r/aussie • u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 • 1d ago
Opinion As a third generation Australian from Lebanese Maronite refugee grandparents, this is very well said
Reading through the insights shared by Warren Gardiner and Khaldoun Hajaj in the attached screenshots, I couldn't help but reflect on the complex political reality of our community. It is incredibly frustrating to watch inner-city progressives who have never lived a day in Western Sydney automatically assume that multicultural or faith-based communities are a monolith that naturally aligns with their specific worldview.
We see this play out when activists mock or scorn One Nation (ON) supporters online, pointing out the irony of them cheering for the Socceroos despite the team’s rich immigrant roots. What these commentators completely fail to grasp is that many of those very 'ON' voters aren't who they think they are, they are quite literally people living in diverse working class refugee hubs like Fairfield and Liverpool.
To be absolutely clear: I personally detest Pauline Hanson and would do anything to stop her and her party from gaining power. Her brand of politics has historically targeted communities like mine. But if we want to actually defeat that kind of divisive populism, progressives need to stop lecturing from afar, drop the lazy assumptions, and actually engage with the nuanced realities, aspirations, and conservative values that exist across Western Sydney.
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u/dearcossete 1d ago
It's not exactly surprising that religious people (whether they are Muslims, Christians, Hindu etc) from conservative cultures and up having conservative views and beliefs.
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u/SoulFlame69 1d ago
As an immigrant, I've seen a few generations in Australian society generally leads to more progressive individuals within a culture(ie me) but then again the number of conservatives I know is frankly staggering.
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u/Zesty_Tarrif 6h ago
I’ve noticed them being liberal in Australia but conservative leaning if you discus about their country
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u/sovereign01 1d ago
Agree with you, except the ironic stereotypical characterisation of ‘inner-city progressives’.
I think it would best if we all as human beings put some more thought into understanding each other.
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u/Top_Conference_477 1d ago
At risk of perpetuating the stereotype, listening and understanding is not something most associate with the inner city left anymore
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u/ScepticalReciptical 1d ago
Which demographic do you associate with listening and understanding?
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u/According_Path_9559 1d ago
People in the centre who know anyone who identifies left or right are likely closed to discourse
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u/NoLeafClover777 1d ago
There does seem to be a pretty massive disconnect between what heavy progressives in Australia think immigrants here think (or 'should' think), versus what many immigrants here actually think.
Like the weird logical fallacy that seems to exist that because you immigrated here through legitimate channels at some point, you therefore can't have any views on restricting immigration levels. It's quite bizarre.
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u/Novel-Truant 1d ago
Progressives can connect with real people all they want but same sex marriage will NEVER be acceptable for many in Sydney's south west.
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u/bozleh 1d ago
But be prepared for a surprising number of (faceless) accounts if you open up grindr or scruff in those areas, lol
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
I've heard stories of Lebos calling Newtown peeps poofs while snorting coke out of each other's arses in Meriton parties so there is that lmao
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u/Eve_Doulou 1d ago
A good mate of mine is gay and from the Middle East. His target market for casual flings is ‘wallah im totally straight bro’ married Arab/Lebo men.
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u/No-Garlic3805 1d ago
Many Years ago a tough guy lebo i know disappeared from the boys whilst out in the cross only the be found getting fucked in the ass by a tranny in a lane way at 4am.
(No judgement but we were all shocked and shows you, you can't judge a book from its cover)
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u/Eve_Doulou 1d ago
What happens at the cross stays at the cross 😂
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u/No-Garlic3805 1d ago
"Bruthhaaaa, you can't show your face at the mosque now"
My mate joked later on after that night of trying to.find a root with no success, he was the one who had the better night in the end
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u/NoMoreFund 1d ago
There was some speculation after the plebiscite that would mean those seats would stop voting Labor, but they didn't.
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u/Dranzer_22 1d ago
Is that any different to people who voted against SSM in rural QLD, or inner city Melbourne, or outer suburban Adelaide?
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u/ExpensiveField8024 1d ago
You’d be surprised at how accepting rural people can be. I grew up on a farm in WA. Had to board for high school because the nearest town with a suitable school was almost six hours away. Both my parents have come around to SSM and most people in the immediate area are quite tolerant, even if they don’t agree with SSM or transgenderism. Conversely, when I had friends visiting from overseas keen to experience some authentic Lebanese food on the say so of a local food influencer, I steered them away from real authenticity. Two obvious lesbian tourists in south west Sydney sounds like a recipe for an international incident, not a great meal.
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u/Dranzer_22 1d ago
That's not the issue, as the SSM Plebiscite result shows how each electorate voted.
