Zack Polanski is set to call for a three-year cap on increases in private rents in a speech to his party's conference, officials said. He will frame housing as a core issue of generational fairness, signalling a focus on affordability for younger people and long-term tenants.
The proposal would limit the extent to which private landlords could raise rents over a rolling three-year period. Polanski plans to make the measure a central plank of his address, arguing that current housing arrangements disadvantage newer generations seeking stable and affordable homes.
Rent caps and controls are already a contentious topic in debates about housing policy. Supporters of such limits say they protect tenants from sudden and unaffordable rent hikes, while critics warn they can affect the private rental market and landlord investment. Polanski’s intervention is likely to sharpen those debates within his party and in broader political discussions.
By positioning housing as a question of generational fairness, Polanski is emphasising an equity argument that links the cost of renting to wider concerns about living standards and opportunity. The speech at the conference will test how the proposal lands with party members and could shape the Greens’ messaging on housing ahead of future political contests.