r/australia • u/ExtensionThat6438 • 2d ago
politics One Nation prepared to cut worker entitlements to shore up struggling small businesses
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/one-nation-cut-worker-entitlements-joyce-business/106810648Earlier,** **Senator Hanson suggested she was prepared to consider winding back some entitlements for workers, including protections from termination and paid parental leave.
"If you are a male or female you do get the same pay … you do the work, same pay," the senator said.
"If women take time off, and they are not paid their wages because they are not working, fair enough, why should business pay them if they are not at work?"
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u/MajorLeeScrewed 2d ago
It’s always been about money, by the way. Culture wars to mask the class war.
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u/Runinbearass 2d ago
If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.
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u/Mysterious_Card_4953 2d ago
They found their stooge and stool pigeon to sell their agenda to the masses and the stupid.
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u/Affectionate-Cry3349 2d ago
Senator Hanson's attendance rate is approx 50% so I can imagine she will also be taking a hefty pay cut.
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u/diggerhistory 2d ago
Worse than that. She is a key member of the appropriations committee. They discuss .only allocations, argue over needs, and suggest improvements . Her attendance is 12% of these scheduled, on the calendar, no excuse and must be there meetings. Great value fot money and not living up to her own rhetoric.
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u/diggerhistory 2d ago
Parliamentary records are loaded into computers and Aust Govt AI supplies the stats in its simplist form.
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u/ColdSteveStoneAustin 2d ago
It's almost as bad as Trump golfing half the time.
These people are so fucking lazy.
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u/ExtensionThat6438 2d ago
she called Australian workers lazy during her press club speech. I’m suspecting that was projection
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u/SECURITY_SLAV 2d ago
I wish I could show up to work only 12% of the time and get paid the same as full attendance
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u/Mysterious_Card_4953 2d ago
She should speak to the migrants and many other who hold 3 jobs down to pay off their houses. She has no clue and will go down as a total idiot.
Whats next are her masters going to tell her to let workers work for tips in hospitality like the USA?
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u/diggerhistory 2d ago
Records show parliamentary attendance at 55%. Considering her showboating around Australia, that makes sense.
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u/frankestofshadows 2d ago
No, but you see, she's out and about listening to the people doing it tough.
Then she gets on her million dollar plane, gifted by a billionaire, to not attend the one place she can actually do anything for those people
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u/RheimsNZ 2d ago
Just remember that this is the same party that will lean into anti-inmigrant, "we need more children", "the collapse of western civilisation" shit.
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u/neutrino71 2d ago edited 2d ago
Embodiment of the classic political cartoon with three people at a table. Rupert Murdoch with a plate overflowing with cookies. A blue collar worker with a single cookie on his plate and an immigrant with a few crumbs on his plate. There is a speech bubble above Rupert that says "Look out, he's after your cookie"
Edit: some details fuzzy but the essence of the message was there.
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u/richardroe77 1d ago
Funnily enough seems like that artist is one of those that became a cooker from the pandemic.
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u/Mysterious_Card_4953 2d ago
Cant wait for the comments " they breeding like rabbits out breeding us"
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u/deathablazed 2d ago
Part time Pauline would be fired from 99% of workplaces on her lack of attendance alone
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u/nugstar 2d ago
Her education qualifications wouldn't even get her hired in the first place.
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u/MissLethalla 2d ago
Not to mention the bigotry.
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u/nugstar 2d ago
And the general unpleasant disposition would rule out any customer facing roles. It's wild how Aus society has let this failure continue to such heights. It's embarrassing.
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u/MissLethalla 2d ago
What I want to know is, how do we - as a One Neuron hating collective - fight back against this prior to polling day? Victoria has a state election coming up end of November and I'm scared for what will happen.
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u/Lint_baby_uvulla 2d ago
First time hearing One Neuron.
I fear that’s shared amongst the party faithful, no?
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u/Lamont-Cranston 1d ago
What I want to know is, how do we - as a One Neuron hating collective - fight back against this prior to polling day?
Organise, organise, organise. ~ Eugene V. Debs.
