Social housing will be back in the spotlight when federal parliament returns, as Anthony Albanese prepares to reintroduce a signature Labor bill.
The $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund stalled in the Senate before the winter break after the coalition and Greens refused to play ball, pushing debate off until at least October.
Labor will bring the legislation back before the lower house next week to get the ball rolling again.
The fund would aim to build 30,000 homes in five years with $500 million being spent on affordable and social housing each year.
However, the Greens have opposed the legislation due to not enough being done for renters, and have called for a rent freeze, along with a larger investment each year for housing.
Mr Albanese said the government had a mandate to implement the fund.
“It’s the largest ever investment by any government in Australia’s history, and what the Greens are doing is standing in front of that, having this rhetoric about refusal to negotiate,” he told ABC Radio.
“This is all about politics, and quite clearly, if this legislation is passed, there’ll be more investment in social housing. You can’t say you’re for it and then vote against it.”
But Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said the government was still refusing to change its position on the issue.
“We’re willing to negotiate but a negotiation takes two to tango and the government saying it’s their way or the highway,” he told Sky News.
“When their way is hundreds of thousands more people waiting for public and affordable housing and millions of renters facing financial stress, that’s not a negotiation.”
Mr Chandler-Mather said some of the government’s more than $20 billion surplus could be set aside for housing.
“We’re not asking for the world. We’re asking for a small amount of the budget surplus, $2.5 billion, to go towards public and affordable housing,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles downplayed suggestions the bill could be used as a double dissolution trigger, giving the government room to call an early election, if the Greens and the coalition reject it for a second time.
“This isn’t about elections, this is about getting more housing,” Mr Marles told ABC Radio on Friday.
“This is about making sure that we get a much greater supply through the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund.”
A double dissolution can be called if a piece of legislation is defeated twice in the Senate and would see all seats in the upper house up for election instead of half, as normal.
Acting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Labor’s move on the housing fund bill showed arrogance.
“The policy does not stack up and meanwhile their economy-wrecking approach is making it more and more expensive to build a home,” she told Seven’s Sunrise program.
“What we need now is an urgent plan to tackle inflation, not threats about an early election.”
Housing Minister Julie Collins said the government would use every opportunity to pass the legislation.
“Every day of delay is $1.3 million not being spent on housing. So, we want to get these built,” she told Triple M radio.
“We want to reintroduce it. We want to get this bill done so we can get more homes on the ground.”
Earlier this week, the construction union launched a major campaign for a super profits tax on Australia’s richest companies to pay for social housing, which the prime minister quickly ruled out.
By Andrew Brown in Canberra
