Friday, 9 October 2026

Topics: ATO credit card ban; surcharges; small business; Small Business Act; Victorian politics.

E&OE……………………..

Jaynie Seal: Questions are mounting over Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ whereabouts following his return from Japan, as pressure grows over the ATO’s decision to scrap credit card payments for tax bills. Joining us live is the Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson. We know where you are. Great to see you.

Tim Wilson: Lovely to see you too, Jaynie.

Jaynie Seal: Where do you think Jim is?

Tim Wilson: Well, I think he's been hiding out overseas. He's had to go to Japan to convince Japanese investors he's not a sovereign risk. Tip for you, Jim: if you have to convince people you're not a sovereign risk, you're probably a sovereign risk.

Jaynie Seal: All right. Well, the ATO looks like, on the ban, they've delayed it for 12 months. So, we just heard the Opposition Leader, Angus Taylor saying it needed to be reversed today. So, it's not reversed, it's delayed. What do you make of the ATO's decision?

Tim Wilson: Well, the ATO’s decision has been a disaster, but the Albanese Government is the one that triggered this whole process because they introduced the surcharge ban. They didn't think through the consequences of it, and there's a massive double standard. The double standard is they're turning around to small businesses and saying, you have to pick up this extra cost, while when you go and pay, we're going to shut down the payments. What the government has now done is said they've given themselves a 12-month reprieve. We still have legislation ready to go, if necessary, to overturn the decision that's been made by the ATO, because it’s leaving small business hung out dry, and we need clarity. The Prime Minister is clearly, he likes to humiliate his Treasurer, the Prime Minister has clearly forced Jim Chalmers' hand again because he wouldn't listen to the community and the consequences of his decisions.

Jaynie Seal: Because we were reporting today with Cam Reddin, our political reporter, he was saying that a lot of the small businesses were basically saying that this credit card ban was, the decisions to maybe look at different payment plans is not what they wanted, they wanted flexibility. So, there is that little bit of breathing space, but only a year. But again, small businesses are under so much pressure. What are you hearing where you are about how they're going?

Tim Wilson: Well, when I talk to small business, they tell us consistently that cash flow is a complete crunch. They've got problems with payday super having come in, going from a quarterly to a fortnightly or a monthly bill. We know that small businesses are struggling under record low consumer confidence. People are literally walking out the door and never opening it again, and so, for the government to turn around and say, as a, potentially, a credit card is a temporary overdraft facility for a lot of small businesses, to have that payment pathway shut down is creating another cash flow crunch for them and making it impossible for them to operate.

Jaynie Seal: All right. So, again with the with the delay, what do you think the small businesses are going to do? Because I mean, again, that same question of they're under so much pressure, what is your government going to do? What more are we going to hear from your government in terms of relief if you were to get in?

Tim Wilson: One of the things we've committed to very clearly is discussion about a Small Business Act, because we foresaw all of this. We foresaw the situation and what's happened since the last federal budget where small business has been thrown under the bus by the Albanese Government. So, we've put our consultation around a Small Business Act, which explicitly includes a provision around the right to be heard so when government decisions are made, that small business is engaged in the conversation and is listened to. They're not given a media release saying pathways to pay is going to be canned in eight hours' time like the ATO did.

Jaynie Seal: That's the ATO, not government.

Tim Wilson: Well, they are part of the government, and part of the problem is that we don't have small business voices inside these government agencies. The government clearly doesn't understand small business. We want small business to be protected because they should be at the centre of the Australian economy, not thrown under the bus like the Albanese government has.

Jaynie Seal: People are saying they're not being listened to, whether it's in this particular instance, whether it's other issues, and that's why they're looking at parties like One Nation, because they're not being heard by the two major parties. So, would you say that your government is not listening enough?

Tim Wilson: Well, we're absolutely listening to small business. We're going further in listening. We're championing and fighting for small business. We're the ones who have led the debate with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to fight back against this credit card ban for the ATO, and we're going to continue to fight because small business is too important. Small business is not just about economic hope, which of course it is for millions of Australians, it's a centre of community. It's the basis in which a lot of kids get their first job, and we are going to put small business right smack bang at the heart of our economic agenda and unapologetically so.

Jaynie Seal: We just spoke to Andrew Weidemann, who's a farmer who's heading the big rally in Victoria. So, they're basically standing there at the Victorian Parliament, and they are talking about all the different issues. It's roads, potholes, you name it. That's obviously the state election, which is not too far away, as you well know. Obviously, we're looking at the Federal Election and New South Wales, there's a lot of elections coming up. But there's also a lot of issues, isn't there? I mean, how is your government going to make things easy economically?

Tim Wilson: In Victoria, it's very clear. The first thing we're going to do is make sure we get rid of the corruption at the heart of the government. Victoria is governed by an organised crime cartel that is just registered as a political party, and they say they're a government. We have to get the corruption out when you have $15 billion dollars of taxpayers' money that's going towards organised crime, and that's what transparency and anti-corruption watchdogs say has been happening in Victoria. We've got to confront the CFMEU corruption, which is increasing the price of construction, the impact it's having to get basic works done on things like roads and of course, housing. We need a wholesale reset, not just in Victoria, but Australia, to build a better future, and that includes repealing the terrible taxes that have been introduced by Jim Chalmers in his last budget. We've had now five humiliating backdowns by Treasurer Jim Chalmers since the federal budget because of missteps or misunderstanding the consequences. We need to get this government out.

Jaynie Seal: Well, that's what we hear, isn't it? You know, the Coalition, One Nation, that is the aim to get them out. But some people in your party are not really wanting to go, you know, join forces with One Nation if they win and there's, you know, depends on what you hear and who you hear, there's going to be a potential orange tsunami in Victoria in November.

Tim Wilson: Well, I don't think it's going to be anything other than a Wilson-led government elected in Victoria. I'm very confident Jess Wilson has the support of the Victorian community, that's what polling says. I can tell you when you hit the streets, that's what people are saying. They're excited for Jess Wilson time, and I think a Wilson-led government will do an amazing job. I'm quite excited about what it's going to do. The 28th of November is Victoria's liberation day and let it be the beginning of many elections to come.

Jaynie Seal: Not your sister?

Tim Wilson: She's not my sister. But I'm still happy to be supportive of her, because she does an amazing job and we're really excited, and Victoria desperately needs change, and as a Victorian, I can tell you, people feel very strongly about the need for a change of government. They know they've got an organised crime cartel running their state. We desperately need a change, and we know that Jess Wilson is the person who's going to offer the hope, and opportunity Victorians need to get a fresh start.

Jaynie Seal: All right, Tim Wilson, thank you very much. Great to see you.

Tim Wilson: Thank you.

[ENDS]