"We're starting to see Tony Abbott's real agenda unfolding. Things that people regarded as certainties, like our rights and our values, are being trampled," she said. Borrowing from lawyer Dennis Denuto's famous line from The Castle, Milne said she wanted to explore "the vibe" of Australia in her address ahead of the Senate re-election on Saturday. "The vibe of the nation right now is something you can't quite put your finger on, but it's there, it's real, it's powerful, and it's building," she said. Senator Milne said that the the "vibe" was evident in the thousands of people who took part in the March in March rallies, the hundreds of thousands of people who had watched WA Greens candidate Senator Scott Ludlam's Senate speech and "in the conversations I have been having in offices, on the streets, in markets, taxis and hospitals". "People are telling me they are despairing ... because they can't stand what the Abbott government is doing to our country and the speed with which they're doing it."

The Greens are fighting to hold on to Senator Ludlam's Senate spot on Saturday, and Senator Milne will travel to WA later this week to campaign ahead of the vote. The Greens leader is calling on the state not to "risk their vote on a micro party". She said that if WA returned three Liberals, two ALP senators and one Green "then WA has changed the ledger. One vote will have shifted from the conservatives to the progressives". As she argued the case for the Greens, Senator Milne also said that the Abbott government was trampling on the rights and values of Australians. "People are beginning to be frightened of a reckless, cruel, out of touch government, and a maverick PM ... Are we headed back to the 1950s era of racist, anti-gay Australia, where women were treated as second-class citizens, where LGBTI people hid, where abusive name-calling was OK?"

Attacking the Coalition government's "secrecy" on Manus Island and asylum seeker policy, the Greens leader also described Prime Minister Tony Abbott as a "fool" when it came to climate change. "Tony Abbott is a fool to pretend climate change is not happening and even more foolish to try and prevent action that would help people create jobs and create a future for WA, and the country, after the mining boom." Senator Milne also argued that the Abbott government was "not governing for all Australians - he is governing for the greedy few". "Trust your gut instinct fellow Australians. Don't trust Prime Minister Abbott to deliver for you." During questions, Senator Milne would not be drawn on any personal responsibility she might take if Senator Ludlam was not returned on Saturday.

The Greens leader stressed that the recent Tasmanian state elections - which saw the Greens vote plummet last month - was "the low tide". "I believe that WA is going to be the absolute beginning of the come back in of the tide," she said. "I think we are going to see Scott Ludlam do very well." Senator Milne also criticised the Prime Minister's negotiating prowess. "It's crash or crash through," she said, adding that there had been no negotiation over the paid parental leave, "nor is there likely to be".

Loading She said she had only had one meeting with Mr Abbott since he won government, explaining she had gone to see him about Tasmanian forests and he did not act in "good faith". Follow us on Twitter