Coalition and Labor join forces on gambling ads, NDIS reforms and tax tweaks

In the final months of the parliamentary term, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Liberal leader Peter Dutton secured a series of cross-party deals, marking a rare period of cooperation. Key outcomes include new, stricter regulations on gambling advertising, a bipartisan package to modify the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and the fast-tracking of legislation to avoid a “widow’s tax” on property investors. Liberal minister Angus Taylor welcomed the resolution of the gambling ad debate, while Labor’s NDIS minister Mark Butler warned that substantial implementation work remains.

The Liberal Party framed the moves as constructive governance, distancing itself from One Nation and Pauline Hanson’s protest politics. These accords provide Labor with political cover for future budget repairs and aim to sustain public support for the NDIS, even as election pressures loom. The week’s deals were presented as a “Liberal deal week” intended to keep other policy areas, such as immigration, from derailing the agenda.