Sky News First Edition with Pete Stefanovic - 29 May 2026

Melissa McIntosh MP
Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services
Shadow Minister for the NDIS
Shadow Minister for Women
Federal Member for Lindsay

29 May 2026

Transcript

Sky News First Edition

Topics: CGT and negative gearing, NDIS

E&EO

Pete Stefanovic
Revenue needs to be raised from somewhere. Many, of course, already suspected this pay down the government's record spending and debt, and so it seems investors are in the firing line. Joining us live is Shadow NDIS Minister Melissa McIntosh. Your thoughts on that concession Melissa?

Melissa McIntosh
I have a lot of thoughts on the Government's decision making in this budget. But as you said, it's hardly surprising. They've got to raise revenue from somewhere because all they've been doing is spend, spend, spend, and this is taxpayers' money, and it is evident as well that it is not going to increase housing supply in this country, regardless of what the Government has been saying. It was evident in their own budget papers, the CEOs of the banks are saying it, and now the head of Treasury. And they're not only trying to take the scalp of investors, they're taking the scalp of the NDIS budget as well. They've already spent their savings out of the NDIS budget, here we are talking about our most vulnerable Australians, so that's why I fought so hard for the NDIS bill to go to a Senate inquiry so we can really scrutinise what the Government plans to do with the NDIS.

Pete Stefanovic
Yeah, I'll get to more on that in a moment. But why do you think it took the Treasury Secretary to say what the Government couldn’t?

Melissa McIntosh
The Government didn't want to say you mean. We've been probing the Treasurer and the Prime Minister on their changes this week in Parliament, and their increases of tax on Australians, and they just haven't come clean with the Australian public. The Prime Minister clearly lied to the Australian people, although now in Parliament we're not allowed to use the word lie or liar or misleading, but this is what he did. He took a certain policy to the election. He told the Australian people there would be no changes to negative gearing, no changes to CGT, and yet here we are right now, and Australians I think, are rightly in an uproar. This is why they haven’t wanted to say it themselves.

Pete Stefanovic
Sure. So, speaking of concessions, the Prime Minister is dashing hopes of significant carve-outs now for businesses from the new CGT regime, presumably it feels it's got the numbers in the lower house, or does, and the Green’s support in the Senate. So, do you think it's a done deal, anyway.

Melissa McIntosh
I think we need to fight for Australians that don't want this deal. It's a pretty dud deal if you ask me. I have tradies in my electorate, I've told you about this Pete - a lot. Small businesses, people just having a go, and Angus, the Opposition Leader, came out to Penrith just the other week, and I've never seen small businesses as angry and fired up as they are right now. Particularly because they've been working so hard, skin to the bones sort of stuff, it's grunt work. They've built their small business, and they're afraid, what's going to happen to it? Can they even pass it on to their kids? Is it going to be worth it? And why are we staying in business at all? We just get smashed at every step of the way, and we have roadblocks in front of us. This is what small businesses are saying. So, it shouldn't be a done deal. We’ve got to stand up for Australians, we need to stand up for our small businesses.

Pete Stefanovic
So, Tim Wilson your colleague, the Shadow Treasurer, opened the door to this the other day when I was talking to him, and it involves your portfolio. Might you pull support for the NDIS changes over this?

Melissa McIntosh
I'm really passionate about his portfolio. I think it's a very important portfolio, and the Government has made significant changes, and I like to say they did that without consultation with the disability community. But I've been in talks with Mark Butler, the Minister for Health and the NDIS, in good faith, and we would like the budget to be restricted. It is a blow-out budget; every Australian knows that - $50 billion a year - but that doesn't necessarily mean we're just going to tick it and flick it. We need to scrutinise it and make sure that it is right for Australian people. There's so much fraud in the system, yet the Government's not even addressing this in this particular bill. The crossbench came over with us, and the Greens and One Nation, just this week on my amendment when I said the Government wasn't doing enough on fraud, so we can all see that. So, I want the Government to tell Australia's what they're going to do to reduce the misuse, you know the con artists in the NDIS.

Pete Stefanovic
But back to that question, is it true that you would take a stand on CGT and negative gearing and pull your support for the NDIS changes, or is that just an empty threat?

Melissa McIntosh
I have absolutely no intention of linking the two, and now that the tax bill's going to an inquiry, I don't think that threat is going to come to fruition at all.

Pete Stefanovic
Melissa, thanks for your time this morning. We'll talk to you again soon.