The Greens have labelled the Prime Minister's rebooting of the stalled signature $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund bill, and talk of an early election trigger, a "desperate political act".
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The game of political brinkmanship over contentious housing policy has re-emerged just days out from the return of Federal Parliament, with Anthony Albanese trying to bait the Greens by refusing to rule out the possibility of an early election and insisting he wants the bill passed.
Mr Albanese has announced the government will next week reintroduce the stalled signature $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund bill and seek to put it to a vote in October, setting up a potential double dissolution election trigger.
The Greens' housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather is not budging, describing the move to re-up the housing bill unamended a "desperate political act".
"This is a prime minister who is increasingly isolated in his position, refusing to do anything substantial for the housing crisis," he told reporters in Brisbane.
"The CFMEU has described as Housing Australia Future Fund as bringing a bucket of water to a forest fire this week."
"While the Labor Party are trying to ram through their unchanged bill and threatened double dissolution elections the Greens stand ready to negotiate a housing plan that will at least start to tackle the scale of the housing crisis."
The bill is designed to tackle the nation's housing crisis by funding the build of 30,000 new social and affordable homes over five years.
The Greens remain steadfast in opposition to the policy, despite significant concessions to pass the bill. Among its demands, the party is insisting on a national rent freeze.
By reintroducing the bill and pushing towards a vote on the same legislation in the same term of Parliament with a three-month break, the government would have the option to trigger a full House and Senate election.
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Asked on Friday if he would be willing to use the early election trigger, the Prime Minister gave himself options.
"Well, I don't anticipate that there will be an election this year. But quite clearly, we have a mandate for this. We want this to be passed," Mr Albanese said.
"The way to ensure that this doesn't provide a trigger is to pass the legislation.
"We don't want to play politics with this. We want this to build additional social housing - that's what we're about. Making a difference."
The Prime Minister was specifically asked at his Brisbane press conference to rule out a double dissolution election.
"They won't be going to the polls this year. But we're determined to get this legislation passed. We want it to be passed," he told reporters.
"The way in which you rule out having a double dissolution election is to have no triggers. That's the way that you rule it out. I want this legislation to be passed. I can't be more serious."
Mr Albanese in June announced $2 billion in new funding for state and territory governments for a "social housing accelerator". It is money they had to use, or commit to using, within two years on either new social housing, spot-purchasing, or renovations to make affordable homes liveable.
The Greens have offered to pass the stalled housing bill if the government guaranteed $2.5 billion per year in public and affordable housing funding as well as committing to negotiating a rent freeze through national cabinet.