Parliament could vote down Home Guarantee Scheme changes
Right now the government can change the Home Guarantee Scheme and other housing rules by an order Parliament cannot overturn. This bill would let either house vote such changes down.
Official name: Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill 2025
- The government tells Housing Australia what to do through written orders called the Investment Mandate.
- Parliament cannot cancel these orders now.
- This bill would let either house of Parliament vote to cancel them, including ones already in place.
- The Senate passed it on 26 March 2026. It now sits with the House of Representatives.
Who it affects
- First home buyers: Future changes to the Home Guarantee Scheme, which helps people buy with a small deposit, could be voted down by Parliament.
- Housing Australia: The rules it works under could be cancelled by a vote in either house.
- Members of Parliament and senators: They would get a say over housing orders that they do not have now.
- The government: It would have to put its orders before Parliament and could see them cancelled.
Housing rules Parliament cannot overturn
Housing Australia is a government body that helps pay for homes. It runs the Home Guarantee Scheme, which helps people buy a home with a small deposit.
It also runs the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility. That pays for new homes for people on low incomes and homes people can afford.
Section 12 of the Housing Australia Act 2018 lets the minister give Housing Australia written orders. Together these orders are called the Investment Mandate. They set out how its programs work.
These orders are a kind of detailed rule the minister writes without a new vote. Parliament can cancel most rules like this by a vote. It cannot cancel these ones.
Senator Andrew Bragg, a Liberal senator, brought this bill. His notes on it point to an announcement by the Labor government on 25 August 2025.
It said that from 1 October 2025 the Home Guarantee Scheme would have no income caps and no limit on places. Income caps are limits on how much buyers can earn. It could also be used to buy dearer homes.
Senator Bragg says changes this big should be checked by elected members. He says the current law lets them happen without that check.
Parliament could cancel directions
The bill adds a new rule to section 12. It says these orders can be cancelled. Either the Senate or the House of Representatives could vote to cancel one. They would have a set time to do so after it is formally put before them.
The bill also removes a note in the law that says the orders cannot be cancelled.
Say the government changes the price caps in the Home Guarantee Scheme. Under this bill, a senator could move to cancel the change. If the Senate agreed, the change would stop.
Directions already in force
The bill would also cover orders that already exist on the day it starts. They would be treated as if they had just been made.
That means they would have to be put before Parliament. Each house would then get its normal chance to cancel them. This includes the current Home Guarantee Scheme rules.
Waiting in the House
This is a private bill, which means a minister did not bring it. Senator Bragg brought it to the Senate on 4 September 2025. The Senate is the second house of Parliament, which checks bills.
The Senate debated it over several months. It passed the Senate on 26 March 2026.
It was brought into the House of Representatives the same day. The House must now debate it and vote.
If it passes there, the Governor-General would sign it into law. The Governor-General is the King's stand-in in Australia. It would start the next day.
How they voted
| Vote | Result |
|---|---|
| Vote on the main idea Senate, 26 March 2026 Labor 24 no, Liberal 19 aye, Greens 10 aye, One Nation 3 aye, Nationals 2 aye, Country Liberal 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 aye, Independent 1 no | Ayes won 36 to 25 |
| Final vote Senate, 26 March 2026 Labor 24 no, Liberal 19 aye, Greens 10 aye, One Nation 3 aye, Nationals 2 aye, Country Liberal 1 aye, Australia's Voice 1 aye, Independent 1 no | Ayes won 36 to 25 |
Its journey through Parliament
| 04 Sep 2025 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 04 Sep 2025 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 30 Oct 2025 | Senate: Second reading debate |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Senate: Second reading debate |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Senate: Second reading debate |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Senate: Second reading agreed to |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Senate: Third reading agreed to |
| 26 Mar 2026 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |