2SM with Chris Smith - 27 January 2026

Melissa McIntosh MP  
Shadow Minister for Communications  
Shadow Minister for Women  
Federal Member for Lindsay  

26 January 2026  

Transcript  

 

2SM with Chris Smith

 

Topics: PM raises division in his Australia Day speech, ABC Always Was Tonight program, Liberal Party. 

 

E&EO …  

 

Chris Smith:

The Federal Member for Lindsay, based of course around that Penrith district in Sydney, is Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh. She joins us now. Melissa, thank you very much for your time.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Thank you. Happy Australia Day, happy New Year to you and your listeners.

 

Chris Smith:

Yeah, belatedly. Happy Australia Day to you. How did you spend your National Day?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

I went to the centre of the universe, Panthers. It was great, people were enjoying themselves. That's what it's all about on Australia Day, coming together and celebrating our amazing country. I also had a citizenship ceremony in Penrith, and there was a woman there who's been in our country for 60 years. Came out as a Brit when she was one and finally decided that she should become an Aussie.

 

Chris Smith:

It took her 60 years to decide to do so. Did it?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Yeah, I think she pretty much felt like an Australian. It's just about the paperwork, but that was really lovely. It's great.

 

Chris Smith:

I opened the show to today, Melissa, bemoaning the fact that I saw, heard and read enough to conclude, sadly, that this place, this country, has never been more divided. No wonder the Prime Minister elevated the issue of division in his Australia Day address. I also said that he has been responsible for some of the division. But yesterday, when you think about the rallies that were held, the terrible words that were said, the slogans that were enunciated, you just think to yourself, when are we gonna get our act together?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

That's right. The Prime Minister, as you said, he started this not long after he came in when he wanted to divide our country on the Voice. So, we went through all that, and that was a pretty hard time for many Australians and then what's been going on over the last two years? I don't know, he's got a knack of sort of rejecting any responsibility for anything negative, even though he just twists things, he tries to hoodwink Australians, and then it's all, let's all come together. Kumbaya. I truly hope Australians are starting to see through this Prime Minister and the politics he plays with our country.

 

Chris Smith:

Especially when it comes to Indigenous issues. I think by having three flags behind him every time he speaks at a press conference in the prime ministerial area, I just think it is an emboldenment of the Indigenous unrest in this country and denigrates the Australian flag.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Well, there was one flag displayed proudly yesterday across my community, and I imagine many communities, and that's the Australian flag. That's the flag that our veterans fought under.

 

Chris Smith:

Indigenous veterans as well, Melissa.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Absolutely, and that's where it does get divisive, because we all want for our country to do better by Indigenous Australians that are doing it tough and I have it in my community as well, but it's pragmatic, practical solutions. I think the sort of ideological, sort of things that have been going on from this government over the last few years is distracted from that and you look at the Closing the Gap report and the gap isn't being closed. So, all this carry on by the Prime Minister and his team has not made it better for Aboriginal people, and that's what we want. We want practical outcomes. But you're right, it's time that we be proud of our nation again, and we won't come back together unless we do have hope and we do have restored pride in our country and what we stand for and our values and remember why we're such a strong democracy. This comes back to our community, communities having volunteering going on in our communities, encouraging young people to want to serve in our local area because people are getting old that there have been volunteers, but this is the bedrock of a strong democracy - it starts in our homes and it starts in our communities.

 

Chris Smith:

We also had the burning of the Australian flag in Brisbane.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

It should be outlawed.

 

Chris Smith:

I was about to ask you that. See, Barbara writes to me in an email during the news, she wrote this and says, Aboriginal white men and women gave their lives for our flag. There would be no Australia or flag to give your life under the flag. There is no greater honour and anyone that burns that flag definitely should be punished. I have been to graves in the Western Front in France, where I've recorded interviews with people there next to the grave of so many indigenous soldiers who lost their lives on French soil. They're the ones who, you know, had the ensign, the blue and the red ensign, flying the flag in front of their units. And you believe it should be banned as well? Burning it? That is.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Yeah, absolutely. That's the greatest disrespect for our nation is when you burn our country's flag. We tried to push an amendment through Parliament the other week when we went through all the laws around hate speech and the banning of the guns and things like that. We wanted burning of the flag to be banned, but Labor wasn't up for that. They weren't up for that, and they should be. They should be, because the Prime Minister's talking about, let's all come together and be united. Well, burning the flag shows great disrespect and great division.

