Minor parties cannot govern. And One Nation is a personality-driven party, not an institution. Even with figures like Barnaby Joyce, they lack
- A ministerial bench
- Policy machinery
- Cabinet experience is down to one person
- Parliamentary discipline
Governing needs numbers, organisation, and negotiation. Personality and slogans alone does not deliver energy reform, border security, fiscal restraint, or industrial relations change.
History confirms this. One Nation has held Senate leverage multiple times — and what did it deliver? Mostly noise, delays, and symbolic votes. Real Conservative reform? Zero.
Protest voting fractures the right — and helps Labor. And protest voting in the last two elections has landed us with Albanese and his woeful government.
Voting for One Nation or other minor parties may feel like a “message,” but in practice:
- Governments weaken
- Legislation stalls
- Bureaucracy and unelected authorities fill the vacuum
- Then, Progressive policy continues by default
Every time conservative voters abandon the Coalition, Labor or other progressive forces gain influence without lifting a finger. This is not theory; it is a structural reality under Australia’s Westminster system.
The “they’re all the same” argument is misleading
Frustrated voters often claim: “Labor and the Coalition are identical.”
It feels true because:
- Bureaucracy and regulatory processes slow reform
- Crossbenchers and Senate fragmentation dilute outcomes
- Governments avoid risky, controversial reforms
But the differences are real and consequential: Over time, these differences compound, affecting taxes, regulation, energy bills, borders, and national security.
Global organisations: promises do not equal power. Many conservative voters support One Nation because of claims to “pull out of the UN or WEF.” Even the US has not withdrawn from the UN.
Here is the reality:
- WEF is a forum, not a treaty. Governments cannot formally “leave.”
- UN membership is legally binding. Exiting would destroy credibility, trade, and defence relationships. Even majority Conservative government would face chaos. That is not to say we shouldn’t consider withdrawing from specific UN entities, agencies, and related bodies as the US has.
- Treaties and agreements can only be renegotiated carefully by a government with numbers and negotiation credibility. Minor parties cannot do it.
Protest votes may feel like sovereignty action. In reality, they leave Australia weaker and less influential internationally. That appeases the protectionist’s but Australia is not big enough or equipped adequately to go it alone.
Minor parties do not, despite the myth, hold the majors “honest.”
Some voters argue: “Minor parties force the majors to behave.”
History says otherwise:
- One Nation in the Senate often voted to block or delay legislation, not produce reform
- Energy, budgets, IR policy: no durable conservative outcomes delivered
- Fragmentation made governments transactional, leaving bureaucrats and regulators in control
True accountability comes from strong, disciplined governments, not symbolic protest votes.
The hard truth for conservatives is:
If you care about borders, fiscal responsibility, energy reliability, and industrial relations:
- Personality politics will not deliver that
- Protest parties fracture the vote
- Weak governments empower Labor, the bureaucracy, and judicial oversight
Every conservative reform in Australia’s modern history came from parties capable of governing, under pressure to deliver — not minor parties posturing from the sidelines.
Bottom line:
Frustration is real. Anger is understandable. But voting for One Nation or other minor parties:
- Feels like action
- Produces nothing substantive
- Weakens the only parties capable of governing
- Strengthens progressive influence by default
Conservatives who want real outcomes — not slogans — need to keep strong, disciplined parties in power and hold them accountable from within. That is how change happens in Australia, not from protest or symbolic gestures.
Protest votes feel righteous. They do NOT govern. In Australia, weak governments hand power to Labor, the bureaucracy, and unelected authorities — not to voters.
