Transcript - ABC Radio Sydney Mornings - 12 November 2025

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

12 November 2025 

Transcript 

ABC Radio Sydney Mornings with Hamish Macdonald  

Topics: Net zero; Liberal Party; leadership.

E&EO … 

Hamish Macdonald

Frontbencher Melissa McIntosh represents the seat of Lindsay here in Western Sydney. She thinks the party should dump the net zero target. Very good morning to you, Melissa.

Melissa McIntosh

Good morning. Can I answer your toughest question? My favourite is Sayo with butter and Vegemite.

Macdonald

Okay, thank you.

McIntosh

A hundred per cent. That's what I've been thinking about while I've been waiting to go on.

Macdonald

We do love our crackers. Look, let's talk about what argument you're going to make this morning or today when the party meets. We know that you want to dump net zero. What's the argument to do this?

McIntosh

I've been on your program before and been very open as to the reason why, and for me it's actually not factional and it's not ideological. It is about how much my community is suffering and as a local member of Parliament, first and foremost, I need to stand up for them. It doesn't matter where I go in my career, you're nowhere without your people and you need to be their voice.

I surveyed them and I've now got over 1,600 surveys back and the numbers haven't really shifted, 65% of people do not want us to continue with net zero 2025 and they are really, really doing it tough, 89% of people are saying that their living standards have been severely impacted by high energy prices.

So, when your community's telling you that they're having a really hard time under the Labor government's current trajectory of having renewables-only approach and having a target to 2050, well, you've got to do something about it. You've got to speak on behalf of them. So, I've been very clear and I feel strong in my position for my community and that's where I'll be holding ground on that going into the party room this morning.

Macdonald

One of your constituents, Jane's already texted me. She says Melissa's 1,600 person community survey result does not actually align with my community or values. She needs to think of the greater good. Why doesn't she propose increasing solar panel discounts or similar? Why can't she put that to her community? Did you ask your community about other options, other incentive forms, other ways that this issue that you've described might be alleviated for them?

McIntosh

I think she's right on the solar panels and the community does want to do the right thing. It's not about being anti-environment or anti-climate, it's about pro-reality and people do put - I did ask them about solar panels and around 50% of respondents said they do have solar panels on their roofs but they can't afford the batteries, only 14%, and there are incentives in place. So, people are doing the right thing, but they still can't get ahead. And we have people living rough, and I've said this to you before, Hamish, my invite is still open, come to Penrith and see how much people are suffering.

Macdonald

We have picked that. I should let listeners know we have picked that up with your office. I am going to come …

McIntosh

Good.

Macdonald

When you're back from Canberra. Could you though, address for listeners whether or not you think the current issues with energy costs have anything to do with the constant fighting within the Coalition over the last couple of decades, which is meant to delays to delivering on energy policy?

McIntosh

I think we have to take responsibility for our role when we're in government. You can't walk away from that. We're in Opposition now though, and we have an opportunity to set a new path forward for the Australian people, and that's what I'm focused on. I think we need to have a short term, a medium term and a long term solution.

Macdonald

Understood. So, you are acknowledging that the current energy prices that people in Sydney are paying do have a relationship with the climate wars that the Coalition has experienced very publicly over the last couple of decades.

McIntosh

You can't just deny - it would be silly and just playing politics to deny that the Coalition policies in the past had any impact. But right now we - and the government's been in the second term now and they've set a really like a harder, faster, deeper pace to reach net zero by 2050. And it's looking like they're going to be missing their targets and they're putting all this pressure on Australians because of their renewables-only approach. So, the position we’re at now is …

Macdonald

To be fair them though, it’s not renew …

McIntosh

To reset Australia on a new path.

Macdonald

Respectfully though, their approach is not renewables-only. They are signing off on new gas extraction. They've received quite a lot of criticism for that in fact ...

McIntosh

We need to put more gas in the system.

Macdonald

But it's not …

McIntosh

We do need to. It's been slow though. They weren't wanting to do that at the start.

Macdonald

But it's not accurate to say they're taking a renewables-only approach?

McIntosh

They have a very -  they've increased their commitment to 2030. They've got us down this pathway and it's going to - the research is now saying that it's going to take more effort, more, you know, more cuts, putting more pressure on Australians for us to even get anywhere near the targets they are setting.

So, if you've got - I walked out to a cafe in the Penrith Plaza just the other day and the cafe owner said to me, he's paying, he was paying $1,700 for his energy bills. He's now paying well over $3,000. He's just a little cafe owner and he's - you know, he’s risk of closing his doors.

When you are hearing these stories multiple times, every time you step foot on the street of your high street or you’re going to the shopping centre, you are not going in the right direction. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. So, as I said, we need a short term, medium term and a long term energy policy.

In my community, 70% are saying that they're open to dropping the ban on nuclear power. And if we want those opportunities in the future, like having data centres in our country where we can store sovereign data, Australian data here, we need to be able to power that. Right now, it's drawing off the local energy grid. We need to be considering all the options.

Macdonald

Do you accept though that a major factor in our current energy bills that we're all seeing here in Sydney is the way in which our gas is sent offshore and then sold to back to us?

McIntosh

Yeah, Australia - it's another issue I raised with my community. Would you prefer we keep our resources here in Australia first? And that's up in the 90% …

Macdonald

Sure.

McIntosh

Australians recognise that we are shipping too much offshore.

Macdonald

So, you accept that's what's driving energy bills now. You accept that?

