Transcript – ABC Radio Gold Coast Mornings with Sarah Cumming

Angie Bell MP
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education
Shadow Minister for Youth
Federal Member for Moncrieff

TRANSCRIPT

ABC Radio Gold Coast Mornings with Sarah Cumming

14 April 2025

Subjects: Federal election, Housing, Light rail, Labor’s home grown cost of living crisis

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

SARAH CUMMING:

Today’s guest is LNP member for Moncrieff, Angie Bell, and she is here to answer your questions. So, if you have a question for Angie Bell, you can call us on 1300 903 917 or the text line of course 0487 993 222. Angie Bell, good morning to you.

ANGIE BELL MP:

Good morning, Sarah. How are you today?

SARAH CUMMING:

Well, thank you. How is the election campaign going?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Very well, thank you. I’m just on the side of a roadside after waving to the cars this morning with lots of toots and positive feedback, so that’s been great.

SARAH CUMMING:

Does the waving work, just standing on the side of the road holding placards and waving?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, we certainly get a lot of toots and a lot of waves from those people in cars. At the moment it’s school holidays, so not as many mums taking their children to school, but certainly we get a lot of great feedback.

SARAH CUMMING:

Mums or dads.

ANGIE BELL MP:

Mums or dads or carers.

SARAH CUMMING:

Now, let’s talk housing. Coalition leader Peter Dutton has vowed to allow first home buyers of newly built homes to deduct part of the interest paid on their mortgage from their income taxes. This is if he’s elected. Can you explain how this would help? Who does this help?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, this is a game changer, particularly for young Australians who want to buy their first home. This is something that young people are crying out for. They want to go into their first home, but they’ve been blocked out because they simply haven’t been able to save their deposit. This will allow young people particularly to deduct interest payments on the first $650,000 of their mortgage over the first five years, provided of course they live in that property.

Now, if you have a look at house prices on the Gold Coast, there are apartments available starting from around that price, and so it’s very doable for young Australians, and it is a game-changer for Gold Coasters. So, it’s a fantastic initiative, and we applaud it. Of course, at the same time, we’ll also allow first-time buyers to access $50,000 from their super and older women to access that in order to deliver a deposit.

SARAH CUMMING:

Okay.

ANGIE BELL MP:
That will help.

SARAH CUMMING:

Okay. This scheme will be means tested though? Is that, that’s the case?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, let’s say you’re earning $120,000 a year and your mortgage is $650,000 at say 6.1 per cent interest. You will save $12,000 a year. And so, I think that is a game changer for young Australians. Very doable.

SARAH CUMMING:

So being able to write off the interest on your mortgage up to, as you say, the first $650,000 of a mortgage.

Now, some economists have raised concerns that this would increase prices, that this really doesn’t address the supply issue when it comes to housing. This isn’t going to increase supply. This is going to increase demand for housing and therefore push up prices.

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, we do also have a supply policy and that is $5 billion to unlock 500,000 new homes. But also by managing our migration program which has been out of control under the Labor government. They have allowed one million new people into the country, one every 43 seconds, I believe. And this has interfered with supply and demand when it comes to housing.

So, we want to deliver that $5 billion for infrastructure to unlock 500,000 new homes. And so, this is, of course, going to help supply across the country. When you’re talking about supply on the Gold Coast, we have lots of supply of apartments coming into the pipeline here on the Gold Coast and young people will be able to access these new policies in order to get into the market.

And that really is, Sarah, something that we want to push hard is that we don’t want Australians to give up on that dream of home ownership and especially young people. I’ve got young stepchildren myself. They’re sort of grown up. They’re having their own children. They want to buy a home and they want to be able to access the funds to be able to do that. So, this is going to help them.

SARAH CUMMING:

And I feel that people would like to buy a home that is affordable, though, when we talk about supply, particularly on the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, it’s the lack of affordable housing supply. How are you going to address that? How is the LNP going to address that and ensure thatthe supply that comes on is actually affordable to young Australians and all Australians?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, Let’s look at how many extra people have come into the country over the last two years. That’s a million people. Now, we have a great migration story in Australia. Nobody’s saying stop migration. What we’re saying is let’s balance the numbers that are coming into the country so that there are homes available for Australians.

And here on the Gold Coast, there are many new apartments coming into the pipeline, in fact, daily. There are buildings going up everywhere along the Light Rail corridor, as we’re all aware. And these are policies that will help people get into their first home, which is so important when you’re talking about your financial security for your life and for your family. So, this is game changing.

SARAH CUMMING:

Member for Moncrieff, Angie Bell, is your guest this morning on ABC Gold Coast and ABC Sunshine Coast. She’s here to answer your questions. If you have a question for Angie Bell, 1300 903 917. That’s the number to call or the text line 0487 993 222. Angie Bell, you mentioned Light Rail, a lot of discussion over Light Rail here on the Gold Coast. Do you support Light Rail Stage 4 to the Gold Coast Airport?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, the Federal Government put $395 million into Light Rail Stage 3 from North Broadbeach through to Burleigh, which is, of course, being built now. We’re all experiencing that on the way to work. But it’s certainly going to be fantastic when it’s finished.

The next stage, stage four to the airport is currently before the state government. They’re looking at a 100-day review there and the minister and the local member have been down in the state seat of Currumbin and in McPherson talking to the community there. The community needs to have their say in terms of light rail stage four to the airport and we’ll just await what the state government comes to with that consultation. But certainly, the people that live between Burleigh and the airport deserve to have a say on light rail stage four.

