Transcript – Interview with Kieran Gilbert, Sky News, 9 February 2026

The Hon Alex Hawke MP
Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation
Manager of Opposition Business in the House

Transcript

Interview with Kieran Gilbert, News Day, Sky News

9 February 2026

Topics: Liberal Party, National Party,

E&OE…

Kieran Gilbert, Host
Let's get back to Canberra now joining me live in the studio is the Manager of Opposition Business Alex Hawke. Thanks for your time, the news poll today it makes for some grim reading doesn't it? I mean you've been around this place for a long time. It's hard to remember a number quite that bad.

Alex Hawke
Well, that's true I think the week we've had has been a difficult one but the good news is that the Liberal and National parties have sorted out their issues and will return to coalition and that will provide the basis, I think, for people to reconsider our offering and so that's the first step the building blocks. I think the coalition is also going to improve in terms of its management of issues the liberal and national policies and so therefore people can be confident that we're going to be modernizing the liberal national coalition to make sure it listens to what people are telling us.

Host
Last week we spoke and you were adamant Sussan Ley had the numbers. Are you just as adamant today?

Alex Hawke
Well, I'm adamant my colleagues fully support their leader I know there's a lot of speculation including on your channel about it right now but, you know, I've looked at my colleagues this morning. I've looked them in the eye I have sat around the leadership table with Angus Taylor. We're talking about the issues of the Liberal National parties plus the economy plus all the things that matter I've seen my other colleagues in Senate estimates working hard against the government. People are getting on with their jobs.

Host
And so when you say that you had the leadership group, Angus Taylor was there, would you expect him if he were to challenge to have stepped down by now?

Alex Hawke
Well, he's made the point he's supporting Sussan and he's there in the leadership and he's you know, engaging as normal. We had a good chat like we always do and that happens every sitting day so some of the feverish speculation that you see from the media isn't backed up I think by the actions of people who are doing their jobs today.

Host

Indeed that's often the way though until it's not.

Alex Hawke
Sure.

Host

But it's all fine until it's not isn't it?

Alex Hawke
Of course, but like if someone wants to challenge for the leadership, they challenge and that isn't happening at the moment.

Host

With Sussan Ley's numbers again we think back to Brenda Nelson. That's probably the closest example in terms of preferred Prime Minister I think you've got down to 7%. This is not far off that but the problem here is the primary vote is diabolical. Are you worried about so did the party the future of the party?

Alex Hawke
Look I've been a lifelong Liberal I remain a very strong Liberal. I believe in the Liberal Party. I think it's the only party that will ever provide an alternative to lLbor and I think that holds for the future as well as the past. I listen to people like Pauline Hanson and she's very honest with the Australian public she said last week “I will never be Prime Minister of this country.” They're her words. I agree. I don't think she ever will be the Prime Minister of this country so what that means is someone from the non-Labor side of politics will be the Prime Minister to knock off Anthony Albanese and this Labor Greens Alliance and who that is is very important and the kinds of policies they have is very important. That's still going to be the central question of Australian politics who on the centre right can unite all of the disparate groups to make sure they can test against what is going to be a very terrible Labor government

Host

You haven't given up on the Liberal Party?

Alex Hawke
I never will no and I think it's the only party that stands on the right of centre for freedom of the economy, freedom of the individual, and stronger and better families, and I'm confident about that.

Host
It's a hard time though isn't it when well you're at this moment in in the political cycle whether you know there's a resurgence some people saying it's the end for the coalition. It's fractured I know you've had a reunion, but trailing one nation by several points. It's a moment in time. We're still two years out from the election, so it's a long time over two years.

Alex Hawke
Also things have changed in society I mean you know the the depths are lower the highs are higher I mean the government has a super majority. Labor's never had this kind of majority before the irony is Anthony Albanese he got it by the Australian people not many Labor people expected him to get that super majority. So the polarization of our politics is real When you're down you're gonna be down on the canvas Labor's been down many times people used to predict the end of the Labor Party that was going to split and break, it has split over the years. Yes, we're down at the moment absolutely, but what's important is we listen. All of those people that are in the one nation polling at the moment former Liberal and National voters all telling us that they are unhappy with us for reasons and those reasons need to be addressed. I'm very serious about that.

Host

You've been a strong supporter of Sussan Ley and her leadership, do you feel, I know politics isn't a place for sympathy, but do you feel sorry for her? How much?

Alex Hawke
Not at all. I've never felt sorry for a leader every single person that stood up and led the federal Liberal Party has been a strong and resilient person and Sussan is that as well.

She's one of the most experienced people in the Parliament here. She's been here a long time. She understands a lot of undermining she understands the score like everybody does about politics. She hasn't made any complaint about that. So I am upset that some of our colleagues are going through a phase where they don't understand unity is very important, but you've never had me sit here and say any prime minister should go or any leader should go of the Liberal Party. We have to focus on Labor, and I'd say to my colleagues always, it doesn't matter who the leader is, that's the choice of the party room, you need to back them in because opposition, particularly the opposition leader, is the toughest gig in all of Australian politics state and federal and it's a hard thing to do for any person.

Host
Yeah, I would not disagree with that by any stretch, and I and politics is hard full-stop.

Alex Hawke

It's hard for John Howard. He went through you know the triple bypass. What he meant was he was almost destroyed by it. So you know this is the phase we're at, down at the moment the people only just decided to have a supermajority for Labor just six months ago and no doubt after a big and difficult defeat like that we have to go through some very difficult times and a rebuild. That's part of the process.

Host

Do you blame the nationals to an extent for causing this mess?

Alex Hawke

No look we're all back together again today. So we're all happy the coalition's never been stronger. I think what they were saying and what the government did to us in wedging us remember out of Bondi they played a series of political wedges in the parliamentary week rather than good policy. We were both foolish to fall into that kind of a discussion and we both regret it and we both come out of it realizing that the Labor government was deliberately paying politics with us even in the midst of a pretty big sitting week they deliberately put some wedges in there. So sure, both parties have been I think guilty of being a bit silly, but we're going to modernize our arrangements and get away from that.

Host

We appreciate your time Alex Hawke. Thanks for joining us

Alex Hawke
Thanks so much Kieran.