Greens warn against dirty campaigning

The Greens yesterday warned politicians against engaging in dirty tricks or smear campaigns to mislead voters as the election looms.

The party wheeled out Tasmania's Green senator, Bob Brown, to make its point. Mr Brown won an Australian Press Council judgment in February that the big-circulation Herald Sun newspaper deliberately misled readers about his party's policies before last year's federal elections.

Under a story headlined "Greens back illegal drugs" the paper made numerous false claims, some of them taken from opponents' documents.

Mr Brown said the bad publicity cost the Australian Greens a parliamentary seat.

"With two weeks to go in New Zealand [before the election] it's very important that anxiety ... doesn't lead to temptation to misinform," he said.

"Politics should be above that, and politicians should be above that. They may have a go at each other, but the responsibility is to not misinform the electorate."

Greens co-leader Rod Donald said: "Debate the policies - we're all for robust debate on issues - rather than descending to scandal and scuttlebutt.

"People tell us that Parliament is worse than a kindergarten playground. It's beholden on all of us to clean up our act [because] people have been put off getting involved in politics and even voting."

Mr Brown also said a wary eye was needed on the "creeping menace" of donations as "exemplified in the United States, where huge donations influence Government policy".