PM lashes out at Greens, Coalition amid stalled senate

The Prime Minister says his rivals are only putting forward “vibes of policies” and opposing plans for the sake of it.

Anthony Albanese says the Greens and the Coalition are opposing his government’s plans for the sake of it and not putting forward serious proposals, calling them “blockers”.

With major legislation stalled in the upper house, the federal government is under pressure to negotiate paths forward if it wants to advance its agenda.

But the Prime Minister said the Greens and the Coalition, which he has branded the “No-alition”, were not throwing up viable options, prompting him to leave open the door to a double-dissolution earlier this week.

Anthony Albanese says the Greens and the Coalition aren’t having a go. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“We’re a government that’s determined to build, that’s determined to advance an agenda to improve the lives of Australians,” Mr Albanese told ABC radio on Thursday.

“Both the Coalition and the Greens have in common that they’re blockers. They are just opposed to an agenda. They don’t put forward practical plans.”

He said the Greens “put forward things that are uncosted and unachievable”.

“Really just the vibes of policies rather than serious ones,” Mr Albanese said.

He accused the opposition of doing the same thing, saying “we don’t see any costed policies”, pointing to the Coalition’s nuclear power plan.

The Coalition is vehemently against the government’s housing bills, forcing it to look to the Greens. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Albanese’s latest comments come after the government failed to get its Help to Buy and Build to Rent bills through the Senate this week.

Both bills are key to the government’s plan to tackle soaring housing costs across the country.

But with the Coalition firmly against both, Labor must look to the Greens, who have asked for action on rent freezes and caps, an end to tax concessions for property developers, and a government-owned property developer that would build homes to sell at just above the cost of construction.

The Greens have accused the government of refusing to negotiate on its housing bills. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

They have said they are willing to work with the government to pass housing legislation but accused it of not negotiating.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young on Wednesday called Mr Albanese “bullish” for his double-dissolution threat.

Meanwhile, non-profits are warning that Australians are increasingly cutting back costs in any way they can to make their rents, with some even skipping meals.

Ahead of his departure for the Quad leaders summit in the US, Mr Albanese stopped by Cairns to announce the construction of 490 homes under a housing project jointly funded by the federal and Queensland state governments.

The project will include 245 social, 223 affordable and 22 specialist disability apartments, targeted at people over 55 looking to downsize.

Originally published as PM lashes out at Greens, Coalition amid stalled senate