The Hon Tim Wilson MP
Shadow Minister for Small Business
Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment
Member for Goldstein

Wednesday 11 February 2026

Transcript - Interview with Sarah Ferguson, ABC 730

Topics: Leadership, CFMEU-Labor cartel

E&OE

Sarah Ferguson: Liberal front-bencher Tim Wilson joins me now. Tim Wilson, welcome to 7.30.

Tim Wilson MP: Thank you for having me.

Sarah Ferguson: Angus Taylor has resigned. Is there a spill on?

Tim Wilson MP: Well I've only heard the news as you have, that he has resigned. I have not heard the second part of that, so I can't confirm that that's ultimately a matter for him. No doubt he'll be talking to colleagues over the coming days about how he sees the future and I look forward to receiving his call.

Sarah Ferguson: When you receive that call, will you be backing Angus Taylor for leader of the Liberal Party?

Tim Wilson MP: Well I've said consistently, I support and back the Leader. I've done that in every ballot in the previous context, unless it's an open context, where you get sort of a genuine choice. Because to me, it doesn't really matter who sits in the swivel chair. What matters is who's going to put forward a compelling vision for the future of the country that maps out where we need to go.

Sarah Ferguson: Let me just jump in there Tim Wilson, there is no moment in politics where it doesn't matter who sits in the swivel chair, it matters. So does that mean that you will continue to support Sussan Ley if this indeed turns into the spill that we expect?

Tim Wilson MP: I've already said that I'd be supporting the leader, but it does matter to the extent of what they're going to do with the role. I have said consistently that I expect leadership and I expect leadership to drive a vision for the future of the country. I expect leadership to define who we are as a political movement, and most importantly, who it is we're fighting for to make sure that Australians aren't just thinking about us at the ballot box. They actively want to put us in government because we have the program that will deliver for them.

Sarah Ferguson: But you anticipate that a spill will unfold over the course of the next few hours, but you think that it will go into next day, that we'll still be having this conversation tomorrow?

Tim Wilson MP: Well these are questions for the people who want to bring on a spill, they're not questions for me. I can speculate all you'd like, I'm interested in talking about the problems we have in CFMEU corruption where $15 billion of Victorian taxpayers' money has gone into organised crime and criminal gangs and I think that's actually something more concerning to the Australian people right now.

Sarah Ferguson: Well, let's just understand this. Have you heard from Angus Taylor yourself today or from any of his close supporters?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I saw him in Question Time, so I can't say that I didn't have a chat to him briefly there. But there has been no proposition of my vote and we have not had a conversation along those lines today.

Sarah Ferguson: But you anticipate if a vote is called on, you will continue to support Sussan Ley for the leadership.

Tim Wilson MP: Well, as I've said, if you want loyalty, you have to show loyalty. And I believe in loyalty very much as a foundation for trust. And off the back of that, I will then be going on, of course, as processes go on to make sure that I'm making the decision in the best interest of the Liberal Party. But I've said that, you know, I always support the Leader.

Sarah Ferguson: So just to be clear, you are ruling out the possibility of supporting Angus Taylor, just to be absolutely clear for our viewers.

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I think we need to be clear. There's two parts to any process like this. There's whether there's a vote to spill the leadership and then there's about the way forward. And so I don't know, firstly, what the first one's going to happen, let alone the second one. My key focus is making sure that whoever is leading the party is making, they're putting the best case forward about how we're going to advance in Australia that improves the living standards of Australians where we have a pathway and a programme. That focuses on a respect for all Australians, where hard work pays off, and most importantly, that Australians control their lives.

Sarah Ferguson: How would you describe the mood amongst your colleagues this evening?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, the last meeting I was in was spirited because people were enthusiastic about holding Labor to account for their connection to the CFMEU cartel.

Sarah Ferguson: But Tim Wilson, clearly, you're not in a position to do that while the Party is riven at this moment. You've got a significant member of the front bench who's just resigned. We expect a spill to come. So take us to the truth of that question. What is the atmosphere like amongst your colleagues this evening?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I just need to be crystal clear. I was absolutely answering that question because that absolutely was the mood. In the last meeting I was in, since I have come up to your studio, these events have unfolded. Before that, most people were just scratching their heads saying, what on earth is going on? Because no one's clear about whether there was going to be resignations. We've been reading about them all day. But actually, the last meaning I was in, the last conversations I was having were people saying, it's great to see us on the offensive. It's great to see us holding the CFMEU and the Labor Party's connection to it to account because when you have $15 billion of taxpayers' money going to criminal gangs and organised crime that is a very serious issue that goes to the heart of the corrupt nature of the Labor Party.

