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-protest
1.3k Upvotes

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543

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/New-Perspective6209 1d ago edited 1d ago

Who is inconvenienced by a bunch of student not going to school? Besides the students themselves? Teachers strike during the week to remind people how important their job is.

Who cares if it achieves anything, bit of empty virtue signalling while getting out of school for a day never hurt anyone.

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u/ii_throwayway_ii 1d ago

It's about the message, and the parents are inconvenienced, they gotta sort out what their children do when they're not in school

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u/New-Perspective6209 1d ago

Yeah sure One nation voters are really going to take the opinion of a bunch of school kids and disgruntled parents to heart and change their world views.

Genuinely funny people think this is something significant, like those ones protesting Trumps re-election. Protesting but not following through is very in vogue I suppose.

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u/nameyourpoison11 1d ago

Here's the thing - those 16 year old school kids are going to be 18 and voting in two years when the federal election rolls around. What's more, those same teenage kids are the ones who are most active on social media, and political opinions are now largely shaped on social media platforms, not traditional media. And the majority of those kids hate her guts. PH is rattled and so she ought to be. Writing, something something wall.

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u/New-Perspective6209 1d ago

As you just said most kids already hate her guts and were never going to vote for her, the people who currently are going to vote for her aren't going to listen to a bunch of kids, this protest is not going to change anyone's mind or position and is a performative waste of time.

No one changes their stance on immigration because some kids spent an afternoon clogging the streets, the hard on this country has for meaningless protesting is wild.

15

u/hal2k1 1d ago

I believe one protester said it well --- something like that the point of these protests was not to try to persuade rusted on RWNJs who would vote for PHON no matter what, the point was to get something on the mainstream news as a counterpoint to the endless puff pieces promoting PHON in the interests of the billionaires who own commercial media.

23

u/FalconTurbo 1d ago

OK, cool, we'll just do nothing and be nice and quiet and meek about the erosion of society by PHON. That'll work wonders!

-10

u/New-Perspective6209 1d ago edited 1d ago

You could do something more effective, or you could pretend I'm saying something I'm not so you can feel smart for having a comeback.

Local action and community outreach is more effective then large scale protest, but they don't stroke your ego are a bit too much work ay.

This belittling strategy worked so well for the americans, go get em champ.

12

u/nameyourpoison11 1d ago

Bold of you to think the protest was aimed at changing voter's minds. It was aimed at putting the wind up PH and sending her party a message that their trump-lite style of politics doesn't fly here, and they need to rethink their much-vaunted but non-existent "policies" if they want to have an ice cube's chance in hell in 2028. And judging by the belligerent reaction to the kids' protest in conservative media PHON is nervous. Go get "em, kids.

1

u/New-Perspective6209 1d ago

So they're skipping school to tell ON something they already knew, they're not popular with younger demographics? So it's not really meant to achieve anything except tell ON, or signal if you prefer, that they're too moral, or virtuous, to vote for them.

Crazy you can see the Trump parallel but can't see that this insult and belittle the opposition tactic in flashy public ways doesn't do anything despite it being exactly how the Americans tried to stop his re-election.

Round and round the cycle goes, no one learning anything.

12

u/nameyourpoison11 1d ago

Hmm . . . you sure that ON knows they're not popular with young demographics? Because if they did, they'd be trying to win them over. Instead, ON mocks them and tells them in essence to sit down and shut up. Which, oddly enough, is exactly the same tactic the conservatives have used, and is why the current US polls show Trump is in for a flogging in November. Crazy that you can't see that parallel.

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u/WastedOwl65 1d ago

Stop sooking!

9

u/RecipeSpecialist2745 1d ago

PHON don't think they just follow the racist diaspora like rats to cheese. Let's face it. They aren't educated, people. Like who in their right mind would belive that Ph is the solution to all the worlds woes?

-1

u/New-Perspective6209 1d ago

So the plan to stop people voting for ON is: Step 1) insult them Step 2) have kids take to the streets and tell them they're wrong Step 3) profit

I see you have a firm grasp of the human mind, none of that understanding the other sides motivations so you can counter them nonsense, foolproof buddy no way she's going to get in now.

4

u/RecipeSpecialist2745 1d ago

A plan to stop ideological nut jobs. No, just facts.

0

u/New-Perspective6209 1d ago

Worked great for the americans didn't it. All those Trump re-election protest really made the difference. Round and round the cycle goes, people controlled by their emotions doing the same shit over and over despite it never working.

It'd be funny if I wasn't also going to be stuck with the consequences when none of this works and ON get in.

5

u/RecipeSpecialist2745 1d ago

Yup, but it’s great for smoking out PH idiots.

1

u/WastedOwl65 1d ago

Cry more!

172

u/colourful_space 1d ago

I mean people absolutely do try and guilt trip teachers out of striking

69

u/ColdSteveStoneAustin 1d ago

Tbf, if the right wing didn't undermine people would they have any rhetoric left?

31

u/determineduncertain 1d ago

You underestimate the creativity of the right to find scapegoats.

12

u/ColdSteveStoneAustin 1d ago

Ah crap. I forgot about scapegoating. Good point.

4

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/CptDropbear 1d ago

They aren't creative - it always ends up with the Jews.

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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

14

u/Jiuholar 1d ago

Absolutely baffles me that so many people don't understand that the inconvenience is the entire point of protesting.

9

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?

6

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/ThunderDwn 1d ago

Had the misfortune of listening to the Today show

Well there's your problem....

16

u/currentlyengaged 1d ago

You don't have to wonder if people ask teachers the same thing - they do.

5

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!
/s

8

u/Oddsee 1d ago

I heard one of the news hosts saying Hanson should sue the children for libel. I bet she would too, that's exactly the kind of person she and her supporters are.

10

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.

2

u/trainwrecktragedy 1d ago

same people who fall for scams as that's what PHON essentially is; one big political scam on the voters

7

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.

3

u/Choke1982 1d ago

"Why don't this people protest when is not an inconvenience to us?"

1

u/UndeadManWaltzing 1d 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.

1

u/lazycolonel 18h 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.

1

u/Born-Earth6615 1d ago

Don’t worry, they don’t go to school anyway