Thursday, 15 October 2026

Topics: trusts legislation; small business; inflation; birth tax; labour force; unemployment; digital duty of care.

E&OE……………………..

Tim Wilson: The Albanese government continues its war on small business and undermining those self-starters of the country. Yesterday they introduced their small business tax on trust, which is a direct assault on the tradies, the retailers, and any Australian who wants to back themselves to get ahead. This $13.3 billion administration of a tax to raise $4.5 billion highlights the government simply does not understand the consequences of what they're doing. The Treasurer, and the confidence in the Treasurer from the government, is in freefall. We now know Cabinet ministers are briefing against the Treasurer and his failed agenda. Backbenchers are now in open revolt in the Caucus because they no longer have faith that Jim Chalmers is across his brief, understands his portfolio, or understands the impact his new taxes are having, particularly on small business. Labor backbenchers are furious at the number of small business owners who are turning up to their electorate offices and saying this government is assaulting us, attacking us, and kneecapping us to get ahead. And even worse, under the legislation the government introduced only yesterday, the government has conserved its baby tax, one where they're denying a pathway for children, newborn children, to be added onto the legal structures that families use to conserve and protect their assets. This government's priorities are completely distorted. Not a single focus of the Albanese government is focused on how to empower Australians, empower small business owners, or back communities. The focus of the Albanese government is how to feed themselves and how to take as much revenue as they can to support their rapacious appetite for spending, which is only going on to fuel inflation and undermine the Australian community. This government needs to kick its inflation addiction, and it will only do so if it cuts spending, if it controls its balance sheet, and it pulls its belt in before it turns around to Australian households and tells them they must pull their belt in because Australians are paying the price at the government's active inflation agenda through higher interest rates and higher prices at the supermarket where they're paying more and getting less.

Journalist: Tim, we're expecting unemployment figures to be released today. What are you expecting to see from those and what do you think it will say about the state of the Australian economy?

Tim Wilson: Well, most recent data has shown unemployment has been rising under the Albanese government, and the International Monetary Fund released an international report card with giant red blaring warning signs that unemployment could rise by up to 800,000 Australians. This government's economic priorities are all wrong. They are trying to set Australia up for a runway to recession when what we actually need is reform that backs Australians to get ahead. Instead, the Albanese government's plan seems to be to run down small businesses and make Australians unemployed.

Journalist: Let me just ask you about the duty of Care. It's coming out today. The Minister said she'll review those ministerial powers. Is that enough to get the Coalition over the line?

Tim Wilson: This government has poisoned the well of their Duty of Care Bill because they have included provisions in their original draft that gives a minister a wide power to censor and silence dissent against the government. They have broken all faith and trust with the community. They did it in their federal budget, they continue to do it, and so Australians have so little confidence in this government and their focus. That's why we'll go through our proper processes, but when you poison the well like the Minister has done, it raises serious questions within the community about whether we could support such legislation.

[ENDS]