The Coalition, Greens and crossbench’s decision to not pass the Labor Party’s “Help to Buy” bill is being seen as a trigger that might lead to a rare double dissolution election in Australia.
The Australian Labor Party’s “Help to Buy” policy, which called for government-backed, lower-deposit house loans to lessen the financial strain on first-time buyers, once again ran into difficulties on Tuesday, reported 7 News.
The coalition, Greens, One Nation, and Ralph Babet of the UAP opposed the government’s resolution, with only Jacqui Lambie voting in favor of it.
“What a dysfunctional government was on display today,” Liberal senator Slade Brockman said. “They can’t run this chamber, how can they possibly run the country?”
A double-dissolution can happen when an impasse occurs over a bill between the Senate and the House of Representatives. In case the Senate rejects the bill again after at least three months, the Governor-General has the authority to dissolve both chambers, leading to a federal election.
The Australian government is facing a dire situation as the housing bill and other important pieces of legislation spearheaded by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are in jeopardy. Albanese is putting pressure on parliament to approve the housing bill as well as bills that would restructure the environment, provide tax breaks for build-to-rent projects, and pass the Future Made in Australia bill as is.
The result will have a big impact on Australia’s housing market and the government’s objectives, so the stakes are very high.
“We’ll wait and see,” he told reporters in Sydney when asked if he would reach for the nuclear option. “The way to avoid a (double dissolution) is for the coalition and the Greens to vote for legislation that they support.”
“We’re always open to sensible discussions … but what we won’t do is undermine our own legislation with amendments when it stands on its merits.”
Albanese has encouraged Greens to “be honest” and support the help-to-buy housing measure. In a Tuesday interview with ABC Sydney, he called out suggestions that the law will increase housing costs as “nonsense,” reported The Guardian.
“This is a system that has operated very effectively in Western Australia for decades. It is just another measure to try to assist people into home ownership, but the Greens have voted against that, along with the Coalition, the same coalition, if you like, has voted against build to rent.”
Meanwhile, Greens Party leader Adam Bandt urged Albanese to negotiate further on the housing bill, before calling a double dissolution election a “betrayal of every renter and first home buyer.”
