PETER VAN ONSELEN: Greens leader Adam Bandt is poised to be the grand puppetmaster of Australian politics as Albo crumbles

Today we got an early indication of how much power and influence the Greens will have if Labor is reduced to a minority government after the next election.

The answer is a lot.

On the last parliamentary session of the year, Labour’s agenda initially stalled in the Senate.

The opposition, the Greens and other obstructionists have collectively postponed or rejected many of what Anthony Albanese claimed were his government’s key policy achievements.

However, they cannot be achievements if the ideas do not reach Parliament, regardless of the merits of the policy.

Knowing this, Labor suddenly capitulated to a host of Greens demands, including the exclusion of coal, oil and gas projects from Future Made in Australia investments.

Export Finance Australia will be legally prevented from financing domestic or foreign fossil fuel projects.

The Treasurer retains the power to change interest rates despite recommendations from the Reserve Bank.

Jim Chalmers had vowed to abolish that (so far) unused power in legislation, but he has decided to break that promise to secure Greens support for his other RBA reforms.

In addition, $500 million in additional money will be poured into an energy efficiency plan to reduce energy prices for public housing tenants.

All told, Labor gave in to the Greens’ demands in 21 separate bills.

That gives Greens leader Adam Bandt the opportunity to claim victory over Labor in the deadlock between the parties.

Bandt boldly stated that the Greens’ pressure is working, and he is right.

Albo has proven that he is already willing to concede policy changes just to get the laws passed – and the Greens don’t even have the balance of power in the House of Representatives yet.

Imagine how much bolder they will become in making demands for a minority Labor government when they need the support of the Greens to stay in power and avoid being forced into elections in a weakened state.

Bandt will be able to use this new-found knowledge about Albo after the next elections if there is a minority government.

Polls show Anthony Albanese will remain in power in a minority government at the next election, depending on support from the Greens. We have now seen what that would look like

Albo had always claimed that he knew how to stand up to the Greens and not let them dictate terms because he had spent years fighting Greens candidates in his own electoral backyard.

Albo’s central Sydney electorate has a strong Greens presence, including in state and local government seats that overlap with his federal seat of Grayndler.

But when push came to shove, Albo capitulated at national level, knowing he had more to lose than the Greens if all those bills stalled over the summer.

If the Greens maintain the balance of power in the House of Representatives after the next elections, let alone if they also secure that power in the Senate, Albo could retain the title of Prime Minister.

But it will be Bandt who has the real power.

Regular voters may not like that fact.