Greens threaten Labor’s housing plan

The Greens are threatening to block Labor’s flagship housing policy without an extra $4.5bn cash injection.

Greens housing and homelessness spokesman Max Chandler-Mather. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Anthony Albanese is facing a major parliamentary roadblock to getting Labor’s flagship housing policy into law, with the Greens threatening to block the program without an extra $4.5bn cash injection.

The Greens on Tuesday will reveal a shopping list of demands if Labor wants to win their support for its $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund, including raising the annual spend on social and affordable housing from $500m to $5bn.

The Greens are negotiating with the balance of power in the upper house after the Coalition formally opposed the off-budget fund, after last week rejecting the $15bn National Reconstruction Fund and safeguard mechanism overhaul.

Following a partyroom meeting on Monday, the MPs agreed to push labour to remove a $500m spending cap and instead legislate a minimum $5bn spend on social and affordable housing each year indexed with inflation, with at least $1bn reserved for remote Indigenous housing.

The Greens have also called on the Prime Minister to put a national freeze on rental increases on the agenda at national cabinet as well as an immediate doubling of federal rent assistance.

The demands come as Housing Minister Julie Collins launched a blistering attack on the Coalition over its opposition to the bill, calling Peter Dutton “shameful” for standing in the way of critical investment needed to protect vulnerable women.

Greens housing and homelessness spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said the govern­ment’s policy meant the shortage of social and affordable housing would continue to grow, with the nation facing a shortfall of 640,000 homes – expected to grow by 75,000 in five years.

Mr Chandler-Mather said the legislation as it stood would lead to a real-term cut in spending on housing each year, as he pledged to “fight” Labor in order to protect millions of disadvantaged Australians.

The Greens will reserve their formal position on the legislation subject to negotiations with government. “(The party) has serious concerns about a housing plan that will literally see the housing crisis get worse than it is now, and so will seek to negotiate in good faith with the government,” Mr Chandler-Mather said.

“Ultimately, the Greens are standing on behalf of the millions of people this bill leaves behind whether they are homeless, stuck on social housing waitlists, or struggling to pay the rent."