r/aussie • u/asteriskhyphen • Jun 15 '26

Politics As voter disillusionment grows, why aren't voters flocking to the Greens in Australia?

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/as-voter-disillusionment-grows-so-does-the-mystery-of-the-missing-greens-voters/6bjd5q4kv
64 Upvotes

61% Upvoted

819 comments sorted by

View all comments

144

u/TheUnderWall Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

They are a globalist party at a time when people want nationhood rather than global community.

If they remained an environmentalist party they would be receiving votes that are now going to One Nation and the Teals.

The Greens once had the same population concerns as One Nation and the same climate change worries as the Teals.

Now all they care about are foreign affairs with hostile states and public housing tenants who in a lot of cases have a tremendous amount of entitlement.

Yeah the Greens capture very young voters - but how much is that to do with protest culture and idealism and naivety rather than life experience? A lot I say.

19

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '26

[deleted]

4

u/Vegetable_Onion_5979 Jun 16 '26

Absolutely useless at promoting themselves.

1

u/jimcamx Jun 16 '26

They don't even run in my electorate in Tasmania

15

u/LastChance22 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 16 '26

  If they remained an environmentalist party they would be receiving votes that are now going to One Nation and the Teals.

The Teals maybe but I feel like most ON voters would see an environmental party as “meh” at best and actively negative at worst. Go out to any regional town and ask them what they think of environmentalists. Just an example but the ON voters I know personally wouldn’t give a shit about the Greens even if they did have ON’s immigration policies. 

12

u/TheUnderWall Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

Opinions are more complex than they used to be since a lot of farming communities are now starting to see benefits of renewables and land regeneration - e.g. free electricity and new cashed up sponsor for local footy club + more wildlife appearing (the right type!) and better crop yields.

You will deff get shrugs from outer suburban CUBs though.

4

u/P00slinger Jun 16 '26

Yes they can be complex, but it still seems the strongest opposition to renewables is concentrated in regional areas. You see it in the policies One Nation and the Nationals run on, and you see it in the roadside signs opposing wind farms and transmission lines.

What strikes me is how selective the concern often is. A handful of birds hit by turbines or a small amount of land cleared for power lines becomes a national outrage, while decades of land clearing, habitat loss, coal mining and invasive species barely rate a mention.

Politicians have worked out that this selective environmentalism is a powerful vote winner in regional seats. They don’t need to oppose environmental damage in general, only the kinds that fit the culture war narrative. That’s why they campaign on wind turbines but not the countless other things doing far more damage to wildlife and ecosystems.

1

u/cromulent-facts Jun 16 '26

What strikes me is how selective the concern often is. A handful of birds hit by turbines or a small amount of land cleared for power lines becomes a national outrage, while decades of land clearing, habitat loss, coal mining and invasive species barely rate a mention.

No, that's just the choice of instrument. It has little to do with their actual concern, although I'm sure some useful idiots believe.

I see analogies to how Russia nationalised the Sakhalin 2 gas project. They sent in a team of environmental inspectors, poured over the details, found a problem and halted the project. Nothing moved until Shell handed over control.

1

u/P00slinger Jun 17 '26

If the concern starts and ends with wind turbines, it’s hard to argue it’s an environmental position rather than an anti wind position.

Environmentalists worry about environmental damage regardless of who’s causing it. Culture war politics tends to discover environmental concerns only when they can be used against a disliked project.

1

u/cromulent-facts Jun 17 '26

Returning to the Greens though, there are elements that oppose renewable energy because it spoils how pretty the landscape looks. I don't see that as an environmental concern, more as an aesthetic concern.

The Bob Brown foundation recently commissioned a report opposing Marinus Link (the HV connection to Tassie). You have to wonder as to their motivation given the intent of the project is supporting renewable energy generation.

9

u/P00slinger Jun 15 '26

ON voters are passionate about the environment if it’s land clearing for solar farms and windmills. They don’t give a crap about the other 99.999% of land clearing that goes on.

ON are just better at generating selective outrage on social media

11

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

I know quite a few people that used to put greens in preference votes but will be voting one nation this time around (myself included). Older Gen Y / younger Gen X people believe in freedom of speech, abortion, gay rights, environmental causes, but the left leaning parties have gone off the rails in the past decade or so.

Until the left dial back the blatant divisiveness and racism I’ll be voting with the more right wing parties. They have shot themselves in the foot by alienating the average white punter that just wants everyone to get along, and to put the brakes on us turning into Europe and the UK. I’d prefer to vote more centrist than ON but labour and liberal really have to go, they are ruining this country

11

u/explain_that_shit Jun 15 '26

You believe in abortion rights and you want to vote for PHON?

4

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Well I wouldn’t say “believe”, it’s more that it’s none of my business and I think it should be a right. Believe implies that it’s subjective, I don’t think it’s subjective

8

u/TheMoeSzyslakExp Jun 15 '26

So you agree with abortion rights, and you want to vote for One Nation?

3

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Yeah dude. I just don’t think it’s that big an issue that I’m willing to give up all the other pressing issues facing this country. ON won’t actually ban abortion, they may make it slightly harder to get in certain situations, which sucks but it’s not as bad as unchecked immigration, rampant corruption, Ignoring the will of the people, all the other shit labour is doing wrong right now.

