The controversial advice was pulled from the Greens' national website within hours of The Age asking questions about it and Labor branding it ''morally repugnant''.

Until Wednesday evening, the website had this advice for people who wanted to vote Green and ''can't stand either of the big parties'': ''Vote 1 for the Green candidate, then number all the minor-party and independent candidates, then send the big parties a message by numbering their candidates second-last and last.''

The Age contacted the Greens about 7pm on Wednesday, after Victorian Labor secretary and campaign director Nick Reece said the advice would result in some Greens voters directing their preferences to ''extremist'' parties such as One Nation. Within two hours, the advice had been taken down.

A Greens spokeswoman said the inquiries by The Age had alerted the party to the fact that the instructions ''could be confusing to voters''.

The text has been changed to say that if a Greens voter can't stand the major parties, ''Vote 1 for the Green candidate, then number the like-minded minor-party and independent candidates in the order of your choice, finally numbering your least preferred candidate last.''

Before the backdown, Mr Reece said many Greens supporters would be appalled at any suggestion they give their preference to ''right-winger extremists'' such as the Citizens Electoral Council and the Put Australia First party ahead of a ''middle-of-the-road'' party such as Labor. ''Some of these parties openly promote racism and the destruction of the environment - they would tear up the very fabric of our society,'' Mr Reece said.

Victorian Greens MP Greg Barber said Mr Reece ''needs to focus on giving Greens voters a reason to vote for the Labor Party - then he wouldn't have to worry about the Greens''.

Mr Barber said Labor's attempt to manipulate preference flows in the Senate and Victoria's upper house in recent elections had resulted in ALP preferences helping elect right-wingers. ''It was geniuses like Nick Reece who elected Family First [in the Senate] and the Democratic Labor Party [in the Victorian upper house],'' he said.

Mr Barber urged voters to decide for themselves how they distributed their preferences. He said 70 per cent of Greens voters ignored all how-to-vote cards, including those handed out by the Greens.