Transcript - Weekend Today - 18 October 2025

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

18 October 2025

Transcript

Weekend Today NewsChat with Tim Davies and Lizzie Pearl

Topics: Breast cancer research fundraising; Barnaby Joyce; Liberal leadership.

E&OE …

Tim Davies

More on this, I want to bring in Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh and our very own Lizzie Pearl. Ladies, good morning to both of you. Melissa, let's start with you. Further proof that the Coalition …

Melissa McIntosh

Good morning.

Tim Davies

Is seriously divided.

Melissa McIntosh

Thanks. Just before I go into that, I just want to say a shout out to everyone participating on the Nepean River, raising funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation this morning behind me, community spirit, right here in Penrith.

But on that point, you know, I sat next to Barnaby on the front bench last term and I'd much prefer him on the front bench than the cross bench. He's a decent guy and he's been in Parliament for a long time. I, like weeks ago, decided I would like switch myself off from any of the internal stuff. People hate that. When I'm speaking to people here in Penrith, they're not talking about what's going on in the Coalition, they're talking about real issues.

People are struggling out here in Western Sydney under cost of living pressures. We've been putting the pressure on Optus and the government these past weeks when the Triple Zero network failed and people died. Real life issues. And I think if we can concentrate on that and do our job as a strong Opposition and keep holding the government to account, then that will help us along.

Tim Davies

That all sounds well and good, but it's a little hard to focus on exactly, you know, what the electorate wants when all we keep hearing about is the movements within the Coalition. We've seen Jacinta punted to the backbench, Andrew Hastie gone by his own accord. Now we're seeing that Barnaby wants to leave. These are experienced members of our Parliament that are looking to get away from the leadership of Sussan Ley. Is that the problem?

Melissa McIntosh

Do you think the media is a bit more fixated on this than we are? I don't know. I truly am focused on prosecuting really serious issues like Optus and the fact that people couldn't pick up the phone to call Triple Zero and really focused on that, moved amendments in Parliament House, had questions in Question Time, non-stop in the media talking about this issue because it's important.

I think if we can continue to focus on those important issues. People out here living on the riverbanks because they can't afford a home. There's homelessness right across our suburbs in this country. Something needs to be done on housing, on the population pressures, on those serious issues where the government is just holding Australians down. So, I'll be one on the front bench, just purely focused on these important issues for Australians.

Tim Davies

Yeah. Okay, Lizzie, let's bring you in here. Hard to focus on all those important issues, as Melissa has raised, when you have all these rumblings happening within the Coalition.

Lizzie Pearl

Yeah, and it's a difficult situation for Sussan Ley. Barnaby Joyce has been a bit of an outlier in recent years. We didn't see him at all, really, during the election campaign, so he perhaps has been sidelined by his own party, the Nationals Party, and perhaps this is part of some frustration on his behalf.

The issue for Sussan Ley is we've seen Andrew Hastie leave the cabinet, as you said. We've seen Justin Nampijinpa Price also. Now we've got Barnaby Joyce. Politics is all about numbers, and numbers equals power. And this is a difficult situation for Sussan Ley. She is a moderate within her party and we are seeing people who lean, perhaps a little more right, being frustrated by the policies that she's taking.

So alone, this Barnaby Joyce decision, if it does happen, will not hurt Sussan Ley. That issue alone, however, when you put them all together, it's getting increasingly difficult for her.

Tim Davies

Yeah. Melissa, just quickly back to you. You would feel that Barnaby would be a huge loss to the Coalition?

Melissa McIntosh

Oh, it's going to be Barnaby's decision, what he does. I've always found him to be, as I said, a decent person. He's very knowledgeable. He's been in the game a long time. And something that I've even learned from Barnaby in my early days in Parliament is that he's very focused on his community. But it's going to be up to Barnaby. I'm not going to buy into that talk.

Tim Davies

All right, well, best of luck with the event there, Melissa. We appreciate your time. Lizzie, thank you for your insight as well.

Melissa McIntosh

Yeah. Thank you.

Tim Davies

Thanks.