Sky News Breakfast with Jaynie Seal

JAYNIE SEAL, HOST: Returning to one of our top stories and Australia continues to mourn the loss of two police officers and an innocent man who were killed in an ambush at a rural property in Queensland. Joining me live is Kristy McBain, Regional Development Minister. How are you this morning, Minister?

KRISTY MCBAIN, MINISTER: Good morning, Jaynie. Very well, thanks.

JAYNIE SEAL: Yeah, very – I mean, just shocking news. We, you know, day by day, just uncovering this story in Queensland. We're seeing such amazing support and community spirit around the Chinchilla region, the Tara region and across Australia and the world and Parliament is going to pay tribute today also.

KRISTY MCBAIN: Yeah, devastating loss for the community around Chinchilla and I think it really brings home to us that right across regional Australia, we really are integrated with all of our community, all of our frontline services. They are our friends, our family, our neighbours, and this will be felt particularly hard across the Chinchilla region, but it also brings home the fact to us that these people put their lives on the line every single day in service of their community. And I know in my own communities, there has been an outpouring of love and respect for the police officers that look after us. So, hopefully, this brings a renewed sense of collaboration with our men and women who wear the blue uniform because they do a fantastic job right across the country and in particular in regional Australia.

JAYNIE SEAL: Yeah, absolutely. And as we know, a lot of landmarks were lit up in blue, including in Queensland, the Opera House in Sydney and flowers just laid everywhere. In fact, there were a shortage of supply of flowers because they were all sold out and hearing stories about people sewing and crocheting hearts to lay down there in their respects and delivering food hampers, so many people just trying to do their bit to help but absolutely tragic news and our thoughts and best wishes to everyone involved in Parliament today.

KRISTY MCBAIN: Absolutely.

JAYNIE SEAL: Let's turn our attention to energy. The bill set to pass into law today, Minister. And after the Albanese government certainly secured the support of the Greens and the key crossbenchers, what is your take on what's going to happen today?

KRISTY MCBAIN: Look, I hope today will be a moment that the Parliament actually comes together, and this should be a bipartisan moment. We are voting today on whether we reduce power prices for homes, for small businesses, for our manufacturing sector. It should be a moment that we come together in recognition that there are people doing it really tough with the rising cost of energy. And if Peter Dutton and the opposition continue their stance of voting for higher power prices and voting not in the interest of Australians, then I think it will be to their detriment. I mean, they need to act constructively and pragmatically. And I think what they should be doing is saying to the Australian people, we recognise how tough you're doing it. And instead of just saying we want something done, we're actually going to vote and make sure something is done about it. That's what the Labor Party is doing, we've got a constructive, pragmatic solution in place. There will be a temporary cap on gas for twelve months and we want to work with the industry, we want to work with people and small businesses to make sure that we don't lose jobs, that we don't lose any more manufacturing offshore, and that we are helping people. That's what they're asking us to do, and I hope it's a moment that the Parliament comes together and does exactly that.

JAYNIE SEAL: Regional Development Minister Kristen McBain. Thank you very much and all the best in Parliament today.

KRISTY MCBAIN: Thanks very much, Jaynie and Merry Christmas.

JAYNIE SEAL: Yeah, you too. Thank you so much.