Monday 11 May 2026

Transcript – Interview with Ali Moore, ABC Melbourne Drive

Topics: Federal budget, Victorian State election

E&OE....

Ali Moore: Tim Wilson is the Shadow Treasurer of the Liberal Party. Tim Wilson, hello.

Tim Wilson: Hello, Ali.

Ali Moore: Can I ask you first of all, just on that, I know that you – I think you were listening there – how do we keep our paramedics and our front-line workers safer? You’d know well that we’ve just had another incident here in Victoria. Is it – does it go back to respect? Is that something that politicians can help with to set a better example? What do we do? How do we – how do we address this?

Tim Wilson: This is something we all need to be mindful of, which is to have a respectful society is anchored in understanding and respecting the roles people play, and particularly for emergency services personnel who are doing such an amazing job and often very difficult circumstances. But let’s face it, there are other problems like drugs and the like that can help put people at risk. So it’s up to all of us not just to live out the values that embody a respectful society, but also to be there for those who are helping others.

Ali Moore: In Victoria, Jeff Kennett says that the Liberals should work together with One Nation to remove Labor from power. He’s talking about the coming state election. Federally, is that an option?

Tim Wilson: Well, that isn’t the objective. The objective is to win 150 seats in the House of Representatives and for every single one of them to be populated by a Liberal. That’s my view.

Ali Moore: Well, that’s a mountain not even you can climb, Tim Wilson, I don’t think.

Tim Wilson: Do you doubt me?

Ali Moore: I doubt it.

Tim Wilson: But that is the objective, to form majority Liberal government. The people of Australia will vote as they will, but that’s – I don’t always agree with the decisions that are made, but I respect the decisions that are made. So that’s my objective and that’s the way I’m going to focus on going forward.

Ali Moore: But what do you make of that philosophy, that you work together to remove Labor because you will have a far better chance? And I know that you seemed equivocal yesterday about whether you would form a coalition with One Nation. Today, you’re pretty strong that that’s not what you want to do.

Tim Wilson: I wasn’t equivocal at all. I simply said that the Australian people will vote for the parliament they get, and my point is that that isn’t something I’m seeking at all. I just said, I want 150 seats with 150 Liberal MPs. But, you know, the reality is we’ve got to make a decision about how we take down this terrible Albanese government and its extra taxes. And I’ve no doubt that there’ll be seats out there that other parties can win which are not my party. I have to accept that I’m not going to get 150 seats, probably. And they should go about doing that, particularly where Liberals can’t win.

Ali Moore: So does it make sense to you in a – and I know it’s a hypothetical, but if push came to shove, a minority government with One Nation support would be an option for you?

Tim Wilson: That isn’t really an option I’m countenancing at the moment, nor are my colleagues, because, you know, we have a very strong view about what will build a good society and a good economy for the Australian people. And that’s when we have a bold, confident Liberal vision for this country that’s focused where hard work pays off, where people have control of their own lives, and it’s built on a respectful society. And other political parties will have their vision, but we’re interested in advancing ours.

Ali Moore: But – but no one’s buying your vision. I mean, that seems fairly clear, doesn’t it, from Farrer in particular?

Tim Wilson: Well, I think we need to put it into concrete policies for delivery, and we are seeing that, for instance, in the PNB by-election only last week, that we are seeing progress as people come to realize that Labor governments that break their word, that betray trust, that undermine young Australians’ chances to get ahead, don’t deserve the respect and support to continue to govern.

Ali Moore: Tim Wilson, is it confusing for people on the vision front when you preference One Nation? I know not all the preference flows went the way, you know, went the way that people were, you know, if they read the how-to-vote card. But by preferencing them, are you sort of saying to your traditional Liberal voter, it’s okay to back One Nation?

Tim Wilson: No, when you issue a how-to-vote card, you have to outline every number in the box, and so you’ve got to preference people at different points. There’s always junctures about how you prioritize people. I face this challenge, or a lot of people competing for bottom spot on my ballot paper, and – and it’s often very difficult. We want people to vote one Liberal.

Ali Moore: How are you going to get them to do that? Like, I know you say we’re going to have to listen to people, we’re going to have to reset, we’re going to have to lay out our values. But how – what do you need to do differently to what you’re doing?

Tim Wilson: Well, I think the key difference is we’ve got to outline a clear vision for the future of the country where Australians get ahead, where hard work pays off, where in control of their own lives, and we’re building a respectful society.

Ali Moore: But how is that different to the vision that you have been selling, that you sold when you went to Farrer?

Tim Wilson: Well, as I said, I don’t think since the election, the reality is we haven’t had a huge number of policies because we’re in the early part of the electoral cycle. There’s no point pretending otherwise. And I think people at Farrer were clearly trying to send the political class, both Liberal and Labor, a clear message. We need to outline those policies, articulate them in a story that inspires Australians to want to be part of a better future.

Ali Moore: Will the budget reply in a week’s time from the opposition be an opportunity to do that?

Tim Wilson: It absolutely will be a chance. On Thursday evening, Angus Taylor is going to give his budget reply speech, which will be in direct contrast to the betrayed trust and deceit of the Albanese government, who said 50 times over that they wouldn’t introduce a series of new taxes. But next week, I’ve also got my National Press Club speech, and I’m looking forward to outlining what we’re going to do there too.

Ali Moore: So negative gearing changes as mooted and widely reported, capital gains tax changes the same, are they things that you would overturn if you won government?

Tim Wilson: Well, we’re still waiting on the final details of what the government is preparing to do. But we’ve had so many submissions and stories through our not – www.notthetax.com.au website already of young Australians in particular who are saying things like, I’ve been saving up and I’ve invested my money in the share market to buy a first home, and now I’m going to get double the tax rate. It’s undermining and kneecapping my chance to be able to buy my first home from my savings.

Ali Moore: Tim Wilson, just a final question on the – on the breaking promises, which is clearly one of the ways that the Liberal Party is responding to government changes if we get them as we think we’re going to get them tomorrow night around property taxes. Is that not a dangerous road for politicians? Because I – you know, I can do a quick search – broken promises by Liberal leaders – and a little list comes up. You know, 2014, Tony Abbott, no cuts to education or health, and there were cuts to education and health. You know, John Howard, his core and non-core promises. I don’t – I mean, I don’t want to pursue those ones. I’m just saying, give me the major political party that hasn’t broken a promise.

Tim Wilson: Well, I think the starting point has to be where we started this conversation. If you want to build trust and respect in society, if you want to take major changes to the tax system, you should take them to a general election. That’s what John Howard did when he introduced the GST. He previously had a different position, he then went to the people and said, I’ve changed my mind, this is the position we’re taking forward. When the Prime Minister said 50 times over, by his own admission, that he wasn’t going to change these taxes, and then to get six months over an election say, actually I’ve changed my mind, I’m going to whack everybody with new taxes, particularly young Australians trying to get ahead, I think he has a responsibility to be up-front with the public.

Ali Moore: Tim Wilson, thank you very much for talking to us, and – no doubt we will chat again in the wake of your – well, not your budget reply, you won’t be delivering it, but maybe your speech next week.

Tim Wilson: Look forward to it.

[ENDS]