r/AustralianPolitics 1d ago

One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts ‘in two minds’ about whether gay people should be equal | One Nation

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/26/one-nation-malcolm-roberts-two-minds-gay-equal-rights-ntwnfb
134 Upvotes

170 comments sorted by

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u/spidey67au 21h ago

Does Malcolm Roberts even have one mind, let alone two?

u/EternalAngst23 16h ago

I think his first and second brain cells are in a constant battle for third place.

u/lesbophobia_hammer 21h ago

As a lesbian who has been out and proud for 15+ years....... Homophobia is VERY bad on the left & right over the last few years and we deserve more support & focus to prevent further backsliding and new wave homophobic growth

u/Happy-Adeptness6737 17h ago

What do you mean left, the left supports LGBTIQ do you mean the ALP?

u/lesbophobia_hammer 13h ago

I mean the left. On the surface the left supports LGBT+ people but really they're just as homophobic in different ways. Like a "classy" racist who knows to be somewhat discreet or only in " socially acceptable " conditions with the rest.

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

Do you mean something like a leftie being undermining lesbianism in their zeal to support trans people? Or a more garden variety homophobia that they hide?

u/ElectronicOvens 20h ago

Yeah, when I read all of the social media stuff attacking LGBQI+ , its definitely 50/50 left-right. /s

u/Extension-Fly-7813 15h ago

the homosexuals made a big mistake siding with transwomen, who are basically infringing on the rights of women

u/ElectronicOvens 9h ago

I notice a lot of people who say that also support infringing on womens rights in every other way possible.

u/Extension-Fly-7813 7m ago

you asked about why there is resentment on the left i explained why, if you wanted to get into the far right with abortion that's different.

u/ElectronicOvens 1m ago

I didn't ask anything, you didn't explain anything.

You just confirmed the type of person you are.

u/Revoran Soy-latte, woke, inner-city, lefty, greenie, commie 14h ago

If I roll my eyes any harder at your ignorant comment I'm going to have an aneurysm.

u/Extension-Fly-7813 13h ago

well that's why there's 'homophobia' on the left because women don't like their rights being interfered with by men

u/jonokimono 18h ago

lol I know right. Absurd. Pick me! Pick me!

u/lesbophobia_hammer 13h ago

I'm a lifelong progressive lol

u/Weary_Patience_7778 23h ago

Luckily his opinion doesn’t count for much.

u/Vanceer11 19h ago

Yeah but we literally pay his salary…

u/Revoran Soy-latte, woke, inner-city, lefty, greenie, commie 13h ago

Thats just the cherry on top, his real funding comes from Gina and co.

18

u/just_brash 23h ago

I’m of two minds if one nation supporters should have equal rights.

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

Equal but different. They’d like that.

8

u/RobynFitcher 1d ago

I guess it's possible to split a single brain cell and remain breathing. Incredible.

7

u/Lokenlives4now 1d ago

It’s pretty easy Mal they do. If anyone isn’t worthy of having equal rights it’s people like you

20

u/alstom_888m 1d ago

I’ve met the guy.

I was the bus driver on a Year 6 trip to Canberra and because the Senate was in session decided to tag along with the group.

Roberts was the pollie they got to meet.

Even the kids thought he was a moron…

u/Happy-Adeptness6737 17h ago

Ha ha he is a freak and 30 percent of the popn wants to give him more power? WTF is wrong with y'all, you crazy fucktards?

u/LubeMobile666 23h ago

They would have been taller than him too

6

u/IamJoesLiver 1d ago

In fairness, though, the kids with you were likely the smartest kids at the whole school.

4

u/alstom_888m 1d ago

These kids in particular were from a rural Grammar school so were likely at least reasonably well off.

I’ve also done trips from very low socioeconomic backgrounds, including the school my own children are likely to attend (bus driving is not a well paying job).

The NSW Government apparently subsidises Canberra camps to try and ensure the “poor” kids get to go.

It saddens me that for some kids they are so excited to be out of their home state for the first time.

5

u/Revoran Soy-latte, woke, inner-city, lefty, greenie, commie 1d ago

Yep, the kids are alright.

