'You lied before the Australian people': MP's epic tax blow-up

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson erupted at Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth on Today this morning, as a clash over the current Senate tax changes inquiry led to the Liberal MP accusing the government of lying to Australia.

The federal government has been criticised over the brevity of the inquiry into the tax changes mooted in this year’s federal budget.

Despite only being held across two days, national business groups have been able to front the inquiry and deliver sharp criticism of the budget, saying its measures will hamper productivity and investment.

Rishworth defended the time-frame, saying that anybody who wished to “has had an opportunity” to have their say.

“There has already been a senate inquiry into the 50 per cent capital gains tax (discount), and overwhelmingly the evidence was presented to that the system needed to change,” she said.

Wilson, who told Rishworth to “get real”, said he was “calling BS” on her claims.

“Two days to make submissions to the inquiry, not all of the submissions have been published yet,” he said.

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He called it a “railroad effort” to “bully and silence” small businesses.

But it was when Rishworth claimed Wilson had previously advocated for the same reforms that he was now criticising that he really blew up.

“Grow up Amanda, that’s not true. That is simply not true,” he said.

“Small businesses all around the country are screaming for help and your answer to this is to censor and silence them.

“You didn’t give it to people at the last election. You lied before the Australian people at the last election.”

Rishworth, for her part, tried to turn back Wilson’s demand to “grow up” and likewise accused him of making untrue claims, before Today host Karl Stefanovic threw water on the fire and moved the pair on to a new topic.

The government’s federal budget has come in for heavy criticism, particularly from peak business and real estate groups.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have said changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount are designed to allow more Australians a crack at the housing market.

But the government had promised not to meddle with negative gearing ahead of its re-election, leaving Albanese to claim he had not deliberately lied, but that the government had changed its position due to new factors, including the conflict in the Middle East.

Nonetheless, polling this week shows the budget remains unpopular not just with business groups.

The latest Resolve Political Monitor research, conducted for Nine newspapers, showed that just 23 per cent of people think the federal budget was good for them, while 30 per cent said it was good for the country.

Chalmers, too, has seen his approval ratings sink to 37 per cent.