Labor launches petition to stop Greens HAFF blockade

In late June, the Coalition and the Greens untied to vote against Labor’s $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) Bill, deferring the bill until October 2023. According to the Greens, the national cabinet must first determine its approach to the current rental crisis before the party will allow the bill to pass.

As a result, the Albanese government has launched a petition campaign to stop the Greens party from blocking the bill from passing the Senate.

Posted on the ALP’s official website, the Labor government stated: “Labor’s $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund would be the biggest investment in new social and affordable housing in more than a decade and would deliver the money to build 30,000 affordable homes within its first five years.”

According to the Albanese government, for each day the Greens delays the bill, it’s “$1.3 million less than can be spent on affordable homes”.

“The Greens voted with the Liberals and Nationals to delay the plan going through Parliament and have said they won’t vote for it at all unless the government agrees to spend seven times the planned spend — and that’s their idea of a compromise,” the Labor Party stated.

What happened when the bill was deferred?

Greens Leader Adam Bandt stated at the time of the bill’s deferral that the pressure was on the Prime Minister and Labor premiers to act on a rent freeze and limit rent increases.

“This is a test for Labor. It’s wall-to-wall Labor across the mainland, so rent rises are their responsibility,” Mr Bandt said.

“For months we have been calling for two things: real money on housing now, not after the next election, and action to limit soaring rents.

“For months Labor has said this was impossible. Over the weekend, Labor found an extra $2 billion to start going out the door in two weeks’ time, but they still won’t act on rents.

“If Labor acts on soaring rents at national cabinet, their bill can pass.”

The move to defer sparked outrage from the Labor Party. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated: “At least those opposite in the Liberal Party don’t pretend. They would have the guts to vote against public housing.

“I said to the leader of the Greens this morning, to vote against it [the bill], [is] to say that you’re against 30,000 additional social housing units, including housing for women and children escaping domestic violence, including housing for veterans, and including housing for those in Indigenous communities.”

Furthermore, Minister for Housing, Julie Collins, accused the Senate of putting “politics above people” at the time of the deferral.

“What delays mean is $1.3 million every day after the first of July in money that wouldn’t be going into social and affordable housing in Australia,” Ms Collins stated.

“What it means is $250 million every six months of delay. What we’re doing as a government is getting on with the job of delivering more houses.”

[RELATED: Housing Australia Future Fund deferred by Senate]