Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens will work with Labor to cap rents, phase out negative gearing and the capital gains discount, and invest the savings in a mass build of public housing. We don't expect to get everything. We are ready to negotiate, but you have offered nothing. For the sake of the single mums one rent increase away from eviction, the families sleeping in their cars and the renters locked out of homeownership by negative gearing and the capital gains discount, will you work with the Greens to negotiate a plan that helps the millions of people your government is leaving behind?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There was far too much noise on my right. The member for Corangamite will leave the chamber under 94(a). Do not interject while members are asking questions. It is highly disorderly. That applies to both sides of the chamber.

The member for Corangamite then left the chamber.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll make three points to the member for Griffith. The first is that we won't be doing measures which aren't part of our policy, and, in the case of Help to Buy, all we're asking for is the Greens political party to vote for something that was their policy. That's the first point that I would make. The second is the shopping list of proposals that he just went through, including the idea that the Commonwealth is in a position to freeze rents—he knows, I know and everyone in this chamber knows that simply can't be done. It's not within the Commonwealth's power. He knows that's the case and he's being disingenuous when he puts it forward. Thirdly, there's legislation before the parliament, before the Senate, at the moment—Help to Buy. Vote for it. Vote for more homes, and it will go through. There are enough crossbench votes to ensure it happens. I think the Liberal Party and the National Party should vote for it as well. It's beyond my comprehension why any political party in this place would intervene to block 40,000 people from homeownership.