Wednesday, 10 September 2025

EO&E

Tom Connell Industrial relations and employment Tim Wilson we've got some portfolio to get to but beginning with this issue it's a big one for the party a news conference called and not sure we learned anything new should the Senator have just said the word sorry?

Tim Wilson MP Tom, I've said everything I'm going to say on this topic yesterday on Sky. I just think it's time the conversation moved on. We've got Australians being put out of jobs by banks. We've go fire bombings of unions and allegedly corporates in work sites. We've serious issues the country needs to confront. We need to make sure we have a debate about the importance of how we're going to build the future of this country. Senator Price has said what she's going to to say. She'll be judged accordingly. Time to move on.

Tom Connell Well, focus on those issues means that opposition is actually united and focusing on them themselves. You've had numerous colleagues coming to today. She has held a press conference today where she won't say sorry and she just mentioned they were clumsy again. Is that unhelpful?

Tim Wilson MP Well, she said her remarks, but as I said, when it comes to building the future of this country, we actually face a choice, which is whether we continue to just go down the Albanese government economic sinkhole where Australians are literally losing their jobs. Right now, we have problems of emergent inflation again. We have problems where business is losing confidence and not investing in the future. We have unmet challenges around artificial intelligence and the growth of business investment to meet those challenges. I simply am focused on those issues, Tom, and I actually think that's what Australians want us to do, because a lot of people who come to this country do so because they see the economic opportunity that provides. They're excited by that potential, but we need to realise that opportunity because It's what we need.

Tom Connell She was asked several times, did she have confidence in the leader, Susan Lee. Does that, should she have simply said yes?

Tim Wilson MP Well, I'm telling you straight out that I have confidence in the leader because I want to make sure that we get rid of this Albanese government. Prime Minister Albanese is the worst prime minister I have seen in our lifetime. He is the worse prime minister I have see in our life time because he literally has no vision for this country and where he wants to take it. And as we accrue more debt.

Tom Connell So for a senator that's just come, caused this kerfuffle, defected to the Liberal Party, got a front bench position and then been asked if she has confidence in the leader, is it a bit rich for her to throw the leader under the bus and not answer it?

Tim Wilson MP But they're your words, Tom. The reality is, everybody who serves in shadow cabinet should be doing so because they support the team and they're part of a team focused on defeating the Albanese government and building a future liberal national government. So will her comments.

Tom Connell By simply saying the leadership is a matter for the party.

Tim Wilson MP We're absolutely supporting the team, and that's the point. Tom, I know the media likes to keep going on these conversations, but our focus must...

Tom Connell This is not a media construction. These were comments in the Senate not apologising. I'm asking if by her saying simply it's a matter for the party room, different to what you just said, which is I back the leader, is she actually supporting that team?

Tim Wilson MP Absolutely she's saying that because all of these conversations ultimately are ones that we have collaboratively together. We had those, we chose a leader, our focus now is on making sure we hold the Albanese government to account. As I said, literally, we have a cartel between the Labour Party, the trade union movement, industry super funds, which are extracting a premium on Australian construction work sites right now, which is increasing the volume of debt Australians are holding. I want to get in a moment, but if I can...

Tom Connell Get one final clarification. So her saying the leadership is a matter for the Liberal Party is her supporting Susan Lee. That's what you're saying

Tim Wilson MP What I've said is that we've had this conversation, we've elected a leader. The conversation moves on, Tom. I know you want to keep revisiting it, but our focus should be on defeating the Albanese government so that Labour has to go through the process of deciding who its leader is going to be, because at the moment, they're leaderless. They might have a guy in the top job, but he's not actually leading the country, and that's what this country needs, is someone who's going to lead it to a bolder and better future, not simply somebody who is going manage its decline.

Tom Connell All right. I haven't seen a leader ousted at four months after an election with 94 seats, but I guess you never know. All right, so on this issue, the Vic Big Build project reports today... Yeah, I can't see you getting a vote. On the Big Build projects, you're calling for any of the projects related to these reports of malfeasance to have federal funding withdrawn. Is that how that would work? Because you say clarify funding isn't provided. If it's already been provided, what is the federal government meant to do?

Tim Wilson MP All we've said is we expect the Federal Minister for Industrial Relations and the Federal Minister for Infrastructure to Catherine King and Amanda Richworth to go through clearly and state that no public money is being used in corrupt activity or alleged corrupt activity. The Nyan Press has gone through today very clearly and said that there are serious allegations of essentially brown paper bags being used to pay off subbies and contractors for people to get access to work rights on these jobs. We expect that the federal government will put in proper processes to make sure that this isn't occurring and that public money isn't being used or abused in this way. So far, we've seen no action from the Federal Government despite these very serious allegations. The only thing they have done is taken the leash off corrupt activity on Australian worksites through the abolition of the ABCC. So we want to see proper steps in place to reassure the public that the money we're paying through taxes and future taxes through debt isn't being used for corrupt activity.

Tom Connell So it wouldn't be in an immediate pulling of funds, but some sort of mechanism to clarify if any funds are going towards actual pay action, you're saying actual corruption or involved in the specific any element of the project where this corruption is alleged, we should say, to have happened.

Tim Wilson MP Alleged but the reality is there is a cartel that operates between Labour governments, the trade union movement, industry superannuation funds, and this is well established where they inflate the price of projects and there's lots of benefits that go to different entities and then they somehow magically funnel money back to the Labour Party so they can keep getting re-elected and keep the cartel going. So I'd like to see the end of that cartel. In addition to that, I'd to see public money stop being used and abused to feed cartel. So I think there's a really important task because this is corruption in plain sight. And of course, there are now allegations of money being paid out so people can get access to work on these jobs. I think the Federal Minister has a responsibility as a baseline to make sure that public money isn't being used and abused for corrupt activity.

Tom Connell You mentioned the ABCC, just quickly, is that a policy still to bring it back for the coalition or do you need to sort of, even if you want a similar aim, have a new policy rebrand it whatever because it's something that doesn't seem to have fired the imagination of the Australian public?

Tim Wilson MP Well, whatever fires the imagination of the Australian public, I can say with absolute confidence that the coalition does not support corruption on Australian building sites because it means the cost of a first home for a young Australian family increases. And if that's because the cartel cost is being enjoyed by the benefits of a corporate trade union or the Labour Party or an industry superfund, I don't care. We want to make sure that every Australian can go on and own their own home. We're not here to feed the interests of the select few at the expense of the many.

Tom Connell Tim Wilson, appreciate your time, thank you. 

 ENDS