WITH oaths and affirmations complete, Holyrood has its full complement of MSPs once more. This will be my fourth session of the parliament. Each one has a had a distinct feel with different opportunities and challenges.

The last session – with a majority government – was obviously a tough gig for opposition parties, as ministers never had to work to convince anyone; the votes were in the bag. Even so, the Green attitude of constructive challenge delivered progress on rent controls, fracking and underground coal gasification, fan ownership of football clubs, and energy efficient housing. There will clearly be opportunities for more open debate in the coming session with a minority government. In her speech outside Bute House last Friday, Nicola Sturgeon talked of leading an inclusive government that reaches out to others.

There’s an obvious area of agreement between Greens and the SNP. We’re the only parties in Holyrood that support the principle of an independent Scotland. Between us there remains a pro-independence majority in parliament. And our approach to the next independence referendum is similar, in that we want to win by strengthening the case and building broader public support.

We also agree on the benefits of Scotland and the UK remaining in the European Union. UK media is obsessed with the views of Tories and Ukip, who either bang on about the needs of big business or peddle racist fears about immigrants. The social and environmental protections the EU has given us must be defended and built upon. We may be exhausted from the Holyrood campaign, but Greens intend to make our voices heard in the remaining few weeks before the vote on June 23.

There are also areas of agreement between the Greens and other opposition parties in parliament, which I daresay are providing food for thought for the SNP as it considers how to reach out and be inclusive as the First Minister suggested.

Take, for example, council tax. The cross-party local tax commission concluded that it’s discredited and must be replaced. I know many SNP members were disappointed when their party, which had previously promised to scrap the tax, decided to keep it and not even revalue. It means we’re paying bills based on property values from a quarter of a century ago, and as the commission pointed out, most households are in the wrong band, so are paying the wrong amount.

Greens have long advocated a land value tax and our interim proposal of a residential property tax, under which most households would pay less, would get us a step closer to that goal. It would also ensure the tax was fair, accurate and truly local. In the weeks running up to the election we saw Labour dump their previous support for the council tax freeze in favour of a new property tax, and we saw the LibDems abandon their policy of a local income tax to state a preference for LVT instead. It does feel like an area where some common ground can be reached. And given the pressures our local services are under, I hope many SNP members pressure their leadership for action in the current session.

Then there’s air passenger duty. The SNP’s policy of halving then scrapping it makes no social or environmental sense. The true climate emissions impact of the policy is something Greens exposed and there is a growing consensus across the opposition parties that it is not the way to proceed. We could instead explore ideas such as a frequent flyer levy so that we don’t penalise occasional family holidays, but do ensure those causing the greatest impact pay a fairer share. The argument that APD holds back our tourism industry simply doesn’t stand up, and any replacement must pass objective social and environmental tests.

We must also see the issue of the post-oil economy taken more seriously. There are many more jobs to be had by growing existing, viable, alternative industries than currently exist in fossil fuel extraction. In recent months Tories and LibDems have made light of our ambition to turn Scotland into a world leader in new industries and build an economy that will last. The need to transition towards a low-carbon economy will grow stronger and it’s vital we make that case.

The opportunity that exists in this session of parliament isn’t just for opposition parties; it’s for the governing party’s own membership. They have made clear that they want stronger action on rent controls, land reform and fracking. I would urge them to keep the pressure on.

I’m delighted the Scottish Greens are now a group of six rather than two, and that we’re the fourth rather than fifth party of the parliament. We campaigned for a bolder Holyrood to deliver a better Scotland and we intend to make good on that pledge.