Independent ACT senator David Pocock has urged the Labor government and the Greens to "actually negotiate" and come to an ambitious, workable agreement on affordable housing.
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The key crossbencher's intervention comes as the Prime Minister dangles the threat of an early election trigger and the Greens write to Anthony Albanese and state and territory leaders over its key compromise needs: national rent caps, stronger renters rights, and more investment in public housing.
The Greens insist it is the government that needs to come to the table and housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather has labelled Mr Albanese's plans to reintroduce the stalled signature $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) bill next week - with his refusal to rule out it being used as a double dissolution election - a "desperate political act".
The Greens are promising a new wave of housing-focused door-knocking in Labor electorates across the country.
Senator Pocock wants the Labor-Greens stoush to end as there are too many people across the country on social housing waiting lists, living in cars, and living on the street.
"This [stalemate] is not going to solve the problem," he has told The Canberra Times.
"We're now at a point where there have been a number of concessions to get this new sort of model of funding ... social affordable housing up. And we've got a lot of community housing providers, people in the sector, calling for it to be passed.
"So I would really like and urge Labor and the Greens to actually negotiate and come to something that works, that is ambitious, and that will allow investment soon."
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 is giving itself the option to trigger a full House and Senate election.
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The government's 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.
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."
But the Greens insist renters must be better protected and that this should be adopted as part of the national cabinet process. The party points to Greens' pressure being behind recent government moves on national rental rights.
In the letter, signed by Greens acting leader Mehreen Faruqi and Mr Chandler-Mather, the two tell the Prime Minister and premiers that they "hope that your actions can allow the Greens" to support the passage of the HAFF bill.
"Given Labor does not have a majority in the Senate, we call on you to work cooperatively with us to ensure the passage of the bill, rather than refusing to compromise," the letter states.
The Greens' position is firm in the letter to the national cabinet members and it has a six-point list of specific rental reforms to "assist you in your upcoming deliberations".
"To be clear, if the Commonwealth is willing to use the offer of additional federal funding to help co-ordinate, through national cabinet, the kind of reforms now being considered by the Victorian government, including a two-year freeze on rent increases, and ongoing caps on rents after that, and to put $2.5 billion a year of the $20 billion surplus towards building public housing, the Greens are willing to pass the HAFF," the letter states.
Senator Pocock joined with other key crossbenchers, the Jacqui Lambie Network senators, earlier this year in backing the bill and have been calling on the Greens to let it pass.
"My view is that Australians expect political parties and politicians to be able to negotiate to get good outcomes," he said.
"And I'm hopeful that the Greens and the government can do that over the next however long and then come to some sort of agreement."
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