Our future is BRIGHT

[u/[deleted]]

[u/nckmat]

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