Wednesday 23 June 2026

Transcript - Doorstop, Parliament House

Topics: Labor’s failed budget, Labor-Greens negotiations, house prices, Coalition’s migration plan, Labor’s budget increasing rents

E&OE……………………..

Tim Wilson: Well, good morning, everybody. This government's budget is in complete disarray. Jim Chalmers no longer knows what's in his budget. The Greens are dictating the terms, and what we know is Jim Chalmers declared war on small business in his budget. Now the Greens are telling him he has to fight another battle against self-managed superannuants. Australians can no longer trust this government that it's on their side. The Albanese government has declared war on small businesses and self-managed superannuants, and now we're increasingly in a position where Australians are questioning how they're going to get ahead. If they're a young Australian and they're saving to get ahead to be able to save a home deposit, they're going to be hit by Labor. If they're going to seek to buy their first home, they're going to be targeted by Labor. If they're renting, they're going to be targeted by Labor. And if they want to retire with security, they're going to be targeted by Labor. What we know is the government is continuing to overshoot their migration targets while building fewer homes. So, Australians are falling further behind, and the Coalition's policy will solve this problem within three years by linking housing to migration to make sure young Australians can get ahead.

Journalist: That's an ambitious timeline. You're going to solve this within three years?

Tim Wilson: Well, there's a lot of challenges with migration, closing the loophole between migration and housing construction within three years because the government is overshooting their migration targets by 85% while building 15% fewer homes. We need to build more homes, but being able to close the loophole of migration and housing is critical to give young Australians the chance to buy their own home, to put downward pressure on rents, and to put young Australians in the best position they can be to get ahead.

Journalist: Is it concerning seeing these reports out this morning that there is the potential for $100,000 to be wiped off house prices in Sydney and Melbourne, some of the major capital cities? Could that be pushing people into negative equity?

Tim Wilson: Well, Australian households are being crushed by Labor. Australian Labor has overseen record low consumer confidence, record low small business confidence, and record small business insolvencies. This is a problem of lower confidence, and the government attacking the confidence of the nation. So it is concerning to see that confidence is leading to a crisis for many Australians where they're going to end up in negative equity, and this government should take sole responsibility.

Journalist: There's also some polls—this is a bit specific—but some polls this morning saying that students, the cost of living, it's affecting their ability to study, you know, perhaps having to work more than study, for example. Sometimes, you know, we've been talking about cost of living for so long that we kind of forget that people are still struggling.

Tim Wilson: No, not at all. Some of us remember this absolutely.

Journalist: Yeah. What about—what about when it comes to these students, is this an example where, you know, it really is still going, the cost of living crisis?

Tim Wilson: Well, this is the challenge of rising rents. The government's own budget documents highlight their new taxes will increase rents. Students are disproportionately likely to rent, and they're being knee-capped by this government.

[ENDS]