Abbott would spark disruption: Greens

A Greens candidate would rather Tony Abbott as prime minister than Bill Shorten because it would spark civil unrest.

Jim Casey is vying to unseat popular Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese in the inner Sydney seat of Grayndler.

"I would prefer to see Tony Abbott returned as prime minister with a labour movement that is growing, with an anti-war movement that was disrupting things in the streets, with a strong and vibrant women's movement, indigenous movement and a climate change movement that was starting actually to disrupt the production of coal," Mr Casey says in a YouTube video filmed at a Greens conference.

Mr Albanese dismissed the comments as Trotskyism.

"That to me says it all about why he is not fit to be in office," he told ABC TV.

Mr Casey defended his remarks.

"What I'm saying is I don't think power simply resides in Canberra. It resides in our communities, our workplaces," he told ABC TV.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale said Mr Casey wanted to see a more caring and decent society.

"What we are seeing is Jim giving people of Grayndler a role choice," he told ABC TV.

He described some of Mr Casey's language as colourful.