Labor’s tax deal with the Greens is a crucial win – but its NDIS changes could pay the price

The victory may have dinged Labor’s chances of easily passing its significant cost-cutting reforms to the NDIS through the Senate in August

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The government scored a crucial win on Tuesday, securing support for its tax changes through the Senate. But that victory may have dinged Labor’s chances of easily passing its other major budget measure – significant cost-cutting reforms to the NDIS – through the Senate in August.

Labor’s deal with the Greens sees an inquiry into the NDIS extended for two months, with plans for new public hearings and more time for a committee process, after even the health minister, Mark Butler, admitted he had heard “confronting” evidence from the disability community fearful of losing access to key supports. Eight additional weeks of a public inquiry, spearheaded by an activist party hellbent on trying to kill this bill, is not nothing.