The Greens have urged the South Australian government to introduce a tax on vacant residential properties after reports thousands are empty across the state.
Amid the current rental and housing crisis, census data suggests about 84,000 are lying vacant.
"We have people sleeping on the street, in tents, cars and caravans, yet there are thousands of vacant homes in SA," Greens upper house MP Robert Simms said.
"A vacant property tax would encourage owners to sell or rent out their properties, boosting housing supply at a time when it's desperately needed."
Mr Simms said the tax could be applied on residential properties left vacant, without reason, for more than 12 months and the money raised spent on social housing.
A similar tax already operates in Victoria.
The Greens have also called for other measures to tackle the housing shortage and the pressure on renters, including more investment in public housing construction and the introduction of rent controls.
On Wednesday, Mr Simms will introduce a bill to state parliament to limit rent increases to once every two years in line with inflation.
