If you’re on Instagram or TikTok, chances are you’ve seen Greens leader Adam Bandt. He’s joined podcasts such as Abbie Chatfield’s It’s A Lot and Big Small Talk with Hannah Ferguson. He’s cooked with creator Katie Lolas. He’s even DJed parties. As one Greens insider told The Guardian: “Adam is down to clown.”
In the lead-up to the 2025 federal election, The Greens are making a play for Gen Z and Millennial voters, and it’s working. At the last election, they picked up three new lower house seats, and secured the balance of power in the Senate – giving them more influence over national policy than ever before.
Their slogan this election? “Keep Dutton out and get Labor to act.” But what exactly are the policies being platformed by The Greens – and how might they affect you?
From climate and housing to free dental and student debt relief, here are the policies The Greens are promising ahead of the 2025 federal election.
Climate & Environment: Their Core Mission
It’s probably no surprise to anyone, given the name of the party, that the most central policy platform is climate action and environmental protection.
They want to:
- Ban new coal and gas projects
- Expand publicly-owned renewable energy
- Phase out native forest logging
- Cut power bills by transitioning to clean energy
- Subsidise solar and battery tech for homes and businesses
- Hit net zero (or net negative) emissions by 2035 or sooner
They also want Australia to take a leading role in international climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
But not everyone’s sold. Critics have questioned whether The Greens’ climate targets will drive up power bills. “When faced with a choice between policy purity and their hip pocket, will voters baulk?” asked political reporter Tom McIlroy in the AFR.
Still, the party helped Labor pass the safeguard mechanism, which aimed to curb emissions from 220 of Australia’s biggest mining, gas and industrial sites – signalling they’re willing to work across the aisle for results.
Housing: The Greens Say There Is Another Way
Under Adam Bandt, The Greens have made affordable housing a top priority.
Here’s what they’re promising:
- Deliver 610,000 affordable homes over the next decade via a new federally owned public developer, with the aim to rent and sell below market prices.
- Provide 70% of the homes as rentals capped at 25% of household income or 70% of market rent (whichever is lower)
- Sell the remaining 30% just above construction cost
- Establish a National Renters Protection Authority & make unlimited rent increases illegal
In November 2024, they reluctantly helped pass Labor’s Help to Buy scheme and Build to Rent tax incentives – despite frustration over Labor refusing to budge on issues like negative gearing reform. “The Greens can announce that we’ll be waving through Labor’s two housing bills after accepting that Labor doesn’t care enough about renters to do anything meaningful for them,” Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather told reporters at the time.
Cost of Living, Health & Education
The Greens are also campaigning on a broader platform of economic and social reform – including:
- Making dental care free under Medicare
- Removing the current cap on subsidised mental health sessions
- Making GP visits free
- Abolishing all student debt (HELP, VET, SFSS) from July 1, 2025
- Bringing back free university and TAFE
- Ensuring a fully-funded public school system
So, a common question – and perhaps criticism – of The Greens is: how will they pay for all these measures?
The Greens say that to fund these reforms, they’ll implement a range of measures estimated to raise over $514 billion – including but not limited to:
- A 40% tax on excess profits for corporations with over $100 million in turnover
- A 10% tax on the net wealth of Australia’s 150 billionaires
- Closing tax loopholes for big oil and gas companies
Are The Greens Likely To Win More Seats?
Polls suggest The Greens’ primary vote has increased since 2022 – currently sitting between 12.4% and 14.1%.
It’s expected they’ll retain their Senate balance of power, meaning they could play a pivotal role in shaping future legislation – especially on policies that concern housing, the environment and education.
Some voters love them. Others, might still need convincing, but one thing’s clear: The Greens are betting big with their policies this election – and they’re not going anywhere.
Related articles:
- How Gen Z & Millennial Voters Are Disrupting Australian Politics
- Feeling Disillusioned By Politics? Here’s How to Make Your Vote Count This Election
- A Guide To Australia’s Preferential Voting System
