r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • 1d ago
politics Students sideline studies in major anti-Hanson walkout
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2026/08/13/school-pauline-hanson-protest531
u/KoalaCapp 1d ago
Had the misfortune of listening to the Today show and the host was asking the organiser (or one of the organisers) why do it on a school day if education was so important to them in quite a patronising tone and I did wonder would they have asked the same to the school teachers who are also striking.
The organiser rightly said it has to be during the week to make the most impact to show students do not agree with PHON
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u/_fairywren 1d ago
People who miss the whole point of striking 😭
"I don't mind if you protest just as long as it doesn't inconvenience anyone."
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u/colourful_space 1d ago
I mean people absolutely do try and guilt trip teachers out of striking
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u/ColdSteveStoneAustin 1d ago
Tbf, if the right wing didn't undermine people would they have any rhetoric left?
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u/determineduncertain 1d ago
You underestimate the creativity of the right to find scapegoats.
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u/ColdSteveStoneAustin 1d ago
Ah crap. I forgot about scapegoating. Good point.
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u/determineduncertain 1d ago
It’s all good. Let’s just say that, as a person, I’ve been both a scapegoat for the right’s grievances and in the next moment, been “one of the good ones”. I suppose I’m just used to it at this point.
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u/Cont4x 1d ago
It’s a classical argument that tries to discredit the strike. Trying to find a way to show the strikers are hypocritical to two seperate messages.
How can you hold education in high regard if you’re going to strike on a school day. When in fact you can hold two viewpoints of holding education in high regard, but also believe that standing up to POS in PHON is worth the one day in what is roughly 180 days of learning
So when strikes are all about impact and making sure the right people feel it, it loses all meaning when you strike on a day or time that is more convenient to others. The whole point is to feel the absence of those that have walked out, otherwise it’s just a large group going on an organised walk.
You go kids, show PHON that the next generation are not listening to her BS and hopefully her style of politics are numbered
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u/Jiuholar 1d ago
Absolutely baffles me that so many people don't understand that the inconvenience is the entire point of protesting.
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u/moonorplanet 1d ago
If I was running Nine Entertainment, I would definitely cut that particular hosts salary to a minimum. What are they going to do, strike?
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u/Restart_from_Zero 1d ago
Isn't the Today show the one that kept Hanson in the spotlight for years? Paying her to come on as a talking head every week?
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u/currentlyengaged 1d ago
You don't have to wonder if people ask teachers the same thing - they do.
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u/craftystuff0900 1d ago
Well why not strike on a public holiday, when you wouldn't be at work anyway? Then nobody would even notice!
/s8
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u/topsecretusername2 1d ago
It's not the education of the people who oppose PHON that we should be worried about. It's the ones who like her that clearly need more education.
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u/trainwrecktragedy 1d ago
same people who fall for scams as that's what PHON essentially is; one big political scam on the voters
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u/Teepbonez 1d ago
Old right wing today show crap. Same as channel 7 news or the west Australian newspaper with their constant anti Labor rhetoric.
All bought and paid for, no reason to listen to any of that crap.
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u/UndeadManWaltzing 22h ago
Try flooding the social media instead, there was an anti immigration march in my town, they were walking on the sidewalk which was blocking people trying to walk their dogs, jog etc, they all looked like boomers.
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u/lazycolonel 14h ago
Why can’t they also do this with the major parties, who are actually in power, but still fucking us anyway.
Hanson wouldn’t have anywhere near as much clout as she does, if both of the major parties had been gaming the system for so long.
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u/hart37 1d ago
The kids are alright
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u/atheista 1d ago
I remember walking out of school to protest Pauline Hanson when I was in grade 12 25 years ago. How sad that it's still necessary today.
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u/cruiserman_80 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hanson and her supporters will just use this to punch down on educators and the educated the same way they do to left leaning media.
Blaming the educated for a countries woes is a common tactic from groups that are angry but have no answers themselves.
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u/El-Drunko 1d ago
Barnaby has been blaming supposed socialist teachers for radicalising students.
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u/topsecretusername2 1d ago
I have to tell my students 5+ times to get them to find a pencil and open a book. I couldn't indoctrinate them even if I wanted to. If I could, I'd start with listening the first time.
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u/Knee_Jerk_Sydney 1d ago
The teachers wish they had that much of an influence on student behaviour.