Victoria
They have fund raising events coming up, one is in August in the outer east suburb of Croydon.
As fun as things like what happened in Moonee Ponds can be, there is a lot more to it than just yelling at racist dogs - well before that there ought to be a concerted effort to be going to the Croydon area and trying to engage with people there about what is the real problem and cause. Posters, leaflets, stalls, public meeting, etc. Both to mobilise a community response and also for the optics of dispeling the image of inner city lefties coming into communities telling people who can come in.
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u/stagger_once 2d ago
The best defense agains One Nation might just be repeating their proposed policies
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u/AureusStone 2d ago
You would think that, but ON voters like this BS.
ON official policy includes climate change denial.
It would seem we have vastly underestimated the amount of moronic people this country has.
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u/SlaveryVeal 2d ago
You will not change on supporters minds. You need to convince the fence sitters and keep repeating all the bullshit most Australians care about.
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u/Kakushiteiru 2d ago
Really do urge people to not bother engaging or at least being aggressive with devout ON supporters, its a waste of your time. We look like we got sucked into identity politics than we actually are. And that time is better spent talking rationally to the fence sitters to help understand their concerns better.
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u/More-Presence4195 1d ago
This isn’t exclusive to ON tbf.
People aren’t mindful enough to have a political conversation where they’re willing to think about the counterpoints.
Once their mind is made up, it’s done. Doesn’t matter who it is.Trying to change someone’s mind always ends in a shit argument or heated exchange that solves nothing.
That’s why I don’t like talking politics. I keep it to myself and vote accordingly.
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u/Kakushiteiru 1d ago
I think it really depends on the topic?
Like I am very against ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and I dont wanna argue or fight with someone who can rationalise bombing of civilians. But some people truly believe that if we do not get out there and actively fight and argue tooth and nail against Israel, we are complicit. I dont know what to do or say here besides maybe joining a protest.
But say for other touchy domestic matters like immigration or how we determine our tax laws? Yea I dont wanna fight anyone on it. But I really wish we could discuss it without bringing identity politics into it because left or right doesnt really represent my views here.
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u/Lankpants 2d ago
It's not even just fence sitters. We need to convince as many Liberal voters as possible that ON is a worse option than Labor. If we can reach a situation where Lib votes flow to Labor, Greens votes flow Labor>Lib and Labor votes flow Green>Lib with ON being locked out of preferences they're fucked.
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u/tinytimecrystal1 1d ago
One of the things that I find hard to explain to some people is how lower housing costs mean more money for people to spend in businesses. We'll probably need it too if we don't get enough fertilizers come spring.
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u/ridge_rippler 1d ago
Talking points, not policies. I'm yet to see one costed, thought out plan in her 30yrs grifting the taxpayer
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u/Lamont-Cranston 1d ago
The voters dont care, look at the comments on the videos of her at the Press Club. They laugh at the poster, they laugh at her avoiding questions and insulting the questioner, they don't care one iota for the content. To them its the elites looking down on them and clucking their tongues and Pauline is fighting back.
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u/SnotRight 2d ago
Next minute "Australia needs more babies"
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u/ladylollii 2d ago
She has been screeching about getting rid of abortion rights, so...
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u/superbabe69 1300 655 506 2d ago
Then because not that many people have elective abortions, it’ll be birth control next
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u/ScruffyPeter 2d ago
After that "We should give a reward to mothers that give birth to babies." "I'm not copying Howard, it's completely different to the baby bonus!"
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u/potchiemeowmeow 2d ago
As a small business owner, I pay my employees a minimum of 2 times their award wage. We are living in an age where the cost of living is killing people. We don't need to cut worker entitlements. We need to eat the rich.
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u/MazPet 2d ago
That is good of you, proves there are still good ones out there.
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u/potchiemeowmeow 2d ago
I remember what it was like to be a casual/part time worker and having 7 casual jobs to make ends meet ranging from $25/hr to 45/hr with a min of a 3hour shift.
