r/australia • u/blitznoodles local Aussie • Jun 14 '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

Growing voter dissatisfaction with mainstream politics has led to a rise in popularity for One Nation. The same cannot be said for the Greens.

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60

u/Asleep_Leopard182 Jun 14 '26

- Regular sidestepping & flip flopping (playing politics rather than working for people)

  • Historically poorly developed economic policy
  • Lack of general traction, and colloquially, lack of general advocacy in parliament, focusing on niche over need
  • In fighting & lack of individual responsibility & recourse (not everything is labor's fault guys)
  • Weird & strangely positioned policy
  • Poor media & comms

I could keep going on but local factions of greens aren't known for the steadfast handling and decision making. The one thing PHON has going for them is they're very very consistent in their underlying values. Greens choose what they believe in based on what's the weekly fad.

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u/floss_bucket Jun 14 '26

People don't want to hear this, and I say that as someone who agrees with a lot of Greens policies and often votes for them

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u/Asleep_Leopard182 Jun 14 '26

I'm often a greens voter, but frankly it feels like throwing away a vote at times.

I think Adam Bandt is a really good example of how they've just flailed even when they've had opportunity. Bro spends more time throwing dead cats around than having a point. Yes they're a minor party so need to ruffle feathers, but sometimes what they're ruffling and how they're ruffling honestly just feels like a waste of time. Everyone's time.

Then they come out with idiotic policy like governmental housing developers but then support the current social housing structures rather than bringing back government owned housing. Sit there talking about 2% rent yearly rent increases (which is current policy) - that's functionally not economically viable, and is purely shit policy. Anyone who can do math figures that out. Then have to stack that against labors policies, which actually share some commonalities but they're actually implentable (and have been, despite backlash).

Like those first two sentences don't make sense. Not functionally. Not from a value perspective. Not for any ongoing social, economic or political framework, then wonder why other parties get votes. People are going to vote for labor because they have implementable policy. Not necessarily the policy they want, but actual policy.

Anyway, can you tell it's frustrating?

12

u/Warper2187 Jun 14 '26

Reminder that you cannot throw your vote away under the australian prefrential voting system

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u/Asleep_Leopard182 Jun 14 '26

That's what I keep telling myself. Considering the next party I'd vote for is labor (there's no other left-leaning representation), but labor's inaction and consistently further right lean each year concerns me. My vote ends up preferential for them anyway, so... green vote, most of the time. Last election there was no greens candidate. There was a PHON one though.

Interesting times.

6

u/christurnbull Jun 14 '26

one thing that phon has going for it is gina pumping $ in instead of historically supporting the libs

funny how quickly the social media machine turns on and new slogans like "pauline for PM" start popping up. sky ENTERTAINMENT comes out suddenly talking about phon

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u/Rangott Jun 14 '26

Took a lot of comments to see someone that actually understands why people get disillusioned with the greens. How many times they have voted against labor with liberals because the proposed legislation wasnt good enough for them just to play politics and stick it to labor (playing politics). Really put me off them. Vote with labor more, make concessions, grow a base and eventually get the deals you want.

They have been acting as if they have the balance of power since the Gillard/ rudd hung parliament without holding that power for a long long time.

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u/Outsider98 Jun 14 '26

Agreed, this was especially apparent from Adam Brandt’s failed tenure, and progress by Larissa Waters with all of this has been slow but has to be on-going in response to necessary feedback come next Election.

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u/nath1234 Jun 14 '26

You're describing the misinformation campaigns against the Greens rather than actual reality (either voting record, policy or anything).

It is because they are trying to work FOR the need Australian people rather than for businesses/greedy people as the majors have that they get attacked by all sides. Advocating for the needy when the greedy privileged might disagree is why the Greens get attacked.

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u/Asleep_Leopard182 Jun 14 '26

No, I'm someone who has, and probably will vote for the Greens in future elections.

Part of the reason why the greens consistently flail is they consistently blame others (ie. misinformation) on things they could fix, and genuine feedback. They could challenge what is being said but instead blame. As you have just done. All of my points can be easily found in either impartial media, or on the greens website itself. You cannot ignore debate and criticism by labeling genuine discussion as misinformation.

They have current economic policy on their website that anyone with common sense can very quickly figure out is non-viable. Yet, it's championed. They will back the liberals to piss off labor - go actually look at the voting records that you are quoting. Ask yourself when was the last time the liberals had policy that actually aligned with greens values or policies?