Home and Away star Kyle Shilling discusses importance of Mali and Rose story

“It’s an example of what it can be like here in Australia.”

Shilling, who joined the show as Mali Hudson in the latter part of last year, stated in an interview with Inside Soap that the upcoming plot involving his character and local Summer Bay police officer Rose Delaney is “a really important thing to show on screen.”

In upcoming scenes, Mali and Rose meet on the beach and instantly click. The two end up going on a date.

Mali approaches Rose after seeing her in her uniform and informs her that he no longer wants to be friends with her because of how the police treat Indigenous people.

Shilling stated, “He’s not thrilled about it. He just found out that Rose is a police officer. Mali reveals that they have a bad relationship with the police back home.

Mali has experienced so much that he is unsure of how to trust her; this is a difficult situation for him to handle. And it serves as an illustration of what life may be like for the Indigenous people in Australia, where there is a high rate of police abuse.

Shilling stated that Rose “doesn’t want someone to think wrongly of her as a person because of her job” when speaking about a conversation between Mali and Rose at a party where Rose seeks to clarify the air. She makes an effort to argue that not all police officers are created equal.

Shilling responded in the affirmative when asked if he believed Mali and Rose might have a successful romantic connection. Mali recognizes that despite Rose’s bluntness, he likes her for her cheekiness. Mali is cheeky too, but he’s also entertaining and he can be bothersome, which is everything I am, so there’s a good balance between them.