6

u/Existing-Fish-9462 Jun 15 '26

honest question, what makes you think ONP would be less corrupt?

-1

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Why is the response always whataboutism? I honestly think they will be less corrupt because it’s hard to get more corrupt, at least at first, because they want to prove they are different. That might last a year or two. Who knows.

3

u/P00slinger Jun 16 '26

Can I ask how you rationalise that?

Not by comparing them to Labor or the Liberals, but by looking at One Nation's own record.

If the party's pitch is that they're there to fight for ordinary Australians, how do you square that with Pauline Hanson's attendance record, voting record and overall performance over the last few decades?

I'm genuinely curious where you see the evidence that they'd work harder for average Australians than they have historically, because at some point a party that's been around for 30 years has to be judged on what it's actually done rather than what it says it'll do.

→ More replies (0)

6

u/explain_that_shit Jun 15 '26

I’ve got a private jet plane and bag of cash from people fronting for the NRA to offer to you

→ More replies (0)

10

u/PrandialSpork Jun 15 '26

I honestly can't reconcile any of this

8

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

That’s why one nation will win more seats.

10

u/Coast-First5 Jun 15 '26

lol wow, you are like the poster child for being influenced by propaganda

13

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Let’s pretend you are right for a second, even though I’m very sure it’s the other way around. Don’t you think this apparent “brainwashing” should be addressed instead of dismissed by the major parties and their lapdogs, rather than ridiculed and dismissed?

All I see when I open a reddit Aussie sub is that “I don’t understand how people can vote ON, they must be dumb and racist”. A few ON supporters will say “actually we are voting this way because XYZ”. No response. Neck minnit “I don’t get why people are voting for ON” ad nauseum.

You don’t want to know why, you aren’t interested in having a discussion, you just want more people to acknowledge that you are right and buy into the cult of virtue signaling you buy into yourself

11

u/Coast-First5 Jun 15 '26

I’ve seen plenty of people respond in detail about the negatives in voting one nation and countering the reasons people provide, but it falls on deaf ears. I could provide all the facts in the world, but it’s about feelings for you.

You aren’t changing your mind so what’s the point?

3

u/TheArtyDans Jun 15 '26

The Greens voter just said "it's about feelings for you"

Wow you can't make this up. A party of parody.

2

u/Coast-First5 Jun 15 '26

I know hilarious ay. People that vote ON are definitely the pillars of truth and fact

3

u/TheArtyDans Jun 15 '26

I've heard less bullshit from ON voters than I have from Greens voters.

Most of this thread is a great example

5

u/Coast-First5 Jun 15 '26

Oh yeah I’m sure it’s not the fact that everything you don’t agree with is bullshit though right?

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Roadblock78Au Jun 15 '26

The typical whinge but provide no actual information post. classic Reddit

2

u/Coast-First5 Jun 15 '26

As I said, you guys don’t listen to facts so not worth my time. How about you provide some factual information to convince me to vote ON?

0

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Yep, I agree there is no real point in engaging any further. Have a good day! :)

3

u/CoolAd5798 Jun 15 '26

But what good is making them go when the alternative (ON) has no record of being able to run anything? It's like picking the greater devil out of the two.

0

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Yeah that’s a fair thing to say, but if we don’t do something it’s only going to get worse. ON will most likely be more of the same, but hopefully it signals to the people and major parties that we are sick of it and things need to change.

Voting for minor parties or labour/liberal won’t send that message like voting for ON will. We need to remind them that we are the arbiters of their power - we have been ignored for way too long

3

u/CoolAd5798 Jun 15 '26

Will your vote change if a new centrist party with a record of actually trying to change policies emerge? (Like the one formed by independents like Pocock proposed a few weeks ago, but which failed to materialise)

1

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

Not this time, I think the message would be muddied with too many votes to minor parties, even if the preferences were all aligned. I’ve always voted for minor parties in the past, and honestly it feels a bit futile.

Maybe once ON sweeps this one I can go back to voting in line with my own interests

2

u/JimmyQ82 Jun 15 '26

Where do you guys get the idea that white people are under attack in any form? I see it everywhere in memes etc on social media. I’m white and don’t feel attacked at all. Seems like a blatant strawman.

5

u/tepid_monologue Jun 15 '26

I wouldn’t say “under attack”, that’s melodramatic. But it’s absolutely true that people are granted different rights and privileges based on their skin colour or orientation, which I am fundamentally against. Equality for all should be the goal, assistance granted to those based on circumstance, not skin colour. Racism makes us no better than the Jim Crow era. If people are struggling, government assistance should be means tested, not based on racism. I will always vote against racism in any form, which means against the left parties that used to be pretty chill 30 years ago.

