Greens leader threatens legal action against attorney-general over 'defamatory' comments

Adam Bandt said comments Mark Dreyfus made about the Greens and pro-Palestinian activists were "utterly unfounded".

Greens leader Adam Bandt (left) says his lawyers have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus (right) over comments he claims were defamatory. Source: AAP

Key Points

• Greens leader Adam Bandt says his lawyers have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus over "defamatory" comments.
• Dreyfus made the comments about pro-Palestinian protests in an interview with the ABC.
• It comes after the government and Opposition condemned the protests and accused the Greens of inflaming tensions.

Greens leader Adam Bandt says his lawyers have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus over comments Bandt claims were defamatory to him and the Greens party.

The comments were regarding the Greens' involvement in pro-Palestinian protests and were made in an interview with the ABC.

As Dreyfus' comments were not made in parliament, they were not covered by parliamentary privilege.

"I understand a number of media outlets have chosen to stop broadcasting and publishing his statements because of legal concerns. I welcome their restraint," Bandt said in a statement.

"I think that the first law officer of this country should not make utterly unfounded statements and spread disinformation. No politician should do that."

Bandt said he would "prefer not to have to pursue these matters legally" and that he hoped Dreyfus would "respond in a proper way".

Bandt and the Greens party have expressed support for Palestinians throughout the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in Gaza.

On Wednesday, the government and Opposition both condemned pro-Palestinian protests outside electorate offices, accusing the Greens of inflaming tensions about the conflict.

"Enough is enough. The time for senators and members of parliament to continue to inflame tension outside of these offices must end," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"The fact is that denying the people to seek out assistance achieves nothing and tragically undermines the cause of protesters purport to advance."

Opposition leader Peter Dutton also spoke out against the actions of the protesters.

"It is completely and utterly unacceptable and to be condemned," he said.

"The offices of elected members of parliament have been targeted with red paint, with vile messages of hate and discrimination and antisemitism and it should be condemned.

"The Greens should condemn it instead of condoning it."

The comments by Albanese and Dutton were covered by parliamentary privilege.

In a press conference on Thursday morning, Bandt accused the government of attempting to "distract" from its "complicity" in violence in Gaza.

"They made a series of outrageous accusations attempting to link the Greens to events certain events that have happened at electorate offices," Bandt said.

"We are not going to be lectured to about peace and non-violence by a prime minister that backs the invasion of Gaza."

He said the Greens was a party of "peace and non-violence at home and overseas".

"And we will not stop in pushing this government to take meaningful action to bring pressure to bear to stop this invasion of Gaza," he said.

"There are hundreds of thousands of people around this country calling for peace.

"We will continue to call for peace here and in Gaza, because this slaughter must stop."

Why did Albanese and Dutton criticise the Greens?

The comments from the prime minister and Opposition leader came after member for Mackellar Sophie Scamps questioned Albanese about how the war in Gaza is impacting social cohesion in Australia.

"My electorate office continues to receive hundreds of emails about the events in the Middle East. The people of Mackellar were utterly appalled by the atrocities committed by Hamas and our hearts broke for the people of Israel," the independent MP said on Wednesday.

"Now, my community is deeply distressed also by the immense human suffering in Gaza. I'm concerned that this conflict is impacting social cohesion here in Australia.

"Prime Minister, what is your government's message to my community about the importance of bringing the hostages home and bringing an end to this conflict?"

Independent member for Mackellar Sophie Scamps said her team has received death threats. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

On Thursday, Scamps told SBS News she had intended to allow the prime minister to outline Australia's role in the conflict and discuss social cohesion.

She said she felt it had instead inflamed tensions.

"My intention with the question was to talk about the social cohesion here in Australia so that the conflict that's happening in the Middle East doesn't spill over into what's happening here in Australia" she said.

"But unfortunately what happened yesterday was rather than taking some of the heat out of that conversation, I think it has inflamed it ... and there's been death threats and other things coming out of those conversations."

Scamps described what happened in Question Time, and the aftermath, as "shocking".

"Emotions are running very, very high at the moment, but in the House yesterday my intention was to try and get us as a parliament to be working together constructively," she said.

"And I think what we saw yesterday was a fiery and quite startling exchange, a lot of anger directed at individuals and each other, and it was quite shocking for many of us in the chamber."

-Additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press