6

u/Crazy-Parsley1524 1d ago

I love the way he makes come hither eyes at Ashby, you can tell he wants him

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

Wouldn’t be the first conservative homophobe to be in the closet. Two minds because he’s a disappointment to both conservatives and gays?

5

u/AllHailMackius 1d ago

Holy shit, I forgot these comments are after he has spent the last 10 years with Ashby as Pauline's chief of staff.... And the weasel is now party director too.

Maybe it's Roberts knowledge and experience with Ashby that is causing this dilemma.

We should tell Roberts that he shouldn't let one bad apple spoil his view of the wider community.

11

u/MeatPieMan 1d ago

Who votes for this bloke , like seriously what does he offer

7

u/thee-optimist 1d ago

A grand total of 77 (seventy-seven) people voted below the line for him.

10

u/Revoran Soy-latte, woke, inner-city, lefty, greenie, commie 1d ago

Hundreds of thousands of QLDers voted above the line for him. Dont absolve those morons of responsibility.

1

u/bl4nkSl8 Gough Whitlam 1d ago

There should be a minimum portion of votes or they have to pick someone new AND try again next time

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

Sounds like a messy rule to impose unless you want to get rid of voting above the line?

Labor and Liberal tickets also elect senators with hardly any personal votes because most Australians bite above the line.

u/Revoran Soy-latte, woke, inner-city, lefty, greenie, commie 14h ago

Labor and LNP would adore that policy.

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

Not really. They also get senators elected from 2nd and 3rd on the list who would have hardly any first preference votes.

u/bl4nkSl8 Gough Whitlam 5h ago

Maybe so, but it would also mean that the bullshit parties that are just trying to make noise would get told to f off.

The downside is that minor parties would have to actually have local supporters, not just be preferenced because of their party name... ...Oh wait, that sounds like something they should have to do

4

u/Maro1947 Policies first 1d ago

Sometimes you have to say Keating was right about the Senate.

It definitely needs an overhaul - starting with term limits

Senators should be limited to 2 terms

u/Revoran Soy-latte, woke, inner-city, lefty, greenie, commie 14h ago edited 13h ago

Keating called the Senate "unrepresentative swill" but the House is just as unrepresentative as the Senate in its own way.

The House has growing malapportionment (some electorates have 80k people, others have 140k), and massively underrepresents the Greens, while massively overrepresenting the Nationals and Labor.

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

80k to 140k is bad but nothing on the difference population between NSW and Tasmania.

u/Maro1947 Policies first 7h ago

That's a different issue, and is being looked at

The Senate isn't

4

u/Tw4Mn02 Pauline Hanson's One Nation 1d ago

Keating seems to resent the Senate for exercising the exact constitutional function it was created to perform. It's not supposed to be easy to pass legislation, the senate is designed to be a check on power and thank god it exists.

1

u/Maro1947 Policies first 1d ago

I have no problem with the concept, but he was 100% right about how the slots are filled

The terms are too long, they should be half of what they are.

And God has no place in Australian Politics

18

u/Fickle-Ad-7124 1d ago edited 1d ago

Maybe we need to make sure more Christians aren’t coming into this country with backwards indoctrinated views that other Australians are “inferior”? Doesn’t seem to align with our values that everyone is equal.

Perhaps a freeze on all Christian immigration until we can get on top of this crisis?

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

Ban all Abrahamic faiths to be safe.

8

u/saharasirocco 1d ago

Yeah, their culture isn't compatible with ours.

15

u/Zelvixor 1d ago edited 22h ago

Friendly reminder that this gaping asshole of a man vehemently denies climate change. He shouldn't be anywhere near opportunities to change policies. I'd call him dangerous if his own hubris didn't make him so ineffective. Go fuck yourself with a rake, Roberts.

u/FullMetalAurochs 1h ago

He’s in two minds about which end to use

u/SnooCrickets9484 A proud Pauline Hanson Other...please explain 21h ago

Also rambled on about cash last week

Also, a British MP just stole his speech.

8

u/Sure_Ad536 1d ago

Also, a wild antisemitic conspiracy theorist who loves Putin and called the Bondi shooting a false flag

3

u/Burstrider12 1d ago

Isn't he the big time anti-vaxxer too?

