Vows to fight Labor’s property tax break cuts in budget
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has drawn a battle line with Labor as it considers cutting property tax cuts in the budget and vowed to fight Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s “attack on his aspirations”.
In an interview with this magazine on Sunday, Taylor called for a rethinking of the boundaries of multiculturalism and dismissed as “nonsense” the idea that the party’s election review was under wraps to avoid embarrassment.
Rejecting calls from the likes of former MP Keith Wolahan to rethink the party’s instinctive support for the wealthy class, Taylor argued that negative gearing and a capital gains tax cut would worsen the housing crisis that underpins the deterioration in living standards.
“This is an attack on the Australian dream. This is an attack on aspirations,” Taylor said.
“Owning a home is at the heart of the Australian dream… but if your housing supply is going in the wrong direction then it will never be possible.”
Taylor’s tough stance on considering the proposals as part of a wider tax package is leading to a fight reminiscent of the 2019 election, when Scott Morrison used Bill Shorten’s expanded tax agenda to claim an improbable victory.
Government ministers have been delighted by the mostly positive response from business leaders and experts since news broke last month that they were considering reducing capital gains tax relief.
If Labor revived its Curb era policies in the May budget, opponents would accuse the government of violating voters’ trust after ruling out such changes before the election. But a weaker opposition and a younger electorate more clearly aware of the distorted property market could encourage Labor to take a bold step to reshape the tax system to benefit young Australians. It is unclear whether Taylor will promise to ease the measures at the next election if Labor makes changes.
Chalmers mocked Taylor in a statement to this imprint, claiming the former McKinsey consultant “had his whole life handed to him on a silver platter” and “knew nothing about the true desires of ordinary Australians”.
The new Liberal leader has revealed he is inspired by former prime minister Tony Abbott. Redbridge pollster Tony Barry, a long-time Liberal operative, had a suggestion: Guardian Australia Last week, he released a podcast explaining that Taylor’s oft-repeated line on immigration (“the standards are too low; the numbers are too high”) was written by Abbott.
Taylor also frequently used other slogans, such as “closing the door” on immigrants who did not share Australia’s values. While basing the opposition’s mission in the field of economy and culture, he mentioned Australia’s “standard of living”, its code of economic success and its “lifestyle”, its code of patriotism and values dozens of times.
When asked about his impact on Abbott’s output as leader, Taylor said “of course” he had learned from Abbott’s time as leader. “Tony rescued us from the wilderness… and is undoubtedly the most successful liberal opposition leader of recent times,” Taylor said.
While the 59-year-old conservative’s political instincts have been questioned over the years, Taylor has managed to quietly surprise some of her critics in the party hall since winning a decisive 34-17 vote against Sussan Ley. Predictions that Ley’s ouster would lead to days of accusations did not come true.
But if Taylor fails to lift the party’s historically weak polling position, he will come under pressure in the coming weeks, making victory almost impossible at the next election. An upcoming by-election in Farrer, a regional NSW seat vacated by her predecessor Sussan Ley, could be embarrassing if the Liberals lose; The South Australian elections to be held on March 21 are also expected to shed light on the party’s troubles.
The opposition will focus on Labour’s management of inflation and the ongoing saga of the return of ISIS families from Syria when parliament meets on Monday.
The opposition will introduce a bill that would make it illegal for humanitarian groups to help ISIS families return to Australia, which legal experts have criticized. In that byline, Taylor cited a report into Home Secretary Tony Burke’s links to a key advocate for Families to claim Burke was “hopelessly conflicted” and not in a position to make a decision on the matter. The government announced that it did not want the group of 34 women and children to return.
The political conflict over ISIS families has fueled a wider debate about Australia’s immigration landscape. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s statement two weeks ago that there were no “good” Muslims sparked condemnation. Taylor told this imprint that she disagreed with him, but didn’t use as harsh language to scold him as her assistant, Jane Hume.
Last week, Labour’s under-secretary for multiculturalism, Julian Hill, caused a stir in a speech reminding progressives that “there are limits to cultural expression”. Taylor echoed similar sentiments, without providing specific information about the cultural practices he was referring to.
“This country is great because we have indigenous heritage, British foundations and a multicultural character,” he said. “But multiculturalism cannot mean a violation of our most fundamental values and beliefs.”
Referring to the principles of liberal democracy such as freedom of religion and the rule of law, Taylor said Australians should be expected to support the values included in the citizenship test.
“That still leaves a lot of room for diversity across the country. It still leaves a lot of room for people to adhere to some of the traditions and practices of the places they come from. But we’re not going to adhere to hatred and violence from other parts of the world.”
“I think this is a conversation that Australians are ready to have.”
The opposition will face questions this week about why it chose to suppress a document probing the disastrous 2025 election loss. The federal executive met last Friday and agreed that the document should not come to light, in part due to concerns about its quality as well as fears it would unnecessarily embarrass the party.
“This is complete nonsense,” Taylor said of the claim that the document was shelved to save him embarrassment.
“There was no shortage of bloodshed in the last election, but we must end our apology and focus on moving forward. In my first press conference as leader, I made it very clear that we made mistakes, I made mistakes too, and we need to learn from them.”
Addressing Taylor’s role in the heavily debated pre-election decision to oppose tax cuts, Chalmers said: “The Liberals can’t even publish their election canvass because the genius most closely associated with policies of higher income taxes for every taxpayer is now the leader.”
Taylor said Chalmers is vulnerable to cost-of-living politics because “inflation beats Jim Chalmers.”
Taylor said the shadow cabinet reshuffle, in which moderate Tim Wilson was appointed shadow treasurer and other key junior liberals retained their positions, showed Howard had faith in his broad church.
“That has historically been central to the success of the Liberal Party. That’s evident in my actions and particularly in the decisions made around the shadow ministry and the shadow cabinet. There’s a balance there. I’m also a big believer in ability and merit,” the Conservative leader said.
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Paul Sakkal is the chief political correspondent. It has previously covered Victorian politics and won the Walkley and Quill awards. Reach him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14Connect with: X or email.
