Tim Wilson (Australian politician)

Timothy Robert Wilson (born 12 March 1980) is an Australian politician and a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. Wilson serves as the Federal Member for Goldstein in the Australian House of Representatives. He was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2019, and is currently the Chair of the Standing Committee on Economics.[1]

Tim Wilson

MP
Wilson in 2015
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Goldstein
Assumed office
2 July 2016
Preceded byAndrew Robb
Personal details
Born
Timothy Robert Wilson

(1980-03-12) 12 March 1980
Melbourne, Australia
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)
Ryan Bolger
​
(m. 2018)​
ResidenceBrighton, Victoria
Alma materMonash University
Murdoch University
Websitewww.timwilsonmp.com.au

Before entering politics, Wilson was a policy director at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) from 2007 to 2013 and Australia's Human Rights Commissioner from 2014 to 2016. Wilson was a key advocate for Australia adopting same-sex marriage, is an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party,[2] and has been active in debates on tax policy.[3]

Early life

Wilson attended Mount Martha Primary School and The Peninsula School, Mount Eliza.[4] Wilson completed a Bachelor of Arts (Policy Studies) and a Masters of Diplomacy and Trade (International Trade) at Monash University. He was elected President of the Monash University Student Union Caulfield in 2002 and again in 2003.[5] Wilson also has a Graduate Certificate in Energy and Carbon Management from Murdoch University and has completed executive education at the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Worldwide Academy and at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Early career

Institute of Public Affairs (IPA)

Wilson was employed by the Institute of Public Affairs for seven years, serving as Director of Climate Change Policy and of Intellectual Property and Free Trade.[6]

During this time, he argued against plain cigarette packaging,[7] and to vote against the proposed local government referendum in Australia.[8] He was a vocal critic of the Human Rights Commission[9] and during his time at the IPA, the Institute called for the abolition of the Commission.[10]

At the institute, Wilson was a vocal critic of the government's attempts at putting a price on carbon, and an opponent of climate science.[11][12]

Human Rights Commissioner (HRC)
Wilson (right) as Human Rights Commissioner in 2015 with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda

Wilson served as Australia's Human Rights Commissioner between February 2014 and February 2016.[13][14][15] On appointment to the Human Rights Commission, Wilson resigned his membership of the Liberal Party.[16] During the term of his appointment he argued for changes to Section 18C of the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act, calling the prosecution of broadcaster Andrew Bolt for vilification of indigenous Australians an infringement on Bolt's right to freedom of speech.[17]

In July 2020, it was revealed that, while a commissioner, he had used his Commission email account to invite a prominent international speaker for an Institute of Public Affairs event, as well as arrange his attendance at the free market think-tank's functions, and to obtain from someone an endorsement in support of his campaign to gain Liberal preselection for Parliament. Wilson acknowledged that he had opposed release of the emails, which had been sought through a freedom of information application, but considered them "utterly irrelevant" and a "non-story”, saying his support of the IPA was publicly disclosed and well known throughout his term. Furthermore Wilson stated he originally halted the release of the emails to toy with the freedom of information applicant to "make sure the applicant thought there was something salacious in these emails only to be disappointed that they were utterly irrelevant and they’d wasted their time, and sadly that of the hard-working people at the Australian Human Rights Commission, who had to compile and redact these documents".[18]

Politics

Early campaign

In 2008, Wilson, then a Liberal Party member, unsuccessfully ran for the position of deputy mayor of the City of Melbourne in a joint ticket with Peter McMullin, a former Labor mayor of Geelong.[19]

Federal parliament

On 19 March 2016, Wilson was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Goldstein over Denis Dragovic by two votes. Fellow IPA member, Georgina Downer was also a preselection candidate.[20][21] He was subsequently elected to the Australian House of Representatives at the 2016 election.[22] Wilson served on the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources and the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.[23]

When Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called a spill of leadership positions in 2018, Wilson supported Turnbull[24] against Peter Dutton. After Turnbull later resigned, Wilson joined with his Liberal Party colleagues to elect Scott Morrison as the new Liberal leader and Prime Minister.[25]

In 2018, Wilson was appointed as the chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics.[23]

Wilson won a second term at the 2019 election, although his margin of victory was reduced by 4.89%.

