The Greens were offering the green stuff on sourdough bread in Wollongong’s Crown Street Mall on Friday – a “brunch special” to highlight what the party says is a “housing affordability crisis” in the city. 

The Greens’ Wollongong byelection candidate, Cath Blakey, and housing spokeswoman, Jenny Leong, turned heads as they used the popular brunch item to launch a renters’ rights campaign.

Ms Blakey said $48,000 was the amount required for a deposit on an average two-bedroom flat in Wollongong.  

“If you were going to stop having smashed avo to make that deposit, you’d have to not have 11 smashed avos a week for years and years,” she said.

“The way the housing market has gone, it’s just not affordable for young people and for long-term renters to be able to afford to save up for a deposit at the same time.” 

Ms Leong said reform of the Residential Tenancies Act that “tips the balance back and recognises that renters need rights” was required.

“Over a quarter of people living in the Wollongong area are renting and what we know is more families, and families with dependent children, are renting than ever before,” she said.

“People are now lifelong renters, it is no longer a short thing that you do in between moving out of home and owning your own home.” 

Despite the numerous apartment complexes being built in Wollongong at present, Ms Leong said an Anglicare report showed there were only eight affordable rental properties for people living on income support in the city, as of April.