Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Topics: Adelaide council grant; Marrickville Golf Club; inflation; interest rates; housing; Intergenerational Report.

E&OE……………………..

Peter Stefanovic: Back to Canberra now. Federal Labor asked an Adelaide council to put forward a multi-million-dollar sports precinct upgrade for federal funding before any detailed costings or formal planning had been done. This is according to the ABC this morning, which reports that documents released under freedom of information show the Health Minister, Mark Butler's office, and Mark Butler's electorate is involved here, urged the City of Charles Sturt Council to submit a proposal with a total price tag of about $6 million dollars. The proposal is for a permanent home for the Adelaide Jaguars Women's Soccer Club. Joining us live for this and more this morning, the Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson. So, funding before plans. Is that normal?

Tim Wilson: In short, no. In fact, I think what we're now seeing is a pattern of behaviour. The Prime Minister gave a grant to a golf course in his electorate just around the corner from his home of which he was a member, which he failed to declare. Now, we have the Health Minister, the next-wannabe Prime Minister, doing exactly the same thing. This seems like an audition both for the prime ministership, but it raises a much bigger question about how public money is being allocated, where the money is being allocated, then they're deciding what the project is to keep the Health Minister in his seat.

Peter Stefanovic: So, what questions do they need to answer over this latest episode here?

Tim Wilson: Well, they need to answer very basic questions. Who reached out to the local council? What proposals were put forward? Who made the initial contact? What the dollar figures were? What their plans were historically to establish whether this was something invented by the Health Minister or whether it's actually a real project? And, frankly, now, whether he's an honorary member of the sports club because the Prime Minister hid his honorary membership.

Peter Stefanovic: So, what's behind the trend here, do you think, Tim?

Tim Wilson: I think the problem we've got is the government was in a desperate attempt before the last election to stay in office. Now, the election turned out differently than as it appeared in, say, November 2024, and so they scurry to try and dole out public money to get themselves in a winnable position. The problem is it's now catching up with them, just like not honouring their commitment around energy prices caught up with them. Just like their commitment around taxes has caught up with them after they lied fifty times over to the Australian people. Unfortunately, it's now clear that this government was elected on the basis of deceit.

Peter Stefanovic: Okay. Well, Mark Butler just on the first story, he says multiple discussions about what it would look like took place and he's proud to invest in helping women in sport. That's on one story. But just in The Australian this morning, Tim, another story, Anthony Albanese touted securing $6 million for his local golf club days before the last election in a press release with only his name on it, despite trying to distance himself from the club and the grant for the past week. So, more questions there. They continue.

Tim Wilson: $6 million here, $6 million there, it's all for the clubs that the Prime Minister and the Health Minister are deeply connected with. And let's never forget the Prime Minister kept saying he doesn't go to this club, isn't proximate to it, didn't know he was a member of it. This just doesn't stand up to any test of scrutiny. The Prime Minister should now be under a very deep level of scrutiny by the press and hold them to account.

Peter Stefanovic: Another big story this morning, interesting data as well. The fallout continues post-budget, Tim. New house sales have crashed 20% in 3 months. What does that do? Well, it deals a blow to Labor's plans to funnel investors into new home builds with its tax changes. So, yeah, so much for that plan.

Tim Wilson: Well, the plan never was based on any substance. What the government is discovering is that reality is not matching up with their spin or their narrative. You just need to look at the front page of The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald today. There's Labor backbenchers who are increasingly calling time on Treasurer Jim Chalmers and saying, mate, your active inflation agenda is destroying the wealth and wages of Australian households in electorates all across the country. You don't know what you're doing, and you're actually harming the Australian people. We're seeing it in housing, we're seeing it in wages, we're seeing prices at the supermarket go up, where people are paying more and getting less in their trolley. Reality is catching up with the Albanese government.

Peter Stefanovic: But how much of that is out of his hands, though? The 3 interest rate rises that we've had so far this year, perhaps another one next, maybe even two more at some point this year.

Tim Wilson: Yeah, well, that's because we've got an underlying inflation problem. This government is addicted to inflation and to spending because they have an active inflation agenda. They're trying to distract on international events. The Reserve Bank has called BS on this. They've made it clear that inflation has been persistent and high, the first interest rate rise at the start of the year was off the back of data from last year before a single thing happened in Iran. When Iran has stopped in conflict, the inflation problem persists. This is going to continue because the government's economic model is broken and destroying the Australian economy.

Peter Stefanovic: What are your thoughts ahead of intergenerational report, by the way?

Tim Wilson: Well, once again, the Treasurer is going to try and use it as a point of deflection and make the case for breaking his promises to the Australian community. On tax, we know full well that Australia has had, as many societies have had, which is the post-baby boomer shift, and what that's done for public expenditure. The question is what are we going to do to grow the economy rather than just redistribute the wealth of the nation. A country has basically one of two choices: it can channel its energy to growth, or it can channel its energy to fighting over a diminishing pie. I'm in the growth camp, the Treasurer and the Prime Minister are in the fighting over the diminishing pie camp.

Peter Stefanovic: Okay, Tim Wilson, the Shadow Treasurer, thanks as always.

[ENDS]