Transcript - Sky News First Edition - 13 November 2025

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

13 November 2025 

Transcript 

Sky News First Edition with Peter Stefanovic

Topics: Net zero; leadership.  

E&EO … 

Peter Stefanovic

Joining us live from Canberra is the Shadow Communications Minister, Melissa McIntosh. It's good to see you again this morning, Melissa. So how was the meeting? We'll start there. Was it tense, was it shouty or subdued?

Melissa McIntosh

Good morning. I just wanted to comment, I don't - I've got a spring in my step this morning, but I'm not running like, like my mate Dan and Hastie; that's a good effort from them. It probably shows, you know, how optimistic we are coming out of that meeting, and it was really civilised and people got to have their say. It did go for five hours. We all had about five minutes each to express our views and I really value the opportunity because, as you know, I've been fighting for weeks now for us to stand up for everyday Australians, like the people in my community in Western Sydney, because they don't want net zero because it is literally killing them and their lifestyles and their way of living - businesses and manufacturing. So, it was a productive day, and we've still got another session today with the Shadow Ministry.

Stefanovic

Yeah, so, yeah, we've spoken to you a few times in the past week or so and we know your view. But formally, will net zero be dumped?

McIntosh

I hope that we will get to that position. I can't say formally yet because we do have to go into the Shadow Ministry meeting and there are people in that meeting who probably support net zero for their various reasons and it'll be up to Dan and Sussan to negotiate our way through that. But yesterday's purpose was for everyone to express their views, their opinions about it and some people like myself, went in strong on the basis that that's what their community wants.

Stefanovic

You've got the numbers though, don't you?

McIntosh

Well, as I said, I hope, I hope we land in that position. I've said that all along. I was feeling quite optimistic that that's where we'd go, and - but for us it's - that's just one step of the journey. If we do, and I hope we do drop net zero by 2050, we then have to explain to the Australian people why and what policies we're going to bring forward to make life better for them. Because that is ultimately what it is about, is standing up for the Australian people and saying we don't want to go down this renewables-only approach. We know your power bills are so high, and we have a different pathway, a better future for Australia.

Stefanovic

So, if net zero is dumped, what will it mean for Paris?

McIntosh

Across the board in the party room yesterday, there was still strong support for Paris. There was no dissent - dissenting issues around Paris. I think it's important for us to continue to uphold our international - you know, our international obligations when it comes to climate and emissions reduction. And people - everyone that stood up against net zero still stood up and said that we do have a role to play in bringing down emissions, just not this harder, faster, deeper pace that we're going that the Albanese Labor Government has set us on.

Stefanovic

Could it be seen as cute though, taking out net zero but staying in Paris?

McIntosh

No, I think everyone saw that as two separate things. When the Paris Agreement was established, there was no discussion around net zero by 2050. You've got to remember this is not anti-climate or anti-environment. The reality, and I've said this before because it's how my community feels in reality it is - that it's about creating policies that put Australians first. Overwhelmingly, people want us to prioritise affordability when it comes to power prices.

Stefanovic

Well, it's good that you point that out because it will be seen by many as a move towards climate denialism. So how will you argue against that?

McIntosh

That's very important. That's a really good point, Pete. It's going to be up to us as a party to strongly articulate the reasons why we are making these decisions. And you’d - we'd have to be, you know, have our head in the sand to think that we're not going to receive attacks from all sorts of angles on this. But the intent is strong. We do care about the environment, we do care about climate policy, and we do care about Australians. But when people are suffering so badly right now, not just in my patch but right across the country, we can't expect that things are going to change if we don't change direction. So, I think this, I hope and I'm feeling confident this, will be a strong stand and then we set our policies and then we sell that to the Australian people and tell them what we're going to do for them.

Stefanovic

Okay, so Cam Reddin, he read out part of the deal a little earlier and will again next hour, that part of it is to move towards nuclear and also to extend coal. Why not then just go for new coal?

McIntosh

Well, that's going to be up to Dan Tehan to work through that, technicalities and the details, and we haven't had that discussion yet as a party room or indeed a Shadow Cabinet to really go into the nuts and bolts of what's next. Yesterday's purpose was to say, we can't keep leading our country down this pathway when it is destroying industry, manufacturing’s going offshore, we're losing our sovereign capability. So that will be the next process. I think we need short, medium, long term energy policy. We do need to look at nuclear, we need to power the AI, the, you know, the data centres that we could be making opportunities with in this country.

Stefanovic

Okay.

McIntosh

We can't do that with the reliability on local grids like we're doing right now.

Stefanovic

Well, would you support new coal stations?

McIntosh

Yeah, I support us, you know, like Dan's sort of created a new term, sweating out the current assets and ensuring that industry and Australians have 24/7 …  

Stefanovic

Yeah, what about building new ones?

McIntosh

Well, let's look at that as part of our policy. I'm not going to announce the Coalition's policy. I might get in trouble from my colleagues when it's not my patch today.

Stefanovic

Sure.

McIntosh

But I think we should be looking at - yes, we should be looking at all of the options and have a technology agnostic approach.

Stefanovic

Is Sussan Ley's position as leader safe?

McIntosh

It's safe on my watch. I've always backed the leader and I think yesterday was, you know, a testament to what she always said she would do and run through the process on important issues and everyone got to have their say and a lot of people said to me, well I've been in here for six years but people have been longer, that that hasn't happened for a very long time. So, I think that was a good process and no one was talking despite, you know, playing those - the pack coming in, no one was talking about leadership challenges yesterday.

Stefanovic

So, you don't expect a challenge anytime soon?

McIntosh

Unless I'm getting missed out on the phone calls, no, I don't expect anything to happen soon.

Stefanovic

Right, okay, so, has this meeting - if net zero is taken out, does that solidify her position as leader for the time being?

McIntosh

I think that Sussan's done a good job, a solid job, on getting us to this place when it comes to net zero, it's a very complex issue and it's an issue that we know has, you know, been an issue for the Coalition for a long time and it has brought down previous leaders.

So, for now, as I said, I'm not hearing any murmurings that there's a leadership takeover, but we need to be a strong Opposition as well. It's not just about this one issue. Australians need us to be prosecuting everything. Right now, the government's getting away with way too much. They're missing targets, they're letting Australians down. So, let's concentrate on prosecuting on behalf of the Australian people - everyday Australians.

Stefanovic

Alright, Melissa McIntosh, Shadow Communications Minister, thank you so much for your time, as always. We'll talk to you again soon.