Anthony Albanese will dial up pressure on the Greens over Labor’s delayed housing legislation on Tuesday, accusing the minor party of putting its electoral prospects ahead of the needs of first-time buyers.
Labor has just 15 sitting days to pass the bill – one of a growing list of government priorities stuck in parliament – before the Christmas break. The sitting week is truncated by Monday’s public holiday in the ACT, while Mr Albanese will leave on Wednesday for a summit of South-East Asian leaders in Laos.
After the Senate last month voted to delay consideration of the shared equity legislation until at least late November, Labor will reintroduce it to the lower house this week.
The government has threatened to use the legislative blockade as the prompt for[ a double dissolution election](https://www.afr.com/link/follow-20180101-p5kb4h), tactics dismissed by Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather as cynical bulldozing.
Known as Help to Buy, the bill would give 40,000 first homeowners access to taxpayer money for their deposit, reducing the required size of their savings. The money would be repaid once the property is sold.
The prime minister and Housing Minister Clare O’Neil were frustrated in September when the Senate sat for a week without passing a single piece of major legislation.
“Every time the Coalition and the Greens have had a chance to help renters or first home buyers, they have chosen politics over progress,” Ms O’Neil said on Monday.
“This week they get the chance to make progress for first-home buyers in the parliament. Australians wanting to buy their first home expect more than further delay.”
Labor also wants progress on its Future Made in Australia legislation, along with a pay increase for early childhood education workers and changes to indexation for higher education for university loans. Progress on its Nature Positive environmental legislation is also possible.
Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather dismissed the government’s threats on Monday, accusing Mr Albanese of bluster. He noted that to achieve the necessary trigger for a double dissolution, legislation must be rejected by parliament twice, with a three-month interval between the relevant votes.
Mr Chandler-Mather said under the government’s scenario, the Senate would have to consider the bill again in the week before Christmas, weeks after parliament is due to rise for the year. The government would then have to call the election before Australia Day, and schedule the poll for February.
The next scheduled federal election is due sometime before May next year.
“If you want to help people buy a home, then Labor should work with the Greens to phase out negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, and establish a government owned developer to build quality homes and sell them for cheap to first home buyers,” Mr Chandler-Mather said.
“The Greens are ready to negotiate on a plan that actually helps people buy a home, but we will not just rubber stamp a bill that will drive up house prices and force people into severe mortgage stress.”
Wednesday’s sitting will include a rare morning question time to facilitate Mr Albanese’s[ travel to Vientiane for the ASEAN summit](https://www.afr.com/link/follow-20180101-p5kge5), which will be followed by the East Asia Summit.
Mr Albanese is expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and hold talks with leaders from ASEAN, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Labor will have a handful of sitting weeks at most in early 2025, with a March budget and the start of the election campaign expected soon after.
TimeWarrior3030 on
Apparently, the proposed bill locks a person into earning less than $90k a year. If they get a pay raise (earning over $90k) then they are liable to pay back the whole loan amount as they are no longer entitled to the help. I think it’s something like that and it’s understandable that the Greens won’t support this.
Sea_Coconut_7174 on
MCM is just grandstanding at this point. Sure it won’t help everyone but it will help a lot of people which is better than nothing. Theres no way ALP and LNP will get rid of negative gearing, Max needs to stop throwing a tantrum and start negotiating.
3 Comments
**PAYWALL:**
Anthony Albanese will dial up pressure on the Greens over Labor’s delayed housing legislation on Tuesday, accusing the minor party of putting its electoral prospects ahead of the needs of first-time buyers.
Labor has just 15 sitting days to pass the bill – one of a growing list of government priorities stuck in parliament – before the Christmas break. The sitting week is truncated by Monday’s public holiday in the ACT, while Mr Albanese will leave on Wednesday for a summit of South-East Asian leaders in Laos.
After the Senate last month voted to delay consideration of the shared equity legislation until at least late November, Labor will reintroduce it to the lower house this week.
The government has threatened to use the legislative blockade as the prompt for[ a double dissolution election](https://www.afr.com/link/follow-20180101-p5kb4h), tactics dismissed by Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather as cynical bulldozing.
Known as Help to Buy, the bill would give 40,000 first homeowners access to taxpayer money for their deposit, reducing the required size of their savings. The money would be repaid once the property is sold.
The prime minister and Housing Minister Clare O’Neil were frustrated in September when the Senate sat for a week without passing a single piece of major legislation.
“Every time the Coalition and the Greens have had a chance to help renters or first home buyers, they have chosen politics over progress,” Ms O’Neil said on Monday.
“This week they get the chance to make progress for first-home buyers in the parliament. Australians wanting to buy their first home expect more than further delay.”
Labor also wants progress on its Future Made in Australia legislation, along with a pay increase for early childhood education workers and changes to indexation for higher education for university loans. Progress on its Nature Positive environmental legislation is also possible.
Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather dismissed the government’s threats on Monday, accusing Mr Albanese of bluster. He noted that to achieve the necessary trigger for a double dissolution, legislation must be rejected by parliament twice, with a three-month interval between the relevant votes.
Mr Chandler-Mather said under the government’s scenario, the Senate would have to consider the bill again in the week before Christmas, weeks after parliament is due to rise for the year. The government would then have to call the election before Australia Day, and schedule the poll for February.
The next scheduled federal election is due sometime before May next year.
“If you want to help people buy a home, then Labor should work with the Greens to phase out negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, and establish a government owned developer to build quality homes and sell them for cheap to first home buyers,” Mr Chandler-Mather said.
“The Greens are ready to negotiate on a plan that actually helps people buy a home, but we will not just rubber stamp a bill that will drive up house prices and force people into severe mortgage stress.”
Wednesday’s sitting will include a rare morning question time to facilitate Mr Albanese’s[ travel to Vientiane for the ASEAN summit](https://www.afr.com/link/follow-20180101-p5kge5), which will be followed by the East Asia Summit.
Mr Albanese is expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and hold talks with leaders from ASEAN, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Labor will have a handful of sitting weeks at most in early 2025, with a March budget and the start of the election campaign expected soon after.
Apparently, the proposed bill locks a person into earning less than $90k a year. If they get a pay raise (earning over $90k) then they are liable to pay back the whole loan amount as they are no longer entitled to the help. I think it’s something like that and it’s understandable that the Greens won’t support this.
MCM is just grandstanding at this point. Sure it won’t help everyone but it will help a lot of people which is better than nothing. Theres no way ALP and LNP will get rid of negative gearing, Max needs to stop throwing a tantrum and start negotiating.