The Greens have finally backed the Labor government’s Housing Bill after 290 days of political deadlock.
In a statement on Nov. 25, the party confirmed it would “wave the legislation through,” choosing to focus on campaigning for renters’ rights and against Opposition Leader Peter Dutton at the next election.
Labor has been pushing for the passage of two bills—Help to Buy and Build to Rent—for nearly a year, but struggled to gain support from both the Greens and the Liberal-National Coalition in the Senate.
The Help to Buy Bill sets up a shared equity scheme to help low-income individuals and families with the Commonwealth paying up to 30 percent of the price of an existing home, and 40 percent for a new home. There will be 10,000 allocations available each year.
Greens Urge Renters to Vote for Change
The Greens have now pledged to support the bills but called on the public to keep supporting the party in the next election to push for more significant housing policy changes.Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said it had reached the point where they could not push it further.
“We tried hard to get Labor to shift on soaring rents and negative gearing, but we couldn’t get there this time,” he told reporters on Nov. 25.
He added that the Greens would support the housing bills now but would continue to challenge Labor on rent controls and tax breaks for wealthy property investors.
Greens Housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather MP voiced his disappointment.
“The Greens are waving through Labor’s housing bills after accepting Labor doesn’t care enough about renters to actually do anything meaningful for them, and that is deeply, deeply disappointing.”
The Greens’ Change of Tune
The shift from the Greens comes as voter support for the party stagnated throughout 2024.Across three elections, the minor party did not manage to expand its presence, even losing seats in the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland elections.
Further, the party’s public support for radical protest movements, including pro-Palestinian encampments on universities, likely contributed to declining trust in the party.
Labor Pressuring Greens to End Deadlock
Labor Housing Minister Clare O’Neil had earlier accused the party of collaborating with the Coalition to block the housing bills.During Question Time in Parliament, O'Neil criticised the Greens for choosing politics over progress, noting the party had a similar policy proposal at the last election.
“We know they (Greens) support this scheme, and the only reason they have blocked and delayed home ownership ... is because every time the Greens choose politics over progress for Australians,” O'Neil said.
“The ball is in their court,” the minister said, while urging the Greens to stop playing a “juvenile charade.”
Earlier “teal” MP Allegra Spender weighed in, urging both the Coalition and the Greens to put political differences aside.
“The Coalition and the Greens need to back the bills for rent and shared equity schemes that are before the Parliament because they actually solve real problems for real people,” Spender told the National Press Club on Oct. 23.
The Bill, last introduced to the Senate on Sept. 17, was rejected by the House and sent to an inquiry.
Minister Murray Watt expressed frustration over the outcome.
“We see from the Liberals, the Nationals, the Greens, One Nation all voting together to stop young people from buying homes,” Watt said.
In response to Greens’ criticism that the Bill would only benefit a small group, he said, “Just because we can’t help 100 percent of renters buy homes, does that mean we should stop helping anyone?”