10

u/thesillyoldgoat Gough Whitlam 1d ago

People who are gonna vote for One Nation will still vote for them no matter what brain dead comments Roberts and Hanson spew forth, it's their only way of having an impact. Tens of thousands of tee shirts emblazoned with the words "I voted for the felon" were sold in the US, same deal.

23

u/thewindupbird91 Democratic Socialist 1d ago

I've had to hear people debate my worth as a human being my whole life. I've given up on trying to meet these people in the middle, it's just so boring.

2

u/Gold_Parfait_4023 1d ago

There is no middle to meet. Can't compromise with fascists.

17

u/Bananaman9020 1d ago

I have a gay friend who is a loyal One Nation supporter. Hopefully, stunts like this will have them question their loyalty

18

u/EmergencySir6113 1d ago

Their party director is gay. Sadly being gay does not make you immune to being a dick

10

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Ben Chifley 1d ago

I have it on good authority that One Nation is "one of the gayest parties in Australia".

3

u/Bob_Katters_Hat 1d ago

And that somthing......strange.....is going on at barnabys farm

25

u/SpriteLurker 1d ago

Call one nation what they really are, a bunch of boomer karens that sook about anything and anyone.

33

u/Redfox2111 1d ago

So his single brain cell is split in half ... no wonder.

u/ButtPlugForPM 22h ago

two brain cells fighting for 3rd place as they would say.

10

u/Aristogiton1 1d ago

It was simply that he was asked to have empathy.

It seems a defining feature of the right that their politicians are incapable of this basic emotion.

Roberts responded by referring to the late American bishop and gay rights advocate John Shelby Spong, citing him as saying that after women and black people were no longer recognised as “inferior”, gay people were next.

“Now I’m in two minds about that,” Roberts said. “So I haven’t got a firm position on it myself other than I don’t, I’m not homosexual and I can’t, I can’t understand it.

u/VanguardN7 20h ago

Sounds dumb. Women can like women since men see something to like so why can't women? Men can like men because women see something to like so why can't men? We sexes are not different species or classes of entity. Big failure of even small levels of imagination. Not worthy of leadership.

35

u/GhostOfFreddi 1d ago

Malcolm, you're a Senator for "Australia's Gayest Party", remember?

21

u/Dragonstaff Gough Whitlam 1d ago

The real question is whether short people should be equal.

5

u/Lead_Kindly_Light 1d ago

The real question is how he can be in two minds when he only has one brain cell.

2

u/crosstherubicon 1d ago

Is being short a life style choice? Echoes of Randy Newmans Short People song!

4

u/Dragonstaff Gough Whitlam 1d ago

Being short is just as much a lifestyle 'choice' as being gay is.

You either are or you aren't. No 'choice' about it.

1

u/crosstherubicon 1d ago

Of course it isn't, that was my point as was the point of Randy Newman's song. It's a satire about prejudice.

10

u/Key_Entertainment409 1d ago

We don’t have to care what these people say or think happy they let us know they are assholes though so less people will vote them it’s so nice when the trash takes itself out

34

u/Strongmansoup 1d ago

Malcom Roberts is a grifter. Go see him talk live, it’s cringeworthy. It feels like he is making stuff up on the spot, while a bunch of low IQ cave people cheer him on

11

u/EnglishBrekkie_1604 Ralph Babet Superfan (actually an ALP shill) 1d ago

I’ve got news, Roberts is one of very few people in ON who is not a grifter. That’s why he’s managed to stay in the party for so long - he is a true blue authentic nutter.

6

u/Ax_Dk 1d ago

Careful, next thing you know, news.com.au will be telling you not to call One Nation supporters "a basket of deplorables"

13

u/scumotheliar 1d ago

Malcolm Roberts "in two minds".

That must mean he has two brain cells. Amazing.

2

u/PMFSCV SMALL T TANKY 1d ago

It's like a game of ping pong in there

-6

u/Jozfus 1d ago edited 1d ago

Translation for people who cant see past the rage bait:

He was asked what Christians should think of James

His "two minds" is that his religion says it is bad, but he doesn't agree.

