Monday, 9 February 2026

Transcript - Interview with Andrew Bolt, Sky News

Topics: Leadership, Australian flag, Australia Day

E&OE

Andrew Bolt: Tim Wilson, thank you so much for your time. First, obviously, the newspoll. The Coalition down to 18 per cent. Sussan Ley, the most disliked leader in 23 years. Personally, I like Sussan Ley but this does spell the end for her, doesn't it?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I'm not prepared to say that, but there's clearly some middle finger voting going on to pollsters from some of the electorate, whether we need to acknowledge it, people looking at our political system at the moment and saying they don't think it delivers for them. And, you know, frankly, I agree with them. What Australians want right now is to see a government focused on them building out the pathway where hard work pays off and where they increase the control they have over their lives. We need to step up, we need to do better to obviously secure that confidence.

Andrew Bolt: That seems a very low key reaction to an absolutely devastating poll, the worst ever in liberal history. I don't know if it's recoverable under present management and present policies, do you?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I think the only way to solve this problem, everyone focus on the individual and the chair, the only to solve the problem is you've got to work together as a team, you've got to put forward a program, you got to then go on and articulate and sell that and campaign for it because people have got to materially see it's going to improve their lives.

Andrew Bolt: I agree that you've got to do all the things you just said then. You haven't done them. That's the problem. There is going to be a change in individuals. Angus Taylor looks like challenging this week. Personally, I'm not so sure it's the change the Liberals need. He doesn't look at it, he doesn't sound it. Do you think it's that change?

Tim Wilson MP: Look, I'm not going to get into speculation, Andrew. I know how much everybody likes to talk about these things. Obviously, there are a lot of conversations going on in the corridors in this building. There's no point pretending otherwise. And everybody's talking about the future because they're seeing the polls, they're saying discussions in the media. The focus has to be, every time I look at it, is how you're applying that energy to addressing that gap around the program and things we need to do to advance. Not just the party, but frankly, the best interests of Australians.

Andrew Bolt: I wonder whether you think you could be the change the Liberals need.

Tim Wilson MP: I absolutely believe that I am part of the change that Liberals need, not just in the shadow portfolio but to put forward disruptive policy proposals that are actually going to change the direction of political conversation. I'm not being subtle about that at all. I've outlined this before in a speech. Well that's up to colleagues at the end of the day because I've said publicly many times I'll serve in whatever role I can, but leadership's responsibility falls on all of us. It doesn't matter whether you're a back venture, a member of Shadow Cabinet, or the leader themselves.

Andrew Bolt: Well, to your speech, I totally agree with needing to change the focus from multiculturalism to unity. I thought you had a very good line, a twist on something Tony Abbott, a phrase Tony Abbott coined. It's easy to say, but what takes guts, of course, is actually doing something. What did you have in mind that actually needed doing? Like, how about just flying the Australian flag, not three flags, as just a symbolic start?

Tim Wilson MP: That's a symbolic start, but I don't think that's the core focus. When we get bogged down in a symbol over one versus three, we're not having a real conversation. When, you know, whether you're born in Australia or you're a new Australian, we should be making it very clear as part of the narrative of the country, our civic rituals and what we expect to be educated of the next generation of Australians, some pretty basic ideals. The importance of love of country, of course, making sure society is built on respect and tolerance, but then through our economic institutions,.

Andrew Bolt: But what do you do?

Tim Wilson MP: Sure. Well, I think I can go through each one of them if you want, as I said in the speech at timwilsonmp.com.au. I talk specifically about the need that we need a national story for our country. We don't really have one. And that has to be focused on the full story from 60,000 years ago to the present day. And they need to build it into the civic rituals of our society. I think we've got to be very open about the idea that we and civic rituals with an acknowledgement to country at the moment, well, why aren't we talking about our national unity and our responsibility to each other? I think we need to very clearly have a narrative of our country which is one land, one people with one destiny, rather than talking about what divides us, let's talk about what unites us. And breed it into our civic way of life.

Andrew Bolt: Yeah, these again sound, you know, building a narrative. What is that? What's the process? I mean, that is vague. I'm talking about, you dismiss changing from three flags. The one flag is purely symbolic. But the point is, it's a sign of earnest. It's a side of earnest, what would you actually do that people say, ah, I understand that completely. I'm on board.

Tim Wilson MP: I think we've got to have a, well, let's start with the things on the calendar. We start with Australia Day. We go through a debate every year back and forth about the direction, and I'm only floating this proposal, but maybe we need to start to have conversation about having some sort of a public vote to resolve this and move on. But I do actually think government has a responsibility to build into our civic participation and our civic way of life so when we get to citizenship ceremonies, what we expect of new Australians is a complete integration into the Australian way of life, and that goes from making sure we've got the proper resources for English language education so people can be full participants in economic and social participation. You then need to go through and build that as part of the education system. But at the moment, Andrew, we're not even investing in a story for Australia that we can all tell. We have sort of a left-wing view, which is 60,000 years to 1788, then we skipped to about 1958. We need a continuum which recognises the full history of our country, it needs to be taught in our schools, it then needs to go through and be put into our civic institutions and we shouldn't be afraid to oblige every Australian to understand that and to align with a national anthem, with citizenship ceremonies as well and wherever we can see an opportunity to do so including in this nation's parliament. Because these things aren't, you know, they have to be rhythmic.

Andrew Bolt: Yeah, I'm just not hearing the cut-throughs here, you see, like you do with Pauline Hanson. Yeah, well, I know, but you can't force people to go to church, you can’t force them to sing the National Anthem. You know, they can say, oh yeah, we subscribe to your values, do they actually mean it? What do you do if they don't? This is the whole thing. I mean, I think when you decry this symbolism and then you actually suggest the referendum on Australia Day, I've not seen the cut through that the Liberals need.

Tim Wilson MP: Well, firstly, Pauline always has simplistic solutions to problems but not long-term ones to make sure that new Australians have a pathway. There's no flick-the-switch solution. We need to rhythmically do things as part of the Australian way of life and it's going to take a significant period of time because, frankly, I think we've as a nation been sloppy about a lot of these issues. We assume that people want to come in here and automatically always want to fully integrate into the Australian way of life. I think people are starting to question that and that's why we've got to be robust and assertive about it and we've gotta keep it going because there is no flick the switch solution, Andrew.

Andrew Bolt: There isn't, but there are some things you could do that really show, like I say, you really mean it. You are in earnest. But Tim Wilson, I appreciate you actually at least raising the issue and urge people like you suggest to go and see your speech online. Tim Wilson thank you so much for your time.

Tim Wilson MP: Thanks, Andrew.

ENDS