Much of this media focused on the question of whether the Greens would be the great climate saboteurs, as they had supposedly been "all those years ago".

The "common wisdom" had it that the Greens were the cause of 10 years of climate inaction because they had not supported Kevin Rudd's proposed Emissions Trading Scheme in 2009.

This view, which has attained folklore status for some in the Labor camp is, of course, nonsense.

Kevin Rudd actually withdrew the legislation because he believed it would not pass. In the Australian Financial Review at the time David Crowe wrote: "The government would like to believe it did everything to put a price on carbon, but it clearly did not."

It is a bit of a stretch to blame the Greens for defeating legislation that was not put to the parliament ... but let's not allow the facts get in the way of a good story.

The Greens opposed Rudd's proposed scheme because it was bad policy. It would not have achieved the emissions reductions needed.

He took a take it or leave it approach. It was "my way or the highway".

It might sound strong in a macho sort of way, but it is bad politics and bad policy.

The fact that the Greens were genuine in seeking real action on climate change was evidenced by them negotiating an emissions trading scheme with Julia Gillard only a year later.

After only 12 months in operation, before Tony Abbott took to it with a wrecking ball, this scheme was having a real impact in reducing emissions.

This time around, as Labor prepared to introduce climate change legislation to the parliament there was a media frenzy of speculation about "what the Greens would do".

Many in the mainstream media were pontificating about the Greens blocking this initiative.

Much of the coverage focussed on their opposition to Rudd's scheme and ignored their support for Gillard's.

What the media was also ignoring was that the Greens had come to political maturity across Australia.

They entered the new parliament in a position of strength and confidence. The "Greenslide" at the May election had seen an additional three lower house Greens MPs elected and a raft of new Senators. Labor ignored this new reality, along with the so-called Teal Independents, at their peril.

The Greens are committed to their policy of a 75 per cent target by 2030 because that is what the science says is needed. But they have shown political maturity in supporting Labor's proposed 43 per cent target, while still campaigning for greater action on climate change.

The Greens have shown up the paucity and shallowness of what passes for political journalism and political analysis in Australia.