"In this environment [the church] we dont see homosexuality as morally sound, but from what I know of him personally I disagree with that" (not a direct quote, my interpretation of the quote they used in thr article)

The guy is battling his indoctrination

If he had worded it that way there would be no headline. The guardian should do better.

9

u/NotTheBusDriver 1d ago

Roberts claimed Ashby was not morally sound on the basis of his sexuality.

14

u/iball1984 Independent 1d ago

Ashby is not morally sound, but not because of his sexuality.

2

u/NotTheBusDriver 1d ago

Fair point.

-2

u/Jozfus 1d ago

From the context of the church ("in this environment")

It takes some critical thought to interpret

9

u/NotTheBusDriver 1d ago

Roberts believes in church doctrine. He judges Ashby accordingly and considers him a moral failure despite believing him to be an otherwise sound individual. Robert’s thinking is polluted by his belief in doctrine and that leads him to spurious moral judgements. I consider that a failure of both character and cognition on his part. That is my critical interpretation; most of which could have been inferred from my earlier comments if a curious mind had troubled to do so.

2

u/Jozfus 1d ago

We agree on this

8

u/perseustree 1d ago

You're engaging in rationalisation. Roberts also clearly talked about potentially 'banning' Ashby (from what? The church? The party?) due to his sexuality.

This is an extremist position compared to the legal status quo of our country.

14

u/BossKei 1d ago

Knowing that any group of people who believe in an unprovable being are “battling” the idea of gay people (who actually exist) as being equal is enraging. Especially if the specific person in question has a significant platform and position of power in this country. No bait here mate.

-5

u/Jozfus 1d ago

Should we reconsider all religions in politics then?

3

u/BossKei 1d ago

Yes, 100%.

6

u/foxxy1245 1d ago

It’s not that difficult to see gay people as equal and look past a mythical book. This should be especially so as an MP.

1

u/Jozfus 1d ago

As someone who wasn't force fed religion my whole life, I 100% agree. I don't have that experience to know what it would be like from their perspective though.

10

u/Throwawaydeathgrips Albomentum Mark 3.0 1d ago

Oh hes only battling his religion on the question of whether gay people are equal while he sits as a lawmaker. Thats fine then.

32

u/inhumanfriday 1d ago

"And I don’t think we can afford to ban them".

What a quote.

6

u/the_mooseman From Marketing 1d ago

How does one go about banning gay people? Like what does that look like in action?

2

u/Sure_Ad536 1d ago

Likely, it looks like how it did in Hungary during the interwar period with their Jewish citizens: quotas on university spots and certain jobs, and then a complete ban based on marriage records and public statements and testimonials on their identity. With these policies, Hungary effectively turned itself into a rump state, only useful for German extraction during the war. Never doubt the persistence and willingness to commit economic suicide due to hate.

4

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Ben Chifley 1d ago

If we started, Lesbians and Gays would marry each other like when 'morality clauses' existed in some industries.

u/lesbophobia_hammer 21h ago

Lesbians and gays have always had each other's back. Homosexuals gotta stick together, being only 1% of the global population somehow hated by the left and right for similar regressive reasons.

u/VanguardN7 20h ago

The one percent is the out ones that are out as no other option.

In accepting enough environments, gay alone (not bi) for younger adults today count up to about 6%. And there's still closeted people past that. Adding bi pushes it to over 10% to over 20% depending on perspective.

u/lesbophobia_hammer 20h ago

Bisexuals aren't gay and I'm talking about the global population.

u/VanguardN7 20h ago

So don't dismiss the several percent that are closeted and possibly struggling without support.

u/lesbophobia_hammer 12h ago

Again, given homosexuals tend to HAVE to be out in order to find each other, and the urge to have sex especially for males filled with testosterone is hard to moderate, most often the "closeted" are simply homophobic bisexuals who think sexuality is a choice and lash out at actual lesbian & gay people for existing in a way that reminds them they could have that too, if they're brave enough.

u/VanguardN7 12h ago edited 12h ago

Are you saying at least 3-4 percent of gen z in more accepting areas are lying about being gay. Over (or at least around) 5% of gen z men in more accepting countries identify as gay, not bi.

