At the last federal election, 1.6 million voters gave the Australian Greens a go at being more than a party of protest. The pundits talked big, touting the Greens as the new ''third force'' of Australian politics. Three years on, has the party proved deserving of such a role?

The 2010 election gave the Greens a box seat in a hung Parliament. The party doubled its representation to 10 MPs, shared the balance of power in both houses of Parliament, and ultimately shared government with Labor for most of this term. A minor party has not wielded so much power in many decades.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne and Deputy Greens Leader Adam Bandt. Credit:Eddie Jim

With all this political muscle, what has the party achieved? On climate, the Greens finally voted to implement a scheme that is strikingly similar to the one they rejected in 2009. On refugees, Australia's policies have grown dramatically more draconian and the Greens have been unable to do anything about it.

These are the Greens' areas of passion. On broader policy - the economy, health and education - there is scant evidence of Greens influence.