Over the past fortnight a number of ALP heavyweights have publicly assailed the Greens. The coordinated attacks have been ferocious and vitriolic.
According to New South Wales ALP General Secretary Sam Dastyari the Greens are 'extremists not unlike One Nation'. Not to be outdone, Paul Howes, the Australian Workers' Union National Secretary wrote an opinion article denouncing the Greens as a 'fringe' party in pursuit of 'extremist agendas'.
Strategically, the assault is an attempt to highlight the apparent gulf between the ideas of the Greens and those of Labor's traditional support base. The Greens, we are told, will never represent mainstream Australian values. Instead, they are a dangerous and opportunistic political party driven by a defective moral compass.
But who better represents mainstream Australian values — the Greens or the ALP? And is it correct to label the Greens as 'extremist' or a 'fringe' party?
The claims made by Dastyari and Howes appear more indolent and unfounded after the facts are considered.
The Greens have consistently stated that Australia must work to significantly reduce carbon emissions. In 2011 the Garnaut Review reported that most Australians believe Australia should take action on climate change without waiting for global consensus. On 1 July the Gillard Government's Clean Energy Act commenced.
The Greens argued that the spoils of the mining boom should be spread more evenly among Australians. Polling conducted by the ALP and the Coalition confirmed that nearly 70 per cent of Australians believe they are not benefiting from the mining boom. With Greens support Gillard introduced the Mining Resource Rent Tax.
The Greens strongly advocated for an official apology to be issued to the Stolen Generations. The measure was overwhelming supported by a majority of Australians. In 2008 one of the first parliamentary acts of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was to issue an apology to the Stolen Generations.
The Greens have consistently called for equal marriage rights for gay couples. Polling data confirms that a majority of Australians support amending the Marriage Act to allow gay couples to marry. At the December 2011 ALP National Convention a non-binding motion in support of recognising gay marriage was carried. Prominent government ministers Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong linked the motion to the ALP's history of