Tuesday, 15 September 2026

Topics: Marrickville Golf Club; inflation; housing; first home buyers; migration; Catherine King; artificial intelligence.

E&OE……………………..

Tim Wilson: It's time the Prime Minister was just honest with the Australian people. He continues to engage in disinformation about his relationship to grants he gave to his golf club. We know that the Prime Minister has gone out there and said he has no association with the Marrickville Golf Club, yet we know that he is also an honorary member. He said he didn't know about the membership, it has been published many times in the Daily Telegraph. He said that he doesn't have any proximity to the club, he owns multiple properties around. He said no involvement in the grant being allocated, his own department was the one that signed it off. At some point this Prime Minister needs to start being honest with the Australian people, not continue to lie to the Australian people because he thinks it's a pathway for him to stay in office.

Today, we saw reports from The Australian that because of the Labor government's capital gains tax changes, because of Labor's toxic taxes, it's going to take eight years longer for young Australians to save for their first home deposit. While wages are going backwards, the government is increasing taxes on young Australians and making it harder for them to get ahead. This government lied to the Australian people, by the Prime Minister's own admission, 50 times over before the last election about increasing these taxes, and now he's done it and he's kneecapping young Australians, aspirant first home buyers directly with his toxic taxes.

Finally, this government, I'm sorry, this government is run like a bunch of dementors from Harry Potter. The Prime Minister and his merry band of Dementors go around sucking the economic soul out of Australians to feed themselves. Australia needs change. Australia is currently governed by an organised crime gang registered as a political party. We know the Prime Minister has cut checks to public projects where there's known involvement from organised crime. We know they keep tax settings that reward organized crime through illicit tobacco sales. Australians desperately needs change, and that's only going to be through the removal of the Albanese government.

Journalist: The pork barrelling was an issue too in the previous Coalition government. Would you consider legislation that allocates funding for these sorts of projects based on need if it's such an issue?

Tim Wilson: Well, there are lots of projects across the country based on need. We have so many in the Goldstein electorate from Brighton Beach Oval, which is desperate for funding so that we can have women's change rooms. There are projects all across the country. At some point, a decision maker needs to be needs to be identified, and there needs to be honesty and integrity in the process. The Prime Minister has set a standard and he has failed to meet that standard. He said he'd run an honest government, he's failed to meet that test. Instead, what he's done every step of the way is obfuscate, misdirect, or deceive the Australian people because he can't be straight with the people.

Journalist: So you don't think there needs to be additional legislative safeguards on that front?

Tim Wilson: I think what we need is honest government, and we don't have honest government under an organised crime gang registered as a political party governing Australia that has active incentives to encourage organised crime to pay them off with taxpayers' money, let alone what they're currently doing with giving money out to the Prime Minister's personal golf club.

Journalist: Just your thoughts in your capacity as Shadow Treasurer, Barnaby Joyce said last night that their migration policy is based on the will of the people as opposed to the economics. Your take on that?

Tim Wilson: I look forward to seeing the costings of this back of a napkin policy, and particularly how much income taxes are going to rise to address One Nation's policy. We know that it's a policy by press release, they provide no economic detail, and now the leader of their party is in witness protection. We look forward to them coming out and explaining to the Australian people how much taxes are going to have to rise on average Australians to deliver on their back of an envelope back, or back of a napkin policy.

Journalist: Are there any parts of the policy though that the Coalition may very well adopt when it releases its own detailed outcomes on how to make this target?

Tim Wilson: We'll be developing our own policy. They're doing what they want to do. The government is, well, the government is, you know, facilitating money to organised crime. We'll be developing our own policy focused on Australia's national interest, how we strengthen and build the country, and more importantly, a migration policy that expects people who come to this country to commit to our country and to contribute to our country.

Journalist: The ADF has now got 64,000 personnel, the largest since the start of the war on terror. Is that good for the country?

Tim Wilson: Well, it's always good to see Australian men and women signing up to defend this nation, and we want to see people who are committed to this country showing loyalty to this country and standing up for this nation, and so, when young Australians look to the ADF as part of their future, they're doing exactly that.

Journalist: And Catherine King has been given a platinum Qantas status for life. Is that appropriate for the transport minister?

Tim Wilson: Well, I think she should just take the Chairman's Lounge membership. She's just jumping around, she's trying to avoid accountability, and she's setting a double standard for herself where she won't take things from Qantas because it's deemed to be a conflict of interest, but then on the other hand, she's doing it on the other side. I mean, this minister, like the government, has a long history of saying one thing, doing the other.

Journalist: So, if there's anyone in the opposition whose membership should they be declining that?

Tim Wilson: Well, I haven't said people should decline it. I think people just need to own what they're doing and be honest about it with the Australian people. And of course, the minister has created fanfare because she's trying to avoid conflicts of interest, and now she's going down a different path and claiming one. I mean, let’s just be straight and be honest with people.

Journalist: Do you support the government's policy in terms of creators and copyright laws and AI [inaudible]

Tim Wilson: What we want is AI to work for Australia and to get investment into Australia. We need to make sure that there's proper remuneration for copyright creators and content creators, but we also need to make sure that we have the incentives in alignment so that we actually get investment in the future of this country. AI has a complicated relationship with the future of the country. We need to not simply be a client state of large AI companies. That means we have to find a way to work together and make sure that we build the basis of the future of Australia's industry, professional services, grow the economy, back jobs, and build the future of this country. Thank you.

[ENDS]