Sunday, 8 February 2026

Transcript - Interview with Andrew Clennell, Sky News

E&OE

Andrew Clennell: Tim Wilson, thank you for your time. Can you confirm the Liberals and Nationals are about to sign a deal, getting back together?

Tim Wilson MP: Well that's a conversation between David Littleproud and of course Sussan Ley, our leader, and so that will be resolved in due course. So I can't confirm anything on your program but obviously there's been significant steps based on media reports and based on the conversations I'm having, but we'll wait and see later in the day.

Andrew Clennell: Are you feeling hopeful and what does it mean if you do get back together at this point?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I'm hopeful that there's a pathway where we can focus back on Labour, and that has to be the objective. I always start these sorts of programs by looking at what's the core objective. The objective is to hold the government to account because Australians desperately need us to do so. And so, if we're focused on that, we're working towards that as a common team to make sure that we're advancing the best interests of Australians. That's what it actually means, because that's what Australia needs and that's what Australians want us to do, focus on holding the government account, advancing good policy to be able to lead the country.

Andrew Clennell: Now The Nationals have put this offer on the table to you in terms of saying all the Shadow Ministry of The Nationals are happy to stay out until March 1, as long as their three sacked Shadow Ministers, Ross Cadell, Susan McDonald, Bridget McKenzie, come back. What do you make of that offer and I guess in the context of, I think some of your colleagues kind of think maybe the Nats will do it again?

Tim Wilson MP: Well I think the expectation is that The National Party will come back together because we're going to focus our objective on accepting a proposition of solidarity and shadow cabinet solidarity, and that will be the pathway moving forward. I don't think anybody wants to see this repeated on The National Party side or the Liberal Party side because the only people who are winning out of this conversation right now is the Labor Party. We want to make sure that Labor's held to account that there's proper accountability and scrutiny. Labor are going to try and find every single way they want to wedge us politically. Our focus has to be on how we're driving that agenda forward. And the key way to do that is leadership, a clear policy program we're fighting for that can unite people around.

Andrew Clennell: Speaking of leadership, do you expect a move on Sussan Ley later this week?

Tim Wilson MP: I don't but I'm mindful obviously there's constant speculation throughout the week, and there has been last week, and people expected something last week and then it didn't happen. I think what I'm expecting this week is a clarity from the team that we are going to focus clearly on how to hold Labor to account. We know, as an example, last week that the RBA Governor confirmed that the government's expansionary fiscal plan, spending more, was pushing up inflation. We know that Australians are doing it tough right now and that's what Australians want to see us focused on.

Andrew Clennell: Do you think Angus Taylor would be any improvement on Sussan Ley?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I need to start by saying Sussan is the leader, I'm supporting Sussan, and that should be our focus. You know, I'm not going to speculate on different colleagues and all of these different games that are going on. The key thing is to make sure that we're united behind the leader, behind a policy program that will then advance the interests of Australians. That's what they want us to do and that's what we want us be talking about.

Andrew Clennell: Do you have ambitions down the track to be Leader or Shadow Treasurer yourself?

Tim Wilson MP: My objective Andrew is to represent the people of Goldstein. I have always said that my objective is to build out a policy programme that advances the interests of Australians. That is not a subtle point. I don't care what job I have. It's about how we seek to do that and how we see to execute it. I want to make sure that the hundreds of thousands, the millions of small businesses across this country thrive. I can do it from this portfolio. I can do it from the back bench. So whichever job the party room wants me to fulfil, I will fulfil.

Andrew Clennell: How worried are you about the prospect of what's been put in some polls as a 17% vote for the Liberals becoming baked in?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, obviously, we pay attention to polls just to see where sentiment lies, but there's no point in pretending otherwise. People want us to do better. People want to make sure that we're standing up for their best interests and the best interests of Australians, and I don't disagree with them. I want to see profound policy that is actually going to drive and campaigns backed up by that policy that is going to drive the best interest of Australians because people are not happy with the current government. They're deeply concerned about their declining standard of living. They're deep concerned about the impact of inflation, interest rates and the impact it's having on them. And they're deeply concern about important issues like security. And so we need to make sure that we are the answer to those problems. Obviously, there's a bit of, let's say, middle-finger voting going on at the moment in terms of polls to the political class. They want us to step up and do better, and I agree that we need step up to do better.

