New bid to nail down housing bill as talks hit the wall

The prime minister is determined to hammer out a deal on Labor's housing bill. (David Mariuz/AAP PHOTOS)

A plan to make it easier for Australians to afford a home deposit will be given another chance after key housing reforms were blocked in parliament.

The Greens on Wednesday won a Senate vote to delay the government's Help to Buy bill for two months after negotiations between Labor and the minor party reached a stalemate.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would reintroduce the bill into the House of Representatives during the next sitting week in October in a bid to bypass the Greens' blockage and speed up another vote in the Senate.

Buyers inspecting a house (file image)
The coalition believes home buyers don't want the government to be part-owners.

"We'll continue to argue our case," he told ABC Radio. 

"There's no legitimate argument being put forward of why this legislation is not worthy of support."

Greens leader Adam Bandt said the policy would "push up rents and house prices for everyone" and called on Mr Albanese to come back to negotiating table.

"The time is ticking for the prime minister to stop bulldozing and let his ministers negotiate with the Greens to pass this bill," Mr Bandt said.

Help to Buy would give 40,000 first-home buyers access to cheaper deposits through a shared equity scheme with the federal government.

The Greens are also opposing the government's Build to Rent bill, which would provide tax incentives for developers who build new housing stock to rent out, rather than sell on.

Instead, they want the government to introduce a cap on rent increases, invest further in public housing and phase out negative gearing and capital gains tax incentives for property investors.

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather
Max Chandler-Mather said Labor's policy would drive up house prices and lock out most renters.

Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said Labor's policy would lock out 99.8 per cent of renters and drive up house prices.

"Our message to Labor is simple: this does not have to be a fight. We're ready to work with you," he said.

Mr Chandler-Mather said Build to Rent, which is yet to be voted on in the Senate, would give tax breaks to developers to build expensive apartments they already planned to build.

Economist Saul Eslake agreed with the Greens' criticism that the Help to Buy scheme would result in more expensive housing rather than higher ownership rates.

But he criticised the Greens for "holding the government to ransom" by blocking the Build to Rent legislation. 

"The Greens actually don't want the housing problems to be solved before the next election, because that's one of their principal issues for prising votes from the Labor party in inner suburban seats," he said. 

Even if the new apartments encouraged by the scheme were more expensive, other apartments in the market freed up by people moving into them would become cheaper, Mr Eslake said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese did not rule out going to an early election over the housing stand-off.

Mr Albanese has not ruled out dissolving parliament and calling an early election if the legislation fails to pass.

Housing Minister Clare O'Neil claimed the Greens had shown no real willingness to negotiate on Help to Buy.

"Help to Buy is an important piece of the puzzle that would change the lives of 40,000 Australians and their families," she said.

The coalition is also against the bill, with opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume claiming Australians will not sign up to give the government a "big chunk" of their home.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store