With 10 per cent of the votes tallied,the Greens looked set to collect 10.6 per cent of the primary vote,a slight increase of 0.4 per cent on the 2016 result.
After calling the seat of Melbourne for incumbent MP Adam Bandt,all eyes were on the traditionally blue ribbon seats of Higgins and Kooyong,where the party was aiming to pick up a second lower house seat,but neither looked likely.
The Greens'Higgins candidate,Jason Ball,was not looking strong enough to steal the seat from Liberal candidate Katie Allen,with only about 23 per cent of first preference votes after 15 per cent of the vote had been counted.
At his election night party in Melbourne on Saturday night,Mr Ball told a raucous crowd the mood in the electorate had been"one for change".
"There were a lot of people who told me they had voted for the Liberal Party their entire lives and today they voted for the Greens,"he said.