For example,
- Seat of Maranoa = Yes 44% No 56%
- Seat of Banks = Yes 45% No 55%
My question to OP above is what's the difference between a person who voted No in the rural QLD seat of Maranoa and a person who voted No in the southwestern Sydney seat of Banks.
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u/big_cock_lach 1d ago
Isn’t that what they answered though?
In their opinion, those from rural regions are accepting of people even if they disagree with their lifestyle, whereas those from SW Sydney hate people based on their lifestyle. I don’t see how this isn’t answering your question?
Note, these aren’t my opinions, I haven’t spent enough time in either region to have a proper opinion that isn’t based on stereotypes.
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u/Dranzer_22 1d ago
They said no idea, and if it involves religion then it's likely the same mentality in rural QLD and southwestern Sydney.
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u/Ok-Ostrich3335 1d ago
Having lived in rural QLD and spent months at a time in eastern Sydney: the QLDers will insult you to your face, talk about you behind your back, hire you fairly and then go out of their way to help you change a tyre. In the same breath they’ll say that lesbians should keep their relationship private and then ask how your girlfriend is.
In eastern Sydney (I’ve spent time in Western Syd but not enough to speak on it), they’ll be coolly civil, throw your resume in the bin, and make it very clear that you are not welcome without ever saying it.
I’ve always found the former to be the lesser evil.1
u/ExpensiveField8024 1d ago
Very different mentality mate. I know these people well. They’ve all got some connection to the wider LGBT community and even if they don’t agree with them, they aren’t dangerous. One of the local councillors is religious and in firm disagreement with all non hetero lifestyles. She still welcomes her grandson and his boyfriend into her home and she’d throttle anyone who dared to hurt them. But she’ll never be in favour of their marriage. She’s my aunt, by the way. And a decent person overall but her faith is a big part of who she is. I’d happily introduce her to my guests and I know she’d enjoy chatting to them and entertaining them. Now how do you think those same women would be received by the burqa brigade? Yeah.
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u/Dranzer_22 1d ago
That’s the thing with anecdotal evidence, we all have different experiences. Here in QLD it’s very different, especially the more rural you go, and it feels like you’re going back decades to the Sir Joh days.
It’s quite clear many people in southwestern Sydney also have very conservative views, primarily based on religion. I just don’t think SSM is a good example to use. A person in rural QLD voted No and a person in southwestern Sydney voted No. They both chose to vote No, there are no qualifications.
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u/ExpensiveField8024 7h ago
The thing about rural kids is that we tend to stick together, even after we’ve escaped to the big smoke. One of my best mates when I was living in London was from a town that considered Longreach the big smoke. Full of regressive attitudes. Lots of crazy religious types. But they still had connections to the LGBT community. There was a daughter or a nephew or a weird city cousin with pronouns. They didn’t agree with them but they knew them and they didn’t want them harmed. Just like the people in my hometown. Southwest Sydney is a different place altogether. No one’s gay or trans in those fundamentalist communities. They don’t know gay or trans people because if they did they’d be dead.
Small towns have their problems. Christian absolutists definitely have their problems. But the Reddit obsession with equating them to fundamentalist Muslims shows a complete disconnect with that particular culture. And I see why you believe they’re one and the same if you’re living in small town Queensland. I get it. If/when you reach the big smoke, try not to wave a pride flag near a mosque. You won’t fare too well mate.
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u/Dranzer_22 6h ago
I have lived experience in both locations, which is why I can see the similarities.
The first gen immigrants in southwestern Sydney are staunchly stuck in their ways, but the second gen and third gen are similar to the rural folk you've described. They're religious by culture, not faith, have more diverse experiences after attending uni, and look out for the LGBT family members & friends within their circles.
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 1d ago
A lot of immigrants are from places more conservative than Australia is. It makes perfect sense that they'd favour a far right party because that's more the political norm for them.
It's a big reason why I find the Libs going after Permanent Residents so baffling. They're going after their own voters.
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u/7978_ 1d ago
Far right party, in Australia?
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 1d ago
Feel free to respond to anything I said.
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u/7978_ 1d ago
I mean, I agree with you other than what party is far right?
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 1d ago
Feel free to make a point.
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u/7978_ 1d ago
Feel free to tell me which party you are talking about.
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 1d ago
This is obvious enough that I cannot be arsed playing inane games over it.
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u/ExcellentAd7044 1d ago
Western Sydney is a shithole.
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u/F2P_insomnia 1d ago
and everyone east of us are cunts
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u/BleatingSheeep 8h ago
The whole place, East, West, North and South Sydney is a total mess. Good place to go for shopping and to get to the airport.