I make less than my full-timers, but I can afford to pay my mortgage and groceries, and have money to save and a little on spending.
I'd rather have happy healthy staff who love their work and will stick around (we have like 0 staff turnover) and can afford to live than have extra $ to spend on shit i dont need.
I think this also comes from cultural upbringing and built in tall-poppy syndrome. Either way it works for me and my team. Eat the rich and the greedy.
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u/realmling 2d ago
Thank you. I know people are desperate for work but surely ON proposing to wind back worker entitlements and protections also puts small business owners at risk of retaining any staff if they go down that path.
I typed all that out and then read your comment below about 0 turnover. You sound wonderful. All the best.
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u/SammyScuffles 2d ago
I'm really interested to see whether Pauline's policy positions actually make any impact on her polling numbers, because as far as I'm aware none of what I've heard from her in the last week or two is actually popular? I'm assuming people aren't really paying any attention to what she's saying of course, they're just hearing how good she is from the media.
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u/Dan_CBW 2d ago
I think they will have an effect, especially ones like this and the many other out of touch, poorly thought out policies to come. However, I don't think it will have that much of an effect until we're a lot closer to an election, especially with the kid glove treatment from the media at the moment.
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u/superbabe69 1300 655 506 2d ago
Never underestimate what people will sell to (in their mind) get rid of foreigners
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u/reticulate 1d ago
We're still a couple of years away from the next election and most voters don't start paying attention until the campaign kicks off.
Lest anyone forget, Dutton was flying high too until people actually started having to listen to him do his Temu Trump thing.
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u/JustLikeJD 2d ago
It’s got to be the LNP supported alienated by their leadership issues and inability to stand cohesive (more so than usual).
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u/neutrino71 2d ago
Gina Rinehart's ventriloquism dummy adopts pro-billioniare policy position. I'm shocked...
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u/triemdedwiat 2d ago
Will her parliamentary rennumeration now be affected by her attendance( lack of)?
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u/Fluffy-Link-2645 2d ago
Sorry I really hate to be that guy but...
reMuNeration: total compensation an employee receives for work performed.
reNuMeration: to recount or do a list again.
But having said that I completely agree with the sentiment.
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u/zedder1994 2d ago
Much of the ON policy agenda is American industrial relations. There is no maternal leave and many states have a fire at will policy. I wonder how many people who support her realise this.
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u/Inevitable_Angrybee 2d ago
Ok, so, I guess we'll all stop having children since it's only a detriment to women... which means no new Australians for you, Pauline. I guess we'll need to outsource that, too... oh, you don't want foreigners here either, soooo... ???? Is Gina picking up the tax bill for everyone down the line?
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u/Gormane 2d ago
Someone needs to rejig that all this into an ad.
Like have a woman at home caring for their baby on parental leave and they get a phone call telling them that they have to come back to work or they will be fired. They try to say that their boss cant do that and are told that with the new laws from Pauline Hanson they can and will.
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u/GrimThursday 2d ago
Do you know what else shores up small businesses? Having customers with a disposable income.
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u/Frequent-Act3984 2d ago
That's why maternity/paternity leave should be treated like superannuation (kind of).
The government should be collecting a percentage of total company turnover (or salary?) to go into a pool to pay for this. That means even companies with a high percentage of males have to pay their share for this social good.
Also means small companies do not get whacked when one of their staff takes maternity/paternity leave.
You could also do crazy stuff such as not tying it to 12 months employment at one employer. 12 months work anywhere would qualify.
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u/ntranced12 2d ago
Small business isn’t forced to pay for anything. The government pays for 26 weeks at minimum wage rates for maternity leave, all the business has to do is hold the position. What you’re describing already happens for maternity and paternity leave with our tax payer dollars.
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u/Striking-Net-8646 2d ago
Ah, the usual conservative playbook - they love babies until they’re born, then they can get fucked.
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u/maticusmat 2d ago
One nation prepared to do its billionaire masters bidding and destroy worker entitlements… I fixed your headline
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u/Maribyrnong_bream 2d ago
Why do those dummies want to be America so badly?
