A house divided
With Labor's latest housing policy stuck in the Senate, how would the crossbench treat the issue if given the balance of power after the election?
The standoff over Labor’s Help to Buy scheme, which is stalled in the Senate, will make headlines again next week when parliament returns.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's efforts to push it forward won’t be helped by his clumsy response to last week’s revelations that Treasury had been tasked with looking into changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax (CGT) discount.
While Albanese eventually declared he has “no plans” to make changes, a hung parliament, which is a growing likelihood, may eventually give him no choice. As Julia Gillard discovered, even ironclad guarantees can evaporate as prime ministers cobble together 76 lower house votes.
So where would the crossbench push on housing and tax reform if given the balance of power?
