Greens leader Adam Bandt will call on party faithful to use the government's failure to implement a rent freeze or cap to swing the millions of Australians struggling to find affordable housing.
Mr Bandt will use an address at the Victorian party state conference on Sunday to run a victory lap about Greens pressure forcing the government to allocate billions more towards social and affordable housing in exchange for the minor party passing its signature housing fund.
"We secured over $3 billion for public and community housing, available this year," he will say.
"This will make a real difference to people and the Greens delivered it - you should be proud."
Mr Bandt says the government has abandoned renters as he pushes to take inner-city seats off Labor at the next election, due by May 2025.
The Greens will target seats with a high proportion of renters including the Victorian seats of Macnamara (40 per cent renters), and Higgins, Wills and Cooper (around a third renters).
Labor holds Macnamara with 62 per cent of the two-party vote, as well as Higgins (52 per cent), Wills (58 per cent) and Cooper (58 per cent).
Richmond, in the NSW Northern Rivers region, has also attracted the Greens' eye. It is held by Labor on 58 per cent.
They will also target Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek's seat of Sydney, where more than half of people rent.
Ms Plibersek holds the seat with a two-party vote of 66 per cent.
"We will make sure every voter in these electorates know that the policy of the Labor Party, at state and federal levels, is unlimited rent increases," Mr Bandt will tell the party faithful.
"This means from here on in, every unfair rent increase is Labor’s fault - that is the message we need to deliver to people."
Labor had been critical of the Greens for delaying the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in order to campaign on the issue.
But the bill passed parliament this week with Greens and crossbench support.
Housing Minister Julie Collins argues the government is making inroads on rent relief, improving build-to-rent programs, boosting commonwealth rental assistance and working with the states to improve renters’ rights.
