrong, Nikolina. Thanks for having me on your show. And what we’d like to see, of course, is the two parties of government coming together, to make sure that we get the best possible outcome for the EPBC reforms that the Minister has said he’ll introduce by the end of the year. I have met with the Minister a couple of times. We’ve discussed the recommendations of the Samuel Review, which is, of course, what the Coalition put in place under Sussan Ley’s leadership. And we’d like to see those recommendations implemented in EPBC reform.

We don’t want to see a climate trigger, we want to see a certainty for business and for, of course, the environment. And we want to see the Minister retain those powers of decision-making, shorter approval times certainly and certainty for industry moving forward, for jobs across the country as well. So, there’s a lot to get through, and I will continue to consult with the Minister on the EPBC reforms.

NIKOLINA KHAROUFEH:

OK, now, I also want to speak about a controversial trial to remove shark nets from Sydney beaches this year. Now, it could still go ahead, though there was a fatal attack that killed a hero local surfer, of course, in Sydney just over the weekend, and that has put a bit of a hold on the removal of these shark nets. What are your thoughts on whether this should be going ahead? Of course, we are waiting on a report on the fatal shark attack to see what exactly occurred there, but is this really the right path to be taking ahead of summer?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, Nikolina, my heart goes out to the community in Dee Why and the family, of course, of the surfer who was tragically in the shark attack. This is something that we face around the nation and I think what’s most important is to find the balance between the safety of swimmers and surfers in our oceans, but also to make sure the marine ecosystems stay intact. I know here on the Gold Coast we have Sea World Foundation who, of course, assist those animals who are tied up in shark nets.

And we do, there’s no doubt we do lose animals around the country in shark nets. But, at the same time, we have to make sure that swimmers are safe. And so, this is with the state governments, of course, it’s their responsibility. And the Minns government has said there is an investigation underway. So, I think I will leave it with them.

NIKOLINA KHAROUFEH:

All right. We’ll be watching that closely. Now, the 2025 Drought Forum has begun in South Australia. Leaders and farmers really tackling how to battle the current conditions and really prepare for the crisis to come there. We’re watching this very closely, what are your thoughts on getting this forum and what are we really looking to get out of this forum at the end of it?

ANGIE BELL:

That’s right. Well, South Australia has had one of the worst droughts that we have seen in history and not only have they gone through the pain of the algal bloom, and as that continues as well, but farmers have been hurting under drought conditions. And the rollout of assistance for that has been slow, as it has for the algal bloom as well. So, this is a way for farmers to be able to have a look at the rollout of that. And obviously that’s so very important for farmers in South Australia. It’s being conducted in my old hometown of Gawler in South Australia, north of Adelaide, and I’m sure that will cover the pain that farmers have been through and how difficult it has been for them over the last couple of years in South Australia

NIKOLINA KHAROUFEH:

Some very important conversations to be had there. Also, very quickly, Angie, I want to touch on this very interesting study that’s come out that really screen-obsessed parents spending 14 years of their lives on phones, tablets, TVs, laptops, averaging four hours a day, and that’s having a very bad influence on our children as well, watching us on our phone. I know I’ve been guilty once or twice to go and check an email, and ten, 15 minutes later, I’m still on my phone. What are your thoughts around this?

ANGIE BELL:

Well, absolutely. I don’t know about you. Well, you’ve just said that you’ve been swamped by it, but I’m certainly swamped every day by text messages and emails that we all have to, of course, respond to very quickly now with our devices. We do spend a lot of time on our devices and they do play a leading role in our lives. But I think seeing that nine out of ten parents have actually admitted to being on their phones or on their devices during playtime, that rings alarm bells. And I think there should be a line in the sand for time on devices.

There should be time for children to read. I think if, you know even if they spend half the time reading and half the time on their devices then I think that children will benefit from that. I see it with my own grandchildren when they come to stay. Time on devices is getting out of control I think, not just children, but for adults as well.

NIKOLINA KHAROUFEH:

A little bit of a wake-up call for us adults as well. Thank you very much for your time, Angie.

ANGIE BELL:

Pleasure. Thanks, Nicolina.

ENDS.