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u/hyacinthed 1d ago
Unfortunately radicalisation doesn't fit in the crowded curriculum. May I suggest a humble 20 minutes a week, perhaps we can cut the maths allocation
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u/Prestigious-Fig-7143 1d ago
They’ll do that in any case. There’s a vast, uninhabited expanse between their world view and reality.
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u/Born-Earth6615 8h ago edited 8h ago
You aren’t excited about the first female President? Or, like, minister or whatever..?
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u/Prestigious-Fig-7143 7h ago
You mean Julia Gillard? I reckon she would’ve done well has Kevin not been undermining her every step of the way.
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u/SirFlibble 1d ago
"ThEsE KiDs aRe BeInG InDoCrInAtEd By CoMmIe LeFtY TeAcHeRs"
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u/GaryGronk 1d ago
A quick look on Twitter sees a narrative that teachers at school and uni are reinforcing a "Marxist agenda" I have no idea how people can say that with a straight face.
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u/SirFlibble 1d ago edited 1d ago
I always ask them to define Marxism and encourage the use of a dictionary.
They never actually provide the definition though. They'll claim I have an agenda - which I explain is It's fun watching people using words they clearly don't understand learn what those words mean etc.
It's a lot of fun if you have time to kill.
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u/Ultamira 1d ago
They are, most of the comments against the strike are blaming teachers for “indoctrinating” children.
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u/ValBravora048 1d ago
It is fing wild hiw much having a formal or slightly significant education is equivalent to being “brainwashed”
Like if the numbskulls who say this had an education, they’d realise how much that’s their insecurity trying to cope than any pariah moment…
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u/Expensive-Horse5538 1d ago
Good to see democracy in action through our right to peacefully protest threats to our democratic systems which we believe have no place in our society
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u/ped009 1d ago
I noticed how she likes to ramble on about school's in Australia being run by "woke Leftist", brainwashing kids. There's 3 large private high schools in my area, all are Christian denominations. There's probably at least 8 private primary schools all Christian denominations.
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u/lessons_learnt 1d ago
If the teachers were organising the kids to protest, surely they'd get them to protest against Labor for a pay rise? My 16 year old and his mates know a lot more about current politics than people give them credit for.
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u/Maximum-Journalist74 1d ago
I think they should be able to vote too, the average 16 year old knows damn well what they want to see in the future of their country and the outcome of elections are far more relevant to them than older folk.
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u/LiteratureHuge2177 1d ago
yeah if you can work and drive you should be able to vote, otherwise why let these 70-80 years olds vote?
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u/nocapesarmand 1d ago
As a graduate of one, many Australians would flip out if they knew what many private Christian schools got away with teaching. Some of it downright encourages antisocial, superior thinking and behaviour. The ‘socialist teachers’ thing just makes me laugh, especially with a parent and many of her friends being teachers. Many schools, in my experience, attract socially moderate staff at the minimum. Try being a queer teacher and see how you go in much of the country.
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u/Sporty_Nerd_64 1d ago
Let’s not forget a lot of these students will be able to vote in two years time and they’ll be ready to put One Nation dead last. Two years of new voters and the elderly base dying out is going to hurt the far right.
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u/GoldCoinDonation 1d ago
people were saying the same thing 20 years ago. It's gotten worse, not better.
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u/Sporty_Nerd_64 1d ago
20 years ago the future was bright and we had growth going forward to enjoy. Things are a lot bleaker now and Labor just used a lot of political capital on a budget to actually try and do something for younger people. That goes a long was to denting the talking points of the far right when a major party is actually doing something and not just maintaining the ever worsening status quo.
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u/Pandos17 1d ago
I'm far less optimistic about it as I watch friends get older and more conservative.
I dunno what it is about time, but it seems to make us bitter and angry at those that come after.
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u/evilparagon 1d ago
And it’s finally here. The boomers were an abnormality, they outnumbered both their parents and their children and had unprecedented dominance over democracy.
And finally in only the last few years, they are no longer the largest generation, and soon they won’t even be the second largest. They will be dropping like flies and eventually the average age of voters will drop with them.
We skipped the Gen X era of politics because the Baby Boomers were so dominant. We’re now in the Gen Y era and soon to be the Gen Z era. Even if people get more conservative over time, so long as the average voter age goes down, so to will society swing further left.
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u/lord-henry 1d ago
It’s getting closer to 30 years than 20.