Andrew Clennell: Now this visit of Israel's President Isaac Herzog, what do you think will occur while he is here? What do you of the government's attitude to the visit?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, the government is basically behaving like cowards on this visit. They're trying to run and avoid recognising and respecting the head of a foreign government or foreign state, and they're hiding because of, frankly, the antisemitism that exists on the progressive left of politics. There is a simple reality. President Herzog is coming to Australia to give comfort to the Jewish community in Australia. Particularly after horrific Bondi terrorist attacks. The government should be welcoming him, respecting him and supporting him in every way in his role. We need to bring this country, Australia together. We need make sure that we're supporting Australians who desperately need that comfort at this time and they should be stepping up to the plate.

Andrew Clennell: How are they hiding him? Because Richard Marles just indicated Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong and himself will meet Isaac Herzog. So where's the hiding going on?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I mean, I would have thought it was appropriate for him to do things like address parliament in these circumstances personally, but I just think they need to be stepping up and I do think they're hiding and they're trying to avoid being seen or associated. We'll wait and see whether that's the case. You know, there's deep antisemitism on the progressive left of politics in this country, and they need be standing up for the type of country we want to be, which is one that's united and focused in supporting every Australian, regardless of their heritage.

Andrew Clennell: And just to repeat to the viewers, Richard Marl said Isaac Herzog won't be addressing the parliament. Now I want to ask now about the fact the government won't rule out changes to the capital gains tax regime. What do you make of that and what will be the consequences of such a change?

Tim Wilson MP: To me, it's very clear that Labor is looking at pathways to raise revenue. I mean, they're spending far faster than the tax base is providing, so they're trying to find new ways to increase taxes. They've clearly flagged capital gains discount as part of that. And, of course, we know what the consequence will be. There'll be less investment in Australia. There'll people who are concerned about their financial future, and those who have invested into building... Growth pathways and jobs for Australians. This is a problem we're seeing right now with small business. Last year we had the highest number of small business insolvencies on record. We have had 40,000 small businesses collapse under the Albanese government, and their only solution to that is to treat small businesses like they're an ATM and go for more tax revenue, and that includes the capital gains discount.

Andrew Clennell: Well you're a big fan of first home buyers, a big backer of first home buyers. Do you think such a CGT move would help on that front?

Tim Wilson MP: Increasing taxes on housing doesn't make them necessarily cheaper, or it doesn't make them cheaper. And so the Labor Party's solution is to increase taxes on first homes and housing, which means that the prices will go up. That's the consequence of it. But it will also hit small businesses and increase the chance of insolvencies and decrease the amount of investment, which means jobs and economic opportunity. We have a crisis in private sector employment. 8 in 10 jobs in Australia are currently are being provided as a consequence of public expenditure directly or indirectly. There's a private employment crisis and the government is only going to compound that.

Andrew Clennell: The super tax change was after the next election when they announced it. Presumably they'd have to, if they were going down this path, they'd have to do that again because they'd certainly cop some severe criticism for not taking this to an election, wouldn't they?

Tim Wilson MP: Resolutely, yes, but this is the problem we now have with Labor. They go to an election with one policy, they then go through the process of introducing new taxes throughout the parliamentary term and you just can't trust them on taxes. This is the tax that Australians didn't vote for, and if they introduce it, they will have broken a key pillar of trust with the Australian community.

Andrew Clennell: The defence sell-off, what's your view on that?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I just think it's frankly lazy. I mean, we have, just near where I am now in Melbourne, Victoria Barracks. Victoria Barrack is literally where the Second World War effort was fought out of, and their solution is to just ignore the heritage there. And I think that's how a lot of Australians are seeing it, which is a failure and lack of imagination about how to address the bigger challenges that are in defence. They're trying to distract the conversation, the fact that they haven't really invested or have any strategic plan. For our defence forces, and their solution is a land sell-off. Not any respect. I accept that defence is not a heritage organisation, but when you've got a building and a barracks that was part of how we won the Second World War, I think it's a little bit more than just saying you're managing it for heritage purposes. It's part of our history and needs to be respected.

Andrew Clennell: What do you make of what Treasurer Jim Chalmers is saying concerning the fact government spending isn't responsible for inflation and rate hikes?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, Jim Chalmers clearly isn't in control or understands his portfolio. The Reserve Bank governor said on Friday, in answer to a question from Liberal MP Simon Kennedy and the House Economics Committee, that fiscal policy, government expenditure, was contributing to increases in inflation and therefore interest rate hikes. We have a private sector employment crisis at the moment, and the government is using public money to hide it. That's why eight out of 10 jobs are directly or indirectly supported by government expenditure. That is putting upward pressure on inflation, and that is therefore driving interest rates. Clearly Jim Chalmers doesn't understand the contribution of public spending on inflation and therefore interest rates, he should probably sit down with a textbook.

Andrew Clennell: There you go. Tim Wilson, thanks for your time.

ENDS