There appears to be unrest in the Australian Greens ranks with one senator declaring the party should look to the policies of US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to boost support.

There is also reportedly unrest regarding the leadership of Senator Richard Di Natale, however the source for those concerns chose to remain anonymous in the Fairfax Media report.

NSW senator Lee Rhiannon said the party was at a crossroads with Labor moving to the left on some issues and other minor parties pulling votes.

“The Bernie Sanders experience in the US shows that people with radical and anti-establishment policies can win mass support,” she told Fairfax Media on Friday.

“We need to be able to inspire people and demonstrate that the Greens can challenge ruling elites and end the obscene and growing inequality both at home and abroad.”

Former federal Greens leader Bob Brown told Fairfax Senator Rhiannon was a “Greens version of Tony Abbott”.

Another unnamed Green MP expressed concern the party’s media profile has fallen under current leader Richard Di Natale, saying the party was “pretty invisible at the moment”.

Senator Rhiannon later backed away from criticism of the federal Greens, saying she shared responsibility for the party’s plight.

“We have great policies … it’s how do we ensure people hear out message,” she told ABC Radio.

“I acknowledge people hearing our message and being inspired by it is tough, and that’s what I mean when I say we face a crossroads.”

In recent months the left faction of the Green have named themselves “Left Renewal”.

Last months emergence of “Left Renewal” brought into public focus the split between the far-left Greens and more moderate-left party members, like Mr Di Natale.

Mr Di Natale dismissed the Left Renewal’s anti-capitalist agenda as “ridiculous”.