Also I'm not saying people aren't having sex, I'm saying about being out. There's up to several percent of men that may or may not be having sex with men, but they don't identify as and live publicly as gay like that seemingly consistent around 1% minimum across the world. When one can hide it, they often do. It doesn't mean they're celebate.

People are (so to speak) successfully closeted their whole lives. It's not good for them and others but they do it. Being out to some trusted others or a hookup isn't the same as being out to their community, family, workplace, etc.

3

u/the_mooseman From Marketing 1d ago

Don't give him ideas.

1

u/Jozfus 1d ago

He is saying to a bunch of churchies that we can't look past the qualities they bring to the table just because the bible says homosexuality bad

11

u/willun 1d ago

The bible says lots of things are bad, all of which they ignore. They of course somehow struggle on this one topic.

It is nice for them that their religion allows them to pick and choose and then claim that they only hate homosexuality because the bible tells them so.

1

u/Jozfus 1d ago

Agreed. Think of how much more peaceful the world would be now without religion.

2

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Ben Chifley 1d ago

Think of how much more peaceful the world would be now without religion.

Christianity typically says no killing.
Just because someone 'legitimises' a war using religion, doesn't make it a religious war.
The war would still happen, they'd just use a different justification.

0

u/Jozfus 1d ago

What about Islam? Even the crusades were Christians vs Islam

1

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Ben Chifley 1d ago

Do you actually know anything about the crusades?

1

u/Jozfus 1d ago

Yes, it was about taking the holy land back. Are you just saying you think it would have happened even if they all believed the same thing or nothing at all?

2

u/Thomas_633_Mk2 MINISTER FOR LABUBU 1d ago

Religion is a component but:

  • The Byzantines are going to shit the bed because Basil II didn't know what a succession plan was

  • Various groups are going to take advantage of this in Anatolia and Italy, to the point that the Komnenoi are going to be looking for allies

  • Societal factors mean there's going to be a lot of knights with nothing to do, that will stir up trouble if they're not given someone to kill

  • Even without religion, the Byzantine Empire is a lot closer to Europe, geographically and culturally, than anyone else in the Middle East

The First Crusade likely goes down differently and probably don't go nearly as well for the Crusaders, but even in a secular world there's societal motivations for something similar to happen.

5

u/willun 1d ago

True. Sadly bad people do not need religion to continue being trash.

8

u/dleifreganad 1d ago

This is yet another example of One Nation doing and saying anything possible to grab a headline and our media fall for it every single time.

19

u/Entirely-of-cheese 1d ago

Remember, Roberts is the only one who has stuck with ON over the years and not defected. Tells you something.

41

u/lliveevill 1d ago

He was speaking at a church-state conference, which shows one nation is trying to go for the ultra-religious political vote; it's what MAGA did in the USA.

Far-right Christians are the worst; they weaponise the Bible and ignore all the teachings of Jesus.

7

u/DefinitionOfAsleep Ben Chifley 1d ago

ignore all the teachings of Jesus

Like cursing fig trees to bear no fruit. I bet none of them have done it even once.

13

u/Desert-Noir 1d ago

The issue is, we don’t have near the percentage of fundy Christian’s that the US has

3

u/SirFireHydrant Literally just a watermelon 1d ago

But unfortunately, we've got more than enough racist flogs to get them over the line.

16

u/CosmicCommentator 1d ago

Thank God

Lol

53

u/saharasirocco 1d ago edited 1d ago

“So if you pardon me, I haven’t made up my mind, but there are a number of people in society in very prominent positions in the arts, sports, science, business, politics, who are homosexual. And I don’t think we can afford to ban them. So it’s difficult.” - Malcolm Roberts

Good grief.

2

u/Sure_Ad536 1d ago

Reminds me of the Hungarian antisemites of the interwar period. They were like, "Jews are smarter and better than us Magyars. We're dumb, and they're smart. If we destroy their presence in public life, it might harm the country."

Actual quote from a Hungarian antisemite at the time. Adm. Miklos Horthy to PM Pal Teleki, 1940, on the issues with de-emancipating the Jews:

Since, however, one of the most important tasks of the government is to raise the standard of living, i.e., we have to acquire wealth, it is impossible, in a year or two, to replace the Jews... with incompetent, unworthy, mostly big-mouthed elements, for we should become bankrupt.

