Greens leader Adam Bandt calls on rent freeze for Australians as cost of living cripples

With rental vacancies at an all-time low and prices climbing nationwide, there’s been an urgent call for a radical change.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has called on the federal government to freeze rents across Australia, arguing rental prices are outstripping wages at an unsustainable rate.

“People are living in cars, middle-aged people are being forced back into share houses, families are having their rents hiked,” Mr Bandt said at a press conference in Melbourne on Thursday, alongside Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam.

“We need a rent freeze now,” Mr Bandt said, adding that rentals had grown seven times’ the amount of wages.

“Everyone should be able to have a roof over their head; rent rises are out of control,” he said.

Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens and Federal Member for Melbourne and Samantha Ratnam, Victorian Greens Leader and spokesperson for housing have called for a rent freeze. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis. Ascui

Mr Bandt said the Greens proposal was a freeze on rents for two years, before capping rent increases at two per cent, in order for wage growth to match recent rent hikes.

‘We are now in a rental crisis; everyday people can’t afford to put a roof over their head.”

“We’re putting forward practical solutions, but the government isn’t even talking about it at all,” Mr Bandt said.

He said the upcoming federal budget had to address the cost of living and housing crisis.

“It’s happening on their watch.”

Ms Ratnam said Victorian Greens had put forward to the Andrews government a rent freeze as an interim solution.

Federal Greens leader Adam Bandt said rents in Australia are ‘out of control’ and are forcing middle-aged people to move back into share homes. Picture: Supplied

“This government and the opposition are not talking about the biggest cost of living pressure bearing down on Victorians, which is the housing affordability crisis,” she said.

“This election should be a contest of ideas on the big issues facing Victorians, which mean tackling housing affordability and putting a cap on rent increases.”

Ms Ratnam called on a reintroduction of the social housing levy, and a “big build” of 100,000 public homes in Victoria over the next 10 years and 200,000 affordable housing homes over the next 20 years.