TV interview with Minister Butler, Today Show – 25 May 2026

KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: Well, Labor hanging on by a slim margin, the Coalition wiped from four states and One Nation installed as federal opposition. Does it sound like a dream? That is what Australia's political future could hold according to a bombshell new polling.
 
SARAH ABO, HOST: It depends who you ask, Karl. To discuss, we are joined by Health Minister Mark Butler in Canberra. Should we ask him?
 
STEFANOVIC: What about you, Mark? A fever dream?
 
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING, MINISTER FOR DISABILITY AND THE NDIS: Another day, another poll.
 
STEFANOVIC: Oh, come on.
 
ABO: Hey, come on, you can't dismiss this one. We've been building, I mean, we're also learning this morning, obviously after the weekend, that the Teals are in talks to form their own party. So between them and One Nation, are you feeling the fear this morning, Mark Butler?
 
BUTLER: Not really, not really. We've got a job to do. There's a lot of pressure on the community, particularly households, and we're getting on with it. I've got a lot of stuff happening in my portfolio, but I get there are a lot of polling companies out there taking advantage of what's a real state of flux, particularly in the non-Labor side of politics. But we're two years out from an election. I think the Australian people particularly want their government focused on the job rather than speculating about polls.
 
STEFANOVIC: Well, you are adding to that pressure. These CGT changes are going down like a lead balloon with the young. I mean, what changes are you going to make? What are you going to wind back?
 
BUTLER: I think you know, Karl, that the Treasurer from even before Budget night has been in discussion, particularly with small business and start-ups, about the way in which you do capital gains with a zero or very low cost base. Those consultations are continuing. I think that's a really important thing, given the particular position start-ups are in. But other than that, we're just back in Canberra, we're going to have a couple of weeks' debate about our budget.
 
STEFANOVIC: When will we see the changes?
 
BUTLER: They're ongoing, and I'm not quite sure when the Treasurer is going to wind up those consultations, but they'll have to happen pretty soon.
 
ABO: It sounds as though those announcements were made a bit prematurely then.
 
BUTLER: No, I think that's pretty common in the Budget, that we'll outline a direction of travel and do some consultation about particular areas of detail. As I said, that was happening with the Treasurer before Budget night and they've been continuing since then.
 
STEFANOVIC: Do you concede that it's led to a fair bit of anxiety in the community?
 
BUTLER: These are big changes. There's a range of big changes in this Budget. Some of them are hard decisions to set the country up for the future, to deal with some, frankly, anomalies in our tax system, some problems with the NDIS, getting that back on track as well. I understand that big changes often lead to substantial anxiety in the community, and our job now is to get out and explain why this budget is important for the country's future, and we're doing that.
 
ABO: That's exactly why you should have taken it to the polls. I mean, it's so unfair to lump this on voters now because you've got a majority and you think you can just jam things through, and sort of have this guise of consultation when there is so much confusion. If you'd just put it to the people, you might have been able to explain yourself then, and perhaps then you might have had the favour of the people.
 
BUTLER: Whether it is the NDIS changes or the changes to tax arrangements, which grandparent all existing negative geared properties, for example, protect all gains up until 1 July next year under the old arrangements, we've taken the view that this is the right budget for the country. The country's under a lot of pressure, as we see right around the world, and it's important we take the right decisions for the future.
 
STEFANOVIC: Big falls predicted in the property sector as well, 9 per cent in Melbourne and Sydney. Clearance rates are at almost 20-year lows this weekend. Wow.
 
BUTLER: There's a lot happening in the housing market, Karl. You know that, and you've seen that in the commentary over the course of the weekend. We've had a few rate rises. There's a lot of pressure on people's households. And then there are some tax changes that people want to think about and digest, I suspect. I don't think you can put down one weekend to one particular thing that's happening in the housing market.
 
ABO: Well, hopefully not for your case, because the housing market is central to these changes. But let's head to your portfolio now. Some positive news, you're launching the first ever national menopause and perimenopause campaign. That'll be very useful for a lot in the community.
 
BUTLER: It's really the latest instalment in a range of things that we've been trying to do. We had a detailed Senate inquiry, Sarah, really break the lid on, frankly, years and years of silence and not enough support for women. We've been training more doctors, I was shocked to hear that over several years of medical education, med students only receive a few hours' education on menopause, which impacts half of their patients. We've got more training of doctors, we've got more medicines on the PBS after 20 years of nothing. And this campaign really is designed to lift the awareness, particularly for women entering perimenopause, to recognise the signs, to understand what's happening in their body, in their head, and to be able to find a pathway to support, whether that's just some information online or a doctor who understands these issues.
 
STEFANOVIC: Big issue.
 
ABO: Yeah.
 
STEFANOVIC: You're going to have an interesting couple of weeks. Appreciate your time. Thanks, Mark.
 
BUTLER: Thanks.