 

Chris Smith:

And the fact that they wouldn't get involved in that debate, or consider what was suggested to be tabled indicates that he is green lighting the burning of the flag. Now, let's discuss another example of us and them. It comes to us on television. It came in the form of the latest distasteful ABC show titled Always Was Tonight. It could be described as an anti-white satire which comes very close to racism to me. Have a listen to these clips so this will get people on the page and what we're talking about and what was screened.

 

Plays clips from ABC Always Was Tonight Program

And now for the very first time on the ABC It Always Was Tonight with your host Tony Armstrong.

It's an honour to be the first blackface fronting a comedy show on the ABC since Chris Lilly. Tonight, we're giving the colony a colonoscopy. This show is black, it's cracked and it wants its lamb back. Tonight, I'm sharing one of my most patriotic recipes. So, if you're planning on having a barbecue this January 26, you can swallow me. It's all part of my new segment, Captain Cooks.

A DNA test will confirm Bob Katter is Aboriginal. Asked to comment on the results, Mr. Katter told our journalists: I'm boomerang people, in the mouthful yarning like that cuz.

Whiter10 has everything a white supremacist needs to look their best. Matching black cap and mask set because you're too much of a pussy to show your face. $9.99.

 

Chris Smith:

Whiter10? You've seen this show, who approves this junk?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Australia's ABC, right? I don't know about your listeners, but I certainly didn't laugh then, and the can laughter didn't help. What got me and in my role as Shadow Communications Minister I try not to over egg things. So, you want to be heard when you get cranky about stuff, and I was really cranky about this. Having Aboriginal kids with white hoods over their heads, changing Triple J to KKK - we all know what that's about. Again, the government wants unity and they're okay that this is going ahead. I called for the Minister to review this and to apologise to Australians. It's disgraceful stuff.

 

Chris Smith:

Imagine if the tables were turned and we just did things contrary to the comedy line on that program. You'd be shut down in a heartbeat.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Yeah, of course, of course. This isn't the first time I've had issues with the ABC. Last Australia Day they aired Invasion Day, and they didn't even talk about Australia Day. This was the day before Australia Day and I've complained about their imbalance in journalism. I studied journalism at university and when I studied some time ago now, you were taught about fair and balanced journalism. That is not happening on the ABC. So, if the ABC wants to continue and to have backing from all sides of politics, something has to change because right now I feel Australians aren't feeling represented by their ABC.

 

Chris Smith:

Yeah, this is just disgraceful, this stuff. But anyway, now to the leadership of the Liberal Party, Melissa.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

My non favourite topic.

 

Chris Smith:

No, come on, we can spend a half an hour talking about this, can't we? Have you received calls from Andrew Hastie or Angus Taylor seeking your support for them to replace the leader?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

I'm going to disappoint you and say no. No, I haven't.

 

Chris Smith:

They're not counting numbers then?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Well, possibly not to me, and I haven't heard other colleagues. That's truthful. The media does get carried away on these issues, but right now I have doubts that things will be moving as quickly as some might think.

 

Chris Smith:

You don't think there'll be a leadership challenge next week?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

I'm not seeing it right now. As I said, I haven't heard anything, but you know that even a day's long time in politics. I think the more we're talking. I know a lot of colleagues say this, the more we talk about it ourselves, the less we're doing for Australians, but that's really true. I went out to Panthers yesterday and when I walked in the door, somebody came up to me and said, it's a bit quieter here this year, but people might not have the money to be here, and that's actually right.

 

 

 

Chris Smith:

It’s true.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

Why aren't we doing that? We can't keep going down this track and think we're going to win the next election.

 

Chris Smith:

We can't keep going down the who's going to be leader track and win the next election, you're saying?

 

Melissa McIntosh:

And just talking about ourselves. We can't keep doing this to ourselves.

 

Chris Smith:

But you need a leader you can trust, and I don't get the feeling that the mob or those within the party have full trust in the leader.

 

Melissa McIntosh:

I'm not going to say to you, I'm in shadow cabinet, and just to let your listeners know, if you're in shadow cabinet or in the shadow ministry or ministry and you're part of the Coalition Liberal Party, you have Shadow Cabinet solidarity, so you won't, you're unlikely to hear Angus say anything on this if he's one of the contenders, and I can't, certainly can't talk outside of my boundaries. But I support Sussan. I want us to have strength going forward, and she has my support.

 

Chris Smith:

Okay, this will change, no doubt in a few days time. We'll keep everyone posted. Melissa McIntosh, great to have you on the program once again. You enjoy the rest of your week.