http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/federal-politics-nick-xenophon-overrul...KEY crossbencher Nick Xenophon has lost control of his own party, with two of his team refusing to support his decision to reach a compromise on the government’s welfare cuts.
The behind-the-scenes turmoil in the Nick Xenophon Team comes as the
South Australian senator was forced into an embarrassing backdown on his “fake news” accusations against The Australian, which published modelling on how much his plan to increase the Medicare levy would cost Australian families.
The levy hike was one of several measures he suggested to fund the government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme, which the Coalition had initially said could be under threat from any block to its Omnibus Bill.
Nick Xenophon and the Fake News. Picture: ABC News
Mr Xenophon had come close to a deal with the government on its childcare package during negotiations with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Social Services Minister Christian Porter and Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer.
But The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Xenophon was overruled by NXT’s MP for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie and fellow SA senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore.
The government is understood to have held meetings with Mr Xenophon individually and, separately, with his entire team, where differences in opinion emerged.
Mr Xenophon sought to play down the divisions within his team. “Any suggestion that we are not a strong united team is totally wrong.
“The process we take to make decisions is based on consensus. If there isn’t consensus, we work on a majority decision basis. But in the case of the Omnibus Bill we were unanimous.”
Mr Xenophon said the government needed to “come up with alternatives” to cutting money from “vulnerable, low-income fam
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