The bill to reform the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has passed through the Senate following 63 amendments agreed with the Coalition, and is now heading for final approval in Australia's lower house of parliament. Minister for Health and the NDIS Mark Butler declared readiness to launch the "Thriving Kids" support program, although Queensland currently lags behind other states in its implementation.
Debate also continues in parliament over gambling advertising legislation. Independent Senator David Pocock and Liberal MP Andrew Wallace criticized the measures approved by the house, calling them ineffective and stating that entrusting gambling companies to identify problem gamblers is unacceptable.
Financial Services Minister Daniel Mulino announced that the government intends to raise the levy on major tech platforms, including Meta, Google, and TikTok, from 2.5% to 2.75% of their digital advertising revenue unless they sign commercial deals with local media outlets. Mulino also noted that authorities have no plans to increase compulsory superannuation contributions from 12% to 15%.
Amid cross-party conflict, Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie reported growing political pressure and threats from the One Nation party in his electorate of Canning. Simultaneously, the opposition criticized the government's housing policy, pointing to a decline in market confidence and the risk of rising rent costs, while ministers insisted on the accuracy of Treasury forecasts.