McIntosh

Yes, it's a contributing factor. We need to be keeping …

Macdonald

So, so …

McIntosh

You know, we need to be servicing Australians first. There are multi - Hamish, you know this, there are multiple components to where we are right now, but one of them that we can have a say in and we can do something about is resetting our energy policy and not being fixated on two words ‘net zero’ and having pressure on Australians to get us there.

Macdonald

Melissa McIntosh is here, the Member for Lindsay, Shadow Communications Minister ahead of this meeting for the Liberal Party. A question coming in on the text line, when the Coalition decided to support net zero by 2050, did you support that?

McIntosh

I wasn't in Parliament then, so I've been - I came in in 2019 under Scott Morrison and have unfortunately been in Opposition now since 2022. But I think my role as a local …

Macdonald

But during that period that Morrison was in power, towards the end of that, that was when the Coalition signed up to net zero, wasn't it?

McIntosh

Well, and now I’m fortunate enough to be having more of a say. In my first term I was ultra committed to my community without going out in the media or having a voice, being very focused on them on the ground. And that's why I can be so strong in my position, Hamish, in saying that I know my community. I'm not making this up and saying ideologically I don't support net zero by 2050. We need to be out with our people and asking them and, you know, feeling their pain. This is what this is about when they are under so much pain, you need to change the direction and they do not want us to be heading towards net zero by 2050.

Macdonald

Don't you also need to be honest though with people about the complexity of the solutions?

McIntosh

I think Australians are very aware of the complexities …

Macdonald

So, so, you …

McIntosh

But they also are very aware that under this current trajectory that their energy prices as promised by the Albanese Labor Government are not going to come down.

Macdonald

So, by abandoning net zero by 2050, diverting course on the renewable transition, how do you get prices down If the big energy companies not willing to invest in new coal, some of them not willing to extend the lifetime of coal fired power plants, there's questions about access to more gas, there's issues with the way the gas market works, which does influence the prices domestically. How then do you actually get energy bills down by doing this?

McIntosh

But this is because of what the current government has indicated to industry and to investors is this is the direction we're going and that's what is setting the trajectory and that's why we need to have alternative options. And it's not saying that they won't shift, but right now the very much the focus is on renewables.

I do think we need more gas in the system to power heavy industry. Manufacturers who have been in industry for many generations are telling me this. I want Australia to have sovereign capability in manufacturing and for us to continue to be able to produce defence, you know, defence force equipment that needs steel in this country. So, it is about our energy efficiency pathway, but it's also about protecting industry sovereign capability and protecting Australia's future.

Macdonald

Okay, Melissa McIntosh is here. Doug's called in from Windsor. You're happy to take a question from Doug on this?

McIntosh

He's not in my electorate, but I'm very happy to take a question.

Macdonald

Sure. It goes to some of what you're talking about. Doug, what's your question for Melissa?

Caller

I'm just wondering if she's aware, Origin Energy last year posted a profit of $1.49 billion. The year before, AGL Energy posted a profit of $882 million after paying tax. But they got on top of that this year and on $12 billion, they paid no tax now. And they're one of the 1,200 companies in Australia that paid no tax last year. I don't think net zero is actually the problem. It's companies and our energy companies would be two of the good - would be some of the good ones that pay no tax. What do you think about that?

Okay, I mean, I think we need to go and check that specifically. But in terms of the profit margins, obviously the energy companies are drawing. Is that a factor in the energy bill picture we're facing?

McIntosh

I think when - and this, I can cross this over into the telecommunications space, which is actually my portfolio, when companies are making big profits, you know, they should be looking after their customers first. Like in the Triple Zero outage, you've got telecommunications companies that are making big profits, they're getting government contracts and then they're letting Australians down. And it's almost like we've forgotten that, you know, it should always be Australia first and people are suffering right now. So, I think that applies across to the energy sector too. I have a bit of an issue when companies are making big profits and people are suffering and they can't barely pay their bills.

Macdonald

A question about the future of Sussan Ley's leadership. I know publicly you've said you support her. You take a view that you always support the leader. There are questions about the future of the Liberal Party. I noticed that you started to take a more nuanced position on this in terms of your own future. Would you like to lead the Liberal Party one day?

McIntosh

I like how you said one day and you're not saying it's today, Hamish. I love our country and I'm very passionate, as you hopefully can hear, because I mean about our people and our country's future. And I think that we can take our country in a better direction. And one day, yes, definitely, I would love to have the opportunity, it would be an honour to be the leader of the Liberal Party. And what greater honour would there be than being the Prime Minister of Australia, the best country in the world. But I think I said this morning that day is not today. I would like us to land on a position on net zero and I'd like us to be a strong Opposition. I think that's really important for us as a first step to returning to government.

Macdonald

You are talking to your own constituents this morning here on Sydney radio. If there is to be a leadership spill, will you put your hand up?

McIntosh

I really hope there isn't a leadership spill, Hamish, and I'm very honest about that. I have always backed the leader.

Macdonald

Understood.

McIntosh

And it’s always been my strong position. I don't sense there's going to be a leadership spill in the near future. I think we need to give …

Macdonald

But if there is one?

McIntosh

Well, I'll just finish my position on this, I think we need to give the leader time. It's been what - just over 100 days. We need to be a strong Opposition first or attempt to be a strong Opposition before we even consider that. But in the future, if something, if there was a spill, why wouldn't I conceive I have leadership ambitions? Why wouldn't I? I love representing my community. I've been working as hard as I can fighting for them, and I would do the same in the future if I had the opportunity, the opportunity to lead.

Macdonald

Melissa McIntosh, thank you very much.

McIntosh

Thanks, Hamish. Thanks to all your listeners.