2 days Ago By Kat Wong
A key housing reform could be delayed as part of the Greens' attempt to resurrect deadlocked negotiations with the federal government. On Wednesday, the minor party will move for a two-month delay to a Senate vote on Labor's Help to Buy bill after housing discussions with the government reached a stalemate. Asked if the Greens would reject the bill if it still came to a vote, party leader Adam Bandt insisted his preference was to use a postponement to bring Labor back to the negotiating table.
"We're hopeful that we'll get there," he told ABC Radio. "Our message back to the prime minister would be to stop bulldozing and start negotiating." Help to Buy would give 40,000 first-home buyers access to cheaper deposits through a shared equity scheme with the federal government.
Mr Bandt says this proposal, alongside the Commonwealth's Build to Rent bill, won't "touch the sides" of Australia's housing issues. "They're bandaid answers that see the problems get worse and people are hurting right now," he said. "The government is refusing to negotiate.
"It seems the prime minister would rather force his bill to a vote and have it fail, than negotiate an outcome on the three things that are driving the housing crisis." The Greens want the government to amend its housing reforms with a cap on rent increases, further investment in public housing and a phase-out of tax handouts for property developers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese maintains his government's bills "stand on their own merits" without amendments, and has not ruled out dissolving parliament and calling an early election if the legislation fails to pass.
Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said a double dissolution was a decision for the prime minister, but noted her government had a lot of work to do. "We're not going to be stopping our agenda on housing because of these politicians playing politics," she told Nine's Today show. "They should be putting politics to the side and letting our government get on with the job of helping Australians.
"It is just beyond me why a bill as straightforward as this is not getting the support of the parliament." The coalition is also standing against the bill, with opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume claiming Australians will not sign up. "It allows the government to own a great big chunk of your home," she told Seven's Sunrise program.
"Australians don't want that. "They want to be able to own their own home.".
