on budget night, labor has a chance to deliver real help to west Australians who are doing it tough.

For six consecutive years Labor has delivered budget surpluses worth billions of dollars, yet we’ve also seen the housing and cost of living crisis deepen to the point where Perth is now the least affordable capital city in the country for renters.

But, what is the point in another billion-dollar surplus if single parents are skipping meals to feed their kids and families are watching their rents soar by hundreds of dollars a week?  

Tackling the climate crisis 

In the wake of a growing climate emergency and environmental crisis in Western Australia, The Greens (WA) expect record funding in tomorrow’s budget for climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, as well as environmental protection and rehabilitation measures. 

Western Australia is the climate change capital of Australia and our state’s emissions are set to continue rising beyond 2030 because the Cook Labor government has no credible plan to decarbonise our economy.   

Our state has the second-lowest renewable energy generation of any state or territory and investment in renewable energy has largely ground to a halt in recent years.   

With a commitment to phase-out coal-fired power by 2030 and no plan to fill in the gap, the use of gas for electricity generation in WA is predicted to more than double by 2032 putting Labor’s promise to achieve net-zero by 2050 even further out of reach.  

Meanwhile, Premier Roger Cook has used his influence to lobby the federal government to weaken national environmental protection laws, approve Woodside’s polluting North West Shelf extension, while also gutting the independence of our state’s own EPA without any oversight on the State of the Environment here in Western Australia.  

With the 2023 Kimberley floods alone costing the WA community more than $900 million, The Greens (WA) are calling for urgent investment to address climate change and protect our natural environment to be a cornerstone of the 2025 State Budget.   

Energy 

At less than half the national average, WA has both the lowest amount of renewable energy generation of any state, as well as the most expensive energy of any state.  

 Western Australia has an abundance of wind and sun resources and it’s time WA Labor started encouraging investment to drive the renewable energy boom.  

This government talks a big game on infrastructure and “Made in WA” – the Greens want to see their commitments in tomorrow’s state budget match their rhetoric on turning WA into a renewable energy superpower. 

Sustainable Household Zero Interest Loan Scheme 

A zero-interest loan scheme with no upfront costs or fees will allow Western Australians easy access to up to $15,000, which they will have 10 years to repay, to improve their home’s energy efficiency, dramatically reducing their environmental impact and significantly reducing their cost of living.  

Solar for renters and apartments 

About one-third of Australian homes have solar panels and about one-third of Australians rent but rarely do these two groups overlap. A rebate to install solar panels on a rental property, which could be based on existing models in other states that work well, would help alleviate stress during the cost-of-living crisis by allowing renters to save on their energy bills. 

The cost and complexity of installing rooftop solar on apartment buildings is also a barrier to decarbonising high-density urban areas. A solar rebate scheme for apartments, strata townhouses and unit that share a common rooftop could save each household in a multi-unit development up to $500 per year on energy bills. 

Housing 

Social and affordable housing 

We need bold, urgent and evidence-based action to ensure every Western Australian has a secure and affordable place to call home; over the last 8 years WA has gone backwards on almost every housing metric, we can't tinker around the edges any longer. 

In tomorrow’s state. Budget we want to see more ambitious social and affordable housing targets, including building, converting or purchasing a minimum of 5,000 every single year. 

We also want to see a minimum 10% social and affordable housing in every new private development and 50% in every new housing development on government-owned land to ensure that we are building the right mix of housing. 

Tougher regulation of AirBnB 

A 90-day cap on entire homes being rented out on short-term rental accommodation sites like AirBnB could return at least 3,000 homes to the private rental market while an investor levy would generate extra revenue for building social and affordable homes. 

• An annual 90-day limit on entire-home short-stays; 

• powers for owner’s corporations in apartment buildings to ban or limit short stays; and 

• a 7.5% investor levy on entire homes to generate additional revenue for building social and affordable homes. 

