The Greens plan to launch a program aimed at marginalised or angry youths affected by federal government policies.
Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne has announced plans for a Centre for Social Cohesion, which she said would be independent of government, but would include government and non-government agencies, as well as academics.
"It's been appalling to watch the Abbott Government drive the kind of division in Australia that we hoped we'd never see," Senator Milne told reporters on Saturday.
"The 'Ban the Burqa' campaign, which was run by some people in the federal Liberal Party, has led to awful attacks on Muslim women in particular and what we need to be doing is building a sense of community, making people feel like they're part of this country and contributing to this country, the same as everyone else," she said.
"That's why we need a Centre for Social Cohesion to say to anyone in the community, particularly young people who might be feeling marginalised or angry, that there are ways of engaging, that there are programs to get involved in."
Speaking to the ABC, Senator Milne said that such an organisation would be a way of preventing terrorist attachs in Australia.
"Before we say potential terrorists, what we're talking about is young people in Australia ... who might be feeling really isolated, angry and vulnerable," Senator Milne said to the ABC's AM program.
"They feel alienated and then they are attracted to a group, whether it is an extremist group, in terms of a gang, or whether it is a jihadist group."
The Greens plan to introduce a bill into the Senate.
The party has vocally opposed parts of the Government's new counter-terrorism laws.
Social consequences of counter-terrorism laws
Researchers have found counter-terrorism laws and police operations have a risk becoming counter-productive as Muslim communities feel they're being unfairly targeted.
Dr Adrian Cherney from the University of Queensland Criminology Department, said that research has revealed a “strong sense that Muslims were being unfairly targeted.”
“The hearts and minds of the Muslim communities are being lost in this debate of how to address terrorism and counter-terrorism, and that’s a bad thing, because governments and police need their support.”
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