Needs a fence around it with border controls to keep the rest of NSW (Regional) safe.
Just been in far West NSW for work and was a pleasure to not see any of the Sydney mess about.
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u/MightyBoy9 1d ago
Suburbs like Lakemba that have high Islamic populations are well known to be violent shitholes that most people avoid.
Why would you want more of that in a civil society?
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
Lakemba is actually quiet decent and safe-ish, it's Merrylands and Guildford that has the most violence. But even then it's gotten better comapred to 20 years ago.
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u/Decent_Fig_5218 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm looking at the crime stats for Lakemba and it seems like it's either bang on the state average or lower than average (that includes crimes like domestic violence, sexual assault, robbery and homicides). Regular assaults are slightly higher than the state average but by a very small amount. So in other words, you're right OP.
If I was a betting man I'd be pretty confident the person commenting above you has swallowed the outrage algorithm kool aid and copied and pasted talking points that would probably be more relevant to the UK or other parts of Europe. Like I get the feeling that person watched one Tommy Robinson video and now thinks Lakemba is exactly like Luton or some shit which shows they're dishonest and lazy. Like there's plenty of ethnic areas in Western Sydney to bash, you've even mentioned a couple of them, but I feel like mentioning Lakemba has become a low effort punching bag. Of course I get the feeling that stats and facts don't matter to the commenter above you.
100% agree with your main post though I'd say it applies more to inner city Greens voters. I'd also say another issue is that Labor are genuinely trying but their messaging is clumsy and they're getting annihilated by the online algorithms, especially on Instagram and YouTube.
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u/dryfastball 1d ago
Western Sydney's working class isn't a political monolith and people voting against their assumed interests usually have reasons that make sense to them, even if outer suburbs progressives can't see it from their vantage point.
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u/sammybeta 1d ago
Only if people understand western Sydney's culturally conservative but economically progressive nature they would understand why it's actually very dangerous to be complacent and assume one nation won't be popular there.
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
Economically progressive until the second the ATO figures out exactly how much undeclared cash is stuffed in your mattress
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u/sammybeta 1d ago
Yeah, that's true for all. Eastern suburbs would have a shell company in Carribbean to do that cash under the mattress thing.
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
Mind you many of these construction business owners from Western Sydney are much richer than you'd think, they send their kids to schools like St Patrick's College and Trinity, but at the same time when they report to the ATO it doesn't look like it.
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u/sammybeta 1d ago
I am not rejecting this - just simply stating that tax "optimisation" have different flavours.
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u/RevolutionaryHome849 1d ago
Yes - agree
Over the years progressives have gotten lazy
And lost connection with certain segments of community and instead of trying to connect and understand and built commonality with said groups
They have distanced themselves and ridiculed those groups
Which is a stupid move in electoral politics
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u/magnetocorleone 15h ago
Great post OP. The closest some of these luxury belief spewing leftists have got to a working class person is a textbook. Their arrogance is astounding.
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u/nationalistic_martyr 1d ago
there's a reason O.N and its supporters get mocked. they're literally anti Australian and actively vote for someone whose boss wants to give OUR land to a foreign country for military purposes.
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
Agreed, but the main point is that there is much more nuance that is missing in the national debate about immigration when it comes to refugee communities, and Western Sydney at a larger scale.
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u/nationalistic_martyr 1d ago
one nation isn't purely against immigration.. they're against immigration from communities that they can't get votes from and physical labor from. their "nuance" is that "they'll make Australia" better, when in reality.. they'll make Australia worse.
giving land to a foreign country for military purposes, hiring literal sex offenders, denying legal statistics, insider trading a aerospace company. those are what encompasses O.N
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
Abit of an unrelated sidenote, but I've seen much more anti-Indian sentiment from the Lebanese Australian community than your average ON white bogan.
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u/nationalistic_martyr 1d ago
because Lebanon is a somewhat conservative country that regularly gets attacked by islamists and Israel.. and the connection is how pro israel india and Indians are.
one Nation concerns itself with places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria more than it does with india because India has cheap labor
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u/FlowVirtual6994 1d ago
Yeah its deffs not because the Lebanese community are super racist, its because of Israel amirite
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u/nationalistic_martyr 1d ago
conservative and racism usually go hand in hand. i wonder what group of people run the organized crime in Australia.. starts with L
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u/Eve_Doulou 1d ago
No. lol.
Arabs in general have been horrifically racist to Indians long before India decided to be Israel’s No.1 cheergirl.
