Transcript – Sky News Weekend Live with Julia Bradley

Angie Bell MP

Shadow Minister for the Environment

Shadow Minister for Youth

Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

Sky News Weekend Live with Julia Bradley

19 July 2025

Subjects: Coalition priorities and holding the government to account, Child safety, Labor’s lack of leadership during SA’s algal bloom crisis.

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

JULIA BRADLEY:
Parliamentarians are preparing to descend on the nation’s capital with Parliament returning next week for the first time since the federal election. Joining me now is Shadow Environment and Youth Minister, Angie Bell. Angie, thank you so much for joining me. What are the Coalition’s priorities going into this week one?

ANGIE BELL:
Well, thanks for having me on your show, Julia, I’m always pleased to be a guest on the weekend with you. Look, the Coalition’s priorities, obviously are to keep the government to account, to be a strong voice, to be a strong team, to work collaboratively where we can, but also call out the government when it’s failing Australians. Particularly when you look at this cost of living crisis, that’s really, it’s not getting any better out there.

Julia, your viewers would know that the price of everything is still increasing. We still have a housing crisis where young people can’t get into accommodation. We’ve got women living in cars, particularly over the age of 55 so there are crises around the country, wherever we look. And so, it is our job to be a good, strong opposition who works with the government where we can. We’ve listened to the Australian people, and so we understand that the result, you know, wasn’t a good one for the Coalition, but we also know that we have to be a strong voice in the nation’s Parliament for those people who did vote for us, which was one in three Australians.

JULIA BRADLEY:
Sounds like the Coalition is going to work collaboratively with the government on that first order of business, which is childcare reforms, when Parliament returns. Now, the education minister is wanting to introduce, you know, random spot checks on child care centers. What do you think should be the priority as part of this reform package?

ANGIE BELL:
This was a portfolio that I represented in the last Parliament. It’s now with Jonathon Duniam leading the education portfolio, so he is the spokesman in that portfolio. But I will say that Sussan has said that we will support the government on any measures to strengthen the safety of children, and we definitely will be doing that when we can.
The Prime Minister has outlined, has hinted, that they will be doing something about child care. I think you know, having a central database is very, very important, so that there are checks across jurisdictions for child care workers. This is a really important measure we need to get behind wherever we can when it comes to the safety of children.
JULIA BRADLEY:
In terms of your portfolio now, one of them, at least environment, the South Australian government and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young really pushing the federal government to do more to assist fishermen grappling with this algal bloom issue. What do you think the federal government should do? Declare a national disaster here? Or should it be the state that’s made to handle this?

ANGIE BELL:
I absolutely understand why South Australians are crying out to the Labor federal government for help, because these scenes that Australians are looking at on our televisions, but that South Australians are seeing on the metropolitan beaches, in the Great Southern Reef are tragic. I can completely understand why they want help, and why businesses want help as well.

I saw the Minister patting himself on the back just yesterday and saying that he had sent down a departmental representative to go and look at this tragedy on South Australia’s beaches. And I just think that’s not good enough, and I can understand why South Australians want more. Certainly, I think an inquiry could be held in the Senate when we sit back and we should ask for an inquiry. But you know, that’s a matter for the government in terms of a natural disaster.JULIA BRADLEY:
Collaboration with the Greens here, perhaps? Between the Coalition and the Greens?

ANGIE BELL:
Well, look, I think it’s a matter for the government as to whether they do that. It’s across a number of portfolios, which is not the environment portfolio when it comes to a national disaster, but I can certainly understand why South Australians are asking the federal government for more. There was a group of scientists down in South Australia 18 months ago who wrote to Minister Plibersek asking for funding to monitor the algal bloom. And of course, that was denied. And I can understand why Australians and South Australians are very upset.

JULIA BRADLEY:
Impacting a lot of marine life, also in environment we’ve seen the former Treasury Secretary and chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, Ken Henry saying that environmental reforms are more important than tax reform. Do you think that the current laws need to be changed?

ANGIE BELL:
Well, certainly the EPBC Act is not doing what it needs to do in terms of conserving our environment, but also for green tape and red tape for industry as well. So, there’s no doubt that we need to work on reforms. And of course, the Coalition will be talking to the government, whatever they bring forward we’ll have a close look at, but it is time for reform.

These laws are old and broken, and we certainly need to do what we can in the national interest, when it comes to protecting our environment for future generations. It’s so important for them, but it’s important for everybody that our environment is in good shape, and we’ll work collaboratively with the government where we can and we will hold them to account where we must.

JULIA BRADLEY:
Angie Bell, thank you so much and I’ll see you in Canberra next week.

ANGIE BELL:
Thank you.

ENDS.