A group of Victorian Greens members has emerged demanding change to the capitalist neoliberal economic model and criticising the party’s electoral focus on the inner city at the expense of the working class.

Grassroots Greens launched on Saturday with a statement of intent calling for more radical progressive economic policy as a means to broaden the party’s appeal beyond its current demographic.

The group calls for reform of party processes, particularly to favour young people, but is not affiliated with the anti-establishment Left Renewal group in New South Wales that caused a splash in December by promising to fight to end capitalism.

Grassroots Greens offers a direct critique of the party’s electoral strategy, accusing it of “chasing votes in wealthy, inner-city blue-ribbon electorates by being careful and playing small target politics” and calling on the party to appeal to the working and middle class in suburbs and regional areas “by being bold and radical but staunchly progressive”.

Under the federal leader, Richard Di Natale, the Greens boosted their primary vote by 1.6% at the 2016 election but fell short of winning several inner-Melbourne lower house seats that were targeted. The party has pursued a similar strategy at the state level, winning two lower house seats in the 2014 Victorian election.

“Grassroots Greens recognise that the current capitalist neoliberal economic model is giving rise to significantly gross levels of inequality … and is also a major cause for anthropogenic (human-induced) climate change; and that this system fundamentally needs to change,” its manifesto said.

The group said the party was “a grassroots, activist and anti-establishment party” and should stop positioning itself “as one of the major parties as has been the case in recent years”.

It said the party could reach its goal of a 20% primary vote within a decade by focusing on “radical but progressive economic policy, as well as on social justice policy – which tie into issues that affect the vast majority of the population”.

“We must not be afraid to put forward radical policy, out of fear of negative press.”

At the National Press Club in March, Di Natale said he was “confident” the party could reach the 20% target by having “unmediated conversations” with voters, who by and large liked the party’s policies when they found out about them.

Asked whether the Greens struggled to attract working class support, Di Natale said the party attracted support “from a range of areas … across the board” and many workers said they wanted to work fewer hours, in reference to his proposal of a four-day work week.

Grassroots Greens said the Greens was “the only party that truly represents young people under the age of 30” and it would boost their place in the party by supporting “any young Green seeking preselection”.

But the groups said electing candidates to parliament “should never be the end goal” of the party, as they should be “an extension in the legislature of the street level activism of our party”.

All Victorian Greens members are eligible to join Grassroots Greens, but representatives elected to public office must renounce their membership.

The fledgling group has just 37 likes and 50 follows on Facebook so far, but it nevertheless represents a further splintering of the progressive party that claims not to have factions.

Di Natale has publicly criticised the Left Renewal group labelling its ambition to overthrow capitalism “ridiculous” and warning that the party has never had and should not start to create formal factions.

Federal senator Lee Rhiannon and NSW upper house member David Shoebridge have both defended Left Renewal, arguing that it is not inconsistent with Greens’ principles to call for the end of capitalism and it has a right to exist as there were “rightwing” groupings in the party.

A spokeswoman for Di Natale referred Guardian Australia’s inquiry about the Grassroots Greens to the Victorian party.

The convenor of the Victorian Greens, Willisa Hogarth, said the party “doesn’t commentate on anonymous Facebook groups”.

“Within the Victorian Greens there are multiple working groups where members can contribute collaboratively to the running of the party.



“We welcome all members to get involved and provide feedback through the many avenues, but at this point there haven’t been any approaches.”