Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson offers voters a real choice as PM struggles to articulate Budget spending

Two political leaders of different generations, temperaments and ideologies presented the nation with a clear choice this week.

Anthony Albanese, standing atop a new government-funded apartment building, boasted of subsidised housing for nurses and other essential, but low-paid, workers.

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson condemned what he called “one of the most-immoral governments in Australian history” and promised entrepreneurs, small business people and “self starters” a Liberal government would put them first.

“We know that income tax is a direct punishment,” he told the National Press Club today. “The only answer the Government has is to turn around and say we will increase taxes on everything else.”

The specific help coming for these great Aussie battlers? That’s a little wishy-washy, but expect the replacement of “pessimism with Liberal optimism”.

A different direction

As the Budget criticism persists into its second week, the Prime Minister’s promotional appearances are becoming light on morality and heavy on the benefits of spending.

Mr Wilson’s first major speech since appointed three months ago went the other direction. Most of the big promises were delivered by party leader Angus Taylor last week, leaving Mr Wilson to emphasise a more philosophical question: why are politicians debating how to increase taxes when they should be lowering them altogether?

“The self starters are what built this country and we are going to back you in to be its future,” he said. “You work. You risk. You should get ahead.”

On the west coast a day earlier, alongside WA Premier Roger Cook, Mr Albanese had provided an answer.

In a 29-storey apartment building in central Perth, the PM expressed pride it will soon be home to 110 families or individuals who otherwise could not afford CBD accommodation. Another 109 apartments will be sold at market prices.

“Two years ago we stood here when it was literally just a site on a very hot day where there was no construction whatsoever,” he said. “Now we see the outside of the buildings here all completed and the internal fit outs well underway. This site is obviously a fantastic location in the centre of Perth, close to all the amenity which will give such a high quality of life for everyone who lives here.”

What does he mean?

Mr Albanese appears to love nothing more, professionally, than a spending announcement. When it comes to explaining some of the most-significant taxation changes in a decade, he often becomes difficult to understand.

Recently he was asked why there will be two ways to calculate capital gains tax on property, shares and businesses depending on when they are bought.

“So it only impacts when gains are made, capital gains,” he answered. “That’s not when the normal course of business occurs. When the capital gains occurs, it’s looked at the real gains, that is the gains less inflation as we go forward.”

Was the Prime Minister being deliberately inarticulate? Does he understand that the purpose of speech is to communicate information?

Back in Canberra today, the shadow treasurer, 17 years younger than the prime minister and as committed to free markets as his elder is to government, did not escape tough questions from the floor.

A reporter asked “how many One Nation voters know what bracket creep is?” and questioned why he barely mentioned the not-inexpensive promise.

Bracket creep refers to when inflation pushes workers into higher taxation thresholds, which top out at $190,001. While experts agree the tax system would be fairer without the phenomenon, if abolition was politically popular, presumably tax brackets would have been regularly adjusted for inflation many years ago.

“Inflation is the silent tax on incomes,” Mr Wilson replied. “We will sell this policy all the way through to the next election.”

A Labor premier agrees

In a moment of fortuitous timing, the plan received unexpected rhetorical support from NSW’s Labor Premier. Chris Minns complained that big pay rises for the state’s public servants (paid by workers in the private sector) are being eaten up as they shift into higher tax brackets.

He argued for lower income taxes, which are set by the Federal Government, conveniently leaving him off the hook to find a solution.

“The top marginal rate of 47 per cent ... you’re working Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday for yourself and then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the Government,” Mr Minns told reporters.

The PM, who can set income taxes, agrees with him. The whole reason trusts will be taxed at least 30 per cent is to deliver a tax cut to everyone, he said. The nurses, once again, got a special mention as Mr Albanese suddenly re-discovered how to articulate an argument.

“That’s why you need a fair tax system as well that doesn’t allow someone who’s a nurse working their guts out, making a difference, trying to save for a home, trying to get by on, you know, not a very high wage, but they’re paying more tax than someone who is able to use vehicles to minimise their tax completely,” he said in Perth.

The new tax on trusts will help pay for a $250-a-year tax cut for nurses, and all other employees. That’s not nothing, but for many families it will be consumed by a week’s worth of petrol and groceries.

Both sides of politics know substantial tax cuts are not possible without reducing the size of government. The Labor Party doesn’t want a smaller public service or less welfare, and the Liberals are wary of scaring voters by promising to do so.

Politically, there is no obvious solution for the Coalition, which may help explain why they trail the anti-establishment One Nation in opinion polls. But, to give Mr Wilson credit, he presented a different vision of what Australia is and could be today.

Voters can’t complain they don’t have a real choice.