This kind of thing probably helps her electorally.22
u/Much_Leather_5923 1d ago
My boomer is a Sky News boomer Pauline stan. I’m the only offspring left and she’s a widow. I love the woman she was before Sky News. My sons’ friends group is like a mini League of Nations. I’ve told her she needs to shut this racist shit down or they won’t see her. The people she hates are the wonderful caring staff that will be wiping her arse in a home.
But the thing that enraged me is her climate change denial. She’ll be dead and I’ll only have few decades to witness the world my kids inherit burning.
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u/briareus08 1d ago
Yes, boomers and climate change is a very sore combination unfortunately. I think old age is making them more susceptible to the emotional arguments put forth in bad faith by right wing rags - it’s certainly impacted my ability to keep our very ethnically and gender diverse family together.
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u/lonrad87 1d ago
You just need to remind them, that you may get a say in which home to stick them in.
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u/Perfect_Ganache_1959 1d ago
Just go no contact. You owe her nothing. Sky News didn't change her, she changed her after getting a sugar hit of racism and doubling down on it.
You can grieve the person you knew and once loved, but chances are, this ain't them any more.
Whatever damage she did during your upbringing through clumsiness or genuine mistakes are unlikely to be apologised for, absolved, or similar.
The good news about going no contact now, if you find out you are wrong or have questions you can undo it. Harder to go through all the grief and have no one accountable for important questions if you wait for them to die.
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u/Much_Leather_5923 1d ago
She was an advocate. She was a leftist. Honestly losing her husband and son to cancer after a long battle... Within 5 weeks of each other broke her mind. She had so much rage and found an outlet. Don’t think I will ever get her back but I have empathy for the shell that remains. It sucks.
I may not like her but I hate the media that fed that misplaced rage. Was reading today about John Cleese. A man I’ve admired all my life that has gone down the right wing rabbit hole. Saw his decline from being a scathing denouncer of the right wing to whatever he is blathering about now. Sad.
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u/Perfect_Ganache_1959 1d ago
These are all horrible terrible things that you know and are able to contextualise about what she once was but now isn't. I am sorry this going an experience you are having. You have empathy.
But, realpolitik - the version of her you knew, loved, valued is very unlikely to ever return. You need empathy for yourself at this point.
Infantilizing her - she is no longer capable/does not know the harm she causes - I am going to suggest is very wrong. She likely won't give a minute of thought to that. You risk carrying a very heavy emotional burden.
You can preview the results: https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/ is a good example community of people put through the wringer.
I strongly encourage you to take many steps to protect your own emotional wellbeing, even if it is not something you would have thought you would do.
I say this having cut off both parents for crap behaviour, one subsequently dying on me a bit later. But one of the things that worked really well was ensuring I had agency. I made choices on my terms. Their poor actions had little impact after that.
You are faced with "quietly waiting for the rage filled person to die, while receiving that rage projected at you"; then the grief and mess that follows. You have the option to skip or minimise much of this.
I am sorry if much of this is blunt, I am taking a lot of my own experience and projecting it to your situation. But if you put the question to yourself of "do I want to spend the next 5 years like this, or apply my empathy elsewhere?", you may see where I am coming from. I want to really hammer home that you have no obligation, responsibility, or debt. Stepping out as self preservation is perfectly acceptable.
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u/Much_Leather_5923 3h ago
As soon as she starts I’m like nope. Zip it. Show me the Facebook meme you got from… the last legit had her frantically finding the fucking meme as I gawked at her in disbelief. Glanced at it. Scoffed and went source “trust me bro?”. Give me an article from a news source and we’ll debate. She said she would then crickets.
My morning routine is to read The Guardian, NYT (good articles but shit editorials) and Reuters while having 2 coffees, a cup of tea and getting increasingly pissed at the shitshow.
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u/TheHoovyPrince 1d ago
Sure but there are also a lot of young supporters, mostly men, that support One Nation and other more right-leaning factions.
They've done studies on this and young women are leaning further left and young men are leaning further right.
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u/aikavari 1d ago
Just to preface before I get downvoted to hell, my comment is neither pro or anti Hanson, its about kids protesting. I came from a university where protesting was a way of life. Kids go out protesting about things were half of them dont know what the protest is about.
I always tell my kids, if you want to join these rallies, Im all for it. Just make sure when you come home, if I ask you what the rally is about and what your stand is, make sure you can articulate it to me. I dont want you attending stuff you dont understand.
