ANALYSIS

The Greens have made their stand against the company tax cut but the government doesn't have much reason to worry. It can have more than one dance partner when the mining tax package comes to Parliament.

Despite their gripes about the revised mining impost - a pale thing after Julia Gillard cut her deal with the big miners - the Greens will support it. For them, a weaker version is better than nothing at all. The Coalition will stick to its opposition to a new tax and vote against, but the numbers will be there to get it through the new post-July 1 Senate, where the Greens will have the balance of power.

The Greens power will only be relevant, however, where the government can't get the Coalition on side. As Wayne Swan reminded them yesterday: ''The Greens are not the only actors in the Parliament.'' The mining bill and the tax legislation will be separate. The opposition can vote for the tax cut while objecting to the mining tax.

Tony Abbott flagged as much yesterday, after finance spokesman Andrew Robb had muddied the water earlier by saying, ''We don't support the mining tax and we will not support initiatives out of the mining tax.'' Abbott put in the usual qualification that the Coalition still has to see the detail of the company tax legislation. Politically, of course, he couldn't oppose the lower rate. His credibility with business would be shot. As he noted, he proposed a 1.5 per cent company tax cut at the election (while intending to slug big companies to pay for his parental leave scheme).

The mining package provides the parties with the perfect political result: Greens and opposition play to their own constituencies, while the government has it all by playing them off against each other.

Michelle Grattan is Age political editor.