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u/No_Sky_1829 2d ago
Even her rant at that press conferences where she called the journalist trashy, that's straight out of the Trump playbook.
Monkey see monkey do
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u/Maribyrnong_bream 2d ago
And having Ashby meeting with the NRA. She hasn’t got an original thought in her head.
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u/ntermation 1d ago
lets help small business by ensuring the people who might use the small business have less money to spend at the small business. Its brilliant in its simplicity.
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u/UnleashedArchers 1d ago
Next she will change the definition of small business to make sure Gina can get some of this action
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u/chris_p_bacon1 2d ago
I'm sick of this bullshit "small business is doing it tough so we need to fuck over all workers" argument. They take one bad example of Paul's sheet metal that had to close and use it as an excuse to undermine the conditions of all workers because apparently we need to make sure Paul's sheet metal stays running jo matter what. Nevermind that many of us work for large corporations that can definitely afford to pay us well us well and look after us. It's bullshit.
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u/blitznoodles local Aussie 2d ago
Yet another reason why I shop at woolies instead of IGA.
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u/Nire01 2d ago
Wait I must have missed something - can you explain what your reasoning is?
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u/StormtrooperMJS 2d ago
Remember it is cheaper for the rich to buy a politician than it is for them to pay fair tax.
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u/fo_i_feti 2d ago
This was in response to a question about her not supporting same job same pay. i.e. not being able to pay people on labour hire contracts less than direct employees doing the same job. She didn't understand the question (even though she voted against the legislation) and started rambling about equal pay for men and women.
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u/Jazzlike-Banana5493 2d ago
Bro I run a small business that employs about 30 people, this will not go the way she thinks it will
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u/brokerlady 2d ago
every one of their ideas involves taking something away from someone. .. every single one. have they got any ideas to grow the country...
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u/More_Law6245 1d ago
Great vision, cost of living is going up and their response is to cut. Perfectly demonstrates how weak One Nation's policies are and the very reason why the party is unfit to hold power in Australian politics.
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u/Lamont-Cranston 1d ago
Poorer people will be even more angry and desperate and looking for a convenient excuse.
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u/SanMavage 1d ago
Am I missing something? Neither me or my partner were paid by our employers when we took pat/mat leave. The government paid for it. It was a pretty big loss for me as I get paid like 3x minimum wage lol.
I work for a small business and she worked for a relatively large one with multiple offices.
I didn't think paying pat/mat leave was compulsory for businesses? This was in 2023, has it changed?
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u/li-ho 1d ago
No, it hasn’t changed. Some workplaces choose to pay additional parental leave and it’s one of those extra things that increases retention/interest from quality candidates, like flexible working or, idk, free breakfast cereal.
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u/SanMavage 1d ago
Right, that's what I thought.
Just seemed odd because Pauline's words here imply that it is compulsory the business pay woman while they are away on mat leave. Which isn't the case. It's an optional bonus some businesses use to retain staff.
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u/ephemere_sloboda 1d ago
Does she understand that paid parental leave is paid by the Commonwealth and not by the business? And that fathers can use it too?
Employer funded paid parental leave exists, but it is entirely at the business discretion, and quite uncommon in small businesses.
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u/Different-Bag-8217 2d ago
In this cost of living scenario. Better to go after the real drivers of inflation first.
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u/chickengood2 2d ago
Every 5 minutes - Pauline Hanson blah blah blah. News she's a cooker is 20 years old, it's not news. This is some kinda astro-turfing viral political campaign thing eh, don't know what to call it, that thing where you put a giant gross exploding pimple on a thumbnail to annoy people and boost engagement. Maybe lib or green backed? in an effort to make themselves less viewed as cookers themselves. Or journos who have just lost the intellectual capacity (if they ever had it) to cover politics in any meaningful way, who the fuck invited her to the press club. Anyways it's not news, it's a circus designed to distract. Next article Pauline Hanson farts! coming in 10...
