GREENS Commitments

We know that homelessness is a result of a range of underlying causes, entrenching disadvantage. This cycle reinforces existing inequalities within individuals and across cohorts, creating long-lasting harm. If we don’t tackle the housing crisis, we risk locking more and more young people into lasting inequality. The Queensland Greens’ plan for Queensland is here and summarises our key election commitments to date with more to be added. We appreciate the opportunity stand with the Youth Housing Coalition in your mission to end youth homelessness and are pleased to support your election asks as follows:

Additional 30% funding for specialist youth homelessness services (SYHS) – SUPPORT
Brokerage of $100,000 per specialist youth homelessness service per annum to support young people in being able to access safe housing and meet immediate needs – SUPPORT
Support and strengthen a continuum of housing and support for young people in each region of Queensland. Pilot the identified models and ensure choice for young people, particularly those in regional areas with limited options of or access to housing – SUPPORT
Early intervention and prevention programs with a focus on family support and DFV – SUPPORT
A service response team placed in each SYHS comprising of DFV workers, family support workers and specialist workers to support young people who face additional barriers to access including First Nations, CALD, and LGBTIQ+ young people – SUPPORT 6. A centralised learning and development model for SYHS led by QYHC. Implementation of a centralised induction process and skill development modules, delivered consistently, to ensure the workforce is skilled across the sector and can move freely across organisations – SUPPORT
Increased funding for QYHC to $620K per annum to bring Queensland into line with NSW peak colleagues and ensure continued momentum for the housing and support of young peoples’ needs – SUPPORT
The allocation of housing to youth homelessness services in a variety of forms (detached, townhouses, apartments) – SUPPORT
Programs of response for young people under 16 years of age (based on the recommendations of the Under 16s QYHC Working Party) – SUPPORT

The Queensland Greens are further committed to doing the following initiatives which are congruent with our shared mission of ending youth homelessness. Please see below more details on Greens policies relevant to addressing the housing crisis, addressing the cost-of-living crisis, and supporting young people.

Additional funding and support for youth housing and homelessness services:

The Queensland Greens have been pushing for more long-term funding for housing, and the housing support sector.

The Greens are proud to support the continued implementation of the Best Practice Industry Conditions for Social Service Procurement. The Greens commit to making no cuts to community service funding agreements where contractual requirements are being met, and we will continue to advocate for more funding for vital community sector services.

We support calls for increased funding for QYHC to $620K per annum, in order to bring Queensland into line with NSW peak colleague.

End Queensland’s housing crisis

Queensland’s housing crisis is severe and has dramatically escalated over the last term of government. There are now 10% less social housing dwellings per capita than in 2015. We need to boost the amount of social housing stock in Queensland in order for this target to deliver meaningful amounts of permanent supportive housing. We will keep advocating for change and look forward to having more Greens in Queensland parliament to continue to fight for Queensland renters.

The Queensland Greens have made an election commitment to freeze rents and guarantee lease renewals.

We will freeze rents for two years followed by a 1% cap on annual rent increases and introduce guaranteed lease renewals. the rents of all Queensland residential tenancies will be frozen for two years, at no more than the weekly rent as at 1 January 2023. This would give renters breathing space and give wages a chance to catch up. This backdating also means that real estate agents and landlords won’t be able to raise rents before the legislation comes into action.
If a property is a new build, a new entry into the rental market or has been substantially renovated, then an investor would be able to rent the property at or below the median rent for that postcode and dwelling type (ie detached house, townhouse, unit). At the end of the rent freeze period, rent increases will be capped and will only be allowed to be raised by a maximum of 1% every year.
Both the rent freeze and the long-term cap on rent increases would apply to the property, not the specific tenant or lease, meaning there would be no incentive to evict tenants in order to raise the rent.
The Greens will require agents and landlords to renew all fixed-term leases unless they have a valid reason not to, such as unpaid rent; unremedied breaches such as a failure to repair damage done to the property; the owner or their immediate family needs to occupy the property; the owner intends to undertake major renovations or demolitions on the property. Landlords and agents relying on unpaid rent or unremedied breaches as a reason to refuse a lease renewal would need to provide evidence of the breach. Landlords who rely on these other reasons to evict tenants and then fail to act in accordance with the reason given would be subject to heavy penalties.
The Greens will genuinely enact a guaranteed right to a lease renewal, and agents and landlords will no longer be able to rely on fraudulent pretences and no-ground evictions to evict tenants in the middle of a housing crisis.

