Thursday, 25 June 2026

Transcript

Topics: Widows tax, Teals

E&OE........................

Journalist: So we've seen this morning some of the unintended consequences of Labor's tax reforms when it comes to property ownership, how that how that goes and how's that how that's taxed. What do you think that says about these tax reforms?

Tim Wilson: These tax reforms are built on a house of broken promises, and the government doesn't understand the impact and how it's going to flow through to Australian households. What we know is the government is going to target every stage of people's lives from when they're renting, the government's budget papers acknowledge that it's going to increase rents, to when people are saving for a first home deposit, hitting those first home deposits hard by doubling the tax rate if they grow the deposit, through to when they go on and buy a home, they're going to build 35,000 fewer homes. If you can't make a buck out of building housing, you get less housing. So, the Albanese government is setting the housing market, the rental market, and the aspiration of the next generation of Australians up for failure.

Journalist: The front page of the AFR talks about how people who are widowed, who get divorced, might be caught up in changes to their own ability to negatively gear their properties. It's a bit of an unintended consequence, isn't it?

Tim Wilson: It's a reflection of how much the Albanese government doesn't understand the impact of their taxes. Either by design they're targeting widows as they're grieving, or they don't understand the consequences and they're financially bullying widows in their moment of grief. This government doesn't understand the impact of their taxes. There will be more unintended consequences, and as they're revealed, Australian households will slip further behind.

Journalist: There's a new party in town, feeling intimidated?

Tim Wilson: What's the name of the party?

Journalist: Community Strong.

Tim Wilson: And what do they believe in?

Journalist: We'll have to find out.

Tim Wilson: Well, there's plenty of people in Canberra, in lots of parties, that don't really stand for anything. To be fair, the Teals laid the groundwork for Labor's higher tax agenda. The case was made particularly by the member for Wentworth, the member for Kooyong, the member for Warringah, that we needed Labor's higher tax agenda. By paving the road for them to do it, the government has gone on and done it. It seems to me that whatever this party is called, it's just front-running for the Labor Party.

Journalist: You don't think that there's any threat to the Liberal Party?

Tim Wilson: No, I'm not the least bit concerned about a party I can't remember the name of, nobody seems to be able to state what they believe in, except for themselves.

[ENDS]