SARAH CUMMING:

But do you support it to the airport? Do you support extending light rail to Gold Coast Airport?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, I think we definitely need connectivity to our airport, and we do have an Olympic Games coming in 2032 and Gold Coasters want to be connected and we want our visitor and our tourism economy to work well when it comes to connectivity across the city.

SARAH CUMMING:

Would you prefer light rail or buses?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, that is a matter for the state government to have a look at. And it’s also for the people that live within that corridor to have their say very loudly.

SARAH CUMMING:

But it certainly would require a significant amount of federal funding as well for any project to connect to the airport. So surely there has to be a position that you have a position on this?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well we have put funding, as I said, $395 million into stage three. The stage four project is not up to that stage at this point so it’s being reviewed with the state government and the federal government has not been asked for any funding on that project at this point. So, until we get to that stage, Sarah, it’s speculation.

SARAH CUMMING:

But I guess if people are wanting to know what each candidate stands for ahead of the election before they cast their vote, whether they are for or against light rail or what their views are on this, a very critical piece of infrastructure for the Gold Coast and the entire South East Queensland community, really. Surely, they have a right to know where each candidate stands on light rail?

ANGIE BELL MP:

The light rail project currently, Stage four, planned to the airport, is under review. And so, the state government is looking at that with consultation with the community. And I think that’s right and that’s fair because the former state Labor government did not consult with the community adequately. And so, once the state government has come through that 100-day review and they have landed on a position, then I’ll make a position at that time.

But right now, what I’m concerned about is delivering cost of living relief for Gold Coasters who are hurting under this Labor government.

SARAH CUMMING:

So, you’ve been standing on the side of the road, as you said, campaigning, speaking to members of the community. What are you hearing then from members of the community in terms of your own consultation and your own discussion with members of the community? What is your sense of what the community wants when it comes to light rail?

ANGIE BELL MP:

When it comes to light rail or when it comes to cost of living?

SARAH CUMMING:

Light rail.

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, when it comes to light rail, we will look forward to seeing the end of stage three through Moncrieff, which is currently underway. I believe that is due to be finished in the early months of next year when we can drive much more quickly home but also hop on the light rail and go from North Broadbeach to Burleigh or we can go from Burleigh all the way to Brisbane Airport if we want to which is fantastic connectivity for those people who want to commute or are going to Brisbane Airport to go overseas on a holiday or to work.

I think connectivity is very important for our city. We are a uniquely linear city and light rail to Burleigh will help take some cars off the road, help with our congestion in the city at the moment with so much growth that we’ve had over the last few years.

SARAH CUMMING:

Just going or touching on cost of living and housing as we’ve discussed, you’re promising to allow first-home buyers to, or some first-home buyers, to deduct their interest payments from their tax. There is also a tax offset that is being offered, the fuel excise discount as well that has been announced. Can Australia afford this erosion of its tax base?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, Australians are hurting at the moment and there is no relief in sight right now and what the Leader of the Opposition, what Peter Dutton has said is that we will cut the fuel excise in half. So, what that means is, for a family with two cars let’s say it will save them $1,500 a year, roughly. And so that is relief right now, unlike Labor’s policy, which is promising to deliver 70 cents a day in 15 months’ time. We understand that Australians are hurting now, and that’s why we want to deliver the fuel excise for immediate relief.

We’ll also deliver a $1,200 tax relief when lodging your next tax return and that will impact ten million Australians who earn up to $144,000. So that could be, for example, $2,400 for a couple as a one-off help when it comes to cost of living. So that is real relief, Sarah, not a promise that comes into place in 15 months’ time that really doesn’t even touch the sides.

SARAH CUMMING:

Member for Moncrieff, Angie Bell, what are your political ambitions? If you were to win government, do you aspire to have a portfolio?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Well, Sarah, my role at the moment is the Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and the Shadow Minister for Youth. And you may be aware of my program here locally, which is the Gold Coast Youth Impact Summit, which I’m about to deliver the third one in June. I’m very proud of that, delivering opportunities to local Gold Coasters under the age of 24 – between 15 and 24 – from local schools and not-for-profit organisations. It’s been a very big success, and I look forward to delivering the next one in June, should I be re-elected. Even if I’m not re-elected, I’ll still deliver that for my community here. It is in the pipeline and I am looking forward to that.

But in terms of the next term, we have a job ahead of us right now to talk to the Australian people so that they understand how important this next election is and that we have a sliding doors moment for the nation where we can go one way, or we can go the other way.

SARAH CUMMING:

Angie Bell, a couple of questions just on the text line coming through. Chantelle from Upper Coomera says, in true political style, you’re not answering the question, do you support light rail?And Graham from Elanora saying a similar thing. What’s the point of engaging in a Q&A with a politician who just refuses to answer the question? So, let’s ask it one more time. Do you support light rail stage four to the airport?

ANGIE BELL MP:

Again, I will say to those people who are calling in to ask about light rail stage four, I have outlined exactly where that program is up to. It would be premature of me, I would be speculating, to say that the LNP supports one route or another route one mode or another mode that is currently with the state government to decide. The federal government hasn’t been asked for funding at this point. Therefore, I’m not going to speculate on something that’s not in front of me at the moment.

SARAH CUMMING:

Angie Bell, thank you so much for your time this morning.

ANGIE BELL MP:

My pleasure.

ENDS.