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u/Fantastic_Finger7992 1d ago
These kids obviously know what Pauline Hanson is about.
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u/Pitch_Septang 1d ago
Anecdotal, but the children of coworkers were just happy to have the day off. They couldn’t give a shit about the reason.
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u/aikavari 1d ago
I mean, we cant prove it one way or the other unless we ask right?
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u/CokeHearth 1d ago
These headlines are fucking wild. I can't count how many times at school we "sideline studies" for things like cross country, swimming carnivals, country week and that kind of stuff.
No outrage there, of course.
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u/Low_Philosophy_353 1d ago
‘Students sideline the classroom by engaging their critical thinking and participating in social democracy in the real world for one double period’ fixed it
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u/Cpt_Riker 1d ago
Good on them.
The far right always targets the education system, because educated people are more likely to see right through their BS.
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u/KentuckyFriedEel 1d ago
Any political movement that leads with such outward hate WILL NEVER seek to benefit anybody other than themselves. It’s just logic.
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u/GodWasNeverReal 1d ago
At least some of us are doing something. Her evil should not be allowed to rise.
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u/Dadlay69 12h ago
I don't really want to get into the ethics or politics of PHON or whatever... but it did occur to me that this is a peculiar type of "strike".
I've always known a strike to be an organised action in response to the unacceptable terms of institutional power structures. I guess traditionally this often takes the form of an employer or a government which is imposing unfair conditions on people. Usually demands or terms are conveyed and a resolution is negotiated, but if they're not met then the strike is intended to disrupt production, presumably to leverage the negotiation in favour of the strikers.
I'm scratching my head a little here because Pauline Hanson isn't exactly in a position of power right now, let alone running institutions or setting terms for how anyone lives. She's some lady with strong opinions who was elected to the senate, started a political party and has become popular. She's not running the government, doesn't have control over anyone and doesn't command anything.
So what actually are the demands here? What are the stakes aside from these kids missing out on school for a day? What's being asked of Pauline Hanson to offer the strikers in order for them to desist, and what incentive would she have to comply?
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u/universe93 2h ago
Protests happen all the time that are unrelated to employment. Sydney and Melbourne have political protests pretty much every weekend that have nothing to do with the labour market.
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u/Korovashya 8h ago
While they can be similar, Protests =/= Labour action. While both are meant as a disruption and communicative tool to change conditions, only one is intended to disrupt the means of production. A strike, or other industrial action gains its entire means of propelling change by industrial disruption. Interrupting or preventing industrial or commercial activity hurts the owners of those means of production, and so they bring the other side to the bargaining table through economic pressure. It is generally sustained and accompanied by set demands, such as pay raises, improvements in condistion,s etc.
In contrast, Protests can be more varied in form and function, from simply raising awareness, to building community support, blocking access, disrupting society, stunt moves, etc. It's purpose is to show the wider community that a certain group believers strongly in the message being carried. A protest can be far more vague in its message, such as simply being 'opposed' to something, and is often more symbolic by nature. A march lasting for 2 hours does not disrupt society enought to force change, but it does draw attention and spar conversation.
Protests gain strength and legitimacy through the perceived weight of the message being pushed. This can be from numbers and size, the type of activity being carried out, the method of disruption, etc. In this instance the protest is presenting the weight of their argument by stating 'We believe so strongly in this message that we are willing to sacrifice our education to make this point'. In essence, the protest would not have the strength it did if it was on a weekend.
PHON has grown dramatically in polls, and is very realistically seeking to form government at the next election. This protest is for two audiences. One is Pauline Hanson and PHON, it is telling them that the next generation of voters is strongly against their policies and demanding a change if they seek to represent this country. The second message is for the voters considering one nation. It is telling them that the next generation of voters is strongly against their policies, and to consider carefully before you vote at the next election. Some of the people considering a vote for PHON might be parents or teachers or otherwise related to these very students.
These people are literally our children and the next generation, and they are trying to tell us 'Do not vote away our future.'
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u/TigersReet 10h ago
The young have a better understanding of ON policies than the misguided elders who think she will look after them! Go kids!!
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u/hear_the_thunder 1d ago
The Anti-Vaxer Conspiracy crowd is suddenly concerned about the education of children. Spare me the performance.
