Tucked away at the back of Parliament House, the prime minister’s courtyard can be a bitterly cold place. On Monday, when Anthony Albanese and Housing Minister Clare O’Neil held a press conference at 8.15am, Canberra was in the midst of its coldest September morning on record.

At the press conference, Albanese pressed the case for the Senate to pass Labor’s shared equity housing bill, delayed for months by Greens’ roadblocks in an equally bitter stand-off. With only 11 sitting days left before the Christmas break, the government is running out of time to pass this legislation before an election year dawns.