"Everyone knows that under Labor, cabinet submissions were almost never lodged on time and would instead more often arrive on the day or weekend before a cabinet meeting.

"Julia Gillard sent her bodyguard to NSW meetings. Our cabinet processes are more effective and productive than Labor's chaos."

The Abbott cabinet has been bitterly split in recent months on both citizenship laws and same-sex marriage, and the Prime Minister has faced renewed accusations that he has made decisions that have not been put through proper cabinet processes.

Senate leader Eric Abetz told the ABC on Wednesday he did not know why journalists bothered to talk to leakers.

"I talk to my colleagues face-to-face or not at all. I am not one of those people that … [makes] unattributed comments in the media. One, I think it's gutless. Two, it's a breach of the rules. So if somebody is gutless and in breach of the rules, one really wonders why a journalist even bothers to repeat comments from such an individual."

He said "things are going exceptionally well with the government's agenda".

Disability row rolls on

The government is due to sign bilateral deals with all states and territories by the end of this month on the transition to the full rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.


Sources say they believe an announcement from Tony Abbott and NSW Premier Mike Baird on the signing of the first agreement with NSW is imminent, amid revelations the matter was discussed at a fractious meeting of cabinet's expenditure review committee last week amid renewed pressure to try to slow down the rollout of the scheme.

Disabilities Minister Mitch Fifield continues to hedge when asked if the scheme will achieve its timetable for a full rollout across the country by 2019.

Senator Fifield on Wednesday repeated his previous statements that the Coalition is committed to the "full rollout of the NDIS" and that there is no move to slow it down.

"We are not looking to cut a dollar from the NDIS", he said." I'm not looking for reasons or rationales to slow down the scheme. We want this to be rolled out as quickly as it can be but we are not the sole agent in this endeavour. We work with state and territory governments".

But asked if it would be delivered "in full and on time", Senator Fifield said he was "absolutely determined to see it delivered in full".

But he said there were still negotiations under way with most states, over a scheme which, when fully rolled out, involves federal and state governments spending $22 billion a year.

Senator Fifield's comments leave it open to the possibility that the rollout will fall behind in at least some jurisdictions, and implied delays may flow from problems being caused by the states.

Asked again if the scheme would be rolled out by 2019, Senator Fifield said this was a "target" date.

Different jurisdictions are in different states of financial readiness to contribute to the NDIS. NSW is in reasonably good shape. Queensland is not.

Some states have asked for NDIS funding collected by the federal government through the medicare levy to be forwarded to them early to help make up their shortfalls.

The NDIS funds collected help boost the federal budget bottom line by $3 billion.