Monday, 5 January 2026

E&OE

Joel Dry: Joining us discuss, our Shadow Minister for Small Business Tim Wilson and 3AW's Heidi Murphy. Tim let's start with you, we're a long time ally of the US but surely Anthony Albanese has some tricky waters to negotiate here.

Tim Wilson MP: Well, that's where the Prime Minister needs to obviously speak to our Ambassador and have direct conversations and understand exactly what the United States plan is. I mean, we all woke up yesterday morning, extraordinary situation, it felt like it was watching a movie in real time. And I think we want to make sure that we're stepping through all of these things as a nation very cautiously.

Joel Dry: I think, like a movie, is very much what we've been discussing in the newsroom today. Heidi, does Albo need to take a hard line on Trump's actions here?

Heidi Murphy: Well I think he needs to say something firmly to let us know where exactly Australia stands on it. But I think he's in an awkward position, I mean clearly all of the allies were kept completely in the dark about this. We have to hear from our Prime Minister, does Australia back what Donald Trump did or does it have some reservations? I think we absolutely need to hear something clear from the Prime Minister and I think we need to do it urgently. I think though he may also be trying to find out exactly what's happened himself anyway. But yeah, we need to hear where Australia stands on this.

Joel Dry: It's Trump's era and we're seeing it play out on TV screens, that's for sure. Moving on now, and Australia is on track to become a cashless society by 2030, with payments made in cash by Aussies falling from 70 per cent in 2007 to just 13 per cent in 2022. Tim, the Government has signed a deal with the big four banks to keep regional branches open until 2027. That's just another two years of access for Aussies and that would be concerning for a lot of them.

Tim Wilson MP: Yeah and I mean Australians want to be able to use cash, people have different attitudes towards technology but cash is the basis in which people do payments, particularly a lot of older Australians, you know we need to make sure that pathway is available to people but it's also a security mechanism. I keep some cash, I do a lot of electronic payments but you need to be able to hedge for both and of course business needs to be accommodate for both. And the government needs to keep the obligation on business for people to be able to pay whichever way they want to to make sure we have the economy that we need.

Joel Dry: It can be confusing though, a lot of businesses are cashless so people don't know do I carry it, do I not. Heidi, going cashless isn't without its risks or difficulties. Do you think we can ever go fully cashless or does it leave too many Aussies behind, particularly the older generation?

Heidi Murphy: Some experts think we will be cashless within a couple of years, we obviously had COVID that sped it right up, but I can tell you whenever this subject comes up on talkback radio when I'm hosting, there are a lot of calls that come through from people really upset at the idea of losing cash entirely. They want to be able to use it, they in fact blame the businesses who have gone increasingly cashless for trying to force them into this change. Cash is legal tender and it should be legal tender everywhere. I still occasionally use some and I give it to a teller at a supermarket and find them a little bit confused on how much change to give you back. It is dying out, obviously the transaction numbers show it is, it is dying out. There will still be a portion of the population that wants it, where that sits, we'll have wait and see.

Joel Dry: What about for the tipping culture?

Tim Wilson MP: Can I also just say it's really important for cyber risk.

Joel Dry: Yeah, absolutely, you're exactly right, and less extreme obviously, the tipping culture, people have little tip jars, you know that can be important, a boost of their little income, some people rely on it to make ends meet. So where do we leave it with that? You know, now relying on the tap your card to leave a tip, I think it's much easier to throw a few coins into a jar as opposed to push a button to leave a tip. So tipping, are you a tipping people?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I think as a country where a lot of people have different attitudes towards tipping. We have a different culture from Australia, but we obviously round things as well. But increasingly, electronic payments provide for that. But it's very much up to the consumer and up to business about how these things work. But people want choice.

Heidi Murphy: I feel most sorry for buskers when you don't have coins in your wallet to hand over.

Joel Dry: I like it. Very important. And also important, fish and chips. Rick Stein has today unveiled his favourite fish and chip shops in Australia, saying the fish shop in Burrill Lake is his favourite. Heidi, is there a perfect fish and ships for you? The big story we're going to finish with.

Heidi Murphy: Well, there certainly is my local one in Kensington, the Kensington fish and chip shop that is regrettably closed for the Christmas-New Year period to the devastation of my children. It's a Friday night must-have at ours, every Friday night. I do give them vegetables.

Joel Dry: Tell us, in your constituency Tim, you've got to give us the hot tip, where are we going?

Tim Wilson MP: Yeah, I was going to say, Rick clearly hasn't been to Hampton Fish and Co on Hampton Street because he would know that that's clearly going to be the best fish and chips at 493 Hampton street in Hampton.

Joel Dry: An extra scoop of chips coming your way next time you're down there. Thank you both. We appreciate your time.

ENDS