Renter’s rights  

After four years of tinkering around the edges of the housing and renting crisis, it is time for the Cook Labor government to stand up to landlords and property developers. Some measures the Greens (WA) want to see in tomorrow’s budget include: 

• A two-year freeze on rent increases and a permanent cap on rent increases pegged at CPI + 10% (in line with the model introduced in the ACT); 

• Scrap no-reason evictions from the Residential Tenancies Act; 

• Introduce minimum standards for all public and private rental properties, including minimum standards for heating, cooling and energy efficiency: 

• As of 1 May 2025, all new properties in WA will be required to have a minimum energy efficiency rating of 7 stars under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. Western Australia could retrofit all social housing to meet this standard by 2030 at a cost of $640million and incentivise private rentals to do the same; 

• Tougher controls to stop rent-bidding including a 3-strike policy for real estate agents, and fines for private landlords, for encouraging rent-bidding or accepting bids above the advertised price for a rental property. 

Nature and biodiversity  

We desperately need more funding for the protection of WA’s natural environment and biodiversity. 

It has been 18 long years since a WA State of Environment Report was published, and this lack of data and information is a major impediment to decent planning and action.  

We are looking out for funding for an updated report, as well as for biodiversity audits, recovery planning and implementation, restoration programs, and funding for DBCA and DWER to function at their best.  

Water resilience 

A big factor in our capacity to survive the deepening climate crisis in WA will hinge on this government’s willingness to prioritise the needs of communities and the environment, over that of corporations.   

Following the recent release of the OAG’s findings into how poorly water licence compliance is being managed in WA, we hold deep concerns for the water resilience of WA.  

Last week, the Cook Government announced extra funding to support DWER with processing new water licence applications, speeding things up for proponents, but doing nothing to improve monitoring and compliance of existing water users.  

The 2025 budget must increase funding to ensure DWER can make good on their mandate to regulate existing licence holders.  

FDV prevention and support 

Family and domestic violence is a major issue impacting many West Australians. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of the sector and many victim-survivors we are finally seeing the systemic reform that is so desperately needed.  

We welcome the Government’s commitment to this reform and look forward to seeing how tomorrow’s Budget delivers on the necessary funding to provide resources to critical services and make these reforms a reality across the state. 

A major issue that is often left out of the conversation, is the devastating   scale of sexual violence in WA. On average, police record around 600 instances of sexual violence a month in WA and we know that 90% of victims never report.  

Our hope is that tomorrow’s Budget recognises the huge need for funding in sexual violence support services. From bolstering regional funding to close the gap in service availability, to ensuring every WA hospital has the resources and training to offer supportive, holistic care to victim-survivors, including forensic examinations for those who want it. 

First Nations  

The failure of governments to ensure provision of essential services for the most vulnerable people in our communities disproportionately affects First Nations people. Drinking water, the most basic need, is contaminated in nearly a quarter of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.  

Almost 200,000 people in remote Australia don’t have access to safe drinking water, and 40% of locations affected are Indigenous communities. This is just one of the fundamental services that needs to be addressed.  

We will be looking out for funding to address major disparities as well as for Ranger Programs, investment in Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations and Prescribed Body Corporates. 

Youth Justice  

WA's youth justice system is broken, likely to increase reoffending and causing devastating harm to young people under WA Labor.   

The Greens (WA) are calling for the system to be completely overhauled with a massive increase of government funding for justice reinvestment, alongside preventative and therapeutic programs for young people to keep them out of prison. 

In tomorrow’s budget it is critical that we see a timeline for the closure of Unit 18 and investment in a Youth Justice Strategy. 

Community Services 

We know from the community services sector that the number of people in our community needing help to make ends meet continues to grow, and the most vulnerable among us are often the hardest hit.  

Persistently elevated demand is overwhelming a community services sector which is already stretched beyond its limits and for years the sector has been calling for fairer funding. This has to change in tomorrow’s budget.