Editing Australian Greens (section)

==== 2010–2012 ====
The [[2010 Australian federal election|2010 federal election]] marked a high point for the Greens electorally, with the party receiving its largest vote to date and sharing the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]]. The Greens received a four percent swing to finish with 13 percent of the vote in the Senate. The Greens won a seat in each of the six states at the election, bringing the party to a total of nine senators from July 2011, holding the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]] in the Senate. The new senators were [[Lee Rhiannon]] in New South Wales, [[Richard Di Natale]] in [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], [[Larissa Waters]] in [[Queensland]], [[Rachel Siewert]] in [[Western Australia]], [[Penny Wright]] in [[South Australia]] and [[Christine Milne]] in [[Tasmania]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/senate-results.htm |title=2010 election Senate seats |publisher=ABC |date=29 July 2010 |access-date=1 February 2011}}</ref> Incumbents [[Scott Ludlam]] in Western Australia, [[Sarah Hanson-Young]] in South Australia and [[Bob Brown]] in Tasmania were not due for re-election. The Greens also won their first [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] seat at a general election, the seat of [[Division of Melbourne|Melbourne]] with candidate Adam Bandt, who was a [[crossbencher]] in the first [[hung parliament]] since the [[1940 Australian federal election|1940 federal election]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7802247/record-result-for-greens-in-australian-poll/|title=Record result for Greens in Australian poll: Yahoo/AFP 22 August 2010}}</ref> Almost two weeks after the election, the Greens agreed to support a [[Julia Gillard|Gillard]] [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] [[minority government]] on [[confidence and supply]] votes. Labor was returned to government with the additional support of three [[Independent politician|independent]] crossbenchers.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100901203613/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/01/2999219.htm Emma Rodgers: ''Greens sign deal to back Labor'', ABC News, 1 September 2010]. Retrieved 1 September 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://greens.org.au/greens_labor_deal|title=Greens and labor commit to agreement for stable government|publisher=The Australian Greens|date=1 September 2010|access-date=2 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905044256/http://greens.org.au/greens_labor_deal|archive-date=5 September 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Emma Rodgers|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/01/2999219.htm|title=Greens, Labor seal deal|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=1 September 2010|access-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903124202/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/01/2999219.htm|archive-date=3 September 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Prior to the 2010 Federal Election, the [[Electrical Trades Union of Australia|Electrical Trades Union]]'s Victorian branch donated $325,000 to the Greens' Victorian campaign – the largest political donation ever directed to the Party up to that time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/federal-election/union-bankrolls-greens-20100817-128iu.html |title=Union bankrolls Greens |work=The Age |date=18 August 2010 |access-date=1 February 2011 |location=Melbourne |first=Ben |last=Schneiders}}</ref>

The Greens signed a formal agreement with the [[Australian Labor Party]] involving consultation in relation to policy and support in the House of Representatives in relation to [[confidence and supply]] and three of the independents declared their support for Labor on confidence and supply,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/abbott-digs-himself-a-hole-20100902-14rjp.html |title=Abbott's Costings Blow Out &#124; Wilkie Sides With Labor: SMH 3&nbsp;September 2010 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 September 2010 |access-date=8 September 2010 | first=Michelle | last=Grattan| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100906084800/http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/abbott-digs-himself-a-hole-20100902-14rjp.html| archive-date= 6 September 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100909000414/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/07/3005179.htm 'Labor day: Gillard retains grip on power'] – ABC – Emma Rodgers (7 September 2010) – . Retrieved 8 September 2010.</ref> allowing Gillard and Labor to remain in power with a 76–74 minority government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/07/3005028.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909000349/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/07/3005028.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 September 2010 |title=Labor clings to power |first=Emma |last=Rodgers |date=7 September 2010 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] }}</ref>

On 24 February 2011, in a joint press conference of the "Climate Change Committee" – comprising the Government, Greens and two independent MPs – Prime Minister Gillard announced a plan to legislate for the introduction of a fixed price to be imposed on "carbon pollution" from 1 July 2012<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/gillard-to-reveal-climate-policy-today/story-e6frg6n6-1226011223441 | first1=Ben | last1=Packham | first2=James | last2=Massola | title=Australia to have carbon price from July 1, 2012, Julia Gillard announces | date=24 February 2011 | work=The Australian}}</ref> The [[Carbon pricing in Australia|carbon price]] would be placed for three to five years before a full emissions trading scheme is implemented, under a blueprint agreed by a multi-party parliamentary committee.<ref>[http://www.smartcompany.com.au/economy/20110224-carbon-price-to-begin-from-july-2012-midday-roundup.html Carbon price to begin from July 2012: Midday roundup] Smartcompany.com. 24 February 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416005834/http://www.smartcompany.com.au/economy/20110224-carbon-price-to-begin-from-july-2012-midday-roundup.html |date=16 April 2012 }}. Retrieved 13 May 2012.</ref> Key issues remained to be negotiated between the Government and the cross-benches, including compensation arrangements for households and businesses, the carbon price level, the emissions reduction target and whether or not to include fuel in the price.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/pm-ready-for-fight-on-carbon-tax-as-abbott-vows-peoples-revolt/story-e6frg6xf-1226011661030|first=Sid|last=Maher|title=PM ready for fight on carbon tax as Abbott vows 'people's revolt'|date=25 February 2011|work=The Australian}}</ref>

In April 2012, Bob stepped down as leader of the Australian Greens, and retired from the Senate in June 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-25 |title=Bob Brown |url=https://greens.org.au/tas/person/bob-brown |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=Tasmanian Greens}}</ref>