Pressure on PM to ram through agenda in final sitting

Time is running out for the Albanese government to clear a growing backlog of stalled bills before parliament breaks for the year. Down in the polls and eyeing an election due in the first half of 2025, Labor is eager to push as much of its agenda through an uncooperative Senate as it can. But with just one sitting week left in the year, progress is slow-going. This week, the government failed to make significant headway on most of its sweeping agenda with 30 or so bills still before the parliament. A shake-up to aged care funding is set to pass the lower house on Monday after winning the approval of the Senate with amendments, while a ban on under-16s accessing social media should sail through with the support of the opposition. But Labor has suffered a string of setbacks with the Greens and the coalition teaming up to oppose bills dealing with misinformation, environmental protections, housing affordability, caps on university students and the Future Made in Australia manufacturing push. A bid to reduce the cap on political party donations - to the detriment of the minor parties and independents - and new public school funding arrangements are also yet to receive support. The Greens have offered to support the government's two housing policies - a shared-equity scheme for first homebuyers and tax concessions for institutional build-to-rent investors - in exchange for funding more social and affordable homes. But the government has appeared unwilling to negotiate, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branding the coalition-Greens alliance a 'No-alition' as he attempts to paint the strange bedfellows as obstacles to progress. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called on Mr Albanese to work with her party and deal out the coalition. "This next week is going to be very busy," she said. "The Anthony Albanese government has an opportunity to work with the Greens to deliver a good outcome on nature and a good outcome for renters, or they can work with Peter Dutton to kick kids off the internet and keep minor parties out of the parliament." Meanwhile, it is unclear whether Labor will follow up on other commitments yet to proceed to parliament, including a ban on gambling ads promised after a report helmed by late Labor MP and anti-gambling advocate Peta Murphy. With pre-campaign preparations ramping up, speculation has fired that the election could be called as early as March. That would leave the government with as little as two sitting weeks next year to tie up its loose ends and avoid heading to an election with a rap sheet of unfulfilled promises. The federal election is due to be held by May 17.