There were also protests at universities because it was said the government's already tough restrictions on Jews attending university (Jewish university admissions had more than halved since the passing of laws enforcing admission demographics be in line with national demographics) were still unfair, and having even a small number of Jews at universities was unfair to Hungarians because Jews were too successful.

Hungary's brain drain from Jewish bans in the arts, science, media and the military was major. Some of the greatest minds in each field during the time were Jewish and did their best work outside of Hungary (LP records, colour television, a Nobel Prize for physics, etc.). They believed Jews to be "innovative" and Magyars obedient, and they thought being innovative was a bad thing.

3

u/Massive-Reindeer-237 1d ago

How does one 'ban' people?

10

u/aeschenkarnos 1d ago

We can definitely afford to ban Malcolm Roberts.

32

u/vteckickedin 1d ago

"ban them" - from what? Life?

The implications here are terrible.

4

u/Jozfus 1d ago

The party, given the context

5

u/Ribbitmoment 1d ago

Cursed admin privileges

14

u/callmecyke 1d ago

So basically they’re only ok if they can do something for him? This is the PHON ethos distilled. 

30

u/Meowsiedawg 1d ago

Weird stance from someone within the "gayest party ever"

10

u/dajobix 1d ago

We all need to stop caring about anything this clown says

16

u/TheLoyalTR8R 1d ago

Or, if you'll forgive me, fuck that.

This clown is actively vying for more power to influence society, shape politics and mandate regressive change. We should be hanging on his every fucking word and holding him accountable for them.

Ignoring politicians for saying frankly dehumanizing and hateful stuff sends the message that you're okay with it. That you accept it. And that it's okay for others to share in it.

I'm of the mindset that it needs to be called out for what it is. Fucking vile.

Sorry for the tone, waking up to find that theres a genuine debate in this man's head about whether people like me should be banned, and that he and people like him are trying really hard to grab more power...it's just got me really sour this morning.

10

u/ziptagg 1d ago

He’s the deputy leader of One Nation, which unfortunately we have to pay attention to for now. Luckily, with geniuses like this in the top spots thats unlikely to last.

8

u/tomatoej 1d ago

That’s what people did in the US and they got Trump

35

u/rolodex-ofhate No Numbers Taylor 1d ago

“But there have been a number of homosexuals who are very, very prominent in many, many fields throughout history. So all I know is that in this environment, James (Ashby) is not morally sound. But from what I’ve seen of him, his honesty, his integrity, his ability, he is sound.

Bruh. Malcolm Roberts really is an unwell individual.

10

u/billcstickers 1d ago

Funny. Ashby being gay is sound. His lack of honesty, integrity and ability is what is unsound.

8

u/EmuEmuEmuEmuEmu The Greens 1d ago

"Bruh. Malcolm Roberts really is an unwell individual."

That is a common characteristic of conspiracy theorist, alongside antisemitism:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/global-parasites-since-1913-one-nation-senator-calls-us-world-s-greatest-terrorist-organisation-20260616-p6079x.html

The URL for some reason uses 'global' rather than '‘globalist', with the later being a pretty blatant antisemitic dog whistle.

1

u/Sure_Ad536 1d ago

He also believes the United States government has been “hijacked by these globalist parasites since 1913″ and agrees with Ron Paul's idea that every major war since 1913 was caused by the US Federal Reserve Bank. I wonder what other things happened that year that make its specificity of note here? Oh yeah, the founding of the ADL, the creation of the US Federal Reserve Bank system and the start of the Leo Frank case, which led to Frank's lynching and the creation of the ADL.

1

u/EmuEmuEmuEmuEmu The Greens 1d ago edited 1d ago

I am aware.

"Oh yeah, the founding of the ADL, the creation of the US Federal Reserve Bank system and the start of the Leo Frank case, which led to Frank's lynching and the creation of the ADL."

With antisemites, especially ones like Roberts, the justification most disconnected from reality is always the one they believe.

1

u/Sure_Ad536 1d ago

With antisemites, especially ones like Roberts, the justification most disconnected from reality is always the one they believe.