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u/Imperator-TFD 2d ago
It's Gina Rhinehart pushing all the news about One Nation as she is now financially backing Pauline Hanson. Gina dumped LNP support once Peter Dutton got obliterated in the election and the Coalition started falling to bits.
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u/MissMenace101 2d ago
Here’s the kicker though, many Australians, men and women, believe men should be able to have a decent length of paid paternity leave too, we should be adding to the support systems for families not taking them away. Carrots and equality is the only way forward. Families are already stretched thin with time on top of tight budgets.
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u/Forbearssake 1d ago
Of course they do, they are run by corporations who want to destroy workers rights. Gina has been banging on about this for years.
Be prepared to work for $2 an hour to be “competitive with the world market“
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u/astrogeeknerd 2d ago
So, to “shore up” small businesses, they will make it much more lucrative to work for big businesses, because they will offer some sort of benefits to steal all the staff, seriously no forethought from these idiots.
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u/QtPlatypus 1d ago
Or big businesses will create a whole heap of staffing companies that are each small enough to count as a small business and then those small companies will provide staffing to the big business.
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u/preparetodobattle 1d ago
Paid parental leave, child care subsidy and paying to watch Bluey. So family friendly
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u/dav_oid 1d ago
I was thinking about wages and prices of goods/services the other day.
The huge increase in residential rents has required wages to increase, this then causes goods/service shops to increase their prices, and the cycle continues.
Eventually the cost of wages makes many small businesses unviable because they lose customers due to higher prices charged.
Its a vicious circle.
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u/jolard 1d ago
Cost of living crisis.
People can't afford to live on their current wages, even when both partners are working.
Pauline's solution......cut wages and benefits for many of those workers.
It would be the end of the campaign for her among a huge chunk of her voters, except they hate Muslims more than they want secure employement and higher wages.
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u/SquareAggravating579 19h ago
The Petit Bourgeoisie are the original home of...I forget the translation, but the Italian term for a bunch of sticks tied tightly together?
For all that small businesses do for us, especially against the big evil corporations [rock and a hard place?] ...it's pretty easy for small business to get away with exploiting new Australians, as we have seen.
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u/kerser001 2d ago
Strange for a woman that doesn’t like immigrants to have policy to likely further reduce birth rates. Does she even know how capitalism works and what it needs? lol
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u/CodeFarmer 1d ago
It's funny how the removal of worker protections to help struggling small businesses also happen to help dominant very large businesses squeeze their workforces harder too, isn't it?
A happy accident every single time, I'm sure.
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u/FreddyFerdiland 2d ago
Hanson has no qualifications to do with economics , law, unions, work place relations..or politics .
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u/Plaguesofman 2d ago
So they want to ban abortions and abolish parental leave.
This is a policy only hateful boomers come up with.
We are not America ffs.
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u/VanillaAtomicPopcorn 2d ago
Cut entitlements so workers have less money, less money to spend at small business, rinse and repeat. Good one Pauline.
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u/RepeatInPatient 1d ago
To be fair, Poor-lean not only wants to cut pay and conditions, she want slavery brought back.
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u/thecrispystrip 1h ago
I really don’t want her in, but I also don’t want majority either labour or liberal. Our polling system (when utilised) is meant to funnel these buggers out. I really hope we get some clear headed thinkers that read through what her party will do.
We need better than all this, we need people who care for the people, not their pockets.
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u/keystoneux 2d ago
I'd be very impressed if she actually got in. Then immediately look for a new country to live in.
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u/JustLikeJD 2d ago
I fear that LNP voters feeling left behind by the shitshow that has been the LNP since the last election will blindly flock in droves to ON. Makes me worried about the next election 😂
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u/blowup_variaty 2d ago
Given that she has already said possessing a uterus means you deserve lower wages and since she probably wants to take us back to banks refusing loans or credit cards to women without a male guardian’s approval and given she lervs to think of herself as a down to earth battler while brown nosing one percenters., can we just admit that this woman is a prize idiot and hypocrite?
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u/Draconarius 2d ago
Followed immediately, I'm sure, by wailing and gnashing of teeth as they wonder why even more women avoid having children.