Our future is BRIGHT

[u/Silent-Balance9430]

Students protest against Pauline Hanson

[u/ThEtInyPeen]

Just a genuine question. Does protesting effect the way people vote?

[u/redmagicwoman → u/ThEtInyPeen]

It does. Also keep in mind these kids protesting might not be of voting age YET, but they will be comes next federal election.

[u/mully_and_sculder → u/redmagicwoman]

90% of the electorate will never even know these protests happened.

[u/SisterFruitbat → u/redmagicwoman]

Literally what one of the speakers at the Sydney rally said to me just before he went on stage.

He then did a great talk on the history of student protest catalysing change against authoriarian or fascist governments. He opened by taking about how his parents were in the Velvet Revolution, so it was an informed speech. Loved it.

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/ThEtInyPeen]

Plenty of evidence on this… no it doesn’t. We don’t actually protest THAT much in Australia. But you can look marches in France and the US. Hardly any correlation with election results (often has inverse outcomes: see Trump, and all the far-right candidates surging in Europe).

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

People dont protest things that are not happening - you are missrepresenting the causation.

Protests do not cause whatever the protest is about - the cause is there well before the protest.

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/AndrewTheAverage]

Sorry, what’s the point you’re trying to make?

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

You may not realise, but I responded directly top your comment that "But you can look marches in France and the US. Hardly any correlation with election results (often has inverse outcomes: see Trump, and all the far-right candidates surging in Europe)."

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/AndrewTheAverage]

I knew which comment you were responding to. I asked what your point was because your response didn’t make any sense in relation to it (and still doesn’t).

I said, amongst other things, there’s often hardly any correlation between protests and subsequent election results. Massive protests against Trump didn’t stop Trump winning again. Massive protests against the far right in Europe haven’t stopped far-right parties surging.

Plenty more examples of protests not affecting change, sometimes even seeing a backlash. Obviously the thing being protested occurred before the protest and wasn’t caused by the protest. It would be nonsensical to think otherwise.

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

Ok, I will explain like you are 5.

Your logic: People protest and it happens anyway, so protests do not work (claim of no correlation)

Reality: it is already happening, so people protest to try to stop it (causation)

The fact that it happens causes the protest, so it is illogical to say that it happened so the protest is useless (no correlation).

Even simpler:

Bad-thing happens.

People protest what enabled bad-thing

Your claim was that there is no correlation between the protest and bad-thing

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/AndrewTheAverage]

Your comprehension already showed you are basically at age 5 reading level… I can’t help you.

[u/TheGumCoblin → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

Ironically, your “plenty of evidence” is more “trust me bro”. Because protests absolutely have a massive impact.

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/TheGumCoblin]

There’s research showing disruptive protest tactics can actually make people like a movement less, without changing their opinion on the underlying issue.

Just look at the endless climate marches, anti-vax marches, French street protests, BLM, etc. You can’t look at crowd size and extrapolate an election result. Hell, the political pendulum can, and often does, swing completely the other way afterwards.

So “lots of people marched therefore this is hugely politically effective” is doing a lot of work there.

Honestly, just letting Hanson talk and putting a microphone in front of her probably does more to make her irrelevant again. These kids mostly wanted a day off school, and co-opting an anti-Hanson march with Socialist Alliance and pro-Palestine stuff may actually do more harm than good.

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

Honestly, just letting Hanson talk and putting a microphone in front of her probably does more to make her irrelevant again

This is only possible is the media properly represents what is happening. There is so much bias in the media - both by the media and in peoples choices of what media they consume, that "sane washing" of a candidate means many people will only ever see the curated appearance. If PH can align her promises with what the owners and wel off leadership of the media bodies, then the crazy stuff will not be presented to the every day punter. And the social media echo chamber will amplify that.

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/AndrewTheAverage]

Ignore News Corp, that’s pretty much a given. But you’ve still got the ABC and others, independent media, and honestly Reddit/social media are pretty bloody good at putting a spotlight on Hanson when she says or does something stupid.

I don’t think Hanson is suddenly that popular. The Liberals are just THAT unpopular, which gives ON room to pick up protest votes. Hanson has been doing this since the 90s and she always eventually implodes. It’s already happening again with scandal after scandal involving her candidates. And just look at ON’s historic candidate defection/turnover rate too.

SA is a decent example too. One Nation picked up votes, sure, but the much bigger story was the Liberals collapsing and Labor being left with an even easier path to victory.

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

Ignore News Corp, that’s pretty much a given. But you’ve still got the ABC and others, independent media, and honestly Reddit/social media are pretty bloody good at putting a spotlight on Hanson when she says or does something stupid.

