'It needs to come to the table': Bandt to tell National Press Club Labor must act on rental crisis to get housing support

After cutting deals with Labor to pass the safeguard mechanism climate legislation and the first tranche of industrial relations reforms, the Greens have been immoveable over the Albanese government's election promise of a $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) to finance the build of 30,000 affordable homes.

The key housing bill failed to pass Parliament before the May budget, with the Greens frustrating the government by calling for a national rent freeze. The party was told the idea was "pixie dust" and not possible by the Prime Minister and was instead referred to Commonwealth-state housing agreements and other mechanisms. Key crossbenchers including ACT independent senator David Pocock have also criticised the HAFF proposal as not going far enough.

In a pre-budget address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Mr Bandt will insist the legal and political power is in federal hands to fix Australia's rental crisis in the May budget.

"Labor is currently pressuring the Greens to pass their weak housing bill that sees the crisis get worse," Mr Bandt is expected to say.

"But if Labor wants our support on its housing bill, it needs to come to the table on the rental crisis and on building more public and affordable housing."

He will slam Labor as the "party of property moguls" and cite Anthony Albanese's predecessor as a beacon of action.

"During the pandemic, National Cabinet decided to collectively act to protect the interests of renters with a moratorium on evictions. The then-PM Scott Morrison reportedly put federal government financial assistance on the table, including through taxation arrangements, as part of a package to provide rent relief," he will say.

"If Scott Morrison can act, Anthony Albanese should as well."

The Greens are refusing to remove a national rent freeze from the negotiating table. The independent Parliamentary Budget Office has costed a $1.6 billion a year scheme which would grant the states and territories funds for new housing stock in exchange for freezing rent and improving renters' rights.

The $4.8 billion over three years would be, under the Greens plan, made available under the existing National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. It would be a "effectively a doubling of their NAHA funding," Mr Bandt is to say.

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The Greens plan also includes a $5 billion fund to build 225,000 publicly-owned housing and a $10.9 billion proposal to double rent assistance for 1.4 million students, single parents, pensioners, people with disabilities, families and those looking for work.

The entire $69.4 billion Greens' plan over ten years would be more than offset by a proposal costed by the PBO at $74.1 billion to scrap tax handouts for landlords and wealthy property investors with more than one home. There is also a proposal to abolish the 50 per cent capital gains discount for individuals for assets held for more than 12 months.

Mr Bandt is to insist the Albanese government uses the "power of its purse strings" with the states to drive change in housing.

"It's not 'pixie dust', it's what the federal government already does," he is to say.

"It is unacceptable and irresponsible for the Prime Minister to throw his hands up and put the Greens' rent freeze proposal in the too-hard basket when Labor holds almost every seat around the National Cabinet table.

"With wall-to-wall Labor state governments on the mainland, Labor can't pass the buck on the rental crisis anymore. We know federal Labor can get state governments to act on issues where they share responsibility."

In offering the plan, Mr Bandt is to indicate everything can be legislated and in place before July.