Interview on News24, First Edition

Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Topics: housing; first home buyers; migration; Japanese PM; Prime Minister's conduct.

E&OE……………………..

Peter Stefanovic: So, the Prime Minister has finally conceded his budget changes are hurting the housing market by getting first home buyers into the market. So, let's go to Tim Wilson, the Shadow Treasurer. Good morning to you, Tim. So, ministers have tied themselves in knots to avoid that question when asked multiple times here across the network, sticking to those stale talking points. Why the change, do you think?

Tim Wilson: Because Australians are living the consequences of the Albanese Government's budget. We know that house prices at the top end are going down, but for first home buyers, they're going up. The government has somehow managed the worst possible outcome: fewer homes, higher rents, higher first home property prices, and smashing confidence. It's the worst of all outcomes, but the Prime Minister seems to be salivating.

Peter Stefanovic: That's the thing, isn't it? I mean, recent data, the most recent data has that there's been a fair bit that's come off the top end, but at the bottom end, that's where the first home buyers would traditionally get in, that's becoming more unaffordable because it's gone up.

Tim Wilson: Yeah, well, the Prime Minister is more interested in taking care of the children of millionaires and billionaires than he is for first home buyers from modest incomes. I think this goes to one of the problems with the Prime Minister: he has forgotten where he came from, and he no longer has the empathy for the people of, frankly, kids who grew up in situations like his. During his last budget for mums struggling, maybe in, for instance, housing commission, just to save up a little bit of money in something like a term deposit, he now turns around and says, "That's my money, not yours." He's forgotten his origins, he's forgotten his roots, and he's forgotten what it's like to struggle to get ahead.

Peter Stefanovic: So, the government has got a bind now, Tim. It wants to cut migration, but as the RBA pointed out yesterday, because productivity is so low, migration is needed for our economic recovery. So that is quite a bind, and probably one you'll face.

Tim Wilson: It's the right type of migration Australia needs, and that's what we've got in our very clear plan focused, one, on making sure we match migration with housing, but also that we have the right type of migration: those who are going to build the future of this country. They're going to come, they're going to commit, and they're going to contribute, and that's what we all want to see.

Peter Stefanovic: So what is going to be the announcement from Senator Bragg today? I mean, where are you going to get those levels to, and how confident are you that you can keep to those levels?

Tim Wilson: Well, I'll leave Senator Bragg's speech in his National Press Club address to Senator Bragg. But I know his focus, like I am, like Angus Taylor is, in making sure we have a sustainable skills pathway to build the housing stock Australians need. We need to make sure our migration program is working in Australia's national interest. Those who come to Australia economically, socially, and culturally integrate, and then, of course, they come, commit, and contribute to the success of our nation.

Peter Stefanovic: Is 180,000 the NOM, though? Is that about the figure that you're looking at?

Tim Wilson: I don't think you should bank that at all. I think we've got to look seriously at…

Peter Stefanovic: Well, that's the one that's been quoted in the papers today.

Tim Wilson: Let’s just wait and see, firstly, what Senator Bragg is saying in his speech, and we haven't made an announcement about where we're going to be going into the next election, but our focus is actually about what we need to do to invest in the long-term growth and success of our country. And that should be the benchmark in which we judge our migration and the number of people we bring into the country: those who come, commit, and contribute.

Peter Stefanovic: Okay. The Prime Minister's melons. You want an AFP probe into the leak of a diplomatic note sent by Japan to Canberra after those details were published in the papers. What's unlawful here? What's your issue?

Tim Wilson: Well, Australia deserves better than a Sir Les Patterson Prime Minister. What we need is we need to make sure that our relationship with Japan is strong. They're not just an important economic partner, they're a very important security partner. And if there are issues that need to be explored there to protect Australia's national interest and, of course, the relationship, we need to know what has happened. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has done the complete opposite, and it's really revealing about his character, where he won't accept responsibility for his conduct. And it shows you why he won't, for instance, accept that as he keeps pouring debt petrol on the inflation fire, the direct correlation between his behaviour and higher interest rates that Australians are paying.

Peter Stefanovic: Right. Do you think there's something sneaky being done here though behind the scenes?

Tim Wilson: Well, let's wait and see, but I think we need to make sure there's probity. And when we're talking about a relationship between Australia and one of our most important security and economic partners, if there's something that should be revealed to protect our national interest, the government should take appropriate action to protect it.

Peter Stefanovic: What are your thoughts on some of his top allies being Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher and Tanya Plibersek, who took great delight in going after Scott Morrison's perceived women problem, but nothing to see here this time? Is there a touch of hypocrisy about all of this, in your view?

Tim Wilson: It's more than that. It's that many of these ministers are now embarrassing themselves trying to pretend that nothing's here. I mean, we've all seen the video. It's still up there online and will continue to be there in perpetuity. They're embarrassing themselves to try and save a Prime Minister who just won't accept that he got something wrong. We all get things wrong. I get things wrong, Peter. I'm going to break it to you, you get things wrong, too. The best thing when it happens is to…

Peter Stefanovic: Far too often, actually.

Tim Wilson: Well, but part of getting things wrong, accepting it, is learning from it and growing, and I would have thought that we want a Prime Minister who understands when they get something wrong, they grow and learn from the experience. Instead, we've got a kind of Sir Les Patterson style Prime Minister who simply turns around, pretends nothing's wrong, engages in vulgar behaviour, and won't move on.

Peter Stefanovic: All right. Tim Wilson, know you've got to go. Appreciate your time. Thank you.

[ENDS]