Same-sex marriage debate

Wilson had been a public advocate for same-sex marriage for more than a decade prior to it becoming legal in Australia.[26]

The Abbott Government in 2015 promised a public vote on same-sex marriage, which was subsequently taken by the Turnbull Government to the 2016 election. Wilson supported the legislation for a public plebiscite on the basis that it was the fastest route to reform,[27] although other advocates for the amendments to the law suggested the quickest and cheapest way was through a conscience vote on the floor of parliament.[28][29]

When the Turnbull Government announced that it would hold the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey in 2017, Wilson opposed efforts to block the survey in the High Court and continued as a prominent Liberal campaigner for the 'YES' vote during the plebiscite process.[30]

Franking credits

Morrison appointed Wilson as Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics. Under Wilson's tenure, the Committee launched an inquiry into Labor's proposed changes to refundable franking credits, holding a series of public hearings around the country. Wilson argued that Labor's policy constituted a 'retiree tax' that would damage the savings and superannuation balances of up to one million retirees.[31]

In February 2019, Labor accused Wilson of improperly interfering with the committee's inquiry into dividend imputations and had committed a contempt of parliament. The Speaker found that while no contempt had been committed, Wilson had not honoured committee conventions.[32] Specifically, the Speaker criticised Wilson for having a private website for the inquiry that was badged as official but which solicited submissions. He was also criticised for arranging for meetings to coincide with an activist group opposing Labor's policy and contained the "possible intention to engage in protest activity at the hearing". He was also warned that "handing out of party political material should not be tolerated by chairs".[33]

Wilson was ordered to destroy records after it was found that the data that he had failed to collect that data properly.[34]

Wilson was also criticised for involving a relative, Geoff Wilson, in the process.[35]

Superanuation

In September 2020, Wilson was criticised in responding to concerns regarding the level of the superannuation guarantee rate for women on Twitter with “[I’d prefer that] they can buy their own home so they’re not homeless”.[36]

He then began a push for people to be able to use their superannuation to pay for a deposit on a house. Wilson began using the hashtag on Twitter of #housefirstsupersecond to support his campaign.[37] Opponents of Wilson's idea say that it will not help housing affordability and will make planning for retirement more difficult.[38]

During this campaign, Wilson was accused of giving unlicensed financial advice.[39]

Covid-19

Amid the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson wrote to the Australian Human Rights Commission (as a previous head) and the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission asking whether the Andrews Government’s COVID-19 curfew could be justified on human rights grounds and whether there were ground for the commissions to take action to protect rights and freedoms. Wilson stated that he believed the curfew was “unjustified and does not meet the justification for a limitation on Victorians’ human rights” due to public statements by the Chief Health Officer and Victorian Police Commissioner.[40] During the pandemic, Wilson was also critical of the actions of commercial airlines in relation to excessive fees charged to stranded overseas Australians describing the process as “gouging”. Wilson called on National Cabinet to increase the amount of Australians able to return from overseas on a state-by-state basis.[41]

Other positions

During his first term in Parliament, Wilson was a leading agitator against the Turnbull Government's attempts to ratify an extradition treaty with China. The treaty was later abandoned.[42]

Following the announcement by the Turnbull government of a deadline for Australians to opt out of the MyHealthRecord scheme, Wilson publicly opted-out and called for the Government to make 'opt-in' the default position.[43]

Publications
  • Wilson, Tim (2020). The New Social Contract: Renewing the liberal vision for Australia Kapunda Press. ISBN 978-1922449030

Personal life

Wilson is openly gay. Wilson proposed to his partner, Ryan Bolger, on the floor of parliament while giving a speech on the amendments to the marriage act on 4 December 2017. Both the proposal and Bolger's affirmative answer were recorded in Hansard and went viral on the internet.[44] They were married on 11 March 2018.[45][46]

Wilson said about his religious beliefs "I'm more of an agnostic, but I prefer to say that I haven't found God but I'm on a journey and I may one day find God."[47]

