Live: Butler slams One Nation plan to slash tobacco excise as 'cheap headline'

live Federal politics live: Butler slams One Nation plan to slash tobacco excise as 'cheap headline' Health Minister Mark Butler has slammed a One Nation plan to slash the tobacco excise, describing it as nothing but a "cheap headline". Follow all the updates in our live blog. Submit a comment or question Live updates New: Filters Choose what information you see below by using filters Butler 'confident' Thriving Kids scheme to be rolled out on time by states The real reason that Mark Butler is out and about this morning is of course the passage of the government's National Disability Insurance Scheme reforms. More than 60 amendments were made last night in the Senate, with the bill expected to make its way back to the lower house for final approval later today. A key part of the reforms is the establishment of the Thriving Kids scheme, which replaces support for children under eight with a development delay or autism with low to moderate support needs would be implemented in time. Butler told ABC's News Breakfast he was "very confident" that every state bar Queensland would be able to roll out the scheme in time to avoid a gap in care. "States recongise the importance of this. They've got their implementation plans ready for the 1st of October. Those services will start to roll out. They're not new concepts. These sort of services that we had in plce for many decades before the NDIS was created." Key Event Slashing tobacco excise a 'cheap headline': Butler One Nation's proposal to slash the tobacco excise by 75 per cent has been slammed as a "thought bubble" and a "cheap headline" by Health Minister Mark Butler. Butler conceded while nicotine on the black market was a "serious law and order issue" he wasn't convinced cutting prices of legal cigarettes was the answer. "Government's aren't usually in the habit of engaging in price competition with organised crime. So you know, that's a hard line for us to cross," the told ABC's News Breakfast. "Equally, no one's really said to me or the government where the price point that actually starts to move them out of the market. I mean, you could get rid of the excise altogether, completely abolish it, and still legal cigarettes would be signifcantly more expensive than the illegal product. "So that's why I think this requires more deep thought than frankly cheap headlines of the type we've seen this week." Butler 'confident' in Treasury forecast on rental prices A note sent by NAB to its investors showed the bank was projecting a 30 per cent increase in rents in Sydney and Melbourne over the next two years, which it said was in response to the government's tax changes for property investors. But Health Minister Mark Butler is standing by the Treasury's forecast the changes would only result in a $2 per week rental increase. "We're very confident in our forecast. As Jim Chalmers has said, it's important to give these sorts of changes some time to settle down. Look, over a couple of years, rather than a couple of months. But just think about it logically," he told ABC's News Breakfast. Butler assured that investors who owned a rental property on budget night, and they were negatively geared already, that arrangement can continue. "I've seen some sort of pretty startling headlines, but it doesn't reflect logic and it doesn't reflect the modelling we're very confident about." Unions push for two-year rental lease minimum Landlords would have to offer renters at least two years on their lease, and the proportion of new public housing would increase fivefold as part of a union proposal being presented to the government. Under current laws, the minimum for lease agreements varies across states and territories, and some, including New South Wales, have no rules in place at all. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) said a nationwide two-year minimum, with the option for renters to opt for a shorter period, would give renters more stability and allow them to plan. "Having a standard of at least two years across the country would give renters the security of knowing they can stay in their home for at least that period of time," ACTU president Michele O'Neil said. "This would deal with some of the fears that people currently have." The union also wants a return to a Hawke-style model of construction, increasing the rate of public housing being built from one in 50 new homes to one in 10. Key Event NDIS overhaul passes Senate, to head back the lower house this morning The federal government will pass its controversial National Disability Insurance Scheme reforms with the support of the Coalition, after they sailed through the Senate. Labor tabled 63 amendments, aimed at cracking down on fraud and making the scheme more sustainable. The legislation will return to the lower house, this morning where it will pass due to the government's majority in the chamber. Good morning 👋 Hello! Welcome to our politics live blog. I'm Courtney Gould from the ABC's Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day. It was a day of deals yesterday as the government and Coalition came to an agreement on the NDIS overhaul, changes to gambling advertising, and a fix to the so-called widow's tax. It was a big day! But what about today, I hear you ask. Well, it's an absolute smorgasbord of ministers and shadow ministers out and about this morning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will also welcome this Thai counterpart, Anutin Charnvirakul, for talks. It'll probably be another busy day. So grab a coffee and let's dive in. Loading