Government says welfare cuts will give disability scheme $3bn boost, but Nick Xenophon says it ‘should not pit vulnerable Australians’ against each other

Nick Xenophon has warned the Turnbull government against pursuing “dumb policy and dumb politics” by linking future funding of the national disability insurance scheme with billions in welfare cuts.

Xenophon’s warning followed a decision by the government on Monday to ramp up pressure on the Senate crossbench to pass welfare cuts associated with its childcare package by announcing that $3bn of the proposed savings package would be allocated to a special account to fund the full rollout of the NDIS.

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