References
  1. "Goldstein – Australia Votes". Election 2016. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. Crowe, David (5 September 2019). "How Parliament learned to say 'no' to China". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. McKinnon, Alex (16 February 2019). "Inside the franking credits debate". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. "TOPSA". TOPSA. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. "History". www.monsu.org. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. "Tim Wilson". Institute of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  7. "Smoking out the spin" (transcript). Media Watch. Australia: ABC TV. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  8. "IPA Video on Local Government Referendum" (streaming video). Institute of Public Affairs.
  9. "Tim Wilson condemns human rights commissioner for failing to defend free speech" (streaming video) – via YouTube.
  10. Breheny, Simon (23 January 2013). "Australian Human Rights Commission should be abolished" (PDF) (Press release). Institute of Public Affairs. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  11. Jakubowicz, Andrew. "The two Tims, the IPA and the future of human rights in Australia". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. "Tim 'Windvane' Wilson – Quadrant Online". quadrant.org.au. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  13. "Human Rights Commissioner, Mr Tim Wilson". Australian Human Rights Commission.
  14. Brandis, George (17 December 2013). "Appointment of Mr Timothy Wilson as Human Rights Commissioner" (Press release). Attorney-General of Australia.
  15. Hurst, Daniel (15 February 2016). "Tim Wilson resigns to seek Liberal preselection for seat of Goldstein". The Guardian. Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  16. Lloyd, Peter (17 December 2013). "Tim Wilson, former policy director of Institute of Public Affairs, appointed Human Rights Commissioner". ABC News. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  17. Wright, Tony; Harrison, Dan (18 December 2013). "Tim Wilson appointment to Human Rights Commission stirs controversy". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  18. Knaus, Christopher (21 July 2020). "Tim Wilson helped IPA and solicited Liberal party endorsement while in human rights position". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  19. Noonan, Andie (22 October 2008). "Wilson to run for deputy". Star Observer. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  20. Hawthorne, Mark (19 March 2016). "Tim Wilson heading to Canberra after winning safe Liberal seat of Goldstein". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  21. "Tim Wilson wins Liberal preselection in seat of Goldstein". The Australian. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  22. Hunter, Fergus (20 July 2016). "Fresh blood in the 45th Parliament: the new MPs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  23. 7111, corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, 2600; contact=+61 2 6277. "Mr Tim Wilson MP". aph.gov.au. Retrieved 20 August 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. Knaus, Christopher (23 August 2018). "Polling shows Shorten would surge in popularity if Dutton was PM – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  25. "Malcolm Turnbull v Peter Dutton: Who voted for whom? The full list". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  26. Robinson, Shirleene; Greenwich, Alex (1 November 2018). Yes Yes Yes: Australia's Journey to Marriage Equality. NewSouth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-74224-884-4.
  27. Butler, Josh (19 October 2016). "Gay Liberal MP Tim Wilson: 'We Are Not Victims'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  28. "Greens to block same-sex marriage plebiscite, saying young lives at stake". the Guardian. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  29. "Nick Xenophon confirms party will block same-sex marriage plebiscite". the Guardian. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  30. "'Will you marry me?': Proposal follows SSM bill in the House of Reps". www.abc.net.au. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  31. "Franking credits, dividend imputation and 'retiree tax' explained". SBS News. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  32. Australia, House of Representatives 2019, Debates, p 1328, Privilege Statement by Speaker, Tony Smith MP, 21 February 2019.
  33. "'Potential for interference' in franking credits inquiry, but Tim Wilson avoids sanction". the Guardian. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  34. Bagshaw, Eryk (1 July 2019). "Franking credit campaign forced to destroy information". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  35. Karp, Paul (8 February 2019). "Geoff Wilson admits he part-funded franking credits website". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  36. "This MP Is Being Roasted For Telling People to Buy A House If They're Worried About Homelessness". Junkee. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  37. "Super fund reirement". Australian Financial Review. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  38. "Should we be allowed to use superannuation on house deposits?". www.abc.net.au. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  39. "MP Tim Wilson accused of giving 'unlicensed financial advice'". au.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  40. "Curfews 'a violation of people's rights and freedoms'". The Australian. 10 September 2020.
  41. Bourke, Latika (31 August 2020). "'Exploitative and despicable': Government MP attacks airlines, international travel caps". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  42. "Government pulls Australia-China extradition treaty". www.abc.net.au. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  43. "'Make My Health opt-in': Government MP opts out of e-health record". SBS News. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  44. Belot, Henry (4 December 2017). "Same-sex marriage: Tim Wilson proposes to his partner after bill introduced to House of Reps". ABC News.
  45. Andersen, Brigid; Lipson, David (22 July 2016). "Tim Wilson calls on anti-same-sex marriage MPs to abstain from vote". Lateline. ABC News.
  46. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/11/liberal-mp-tim-wilson-marries-partner-ryan-bolger
  47. "Keeping it light". Bible Society Australia. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Andrew Robb		 Member for Goldstein
2016–present		 Incumbent
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