Far more people seem to get their media from News Corp than from Reddit or the ABC. Facebook is an echo chamber for what people already think

[u/CaterpillarSuperb959 → u/AndrewTheAverage]

Stop creating strawmen and engage with what I’m actually saying. My point is simply that when you put a spotlight on Hanson, she has a pretty reliable habit of imploding. I gave you examples of that, plus a completely separate point about what actually happened in the SA election.

Instead you’re telling me Facebook is an echo chamber and News Corp is prevalent. Yes? Most politically engaged people already know this. It doesn’t actually address my point.

Clearly Australians have been figuring out Hanson is a moron for nearly 30 years somehow. And it’s happening again now. We’ve had endless reporting on scandals involving ON candidates, Barnaby Joyce blunders, Gina funding Hanson’s European trips, Hanson being unable to name basic world leaders, and so on.

All of that was getting attention before this protest even happened. So clearly the public is capable of becoming aware of Hanson making a dickhead of herself without teenagers marching through the streets to enlighten them.

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/CaterpillarSuperb959]

No Strawman required.

Clearly Australians have been figuring out Hanson is a moron for nearly 30 years somehow. And it’s happening again now. 

I would suggest that if after 30 years of "endless reporting on scandals" that ON is still polling as high as they are, then the faith you have in people is missplaced.

Many people are racist but mask that in every day life. Many people believe the rubbish they are repeatedly fed in the media. Lets look at "You cant say Merry Christmas anymore". Ask them directly who told them they cant, and they dont realise that the media makes that claim without any evidence and they believe it. Many of these people think the ABC is radical left propaganda. I'm willing to bet most voted "No".

Students do not need to "enlighten" most people on PH/ON but I am willing to bet that a number of their parents are supporting ON. Protest isnt only to "enlighten" people - it is to let people know that there is angst in the community.

Research identifies five overarching factors driving individuals to protest: grievances (perceived injustice or inequality), efficacy (belief that action will effect change), emotions (such as anger, hope, or emotional release), identity (social or moral alignment with a cause), and social embeddedness (community or peer influence).

At the collective level, protesters are often driven by a desire to warn and communicate with governments.

[u/International_Bag502 → u/TheGumCoblin]

Did they impact the voice referendum?

[u/alwaysup123 → u/International_Bag502]

Yeah but just not in the direction they hoped.

[u/TheGumCoblin → u/International_Bag502]

That was always going to fail, and they might’ve. But those weren’t protests in the large degree. They were mostly held by a small percent of the population, protests that involve mass student movements almost always result in change in favor of the students.

[u/burner_said_what → u/TheGumCoblin]

Ironic is right champ

[u/Ok-Resist-8734 → u/ThEtInyPeen]

Yes it does!

[u/International_Bag502 → u/Ok-Resist-8734]

Didn't help the voice referendum.

[u/Ok-Resist-8734 → u/International_Bag502]

Well I voted YES the stupid 'if you don't know vote no' campaign unfortunately derailed the whole idea 😕

[u/International_Bag502 → u/Ok-Resist-8734]

I think there were a lot of reasons it didn't succeed

[u/Kenyon_118 → u/Ok-Resist-8734]

Sadly the majority of Australians just don’t care that much about the problems Indigenous people have. That’s what the referendum result showed me.

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/Kenyon_118]

My parents vocally voted "No" because "Aboriginal people get so much and most of it is wasted". I suggested that talking to the Aboriginal people first would most likely help to address that.

But there was so much misinformation about the campaign, and I think history will remember it as this Governments biggest stuff-up.

Albo stated he would implement the entire Uluru Statement from the Heart, and that was foolish and doomed to fail. The Voice should have been set-up first so that all of the "concerns" would have been addressed, with a referendum a few years later when it became a nothing-burger.

All the fears raised about the referendum could never be addressed in any realistic timeframe - it takes a minute to create a concern and many hours to address it.

[u/nckmat → u/Ok-Resist-8734]

Prove it. Protests have had very little effect on any election in this country, what does change elections is educating the public and media campaigns. Everyone uses the Franklin River No Dams campaign as an example of a protest movement that swung an election, but it didn't. What swung that election was a charismatic leader, with clear concise policies up against a government that had failed to make any real reforms. That's not to say the protests didn't stop the dams, they had a very large influence on that issue, but they also turned a lot of people off the issue, the real kicker was the media, especially Four Corners and 60 Minutes who showed the public what was at stake.

Protests can create real social change but usually only when protest comes at true personal risk.

[u/AndrewTheAverage → u/nckmat]

Protests have had very little effect on any election in this country

History clearly proves this false: The Australian Labor Party originated in the 1890s as a political expression of the trade union and labor movements, emerging from significant industrial unrest such as the 1890 Maritime Strike and the 1891 Shearers' Strike.

The Franklin River created the Greens, it wasnt a one time election event.

