Tim Wilson (Australian politician)

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]

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]

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]

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%.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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