The Greens has policies that will address the root causes that are pushing home prices out of reach:

One of the major drivers inflating house prices is the current tax concessions for property investors, particularly capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing. These tax breaks encourage investment as a financial asset, allow investors to outbid first home buyers, and drive-up property prices without contributing to new housing construction, with flow on effects to the cost of renting.
Removing these inefficient concessions would level the playing field, allowing more first home buyers to enter the market, put downward pressure on mortgages and rents, and redirect investment toward building new homes, which is crucial for easing supply constraints.
The Greens are also proposing the establishment of a public bank to provide cheaper interest repayments for first home buyers. Unlike private banks, which factor in profit margins, a public bank would offer loans to first home buyers at just above cost, making home ownership more affordable.
Additionally, our plan to build 100,000 public homes over six years will further support first home buyers, with 30% of these homes being sold at just above construction cost. This approach would offer first-time buyers an affordable pathway into home ownership; while ensuring we address Queensland’s housing supply crisis at the same time.

The Greens have a comprehensive and fully costed plan to build 100,000 public homes over six years:

A reliable pipeline of government projects would offer greater stability to an industry often affected by boom-bust cycles. By contracting Queensland builders and ensuring homes are constructed in identified areas of need. It’s a bold solution for uncertain times, with the potential to revitalise communities and offer real housing security for tens of thousands of Queenslanders while bolstering confidence in the industry.
As part of this, we fully support the allocation of housing to youth homelessness services in a variety of forms.
25% of these houses would be delivered through an expanded QBuild which would also be tasked with creating a steady supply of new qualified tradespeople with 3000 apprentice positions. This would add to the supply of qualified tradespeople entering the workforce at a time when uncertainty makes it difficult for private firms to take on apprentices or provide continuity in their training.
Both of these plans include funding to buy out stalled developments as well as insolvent builders to prevent capacity leaving the industry during what is a challenging time for the sector.

The Greens will urgently enact energy efficiency standards for rental properties:

In Queensland, minimum standards for rental properties do not include insulation or ventilation.
Extremes in weather, particular heatwaves, create a dangerous situation for renters who are often not safe or comfortable in their homes. For people with illness and disability, elderly people and small children, these kinds of temperatures can be dangerous. With increasingly hot temperatures during the day and overnight, as we have seen even this winter, homes without ceiling fans, insulation and ventilation are essentially unliveable.
Renters are particularly vulnerable, as they have little say in the structural makeup of their home. They are often unable to conduct modifications to their home which would provide ceiling fans, ventilation or insulation.
Landlords should be required to ensure that fans, ventilation and air conditioning units are in good working order. The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 already gives the government the power to do this, and it could make the change easily via legislative instrument.
Providing insulation is an essential cost-of-living assistance measure for renters. Analysis by Renew suggests that insulation would save renters around $500 a year on heating and cooling costs.

Cost-of-living relief is a Queensland Greens key priority ahead of the state election:

The cost of housing is placing enormous pressure on Queensland families — taking action on the housing crisis as described above is a critical first step to relieving cost-of-living pressures.
The Greens will also take on the supermarket duopoly to make groceries cheaper for everyone, by capping the prices of 30 essential items like bread, milk, and nappies, and breaking up Coles and Woolworths via divestiture powers.
We will also stop dodgy supermarket behaviour like land-banking development sites and land covenants, and boost emergency food programs like foodbanks, emergency relief and food recovery organisations by tripling funding to $20 million per year.

The Greens plan for free, universal healthcare is as transformative a proposal for public health as Medicare. It will:

Establish 200 free public health clinics across Queensland with publicly funded and salaried GPs, nurses and allied health professionals including physiotherapists.
Provide 20 free psychology sessions each year.
End the crisis in our public hospitals by investing an additional $8.7 billion in our hospitals over four years, meaning 2000 more beds and two new major hospitals in Queensland.

The Queensland Greens are also advocating for state schools to be fully funded and genuinely free, abolishing the need for state school fees and taking cost of living pressure off Queensland families:

Support young families and give all children a good start Our state schools should be fully funded and genuinely free.
Queensland state schools are funded $1.7 billion dollars below the national minimum standards. What that means is less teachers for children, less support, less classroom resources, and more costs shifted on to their families. The average school is missing out $3000 per student, per year in minimum-needs funding.
And because all parts of the SRS are ubiquitously underfunded — including loadings for disabled students, First Nations children, children from low income and socio-educational backgrounds — disadvantaged children, 80% of whom are educated at state school, are missing out on the greatest quantum of funding.

