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Limits on rent increases could be on the agenda for Queensland as a new report shows the extent of the housing crisis.

Of 150,000 households under housing stress, about 100,000 would typically be eligible for social housing, a report commissioned by the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) says.

This figure is almost four times the social housing wait list of about 27,000.

Average wait times for social housing are more than two years and the issue is especially pronounced for families with children, QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh says.

"We have hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are children, waiting for social housing for more than two years," Ms McVeigh told ABC Radio on Monday.

Much of the pressure stems from a skyrocketing rental market that has seen "the worst inflation of any place in Australia".

Median rents rose 80 per cent in the central Queensland city of Gladstone, 51 per cent in Noosa and 33 per cent on the Gold Coast over the past five years.

During that time, the proportion of private rentals considered affordable for low-income households halved from 26 per cent to 13 per cent.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed rent caps are on the agenda for a meeting of government, industry and advocacy groups next week.

"I understand that this is a big issue for families, they are constantly being faced with huge increases in rent," she told reporters on Monday.

"We're looking very seriously at how a rental cap can be put in place.

"There has also been around eight or nine ... interest rate increases. That is really adding to people's stress."

Discussions are also under way to lessen the effect of the national rental affordability scheme's phase-out over the next two years.

About 5000 Queensland properties are part of the scheme that reduces costs for low-to-medium-income households, and the state government "stands ready to purchase those houses", the premier said.

"Where the federal government is stepping out, we are stepping up."

Housing stress is partly due to high levels of interstate migration and Ms McVeigh said international migration is predicted to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.

Pressure on homelessness services is also markedly higher in the Sunshine State.

Homelessness in Queensland is estimated to have increased 22 per cent in the four years to 2021-22, compared with a national average increase of eight per cent.

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Frustrated NSW paramedics are taking matters into their own hands - vowing to leave non-urgent patients at hospitals so they can get back on the road to attend emergencies.

The Health Services Union says the decision is being taken to address ramping, when paramedics are stuck in hospitals supervising patients with minor ailments while needed urgently elsewhere.

The unprecedented action comes just five days before the NSW election to tackle an issue that has been festering for years amid a rise in priority one emergency calls.

HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes says the stance, which begins on Tuesday, will free up paramedics to attend fresh emergency cases once they determine the condition of a patient they have brought to hospital is stable.

It will not apply to those younger than 18 or older than 85.

"It's astounding we have to do this but we have no other option," he said on Monday.

"Paramedics are at their wits' end."

Under current health protocols, paramedics are obliged to stay with patients until they are moved to a hospital bed.

The subsequent bed block prevents paramedics attending to fresh, life threatening emergencies.

"They are forced to hang around emergency departments with patients who have constipation, stubbed toes or sunburn all because there simply isn't enough staff to process a handover," Mr Hayes said.

"We are sacrificing crucial minutes where we could be responding to a potential cardiac arrest."

"At the heart of this problem is the collapse in hospital staffing."

The union says there are 12,000 vacancies across the system because people with skills and experience can't afford to live in NSW and work in health.

"This is the consequence of a decade of wage suppression," Mr Hayes said.

"We have tried every which way to propose reform options that would reduce bed block. Sadly we have hit a brick wall."

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Federal parliamentarians return to Canberra for the final sitting weeks before the budget with battles looming for the government over its climate and referendum proposals.

During the next sitting fortnight, the government hopes to pass its bill to change existing referendum laws, laying out groundwork for the upcoming vote on the Indigenous voice to parliament.

Ahead of the main referendum bill being introduced, the government is seeking to finalise separate laws detailing rules about the distribution of referendum information and political donations.

But while it passed the lower house during the last sitting week, a myriad of crossbench amendments could stall the machinery bill in the Senate.

Trade Minister Don Farrell, who has been negotiating with the coalition, Greens and Senate crossbench on the matter, said he was confident the bill would pass.

Senator Farrell said the government's bill was a sensible change intended to modernise how referendums were held.

"This is not a debate about whether you support yes or no in the referendum," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"This is about ensuring the experience that the people get when they go to the referendum is as close to the experience they get at a general election."

The government is also seeking to get its signature climate change proposal to establish a safeguards mechanism through parliament.

To do so, it will need the votes of the Greens and two others in the Senate.

But Greens leader Adam Bandt wants the government to end coal and gas development as part of the bill, which Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has ruled out.

The Senate will also consider a workplace equality bil,l requiring companies with more than 100 staff members to publish information about their gender pay gap, and bills to establish the National Reconstruction Fund and Housing Future Fund.

Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has labelled the opposition dishonest and deceptive about his proposed superannuation reform.

The planned changes would double the tax rate on super accounts with more than $3 million to 30 per cent, with the changes to come into effect from mid-2025.

Treasury projections showed a 2017 change to superannuation by the coalition that was not indexed would affect three times as many retirees in 30 years compared to the government's proposal.

The new projections showed at least the top 30 per cent of earners retiring in 2052 would have paid additional contributions tax in their working life under the threshold legislated by the coalition.

Dr Chalmers said the figures revealed the opposition's "dishonesty, deception and double standards".

"All their hypocrisy and hyperventilating is to distract from the fact that they want to add to the trillion dollars of Liberal Party debt to fund bigger tax breaks for people who already have tens of millions in super," he said.

He said the government's policy was a modest and sensible change.

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Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew has blasted his side for "living in the land of hope" after looking for the easy option in a 49-point thumping to begin their AFL season.

Seeking a maiden finals appearance after a club-best 10-win campaign in 2022, Dew's side were humbled on a humid night by last year's beaten grand finalists Sydney.

Five unanswered goals effectively killed the contest in the first quarter, the Swans prevailing 16.14 (110) to 9.7 (60) at Heritage Bank Stadium in Carrara.

"We lived in a bit of a land of hope and thought, 'Maybe it might go over the back, out wide to me'," Dew lamented.

"Against good teams that's not going to happen; we needed to get our hands dirty and we didn't at all."

Eleven of the Swans' 16 goals - shared by 12 different players - came from turnovers.

Dew said across the park it was work rate and defensive pressure that let his side down.

"We expected more across the whole day; weren't able to sustain a style of play we were after for more than 10 minutes," the coach said.

"There will be some good vision to come out of that.

"Play the game on its merits and not live in the land of hope that it might come out. There's no easy ball, particularly ... in those conditions."

Ben King didn't get a kick in his comeback game until the third term, but it was long and straight and sailed through for a goal.

He also put his body on the line to create a goal for small forward Ben Ainsworth.

"He kept going; we weren't expecting a best-on-ground performance .... but it wouldn't surprise if he has a really good game next week either.

"He'll keep fronting up; it wasn't his night tonight, but it wasn't really anyone's night tonight."

© AAP 2023