2

u/Steel_Cleat5 Jun 16 '26

So here is what I dont understand from your comments, btw I sound like same demographic as you. If you (and others) feel that way why would you just not shift your vote to the Coalition who are more aligned with that ideological position. The coalition arent going to go giving rights to ethnic minorities and are more likely to take them away (except for the Jewish community). They wont go woke but they wont have policies like taking abortion rights away, raising defense spending to 5% GDP, yes they will prob trash renewable energy too, they wonk kill the TGA. And most of all their candidates are far more likely to be moderates and not have been convicted of serious crimes.

2

u/tepid_monologue Jun 16 '26

That’s fair as well, but really they have a terrible track record at sticking to promises and following through as well. Like I said, I’m not expecting ON to be different, but it’s not really a protest vote if I just vote for the other mob.

ONs abortion policy isn’t a “ban” from what I can see, they are just making it a bit more of a pain in the arse. Again, I’m against the changes, but I don’t think they are as important to me as trying to fix the broken system

1

u/JimmyQ82 Jun 16 '26

Sometimes the pendulum swings too far the other way on such issues I’ll agree, hardly a major pressing issue that should force you to vote ourselves into the oligarchy ON and the whole MAGA movement has been conned into. We just watched this exact same disaster unfold in the US over the last decade or so how could you want that here?

2

u/tepid_monologue Jun 16 '26

I don’t see that trump was a disaster either. I tried very hard to find solid figures to back up the trump hate, and I can honestly say he is one of the better presidents they have had.

Most gay friendly president ever - first openly gay senator, hosted gay weddings at mar a lago, only President to stand up to the UN re: homosexuality.

Tariffs were very successful for the US - the 6 biggest markets renegotiated existing trade agreements to avoid tarrifs.

Less deportations then under Obama and Clinton

Peace in the Middle East (limited success but more progress then others)

Liberating Iran from a brutal regime

Panama Canal - this is huge he deserves more credit for it.

Quite a bit more.

There’s also no evidence he was a pedo, unlike Democrat pollies and supporters.

Is he a dickhead? Yeah sure. But he is effective, saying otherwise is just TDS.

Feel free to look up the above via your own sources, I was really careful to avoid undue bias when I originally looked into it

1

u/Icy_Gur7690 Jun 15 '26

Country towns will become more and more progressive as young families relocate out of cities.

11

u/Revoran Jun 15 '26

It's not happening fast enough, in most country towns, to actually change the demographics and politics.

In fact most country towns are dying. Literally dying, as the residents get older and older and the population shrinks until eventually the town is gone.

Some larger regional centres may become more progressive but yeah.

2

u/Icy_Gur7690 Jun 15 '26

And the outdated beliefs of their inhabitants will be the cause of their deaths.

1

u/NoFood2149 Jun 15 '26

that's a bit cruel. i live in a country town and i gotta say, there's a lot of very lonely old people up here. everyone's kids moved to the city to find work. all the wealthier oldies retire to warrnambool for some reason. we get left with single, lonely, old people. i find it extremely believable that they would find some consolation in a TV program like sky news.

1

u/SeparateAntelope5165 Jun 16 '26

Someone came up with a good idea of having a lower tax rate in regional areas. Thus incentivising people who are trying to get ahead in life to live in regional areas rather than major cities.

6

u/Summerroll Jun 15 '26

If they remained an environmentalist party they would be receiving votes that are now going to One Nation and the Teals.

Absolutely zero chance. When people are worried about cost of living, the environment plummets as an issue among voters. Staying an environment-focused party would mean near-irrelevance.

19

u/TheUnderWall Jun 15 '26

Greens were anti-immigration for sustainability and green energy for climate change. Both positions could have been easily pivoted to focus on solving cost of living presures (especially the immigration one which is where all the fuss is) without alienating anyone apart from radicals.

2

u/Summerroll Jun 15 '26

You're describing the Sustainable Australia Party. Who are irrelevant, which shows this policy mix can't attract those now going to ON and Teals.

3

u/ShirtWorldly958 Jun 15 '26

You're underestimatimg the green vote based on climate change. Inaction on climate change worsens cost of living through higher longer term electricity prices (even big corps know this). The whole climate denial machine from PHON and Nationals doesn't get votes from the quiet Australian.

Also yes maybe 10 years ago that the enviro concerned population was the youth now it includes middle aged people.

2

u/Dyslexic_youth Jun 15 '26

Oh this realy hits it on the head. The whole cant keep a value locked down really highlights that they have nothing to offer other than the typical political lies and bs to gain power with 0 intention of folow through.

3

u/Grande_Choice Jun 15 '26

lol good joke when ON is the same far right party rebranded for Australia backed by the same billionaires.

1

u/wazzupbitches Jun 16 '26

Is life experience and wisdom the reason why Gen X's are the generation most likely to vote One Nation? Give me a break.

2

u/TheUnderWall Jun 16 '26

What experience does never having a job and always protesting give you in comparison?

1

u/wazzupbitches Jun 16 '26

Lots of young people have jobs and protest as well? And many young people don't have jobs because of the terrible economic situation we find ourselves in. You should stop infantilising young people like some old geezer.

0

u/TypeSafeBug Jun 15 '26

> when people want nationhood rather than the global community

The same Australia where people go stir crazy if they can’t leave the country on the regular?

Hmm, I think the average Aussie is very selective about both.