Radical reforms: How Greens plan to make housing a vote winner

The Greens will target the renter vote in the upcoming state election, announcing a radical guaranteed lease renewal plan and two-year rent freeze.

The Greens will take their radical rental reform agenda that includes a statewide two-year rent freeze and an auto-lease renewal system to the October state election in a bid to secure tenant voters.

Rents have skyrocketed by an alarming $330 every fortnight, or 43 per cent, since 2021 leaving a staggering 1.7 million Queenslanders grappling with the harsh realities of housing insecurity.

The Greens have accused the major political parties of neglecting the plight of renters, failing to address the root causes of soaring costs and entrenched housing inequality, while positioning themselves as champions of tenants rights.

The party on Wednesday announced it would take rental reforms announced as part of the Brisbane City Council election campaign platform to the state election.

Proposed reforms would see a two-year rent freeze based on January 2023 prices followed by 1 per cent rent increase cap for one year and a guarantee lease renewal at the conclusion of fixed-term agreements, unless landlords could provide valid reasons for refusal.

Those reasons include unpaid rent, unremedied lease breaches such as a failure to repair damage done to the property, an owner or their immediate family announcing their intention to occupy the property or an owner intending to undertake major renovations or demolitions on the property.

Greens MP Amy MacMahon said Brisbane renters were turning away from Labor and the LNP and the reforms would secure votes.

“Our plan for a guaranteed right to a lease renewal would let renters make their house a home, finally ending the cruel roulette that forces so many to move every 12 months,” she said.

“The major parties ignore renters at their own risk. The Greens are mobilising thousands of volunteers across the city to take seats like McConnel, Greenslopes, Cooper, Miller and Clayfield from any politician who won’t back a rent freeze.”

Under the proposed reform, the notice period for an agent or investor to refuse a lease renewal or to terminate a periodic lease would also increased from two months to six months unless unpaid rent or other lease breaches were apparent, with tenants also retaining their right to decline a lease renewal.

Greens candidates for McConnell Holstein Wong and Greenslopes Rebecca White will platform the rental reform during their campaigns, with significant tenant numbers in their electorates.

“These property investor politicians don’t understand what it’s like to line up to inspect your tenth or even twentieth overpriced rental,” Ms White said.

“They don’t know that fear in the pit of your stomach while waiting for your next lease renewal, knowing the rent could jump by $150 a week.”

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