Key Points
- The Prime Minister has announced more funding for social housing at the Victorian Labor conference on Saturday.
- The move comes as the Greens continue to block the government's Housing Australia Future Fund legislation.
- The Greens have demanded the Labor government guarantee increased funding of housing and implement rent controls.
Australians on social housing wait lists are being promised a $2 billion new fund to help boost the number of homes in an announcement from the Albanese government.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the fund, called the Social Housing Accelerator, at the Victorian Labor conference on Saturday.
"That's what this is about: real dollars, driving real change and building more homes," Mr Albanese said in his conference speech.
PM criticises Greens for blocking housing bill
The move comes as the Greens continue to block laws in the Senate to enable the government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, calling for more ambitious spending and rent controls.
"Our government is not going to wait around while members of the Greens political party call for more housing in the media while opposing it in their electorates and voting against it in the parliament," the prime minister said.
"The Greens imagine that their stubborn, inflexible refusal to compromise or negotiate serves their political interest."
Demand for social housing has increased almost three times as fast as the growth in population.
"The Greens have blocked more houses than they've ever built," Mr Albanese added.
"But we are a party of government - and we know Australians deserve the respect of practical action."
How does Labor’s new $2 billion housing fund work?
The $2 billion fund will be delivered to the state and territory governments within two weeks. Those governments will be allowed to decide how they boost housing stock - whether that’s new builds, expanding programs, renovating or refurbishing uninhabitable homes.
The federal government promises the fund will create thousands of homes for those on social housing waiting lists.
PM criticises Liberals as 'doomsday cult'
Rallying the Labor faithful, Mr Albanese described the federal Liberals - who also oppose the housing fund - as "basically a doomsday cult".
"For them, every day is the end of days. These are the people who said energy bill relief for families and businesses was 'Venezuelan communism'."
The Greens say a rent freeze is needed to tackle the rising cost of housing.
But state leaders have ruled out taking any action, arguing it would reduce the flow of supply and investment.
However, the states and territories have committed to working with Mr Albanese on improving renters' rights, delivering on a 20,000-dwelling national housing accord, and progressing a new national housing and homelessness plan.
The Property Council welcomed the $2 billion boost as a positive step towards addressing the housing affordability crisis and called on decision-makers to push for more purpose-built retirement and student accommodation.
Dutton says Liberals can come back from dark times
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Liberal state leaders, shadow ministers and senior office bearers, that while the party may appear to be in dark times, there was reason to be optimistic.
Liberals from across the country gathered in Canberra for the annual federal council meeting on Saturday, the first since the fall of the coalition government at the 2022 federal election.
The troubles worsened when they lost the blue-ribbon seat of Aston to Labor at a by-election in April.
"In the cycle of politics, as we all know, parties will be down but they're never out," he said.
"We've been here before and we came back and I promise you, we will come back again.
We should ignore all the noise from the commentariat who say this is the end of the Liberal Party.
"They made similar predictions in 2007. They were wrong then. And they are wrong now."
The council meeting had hoped to focus on the Albanese government's handling of national security, housing affordability and the cost-of-living crisis.
