The Greens’ Wollongong byelection candidate has accused the Labor Party of misleading voters by using volunteers in green T-shirts to distribute what looked like Greens’ material on Saturday.

Cath Blakey spotted the small cards – which read “Voting Green? Vote 2 Paul Scully” on one side and “Send a message to the Liberals at this byelection” on the other – being handed out at polling booths across the electorate.

The card was authorised by Kaila Murnain, the general secretary of the Australian Labor Party’s NSW branch.

Although the card’s message didn’t differ from that of the Greens, who preferenced Labor’s Paul Scully on its how-to-vote card, Ms Blakey said it “did rattle some of our volunteers”.

“There was confusion ... [because] some of the Labor volunteers wearing Green shirts were really rude to voters,” she said.

“Generally our volunteers are always very polite.”

Ms Blakey believed Labor’s use of the how-to-vote showed it was “particularly worried” about Independent candidate Gordon Bradbery.

“Even though the Labor Party had registered it and it had the Labor party logo, tinily in the corner, it did mislead people,” she said.

“Even though they weren't saying anything different to what we were, the way they were doing it I think it really shows the Labor Party must think we’re a threat.”

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