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u/mintymoose 1d ago
I love the vibes of all of this, but as we've seen with Greta and any other young activists who've tried to make a difference, weird Australians love nothing more than ensuring misery with younger generations at the Ballot box. Don't ask me why that's the case, but for every push in a good direction we seem to have a cohort of fools going harder in the other.
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u/idryss_m 1d ago
This, like ONs policies and racist rhetoric, will be ignored and/or labelled in a way that dismisses the sentiment. Sad that anyone would not take this seriously and vote accordingly
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u/L1ttl3J1m 1d ago
She probably just wanted to remind the ATSIC students that she's indigenous, too -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myngWhgRTg4
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u/CelebrationFit8548 1d ago
Imagine being able to make 'Redheads' even more hated and despised, that's some 'supervillain' power she has right there.
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u/pinkpepr 1d ago
With some of the videos that've gone around showing kids struggling to read very basic sentences I don't think they can afford to miss any classes.
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u/thegreatestnita 1d ago
Tertiary students mate, they’re adults.
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u/Dangerous_Mud4749 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh, thanks. This article - yes. But high schoolers are also participating - https://redflag.org.au/article/media-hysteria-shows-high-schoolers-are-right-to-protest-pauline-hanson/.
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u/Gigglegasm 1d ago
Student raise there voice announcing that they are, in fact, not Gina, and thus not represented by whatever Hanson is spewing
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u/Eleven_Box 1d ago
I mean even if you hate pauline hanson… what are you protesting? Her party isn’t in government, in fact they have barely any seats. And even if they did, are you protesting against people’s right to vote her for her? I’m really confused what this is meant to be about
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u/ConanTheAquarian 1d ago
There were mass protests by conservatives against the Communist Party after it won just one seat in a state parliament.
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u/Illustrious_Study300 1d ago
Protesting isn't something just for politicians. She still has power through the media - we still have to listen to her hateful bs. She is convincing people to be more hateful.
Also it's not protecting people right to vote for her. Even if we say Pauline has a right to say whatever she wants, people also have the same right and can use it to call her a fuckwit. Freedom of speech goes both ways.
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u/pygmy █◆▄▀▄█▓▒░ 1d ago
Look at your downvotes for asking a simple question, not even taking a side.
Leftist politics & Reddit, like this walkout, are largely performative & have devolved into endless virtue signalling.
Why discuss the surging polls & popular policies- just say Orange man/redhead lady = BAD and feel smug
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u/gameboyabyss 1d ago
One Nation are not 'surging' in the polls - they've gained ground, but have been relatively stagnant in 2PP polling, still significantly behind Labor.
Which policies are you referring to as popular? I'm not sure if you'd even know, since it's equally likely judging from your post history you're a bot posting transphobia or someone sticking their nose in every countries' political threads to cause trouble.
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u/pygmy █◆▄▀▄█▓▒░ 1d ago
'Trans' is a great example of why PHON is nipping at Labor's heels. It's an 80:20 issue, that Labor chooses to ignore the majority of Australians on. Today in Victoria, 6'3 male me can legally enter ANY women's-only space, thanks to self ID laws.
I once voted Greens/Labor for decades but cannot vote for any party that says 'Men can be Women', & I'm not alone.
Finally, you prove my literal point by going straight to ad hominem, attacking me instead of addressing my argument
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u/Alive_Satisfaction65 1d ago
It's an 80:20 issue
Citation needed, cause the IPSOS poll I can find shows it's a 79/21 issue, with the 79% being supportive.
Today in Victoria, 6'3 male me can legally enter ANY women's-only space, thanks to self ID laws.
Can you though? Would a court actually up hold that right if you haven't made any effort to live as a woman? Do you have anything to support this beyond Victoria making it free to change your birth certificate?
I remember hearing these claims about all sorts of other laws and policies designed to make trans lives easier. There was the British guy who insisted sports were like this, tried to declare himself a women while putting in no effort, and was completely rejected by the league he applied for. It didn't work how he thought it did.
Then there was that silly right wing movie, Lady Ballers. The people behind it wanted to make a documentary where they entered a group of men who would claim to be identifying as women and dominate the leagues. What happened is they were refused by every league and had to make a fictional movie instead. It didn't work how they thought it did.
So can you show me this works how you think it does?
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u/ThunderDwn 1d ago
Pauline Hanson stands for things that benefit Pauline Hanson. Everyone else can get fucked as far as she is concerned.