CANBERRA — The Greens party has requested that Labor postpone the passage of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) changes through the Senate, advocating for an extended inquiry process. This request comes as the government aims to pass the NDIS changes and its first budget bill before Parliament adjourns for winter recess on July 2.
Nick McKim, treasury spokesperson for the Greens, stated, "The Liberals have effectively said that they'd be open to a longer inquiry on the NDIS, that's if they get a longer inquiry into the tax package." McKim added, "We want to do everything we can to protect people from the NDIS attacks." The Greens' legislative strategy involves supporting extensions to Senate inquiries for both the NDIS and tax proposals, intending to delay bill passage before June 30.
On Thursday, Greens members, including Elizabeth Watson-Brown, voted for tax legislation in the lower house. The tax bill passed the lower house on Thursday, despite Labor rejecting amendments from the Coalition and crossbench, such as Liberal proposals to link personal income tax brackets to inflation. Labor had packaged the tax bill with a $250 tax offset for working Australians.
Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson stated, "The Coalition would seek 'maximum leverage' to scrutinise the tax changes, not ruling out seeking the Greens' support to have a longer inquiry." Wilson also said, "It's quite clear with broken promises from the prime minister and the government – and, of course, the legislation giving huge carve-outs to the Treasurer to basically act like he is a sort of king of the tax system – that the Greens are rightly alarmed, as the Coalition is rightly alarmed." Wilson added, "The Australian people did not vote for the tax measures put before the parliament in the house and now the Senate. I absolutely want Australians to have their voice in this process because they didn't have it at the ballot box."
McKim stated, "The Liberals have made their position clear. We're considering their position, and we're considering how that might play into how we manage the tax bills." Coalition MPs also oppose the timeline for passing the tax bill, aligning with the Greens' concerns regarding the timeline for the NDIS changes.