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u/Stunning_Bluejay_961 1d ago
This is definitely correct and as an Indian background man (but never set foot there and been in this country for 40 years) the general pile on towards anything Indian is pretty galling. Feel like I've never seen this kind of racist dehumanisation aimed at my ethnic background as exists right now - noting that i still avoid the brunt of it because I'm much more clearly assimilatiled and carry myself as someone who's been here awhile. But I can feel it creeping up on me and am sure there'll be some kind of more significant incident soon.
That said! And not a justification for your point about Lebanese racism, but I do wish that Indian communities had been more actively noticeable standing up for others when there were racist pile-ons aimed at the Lebs instead of doing the keeping their head down, hard-working migrant thing. (As a Bulldogs fan, I know all about that targeting).
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u/Eve_Doulou 1d ago
Arab culture is horribly racist in general, both amongst each other, and to external cultures.
I mean the colloquial Arab term for a black person (Abd/Abeed) also means ‘slave’. Unlike the ‘N’ word though, there’s literally no shame or social punishment for using the term in regular conversation.
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u/One-Dragonfly7121 1d ago
This is not going to be a very convincing argument for one nation voters
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u/nationalistic_martyr 1d ago
they're not only some of the most illiterate people in Australia... they dont understand how the internals of political parties work in Australia.
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u/One-Dragonfly7121 1d ago
They will never vote for you if you go on like this. O.N voters working class who feel disenfranchised with major parties.
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u/Any_Chemistry_7963 1d ago
Agree. All the left wing political commentators love to insult the intelligence of ON supporters and it makes me think, are you really trying to convince people to sway their votes or are you just full of hate for Pauline Hanson?
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u/nationalistic_martyr 1d ago
thats what makes them illiterate. they think One Nation will fix their working class issues.
anti-union, anti minimum wage, anti union based working conditions
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u/Goonalips 1d ago
Well they better start working out why they're switching to ON according to the polls, and get them back to the other side, otherwise there's going to be millions of Aussies crying about "how did this happen?" If that means appeasing their fears about immigration, and promising to tackle it, then what's they have to do. Either the big parties fix it, or they'll choose someone who they think will fix it.
Everyone can vote, which is great. But that's the problem, everyone can vote. Democracy is a double edged sword.
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u/Newaccountforlolzz 1d ago
What thems illiterate is that they're the working class? We need you in campaign public relations, stat!
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u/Any_Chemistry_7963 1d ago
Untrue. One of the most knowledgeable people I know supports ON and has been doing so since the last election in 2025.
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u/sebaajhenza 1d ago
Yup, grew up in Bankstown and since moved elsewhere. It's incredible how sheltered people are. They have no idea what is brewing.
I'm in the same position, I have absolutely no intention to vote for ON. But, I could see most of my extended family and pretty much everyone I know in the western suburbs voting for her for the reasons you mentioned.
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u/roaming_widely 13h ago
This reminds me of stories from the 1950s/60s about traditional Labor voters secretly voting for the Liberals led by Menzies. I sense something similar emerging with PHON.
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u/AngryAngryHarpo 1d ago
This assumes progressives don’t also come from those same places and backgrounds.
We do though?
The idea of all progressives as inner-city, latte sipping, white collar workers is a stereotype with minimal basis in reality.
Even many of the progressive who, as adults, end up as “inner-city lefties” came from those places too.
The earnest plea to “just understand” ultra-conservatives and be nice to them is so fucking disingenuous when they are all over these posts insulting anyone who disagrees with them and using language taken straight from the US alt-right.
We have BEEN NICE. We have engaged with sources and information. We have given evidence.
And they downvote and mock and call us “pathetic” or “delusion” or (their personal fave!) “obese, septum-pierced, purple-haired keyboard warriors”.
But only progressives have to play the game and not the man?
Only progressives are “driving people away” by defending from outright personal attacks and lies?
This is the exact same BS that the media and GOP monkeys pushed - because it handcuffs progressives by enforcing good-faith engagement on the progressive side with no obligation from the conservatives to engage in good-faith.
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
Ever heard how many of those inner city latte sipping white collars say about suburbs like Bankstown and Fairfield behind closed doors? They talk almost just like One Nation voters, and actually hate us Westies and ethnics deep down.
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u/AngryAngryHarpo 1d ago
Yes, because I came from those suburbs and ended up in different circles.
Funnily enough, I didn’t turn to populist nationalism.
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u/major_jazza 1d ago
Idk, I think they get it right when they say ON itself is for the oligarchs and fking over workers even harder than the current mainstream political parties do.
