A POLITICAL spat is delaying housing relief for thousands of Australians, the government claims, as two key policies face fierce resistance.

The Liberal Party, the Nationals and the Greens are united in their opposition to the Commonwealth’s Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes as they believe the programs will not make housing more affordable.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says they present a prime opportunity to improve housing supply.

“When it comes to housing, we are building; the coalition and the Greens have been blocking,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

Help To Buy – introduced to the Senate on Monday – would reduce deposit requirements for first home buyers via a government loan guarantee.

Similar schemes already operate in jurisdictions like WA, the ACT, NSW and Victoria, and Mr Albanese said the federal version should have “sailed through parliament”.

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather claims it will drive up house prices for those who don’t get access to the program, while Build to Rent – which offers tax concessions and incentives for the sector – will drive up rents and give tax breaks to developers to build unaffordable apartments.

“Neither will give light at the end of the tunnel for the single mum right now choosing between feeding her kids or paying the rent,” he told ABC radio.

Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume says the legislation will not improve affordability.

“All it will do is allow large corporations, and indeed the government, to own your home,” she told reporters in Canberra.

The Greens want a freeze and cap on rent increases and are also calling on the government to phase out tax handouts for developers.

But Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has accused the minor party of standing in the way of home ownership.

“Delay costs Australians housing opportunities,” she told reporters on Monday.

Meanwhile, the first tranche of funds for the governments Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord programs are expected to deliver more than 13,700 new social and affordable homes nationwide.

Construction on almost 40 percent of the builds was expected to begin in the current financial year.

Mr Albanese said the programs would deliver social and affordable housing to those who needed it most.

Round one of the HAFF funding will unlock $9.2 billion of investment in social and affordable housing and will include more than 1200 homes for women and children escaping domestic violence and older women at risk of homelessness.

Ms O’Neil said the first round was supporting more social and affordable housing than the coalition had in nine years in government.

“We’re building homes for renters, homes for first-home buyers, and homes for women and children escaping domestic violence and those at risk from homelessness, because more homes means more affordable housing for everyone,” Ms O’Neil said.

Less than 40 percent of the 13,742 builds are expected to be under way this financial year, and applications for round two will open in the next six months.

Community Housing Industry Association chief executive Wendy Hayhurst said the Housing Australia Future Fund must form part of a broader effort if the government wants to “make any appreciable impact on the huge backlog of need”.

“When you’re tackling a housing crisis that has been decades in the making, the key is to show long-term commitment and to steadily make inroads,” she said.

By Kat WONG and Adrian BLACK, AAP