Mark Butler has doubled down on his plans to pass contentious National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) changes as early as this month, warning the opposition against using the bill as a “pawn in a bigger chess game” as they consider a potential deal with the Greens.
The health minister said a potential six-month extension for the NDIS inquiry could cost the federal budget billions of dollars. He told ABC’s Insiders on Sunday that such a delay would mean “six months more without the reform that the scheme needs” and “six months more of people receiving services that aren’t as good as they should be”.
Political Maneuvering
The Coalition and the Greens have criticised Labor’s truncated timeline to pass NDIS, negative gearing and capital gains changes. They have signalled they could team up against the government in the Senate to extend inquiries into the bills.
Butler accused the opposition of using the NDIS as a political tool. “Angus Taylor is simply trying to use this as a pawn in a bigger chess game that he’s seeking to play about other areas of the budget,” he said.
Criticism from Advocacy Groups
Disability advocacy groups and NDIS providers roundly criticised the proposed changes 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 shifted off the scheme by 2031.
The changes to limit who can access the NDIS – which supports more than 760,000 Australians with disabilities – will reduce participant payments by at least $37.8 billion until 2030, according to budget papers.
Political Reactions
Liberal frontbencher Jonno Duniam, who announced his retirement from politics on Sunday, said it was important his party took the time to “get this right” on both the NDIS and tax reform. “They’re talking about carve-outs on the run and changing bits and pieces of the legislation – taking off as the planes being built has never ended well for our country,” Duniam said.
Phil Thompson, a former shadow assistant NDIS minister with a child on the scheme, said he wasn’t “too happy” about the government’s proposal. “All I’ve seen from the government around their language around NDIS and the movements and the cuts there, yet they really make you feel like your loved one is an inconvenient dollar figure on the government’s budget bottom line,” the north Queensland MP told Sky News.
Upcoming Inquiries
The NDIS inquiry is expected to deliver its report on Tuesday, while the hearing into changes to capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing will begin on Monday.
