Sky News Breakfast with Peter Stefanovic - 23 January 2026

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

 

23 January 2026 

 

Transcript 

 

Sky News Breakfast with Peter Stefanovic

 

Topics: Liberal Party Leadership; Hate Speech Legislation; Coalition split.

 

E&EO … 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Sussan Ley's leadership of the Liberal Party now appears to be on borrowed time after the Coalition broke up yesterday for the second time in the space of eight months. The hand of the government has somehow been strengthened despite all the mistakes it made post Bondi and a fork in the road has now emerged for the future of conservative politics in Australia. Joining us live now is the Shadow Communications Minister, Melissa McIntosh. Melissa, good to have you with us. Thanks for your time. So how long will Sussan Ley remain as leader? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I think Australians are pretty unhappy with us, they hate this stuff. I backed Susan.

 

Peter Stefanovic

So you still do?

 

Melissa McIntosh

I still back my leader, I've always backed the leader, and I still back Sussan. It's been a terrible week. We rushed back to Parliament, we did the best we could on the legislation, but we are ending the week talking about ourselves again which is really disappointing. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Well, and so soon in the year, too. But will she be challenged? Do you expect a challenge to come in the coming weeks? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

That's going to be up to the party room. I'm certainly not making any phone calls. I'm trying to get back to my job and that's what I'm saying when I say Australians hate this. I actually mean it. I'm getting emails and phone calls in my office saying, can you stop talking about, and thinking about yourselves? And that's exactly what we're doing right now, is talking about ourselves and that's what I'm talking to you about, except we should be talking to you about all the issues that are facing us. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

It does seem, though, her position is untenable now. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

The media is certainly not helping I guess, and it doesn't look good. We've broken up with, we had a breakup 100 or so years ago with the Nats and now our marriage has broken up twice in a year and that isn't a good look. I'm a Coalitionist and I really value the relationship we have with our Coalition partner. I work very closely in my portfolios with Anne Webster, with Bridget McKenzie, I sit next to David Littleproud in Question Time. So, when I say I have a close relationship, I do, and I think we're stronger when we're a Coalition. We need to represent all of Australia and we do that in the suburbs, in the cities and the regions, and that's why we're so strong. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

So back to that point, I mean you come on and you're the most honest out of the politicians I speak to, are you expecting a challenge to come? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

My electorate wants me on, so I'm from Penrith, you have to be. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

I know, but do you, I mean you must expect a challenge to come. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

You can’t have your head in the sand. There's obviously things going on within the Liberal Party. I have not had a phone call, so I'm being very honest with you. There's no canvassing going on at the moment. But as I said, it's been a pretty tough week and when you break up with your ally in the trenches, it's not looking good. And I really just want us to, and I’m honestly saying this to you, I want us to get back on with the job of holding the government to account because they're getting away with so much. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

You're not going to be able to now, though, because look what's happened. I mean, everything is going to come back to the relationship. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

Do you think Australians are going to like that? 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Not at all. That's just the way it is. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I know we're bleeding votes because people are telling me and the reason why we're doing that is because of what's happening right now. We've got people in Western Sydney that are struggling and actually really care about the immigration debate. I stood up in Parliament and talked about immigration on the terms of not only the pressure it's putting on infrastructure and hospitals in Western Sydney, but it's about our national security and people are feeling unsafe in our country. These are the issues that matter most to Australians. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Whose fault do you think the breakup is? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

Well, that depends which side you ask. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Your position. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I wasn't part of the leadership team, so I don't know the ins and outs. As I said, I've got a good relationship with David, I prefer we stayed together. I don't know if there's anyone at fault or if it's situational and we were pushed into that situation by the Albanese Labor Government. I think in some ways he hoodwinked us and he hoodwinked Australians by putting that bill together, knowing that was a tough bill for the National Party, in particular when it came to gun laws. But there were a lot of things in there that the Liberal Party didn't like and that's why we worked hard to remove the parts of the legislation that would impinge on people's right for freedom of speech. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

How do you feel? Because David Littleproud is the one who threw the grenade yesterday and broke things up. How do you, what are your thoughts on him right now? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I was immediately disappointed and that's why I put out a social media post and this is exactly how I felt, that I want us to stay together. I don't have any animosity towards David, I've always got along with him. He came out to Penrith when there were floods and he supported me in my career and I won't turn my back on that, but it is a big disappointment that we have broken up, and I wish it didn't get to that stage because Australians need us together. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

They do and do you guys know that you can't get back to government without each other? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I think that's pretty logical. Right? 

 

Peter Stefanovic

So, it seems you don't know that at the moment. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

We need to have more seats than we do currently, and we need to protect the ones we do have, like mine. You can't take a seat for granted like Lindsay. It's a seat that is usually with government, right now, we hold it in opposition, but these are real everyday Australians, and they see through the politics. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

They do, but just on these points that Jacinta Price made to Peta Credlin last night. She said, and she put some of the blame there towards Sussan Ley for putting pressure on the government for an early Parliament recall, which the Prime Minister did, but then not having anything in the back pocket when it came to legislation. So, has she got herself to blame for this? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

You've got to remember the timing of this. She was putting the pressure on the government because the Prime Minister was doing nothing. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Yeah, but she had nothing in the back pocket. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

Well, she did. We worked hard at the end of the last year, we had a whole lot of work going on to put to Parliament, but we don't have the numbers. You've got to remember that we can't put any of our policies into the Parliament and think they're going to get up. And I know that leadership, and Jonno and Sussan worked, as I said, I'm not in that part of the team, but we worked extremely hard to make amendments to have some form of legislation because we made a commitment to the Jewish community that we would do everything we could to stand by them.

 

Peter Stefanovic

If there’s a spill, would you put your hand up? 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I'm not looking for there to be a spill, but I've said to you before that I do have leadership ambitions. I love our country, I love our party, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's for the right now. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

But in a couple of weeks, if a spill emerges?

 

Melissa McIntosh 

Well, I'm not going to be the one causing the spill, that's for sure. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Did you have a stiff drink last night? You guys all get together and have a stiff drink. 

 

Melissa McIntosh 

I had a good sleep, actually. I was in the car at 5am from Penrith, so it's been a long trip into town. 

 

Peter Stefanovic

Thank you so much, always good to see you.

 

Melissa McIntosh

Thank you.