PM rules out October election in housing split

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out an early election if the government fails to secure the crucial support needed for its signature housing policy.
Both houses of parliament are returning on Monday after a five-week break.
Labor will reintroduce the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund to the lower house this week but a second vote will not be held until October.
A vote on the package was delayed before parliament’s winter break when the Greens and the Coalition teamed up to oppose it.
If the housing legislation is knocked back twice within three months, the government will have the option of calling a double dissolution election.
Mr Albanese declared he’d rather not pull an early election trigger and said there wouldn’t be a poll in October should the bill fail.
“I want this legislation to be passed, I want more housing to be built,” he told ABC radio on Monday.
“I don’t want to play politics with this, I want to get this done.
“We have a mandate for it and the Senate should pass it.”
Calling an election that early would mean it came before the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. It is due between October and December.
But the government remains locked in a stand-off with the Greens over its signature housing police. The Greens want a rent freeze and increased funding for social and affordable housing.
Housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said his party was very keen to negotiate with the government this week to get the legislation passed.
“The threat of a double dissolution election is to distract from the fact they’re trying to lock in a housing plan that will see the housing crisis get much, much worse,” he told reporters.
“Our ideal outcome is passing a plan as soon as possible that includes locking in more funding for public and affordable housing, and a plan for renters.”
– with AAP