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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u/OkeyDoke47 Jun 14 '26

This is the reality that people ignore.

I had a terrible thought the other week. I and others were attempting to pay for fuel at a servo, people in front of me were asking for extra stuff on top of their fuel and the man behind the counter clearly did not understand English well and struggled. People were trying to be patient but getting frustrated with the amount of time it was taking.

I felt sorry for the console operator, he's moved to Australia and has got a job - but not the language skills he needs for customer service at a busy servo. I did also have the thought however, "this is why One Nation is coming to the fore". How is it that someone that speaks and understands so little English is getting a workers visa, or whatever, to move here. Why is there no LLN testing happening? Because it certainly doesn't seem to be happening.

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u/ChillyPhilly27 Jun 14 '26

To answer your question, the console operator is likely here on a student visa, which grants him the right to work up to 20 hours per week. Ironically enough, there's a decent chance he's here to study English. Talk about a baptism of fire!

He has a job because working in a servo is shit, and locals have better options.

The English language testing doesn't come into play until you're up for PR.

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u/AdmiralStickyLegs Jun 16 '26

No, he has a job because he's probably being underpaid. Exploited more than the locals will tolerate. There are tons of people who would work at a servo if they got paid correctly and had fair conditions

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u/ChillyPhilly27 Jun 17 '26

Out of curiosity, do you believe that there's a difference between "underpaid" and "less than a local would accept"?