Greens senator for Queensland Andrew Bartlett will not seek to remain in the Upper House at the next federal election, in a move that could clear the way for Larissa Waters to return for the party.

Senator Bartlett assumed his Senate seat last November after Ms Waters resigned over her dual citizenship status.

Today he confirmed he would instead seek preselection for the Greens in the seat of Brisbane, in an attempt to bolster the party's presence in the House of Representatives.

"It'll be a hard one, but we've just shown we can make big gains in the state election," Senator Bartlett told ABC Radio Brisbane.

"We had a breakthrough win in Maiwar in the State Parliament … and I know how important the Senate is, but if you really want to get a big shift away from the entrenched problems that the two established parties have created for our communities then the House of Reps is the way to do it."

'I wasn't pressured to leave'

Senator Bartlett said there was no political pressure from within the Greens for him to step aside to smooth the way for Ms Waters to return to the Senate.

He added that a Senate candidate would be decided in the same way as all others.

"We've got a number of other good candidates in our party's preselection and our members will decide on that one over the next month or so," he said.

"Without blowing my trumpet too much, I think I had a credible chance of winning that preselection myself if I'd stayed in it."

"It's about building on the momentum the Greens have achieved in Queensland — Brisbane in particular — starting with the breakthrough win of Jonathan Sri in the City Council in the Gabba ward, then in the state election not only winning [Maiwar] off the LNP but making big gains in a number of seats, including McConnel, which is in the heart of Brisbane."

Michael Berkman won the seat of Maiwar for the Greens at last year's state election. ( ABC News: Patrick Williams )

Senator Bartlett previously sat in the Upper House for the Australian Democrats from 1997 to 2008.

He joined the Greens in 2009 and ran in the seat of Brisbane at the 2010 federal election, gaining 21.3 per cent of the vote.

He said the decision to try again was one he had "wrestled with for a month or so".

"It's a seat I've lived in all my life and there are real problems with growing inequality," he said.

"It's the most unequal seat in terms of wealth in the state according to the Census figures, and there's certainly problems with bad development, poor investment and infrastructure and people not being able to hold a secure job."