How young Australians are navigating their parents' support for One Nation - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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How young Australians are navigating their parents' support for One Nation  ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Bronte says she votes completely differently from the rest of her family.  (triple j hack)

Polling data shows gen Z is the least likely demographic to vote for One Nation, with support coming from older generations.

Young Australians have told triple j hack how a difference in politics has impacted their family dynamic.

Relationships Australia said it is hearing from more people experiencing family fallouts over politics.

Pointing to a family photo hanging on her lounge room wall, Bronte Woolley explains she is the odd one out in her household.

"The rest of our family is all quite conservative-minded and has the same beliefs as my mum does," she said.

Bronte tends to vote for Labor or The Greens while her mum supports One Nation.

"I definitely get more agitated about it than she does.

Bronte's mum Kelly told triple j hack that the pair "agree to disagree".

And while there have been intense political debates between them, Kelly said they stop before things get too heated.

"I do find a lot of what she says is very much an eye-opener for me," Kelly said.

"Because I wouldn't have seen things that way."

Bronte disagrees with her mother's outlook on their political discussions.

One Nation support has risen significantly, rivalling and sometimes beating Labor in research polls.

Data from RedBridge found gen Z is the least likely demographic to vote for One Nation, while the party's biggest supporters are from the gen X and baby boomer cohorts.

There's been a rise in family fallouts over political differences, according to Relationships Australia. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

It is a family dynamic 21-year-old Sarah has been grappling with too.

"It's easier for people to be like, 'I hate my parents, they support One Nation how dare they'.

"But I think it's so much harder for me to think that way because it's more complicated than that," she said.

Sarah is a second-generation migrant and said because of this, she struggled to understand her father's support for One Nation.

The party wants to slash permanent immigration numbers by 750,000 people as one method to address housing shortages, with some claiming One Nation is capitalising on anti-immigration sentiment during a housing crisis.

Polling data shows younger generations are less likely to vote for One Nation compared to older generations. (GettyImages: jeffbergen)

At first Sarah said she felt "anger and confusion" towards her father before trying to understand his perspective.

"It's a survival tactic to protect himself against people who view all immigrants as bad.

"With my dad, he's compelled by One Nation to adopt and incorporate their attitudes in order to prove he's different from the 'bad immigrant' out-group, because he doesn't want to be scapegoated," she said.

"If you understand why this comes about, I think you have the grace to love and to care about the people that have those views."

Relationships Australia's national executive officer Nick Tebbey said it is hearing from more people experiencing family fallouts over politics.

Nick Tebbey says "grievance-based politics" is one reason for the rise in family fallouts over politics.  (ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)

"Political mismatch and that real divergence of beliefs is actually incredibly on the rise because we're seeing such a proliferation of opinion-based news and grievance-based politics.

"We're more likely to judge harshly our immediate family members because we know them better.

"And you hope that's because that relationship is going to withstand those sorts of reactions."

He said it is not really the politics itself that leads to family conflicts, but the underlying difference in values that can "drive people apart".

"Because you suddenly question the basis of your relationship or what you thought you knew about that person or what you thought you had in common with that person," he said.

Bronte and her mum said they haven't let their political difference impact their relationship.  (triple j hack)

For Bronte and her mum Kelly, they believe you can connect with a loved one even if you disagree with their politics.

"We both have that understanding that we do have that difference of opinion," Kelly said.

Bronte said it hasn't changed how much she cares for her mum.

"I would never choose somebody [romantically] who voted One Nation or Liberal or politically conservative," Bronte said.

"You don't really get to choose your family. I think it is also eye-opening to me that you are able to love somebody regardless of the way they vote."

Original Source
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-29/one-nation-family-dynamics-aus-politics/107204260
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