The Greens will be fighting to fully fund Queensland State schools to 100% of the national minimum standards, including all loadings, with $8.4 billion extra over four years:

This will reduce class sizes and allow for additional learning, developmental, and other support in schools.
Abolish resource fees and all out-of-pocket costs at State schools, including laptops, uniforms & excursions with another $4.4 billion in extra funding over four years.
Introduce a universal free school breakfast and lunch program at every public school.

The Greens support the expansion of free kindy from four-year-olds, to include three-year-olds as well:

It is known that high-quality kindergarten programs provide an essential educational function and help prepare kids for school.
In Queensland, families can access early childhood education and care via the federal Child Care Subsidy, which is productivity-focused and aims to get parents working, and free kindergarten funding. However, two short days per week, for four-year-olds, is not enough to relieve the cost-of-living pressures that families are facing, when early childhood education and care should be free.
An early childhood education and care system that is funded like the essential service that it is It needs be free, universally accessible and publicly funded, with measures to support the needed boost to workers in the sector such as free to access university and TAFE.

That’s why the Greens are happy to support:

Free kindy for three- and four-year-olds, delivered in a way that is genuinely free for more than two short days a week.
A workforce plan to ensure there are enough qualified kindergarten teachers and allied health practitioners to resource the system.
The development and growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early childhood services. We need a workforce strategy, that includes measures for recruitment, professional development and retention strategies, to boost Queensland’s supply of kindergarten teachers. Including:
Supported study pathways, including free university and TAFE courses.
Location incentives for early childhood teachers to take up teaching positions in regional and remote areas.
Support for leaders.
Quality placements and mentoring.
Access to appropriate, affordable housing and other services.
Better wages – kindergarten teachers need to be paid as well as schoolteachers.

Invest in Queensland’s youth services

The Greens are the only party in Queensland to stand up for young people’s rights in the face of a race to the bottom on youth crime. We support further investment and capacity building of Queensland’s youth service. In the last 12 months, the Queensland government has used the override provisions in the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) to evade its obligation to act in line with human rights in passing two significant pieces of legislation. First, to introduce technical breach of bail by children and young people as an offence, and second, to permit the continued detention of children and young people in police watch houses for extended periods of time. The result has been more young people held in appalling conditions for longer periods of time. The Greens are the only party to stand in strong opposition to those changes. Not just because the changes are entirely incompatible with the rights of children and young people, and breach the requirement for override provisions to only be used in exceptional circumstances, but because the resultant effect does nothing to keep the community safer.

In line with our commitment to upholding the rights and interests of children and young people, and the broader community, we commit to:

Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years of age
Enhancing strategies to reduce the high rate of young people on remand
Preventing the detention of children and young people in police watch houses for any longer than 24 hours
Restoring the principle of detention as a last resort
Addressing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the child protection and youth justice systems, including through sufficient and ongoing resourcing of community-controlled organisations and bodies to provide culturally appropriate programs and support
Reducing the criminalisation of children in residential care
Additional funding for both in-patient and out-patient youth mental health services
Additional funding and support for First Nations led youth and health programs Our plan for community safety is here. Michael Berkman’s speech on his private member’s bill to raise the age for criminal responsibility to 14 is here. We also recognise the overrepresentation of children and young people from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, with disabilities, and who are in the care of the State, in the youth justice system.

Critically, our platform when read as a whole champions evidence-based, preventative measures over reactionary and retributive laws and policies. We want to see funding diverted to public health and wellbeing, disability support services, education and housing, culturally appropriate support programs, intensive case supports, and early intervention. These are the measures that will contribute to the safety of all people in our communities.

Early intervention and prevention programs with a focus on family support and DFV

The Greens are committed to fighting for the social, economic and political rights of women, and tackling DFV. The recent uplift in funding for domestic, family and sexual violence services is grossly inadequate and incapable of fully implementing the Hear Her Voice reports and recommendations of Ending Violence Against Queensland from being realised. It is clear that the Queensland domestic, family and sexual violence sector needs at least an additional $300 million per year to operate. We have seen the devastating impacts of this underfunding, and have met with constituents who have been denied services, as well as meeting with sector leaders and workers who are under enormous pressure.

GREENS Commitments