Butler warns Coalition against using NDIS cuts as ‘pawn in bigger game’ and says bill delays could cost billions | National disability insurance scheme
Mark Butler has doubled down on plans to pass controversial NDIS changes as early as this month, warning the opposition not to use the bill as a “pawn in a bigger chess game” as they consider a possible deal with the Greens.
The Coalition and the Greens have criticized Labour’s shortened timetable for passing the NDIS, negative gearing and capital gains changes, and signaled they could join together against the government in the Senate to expand investigations into the bills.
Disability advocacy groups and NDIS providers openly criticized the proposed NDIS change at public hearings last week; State and territory disability ministers argued they could not replace disability supports for the more than 200,000 participants expected to be removed from the program by 2031.
The health minister said he was “fully convinced” that the federal government’s plan was correct and should not be delayed for further consultation, but did not rule out possible changes.
Butler said a possible six-month extension of the NDIS investigation could cost the federal budget billions of dollars.
“It would have been another six months without the reform that the plan needs. Six months more people are receiving services that are not as good as they should be because a lot of the reforms we’ve put in place are to improve the quality of support and services, to improve regulations around integrity and anti-fraud,” he told ABC’s Insiders on Sunday.
“[Angus Taylor is] “I’m trying to use this as a pawn in a larger chess game that other areas of the budget aim to play.”
Changes to limit who can access the NDIS, which supports more than 760,000 disabled Australians, will reduce participant payments by at least $37.8 billion by 2030, budget documents show.
At a press conference announcing his retirement from politics on Sunday, Liberal leader Jonno Duniam said it was important his party took the time to “get this right” on both the NDIS and tax reform.
“They’re talking about changing parts of the law and splitting it up illegally because airplanes being built never end well for our country,” Duniam said.
“To that end, whether it’s a six-month investigation into the NDIS or similar, let’s take a good look at these issues in both pieces of legislation and do our job properly in the interests of the Australian people.”
Phil Thompson, the NDIS minister’s former shadow deputy, also has a child in the program and said he was “not very happy” with the government’s offer.
The North Queensland MP told Sky News on Sunday: “All I’ve seen about the government’s language around the NDIS, the moves and the cuts, they still make you feel like your loved one is an inappropriate dollar figure in the government’s budget.”
The NDIS inquiry is expected to deliver its report on Tuesday, while the changes to capital gains tax deductions and downside hearing will begin on Monday.
