Wednesday, 27 May 2026

Transcript - Interview on Sky News, First edition

Topics: Federal budget, Capital gains tax, NDIS

E&OE...

Peter Stefanovic: So, on that note, let’s bring in the Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson, to talk about this and more. Tim, good to see you today. So, there are some instances where businesses have to tick a lot of boxes as we just outlined and then won't pay any CGT. So, this could be broadened. If that happens, what's your thoughts on the possible scenario?

Tim Wilson: Well, this budget is unravelling faster than I think anybody could imagine and so they're trying to come up with every different scenario to try and deflect the problems of the budget. The core of the budget is the problem. They're going after young Australians, those who want to get ahead, those who are the self-starters of the Australian community and whacking them with higher taxes and saying, if you head towards retirement, we might give you a little bit of a leave pass, doesn't solve the root cause of Jim Chalmers' budget.

Peter Stefanovic: Yes, I mean this says to you it's patching up on the run because of a lack of homework.

Tim Wilson: Well, it's even worse than that. They're trying to pass legislation through the Parliament then negotiate with business with a gun to their head. This government is completely reckless, has no respect for the Australian community. We've seen that because they made very clear statements about what they wouldn't do before an election, but they’ve then betrayed the Australian community and done it since, and now they're trying to come up with a patch-up job because their budget is built on bad faith.

Peter Stefanovic: Yeah, I mean, look so you mentioned young people and of course they are a cohort that would be involved here and potentially hit down the track but I've had, for instance, an ex-nurse who got in touch with me this week who's got a startup that's worth roughly $500,000. So not multiple millions, but $500,000, wants to retire and sell that within a few years. So, then she'd be hit and that's not a young person, it’s a retiree. So, it's this game of whack-a-mole that the government's trying to play at the moment. As soon as they try and carve out one person, there's another one that emerges.

Tim Wilson: 100%, and through our website notthetax.com.au we've had so many stories exactly like that one. We've had stories of people who set up trusts to protect the interests of their child with a disability. They've set up trusts to be able to protect themselves and their incomes from issues of domestic violence. But Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers' only answer to that is to turn around and say that's our money thanks, not yours. This is the problem, the government actually has the wrong attitude, they don't respect Australians and that's what's coming through in these budget measures.

Peter Stefanovic: Will you pull support for the NDIS changes as a protest over this rush to legislate the budget?

Tim Wilson: What we're going to do is go through parliamentary processes on both NDIS changes and budget changes and we're going to use maximum leverage so Australians can have a say. Let's be very clear about this, Peter. In the lead-up to the last election, the government said they would not introduce these taxes. The Australian people have not had their say. We are going to make sure Australians do have their say in this conversation.

Peter Stefanovic: No, that's true, that's true. People did think the government was going to go down a certain way and then they've clearly gone down another way. So as for that question, would you pull support for the NDIS changes? You were originally going to support it.

Tim Wilson: Well, we're going to use maximum leverage and if the government wants to have a conversation around NDIS changes...

Peter Stefanovic: What does that mean though? Just like a threat or something more serious?

Tim Wilson: No, if the government wants to have a conversation around NDIS changes then they have to actually allow the Australian people to have their say about their tax changes that they didn't take to the Australian community and which are now punching down on the small businesses of this country. And so, we're hoping the government will allow a process to have their say. But if they don't do that, we'll look at that when we get to it. But the government can't continue to just treat the Australian people like they're a nuisance, which is exactly the approach that Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese are taking.

Peter Stefanovic: I do want to just, speaking of the NDIS, I do want to ask you about this story Matt Cranston at The Australian today's got some data. The Albanese government has already spent the entirety of its announced NDIS savings in its latest budget. $36.8 billion booked on an array of measures since December, including an $18 billion hospital deal. So savings, much trumpeted, are gone already.

Tim Wilson: Well, we know that government budget is a complete fiction on savings. Remember, this is a Treasurer who in the lead-up to this budget kept saying, oh we've saved $114 billion and then completely ignored the fact that he'd spent another $223 billion. This government does not know how to tell the truth. They are masters at spin, they are masters at deception, they are masters at going to an election saying one thing and doing another and building a budget on a house of broken promises. But they do not know how to tell the truth.

Peter Stefanovic: Okay, we'll leave it there. That's the Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson. Appreciate it, Tim.