Sarah Ferguson: Let me just go to some of the comments that Angus Taylor made in that brief statement he made when he was announcing his resignation. He said that Sussan Ley is not in a position to lead the Liberal Party to address the kinds of issues that you're concerned about. Can I get you to address that? He says she's not in position to leave the Liberal party. What do you say?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, they're his words. We have been prosecuting that today under his leadership. But I've said consistently and publicly that we need to do better. We need to be in a position where we animate and spirit Australians to want to fight for change in government, where they see a sense of vision and purpose about who we are, and is built on having respect for all Australians and making sure hard work pays off, and most importantly, Australians control their lives. Because off that we get an agenda that's squarely focused on Australians where they can advance their interests and most importantly we can build a better nation.

Sarah Ferguson: Can you do any of those things when you have a Party that is clearly riven? You've got a senior member of the front bench who just a few moments ago described the current situation for the Liberal Party as devastating. Can you take a single step forward until this situation is resolved?

Tim Wilson MP: Resolutely, you can, if you have the vision and the energy to pursue it. Australians need to see us fighting for them, not fighting each other.

Sarah Ferguson: So it's your view that Sussan Ley has that energy?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I've seen her consistently show a steely resolve, despite National Party separations, terrorist attacks, an unrelenting assault by Anthony Albanese and his bully boys on the front bench, who have tried at every point to knock her about and she has maintained a steely resolve. And I think that's very clear to the public. Does that mean that our poll numbers are going great? They're not.

Sarah Ferguson: They're not just not great, they are frankly terrible, aren't they, Tim Wilson?

Tim Wilson MP: Yes, they are. There's no point pretending otherwise. Australians want us to do better. They look at this building and they look at this parliament and they want to see things that are actually going to advance their interests. There's harsh judgement on the political class. I think it's justified. The key thing is, are we then going to build out the alternative pathway where we have respect for Australians, we have a situation where hard work pays off and, most importantly, Australians feel in control of their lives and our destiny?

Sarah Ferguson: What is your assessment of where the numbers are in the Party tonight? Obviously, the first vote for the leadership was very close. As things stand this evening, where do you think the numbers fall?

Tim Wilson MP: Honestly, I don't know. I haven't got a spreadsheet. I've been focusing on CFMEU corruption. I've being focusing on making sure that when $15 billion of taxpayers' money floods out of the Treasury coffers into organised crime and criminal gangs, that there's accountability for that. Instead, what we saw was obfuscation from the Minister in parliament today and not wanting to answer why it was that this has been whitewashed.

Sarah Ferguson: Now you've watched the polls take their plunge from bad to worse during the year. Did you think that this moment was inevitable, seeing what happened, particularly in the most recent news poll where we're looking at a number for the Liberal Party not seeing for decades a support of 15% for your party? Did you accept that the writing was on the wall at that point?

Tim Wilson MP: I accept that, you know, when you get bad polls, people question direction. Fair enough too. I've said consistently, I want leadership. I want clarity and I want Australians to look at us and believe that we are the way forward and there's a case for a change of government. The polls clearly don't reflect that. Let's be honest about it. But it comes down to whether you've then got a program to fix it, to build out a pathway where we have a respectful Australia, where people feel hard work pays off and most importantly they feel in control of their lives to build a better nation.

Sarah Ferguson: All right, just to finish, Tim Wilson, what will you do when you leave this studio? What are you going to do now?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, my phone's been going crazy with SMS, so I'll probably check them then, but then I'll go and have a chat to my staff.

Sarah Ferguson: What's the most recent message you've got on your phone there?

Tim Wilson MP: Well, I'm not going to read that out on national television.

Sarah Ferguson: Just have a look and tell us who it was from.

Tim Wilson MP: It's to do with Senate estimates because in Senate estimates, Senator Maria Kovacic is doing an amazing job holding CFMEU corruption to account and making sure there's a proper focus from my colleagues on how we confront the corruption that sits at the heart of the CFMEU-Labor cartel.

Sarah Ferguson: It's a serious question but that was indeed a valiant answer, Tim Wilson, thank you for joining us.

Tim Wilson MP: It was also a truthful one.

ENDS