Greens leader Richard Di Natale wants his party to develop a Green New Deal for Australia in time for the next federal election to tackle what he describes as the "overlapping crises of climate destruction and economic inequality".

In a speech prepared for the Greens national conference on Saturday, Senator Di Natale argued Australia needs a "big, bold, transformative plan" that sees urgent government investment in technology, infrastructure and public services that will in turn "address the climate crisis" and "create millions of new jobs".

Greens leader Richard Di Natale wants his party to develop a Green New Deal in time for the next federal election. Credit:AAP

The speech was due to be the leader's first major address to members since the May federal election, in which he would tell his party: "We need a Green New Deal." Due to mild complications with recent knee surgery, on Saturday, Greens co-deputy leader Adam Bandt will give the speech in Senator Di Natale's place.

The Green New Deal concept has already been approved by the federal Greens MPs, but Senator Di Natale wants to use the next 12 months to consult with Greens members, experts and the community to fill in the details. This is likely to be used as the party's policy platform ahead of the next federal election, expected in 2022.