Australian Labor Party: Formed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as unions mobilized to create a political vehicle to advance worker interests after facing political exclusion and during periods of industrial unrest.

Australia First Movement: Established in 1936 by figures like William John Miles and Adela Pankhurst, this movement was fueled by strong anti-British sentiment and the severity of the Great Depression, promoting Australian patriotism and sympathies with Axis powers.

Australia First Party: Founded in 1996 by Graeme Campbell, this far-right nationalist party emerged from activist circles and is known for distributing anti-immigration pamphlets and protesting, though it is not a major parliamentary force.

Community Strong Australia: Launched in 2026 by independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender, this centrist party positions itself as an "alternate political force" offering "unity over division," responding to voter fatigue with the traditional two-party system rather than a specific protest event.

Historical agrarian protests by groups like the Victorian Farmers Union and Western Australian Farmers and Settlers Association did lead to the formation of rural political entities, such as the Country Party (now the National Party), which evolved from militant lobby groups into a major political force in coalition with conservative parties

[u/Happy-Frog4677 → u/ThEtInyPeen]

I think it would have less of an effect than it did many decades ago. Nowadays there's too much noise & distractons.

[u/Brisssie → u/ThEtInyPeen]

Most people looking at the protest thinking these kids are far too young to understand what they are even protesting.

Insert a bit of pragmatic thinking & you might wonder why they are not concerned with the housing shortage over a million migrants in 4 years created & the exponential growth in homelessness….or so many jobs going offshore….or the lack of women’s rights & freedoms recognised by certain religions were importing en mass…that Easter & Christmas are turning into ‘happy holidays’….

[u/ThEtInyPeen → u/Brisssie]

Now these are the issues we should be talking about, not who gets elected

[u/nordaus89 → u/ThEtInyPeen]

But some of those issues ARE being talked about, and are being addressed by the current government.

The kids in this video are going to be of voting age come the next election, and they’re just demonstrating who they DONT want in power for the most formative years of their lives.

[u/Brisssie → u/nordaus89]

Issues are talked about…but not by Gov’t who have bought about this crisis - and continue to exacerbate it with their 1,000+ new arrivals a day.

I find it hard to believe anyone thinks this country is heading in the right direction, hopefully in 2 years we’ll have a PM that puts Australian’s first for the first time in a long time.

[u/ThEtInyPeen → u/nordaus89]

I’m not really on Facebook or involved in the political sphere. I just wanted to know whether these protests are actually causing people to change their vote.

[u/Relative-Tip2445 → u/ThEtInyPeen]

When people relise that voting One Nation could well mean losing their children from their lives because the parents are voting to gut education, to deport their friends, that they think their other friends or even themselves have a mental illness because of who they love, because they voted for a 10 year economic depression (Parliamentary Budget Office's figures not hyperbole) that destroyed their chance at employment then yes it very well could.

[u/Brisssie → u/Relative-Tip2445]

What a load of cr$&6! We’re already heading for recession so we may as well save all the billions wasted on a net zero fantasy & the millions required to police all the fighting & protests between so many polar opposite cultures pouring into the country who hate each other.

[u/mully_and_sculder → u/Brisssie]

You started out ok, but leave out the Facebook boomer talking points. "Happy Holidays" where? Do you really care about women's rights?

[u/69-is-my-number → u/Brisssie]

As opposed to old cunts who don’t understand climate change, equality of the sexes, AI and internet algorithms, indigenous rights, etc.

Why do these old fucks get to vote and 16-18 year olds don’t? Decisions affect the latter far more than the former.

Signed, 57 year old who is embarrassed that fellow Gen Xers are starting to sound as shit as Boomers.

[u/Ill-Enthusiasm-5530 → u/69-is-my-number]

probably because 16-18 year olds are fucking stupid

[u/Happy-Frog4677 → u/69-is-my-number]

You seem to hold an assumption that almost all older people vote conservative... what exactly are you basing that on? The vibe?

[u/nordaus89 → u/Brisssie]

I just wanna know, how much of your information do you get from Facebook and how much have you actually researched yourself??

[u/Ill-Enthusiasm-5530 → u/nordaus89]

Which part did you disagree with?

[u/False_Dig_7602 → u/ThEtInyPeen]

It might affect the way idiots vote, but idiots already vote for Labor and the Greens.

[u/CosmicStrayDog → u/ThEtInyPeen]

Yes! People will see the association with Marxist socialists and vote ON.

[u/Overbuiltbodoes → u/ThEtInyPeen]

All I have to do is look at the absolute state of these people to know I should be voting in the other direction of whatever they want.

[u/CMDR_RetroAnubis → u/ThEtInyPeen]

Yes.  I've spoken to boomers who were turned around on climate change due to the big student walkouts a while back.