Labor’s two housing bills, listed for debate in the Senate next week, face defeat unless the Prime Minister shifts and starts negotiating on action for renters.

The Greens have outlined their key negotiating asks in return for support on Help to Buy and Build to Rent, including  on action on freezing and capping rents, ending tax handouts for property investors that stop renters buying their first home, and establishing a government owned property developer, which would build 610,000 homes to be sold at just above the cost of construction and with rents capped at 25% of income.  These asks were all outlined in a letter sent to the Housing Minister on 1 August.

But despite an initial meeting between the Housing Minister and the Greens, Labor has not made a single counter offer or engaged in good faith negotiations in any meaningful way. 

The Greens have made clear they are willing to move and negotiate. 

After nine months of negotiations on the Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, the Greens secured $3 billion in direct investment in social and community housing from Labor in exchange for support for passing Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund. Social housing projects funded through the Greens-secured Social Housing Accelerator are already underway and in some cases completed, while Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund has failed to disburse any funding to housing projects. 

Lines Attributable to Max Chandler-Mather MP, Greens spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness:

“I want to be crystal clear about this. Labor has offered absolutely nothing. No movement on rent caps. No extra money for public housing or a public developer. No proposal on negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount that deny so many renters the chance to buy a home.

“Labor is not negotiating, they haven’t made a single counter offer, and frankly we have lost patience with a property investor Prime Minister who would rather reject good ideas just so he can pursue his personal dislike of the Greens instead of helping renters and first home buyers.

“Labor’s only proposals before Parliament will drive up house prices and give tax breaks to developers to build expensive apartments they already planned to build. As we have said again and again,the Greens are ready to work with Labor to work out a plan that will actually help the millions of people suffering as a result of Labor’s inaction. 

“We have made clear to Labor our negotiating asks including capping rent increases, a mass build of public housing and scrapping the tax handouts to property investors denying millions of renters the chance to buy a home, but Labor have offered nothing in return.

“Labor thinks they can win a political fight with the Greens, but in reality the only losers out of Labor’s stubborn refusal to negotiate will be the millions of people across this country right now struggling to put food on the table and pay the rent because Labor won’t cap rent increases.

“I am bitterly disappointed that in a parliament where we have an opportunity to negotiate a historic plan to alleviate the housing misery of millions of Australians, Labor is pursuing a pathetic and childish political strategy to try and pick a fight with the Greens. 

“When the Greens secured $3 billion for social housing in return for passing Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund the Greens proved we were ready to compromise, but we will not accept Labor offering nothing for the millions of people doing it tough.”