The Greens today launched the results of their national 2016 Renters' Rights survey and announced a national election plan to protect renters, who make up 48 per cent of the Brisbane electorate and 46 per cent of the Griffith electorate.  

At a rented family home in Coorparoo today, Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters said the national survey found about half of respondents spent half of their income on rent.

"With the average rent for a 2-bedroom unit in Brisbane now at $470, it's not surprising that renters are having to fork out so much of their income on rent.

Australia's whole stock of public and community housing would be retrofitted with solar panels to ease power bills for low income earners and make them more comfortable to live in, under a Greens plan announced today.

The nationwide upgrade of Australia's 421,000 public and community dwellings by 2030 would cost $2000 per house to install a 2Kw solar PV system,  energy efficient appliances, as part of a host of refurbishments to make the homes cheaper to run and more comfortable to live in.

Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens housing spokesperson, said:

"This announcement provides some reprieve to the funding uncertainty that has been hanging over the heads of homelessness organisations, but it doesn't negate the harm that has been caused by Tony Abbott.

Senator Waters wrote to the Attorney-General, Minister Roxon, asking her to provide additional funding to the Queensland Environmental Defenders Offices (EDO‐Qld and EDO‐NQ) and the Tenants Advisory Service Qld (TASQ) following the Queensland state government slashing their state funding, in breach of the CLSP Service Agreement.