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.

The Australian Greens have today released Parliamentary Budget Office costings that show removing structural unfairness in the tax system through the discount on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) could generate as much as $74 billion over the next ten years, rising to $127 billion when negative gearing reforms that have warped the housing market are taken into account.

Increasing numbers of homeless people - the ugly side of the $1 million price tag for a Sydney home - require fast tracking far reaching reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax, Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon said today.

"The Sydney housing crisis should be a top priority of the NSW and federal governments," Senator Rhiannon said.

"Prime Minister Tony Abbott should speak up for those in his home city who are doing it tough with no relief in sight for secure housing.

"The working of the housing market excludes increasing numbers of people.

The Australian Greens have welcomed the Reserve Bank of Australia's call for a review of negative gearing and capital gains tax, with Senator Scott Ludlam today saying Joe Hockey should have a serious conversation about ending unnecessary and unfair tax breaks.

"The RBA's announcement sends a clear signal to Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott to get out of the way of a real discussion about structural unfairness in the tax system," Senator Ludlam, Australian Greens acting leader said.

The Australian Greens said today that the federal government to move to ban the Clean Energy Finance Corporation from investing in small scale solar will impede WA's rapid uptake of rooftop solar and impact local businesses.

"Researched released by the Greens shows that the number of WA homes with solar photovoltaic (PV) power has increased 19% in just one year - overwhelmingly in outer suburbs and households with lower incomes," Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens acting leader said today.