Transcript - Sky News with Kieran Gilbert - 12 August 2025

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

12 August 2025

Subject: Palestinian recognition; Gaza; RBA; rate cut. 

Video: My interview with Kieran Gilbert on Sky News today.

Sky News NewsDay with Kieran Gilbert 

Kieran Gilbert

Let's return now to the reaction to the government declaring its recognition for the State of Palestine that it will be coming next month at the United Nations. Joining me is Liberal front bencher, the Shadow Communications Minister, Melissa McIntosh. Thanks for your time. The government argues that you either pursue a try and encourage a political outcome to this ongoing catastrophe or simply double down on the military side of things. They say they're trying to encourage a diplomatic and political outcome, Melissa, and that's the reason they've taken this step this week.

Melissa McIntosh

Thanks Kieran. What politics at home? The Coalition met today, our Shadow Cabinet, and we came to the unanimous and very strong position that we won't be supporting this empty gesture by the Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister Penny Wong that will do nothing to bring peace for the people of Gaza and the people of Israel. But it will hurt our relationship with the United States, with Israel and our Jewish community here in Australia  who are just so deeply upset. There was a point that the Prime Minister made that this comes with conditions and one of those conditions that Hamas will have no role to play. But how can he guarantee that? Hamas makes up over 50% of the Palestinian Legislative Council? And in a recent poll, the majority of Palestinians support Hamas as the most popular faction. So, this is very much an empty gesture and we in no way support the Prime Minister on this.

Kieran Gilbert

Do you take any solace from the fact that the government is doing it in line with the allies in the United Kingdom following the announcements by the French and the Canadians as well?

Melissa McIntosh

They're actually breaking a longstanding bipartisan foreign policy position, surprising us as a Coalition, but I bet surprising Australians. I was stopped in a shopping centre in my community today by people who don't understand why we would be doing this, here in Australia getting involved in such a way that will not bring peace in the Middle East. It will not release the hostages. There was no mention by the Prime Minister in his conditions that it was about releasing the hostages. Hostages that are starving, hostages that are being killed. This is what has come about from those attacks on October seventh, a couple of years ago now, this has, has been going on and there's still hostages living in tunnels and the Prime Minister comes to this empty declaration that for somehow, what his position is, is going to resolve the problems in that part of the world.

Kieran Gilbert

We've got the RBA announcement coming up in about 40 minutes from now. I would imagine there'd be many in your electorate of Lindsay, very keen for another rate reduction. What's the mood like when it comes to the issue of cost of living? Has it eased much since the election?

Melissa McIntosh

Yeah. I'll give you a prime example. I was in a shopping centre in St Marys yesterday, and a gentleman who owns his own tradie business sat down with me, said ‘can I, do you mind if I interrupt your lunch?’ And of course I didn't mind. He said people are struggling so much still. Energy prices are still really high, and we talked about that $275 broken promise people will be, you know, holding their breath, hoping for a rate cut because they're still paying high power bills. We still have small businesses going insolvent, closing their doors. And Australians, even though we've had an election, are struggling like they've never struggled before. I visited yesterday a charity who does foodbanks, and looks after the homeless. He said there's, in all his years of doing this work, he has never before seen so many people cross Western Sydney struggling so badly. This is real life stuff. So yes, we hope for a rate cut, but it doesn't change the fact that there's been 12 interest rate hikes under this government and only two cuts.

Kieran Gilbert

Well, that is interesting insight again on how people are still struggling, Melissa. Thank you, Melissa McIntosh.

Melissa McIntosh

Yeah.

Kieran Gilbert

Shadow Minister for Communications. We'll talk to you soon.