The Albanese government insists it's standing by its latest plan to help some Australians to buy a home. But the legislation remains stalled after another day of parliamentary wrangling.
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00:00Despite all of the chest-beating this week, the government's emerged from days of public
00:06and parliamentary debate on one of its signature housing policies with a significant loss in
00:12the Senate.
00:13Labor says its Help to Buy scheme is designed to ease some financial pressures for 40,000
00:18low-income homebuyers, with the government taking a share of homes, up to 40%, making
00:23deposits and mortgage repayments cheaper.
00:26The coalition and the Greens don't agree, insisting it'll do little to tackle the housing
00:30affordability crisis.
00:32The government's message to the Greens in particular was effectively put up or shut
00:36up.
00:37But it didn't even get to that point, failing to convince the Senate to bring the bills
00:41on for a vote.
00:42Instead, it was kicked off the agenda for another two months.
00:45That is embarrassing for the government.
00:47It couldn't control the Senate to shoot down its own policy to prove a political point.
00:51But this is also an issue which cuts both ways.
00:54The Greens using parliamentary tactics to stall on a policy which may well appeal to
00:59some of the constituents the party professes to represent.
01:02All of this has fuelled discussion of an early double-dissolution election, something which
01:06is highly unlikely, but there have been battle lines drawn this week in the head of a standard
01:12election next year on an issue which will be hard-fought, particularly between Labor
01:18and the Greens.