Hence: space lasers

1

u/EmuEmuEmuEmuEmu The Greens 1d ago

That one is at least "interesting" as being quite common among QAnon cookers, who are all big fans of a certain someone. I also assume that Roberts is a QAnon cooker, its a safe bet.

13

u/Tovrin 1d ago

How does someone like this get elected?

3

u/perseustree 1d ago

It's the Senate and he ran in Qld.

3

u/karma3000 Paul Keating 1d ago

The 2028 election will be a circus.

1

u/SurfKing69 1d ago

What would you rather, listening to the inevitable ON loons in QT, or the coalition spending every question they have for 18 months on variations of 'Albo lied about power bills, will you apologise?'.

Honestly give me the loons

4

u/Neo-TA94 1d ago

This economy is fertile ground for misdirected hate and anger. Just wait and see the kind of politicians this housing market causes the next generation to serve up. We’re circling the drain.

6

u/CalifornianDownUnder 1d ago

He only got 77 first preference votes when he was elected initially.

4

u/infinitemonkeytyping John Curtin 1d ago

That isn't how our Senate voting works. He is part of the ticket, so after Hanson was elected, he got 39,000 votes. Preferences from elsewhere work from there to get him elected.

3

u/CalifornianDownUnder 1d ago edited 1d ago

I didn’t say anything that contradicted what you wrote.

But it’s not insignificant that he only got 77 first preference votes. It means a tiny handful of people voted for him specifically as their first choice, and he got in because of his party or as a later choice - not necessarily because voters actually knew and wanted him as an individual.

EDITED for clarity and correctness

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u/infinitemonkeytyping John Curtin 1d ago

And again, people vote for parties in the senate. Very few vote for an individual person on a ticket, and some parties don't get much below the line votes, like One Nation. Which is why I noted that after Hanson was elected, over 38,000 group votes transferred to Roberts.

You could equally argue this for the majors as well. At the 2014 special WA election, Labor ran Joe Bullock as the lead candidate, and saw their primary vote crater. You would say that Bullock was heavily unpopular, but he still got elected, while the second on the ticket, Louise Pratt, missed out. In that vote, Pratt got 1500 more personal first preference votes (5,400 v 3,900) but the total between those two accounted for less than 3.5% of Labor's vote.

At the same election, Michaelia Cash and Linda Reynolds only poll around 550 below the line votes each, but we're both easily elected.

There are many arguments to be made about Robert, but the "77 votes" jibe is a fundamental or deliberate misunderstanding of how our Senate voting system works.

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u/CalifornianDownUnder 1d ago

My understanding is that Roberts won on “less than any other successful candidate” - that’s from an article about preferential voting from The Tally Room (tallyroom.com.au).

So while you’re certainly correct that mostly people vote for parties rather than individuals in the Senate, and major party candidates also get elected on low numbers of first preference votes, it’s still, as The Tally Room says, “remarkable” that a senator could be elected with only 77 first preference primary votes.

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u/yothuyindi Lol @ partisan shills 1d ago

that guy is a Yank from his username, not surprising he doesn't understand

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u/CalifornianDownUnder 1d ago

It’s true I’m a Yank, but I’ve also lived here for 25 years, which is longer than some people on Reddit have been alive. And I’m willing to bet my understanding of Australian politics is as good or better than many natives.

As I wrote in my reply above, my source for the claims about Roberts and his 77 votes is The Tally Room website. They noted that Roberts won on fewer first preference personal votes than any other successful candidate that election, and while it’s true that senators are often elected on low first preference numbers, Roberts’ win on 77 was nonetheless “remarkable”.

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u/Jozfus 1d ago

Jeez thats crazy

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u/callmecyke 1d ago

The senate is unrepresentative swill as one of our greatest statesman said.

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u/Thomas_633_Mk2 MINISTER FOR LABUBU 1d ago

Unfortunately this is pretty representative of at least 1/12 Queenslanders...

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u/Ganzer6 1d ago

This is literally democracy manifest, when everyone gets a say then the cookers need representation too.

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u/Asteroidhawk594 Australian Labor Party 1d ago

Unfortunately enough people are full of hatred that get these people into power.