Opposition economy spokesman Tim Wilson has accused the Albanese government of “corruption” while refusing to say how he would plug the $110bn budget hole that would be left by his tax-slashing agenda.
The Coalition has declared war on Labor’s “toxic taxes”, proposing a wholesale reversal of major reforms introduced under Labor, such as the 30 per cent duty on super accounts over $3m and the contentious tweaks to negative gearing and capital gains.
All the taxes in the Coalition’s crosshairs are worth $110bn to federal coffers over the forward estimates.
Asked on Sunday how the Coalition would replenish the funds, Mr Wilson could not say.
“We’re going to make sure that we have offsets … and we’ll release those in good time,” he told News24, adding that addressing “the systemic issues of corruption that exist at the heart of this government” was key.
He went on to say the Coalition was working through how “to make sure that we get best value for the Australian taxpayer because we want to have the incentives in place to grow the economy, to give Australians hope, to look at a future horizon where they believe that hard work is going to pay off”.
Mr Wilson spent much more of his interview accusing Anthony Albanese of fostering systemic corruption amid serious allegations that Victorian Labor knew criminal gangs were infiltrating major state infrastructure projects and skimming billions.
While Victoria’s Big Build is run by the state it also receives federal funding.
Mr Wilson claimed the Prime Minister was implementing “the corrupt and failed Victorian model nationwide”.
“Never forget Anthony Albanese’s housemate once was Dan Andrews,” Mr Wilson said.
“Anthony Albanese has exported the corrupt and failed Victorian model nationwide, and now he’s imposing exactly the same failed plan on Australia, and it will not end well.”
Challenged to explain, Mr Wilson said Victorian Labor’s approach was to “borrow from the future to feed the Labor Party ecosystem”.
“Increase taxes on property, and every step of the way, it’s undermined the confidence in the future of Victoria,” he said.
He said he had written to Mr Albanese and “explicitly asked him: ‘Can you audit the federal money that has gone to these projects, which have now been found to go to organised crime?’”
“And they have simply refused to acknowledge the letter, refused to respond, or to do an audit trail,” Mr Wilson said of the federal response.
A government spokesperson dismissed the claims as “nonsense”.
“No one has taken stronger action on the CFMEU than the Prime Minister,” they said.
“It’s nonsense like this which means no one takes Tim Wilson seriously.”
Mr Wilson also accused the Albanese government of corruption in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, aged care and childcare.
He did not say if he had raised his concerns with the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Read related topics:Anthony Albanese