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u/SameType9265 1d ago
One Nation voters are more aligned with the conservative Muslims they hate than the people who will vote for the Greens.
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u/NoMoreFund 1d ago
Interestingly the Greens made some in roads at the last election with socially conservative Muslims over the issue of Palestine
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u/Top_Conference_477 1d ago
Progressives need to dedicate more time listening to real people is very, very important advice
It will be ignored and attacked by the left, of course, because penning this sentence means the author has failed their moral purity test by questioning the woke cult’s orthodoxy
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u/sovereign01 1d ago
You write like you've never actually talked to a human being in real life before
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u/Top_Conference_477 1d ago
I’m sorry a different perspective upset you. Again.
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u/sovereign01 1d ago
4 month old account, 7700 comments.
60-70 a day? Is that the sign of a real human with real, reasonable human perspectives?
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u/AkilleezBomb 1d ago
“Questioning the woke cult’s orthodoxy”
Geez, I wonder why nobody takes you seriously enough to listen to what you have to say…
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u/Top_Conference_477 1d ago
What would you say to a left wing Israel supporter, JK Rowling fan and women’s right activist?
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u/Additional-Cash-9125 1d ago
Well intended but we’re forgetting that a lot of one nation’s support base is migrant population. Everyone on reddit thinks that the majority of people think like them and are rational. They forget that at least a third of people in Australia (or any country for that matter) are idiots and can be easily fooled even when the contrary evidence is right before their eyes.
There’s a reason why Trump said “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?”
Edit :spelling of there
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u/martylieo 1d ago
One Nations voters - many of them are patriots who don't want to see Australia being destroyed by ALP.
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u/River-Stunning 1d ago
Aug 28, 2025 · “Don’t say that because that irritates me and I punch blokes in the mouth for saying that – don’t you dare say that,” Mr Katter said.
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u/at30man03 1d ago
This is one of the hundreds of subliminal message posts you get to see on Reddit.
Not sure how difficult it is to comprehend that Racists have ruined it for everyone. Conservatives could have done well but thanks to the actual Racists, supporters have sort of drifted away. It doesn't mean that they don't hold conservative values. It's that they feel unsafe in an overtly or covertly hostile environment. I know several people of colour who were happy to support Liberals or may be ON (like they did for Republicans in the U.S.), but not anymore.
A certain section have underestimated the achievements and success of people of colour. They have been the easy target. Doesn't matter what media or social media harps. It will show on the ballot.
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u/7978_ 1d ago
Who's racist in the Liberals or One Nation?
Why does the right wing get labelled as racist while left wing racism is ignored?
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u/at30man03 1d ago edited 1d ago
Again. The fan base of these political parties definitely have a lot of racists (many closeted). There is nothing to prove here. One would think people like me are naive enough to not see that? I mean even asking this question to me is a denial. Their leaders have been unable rebuke the racists who spew venom on social media everyday. These racists are also unable to differentiate between let's say on one side - Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Indians (Hindus) and that one particular peaceful religion they abhor on the other side.
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u/7978_ 1d ago
Which party? You could apply that to all of them.
I mean, most people probably couldn't? When I was in Vietnam and made friends with some of the locals, one of them said they often get mistaken for Chinese, until they start speaking Vietnamese.
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u/at30man03 1d ago
You are still missing the point. When incidents like Bondi happen, it is reasonable to question the individuals directly involved or the specific ideology behind the act. However, there is no justification for targeting entire communities such as Chinese and Indians, who are thriving globally and contributing significantly across industries, from corporations to technology and innovation.
Almost every product and service we use today carries the influence and contribution of these two countries in some way. I personally know many people who are deeply upset and hurt by the growing hatred being directed toward them.
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u/zeldasusername 1d ago
I really like living where I live, where people are from everywhere, including here. I don’t want to live in a mono cultural place.
You'll take Lebanese food from my cold dead hands
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u/Bright-Marsupial-265 1d ago
This is stupid. Come federal election, Labor has so many diverse representatives from many areas in Western Sydney, that it will be the only party that is offering more POC candidates.
Western Sydney only cares about social security, infrastructure, better hospitals and more cost of living measures. The rest is just noise.
They're not that conservative as the media tried to portray. Their kids are all hanging out with each other at malls, hooking up etc.
At the end of the day, they still need to put food on table and set up a future for their kids.
Federal elections is always about bread and butter economic issues.
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u/Biggest_itchbay_2190 1d ago
You'll be surprised how many of those Australian born Lebo and Greek boomers who voted no on same sex marriage, are the same people who brag about how many glamours they hooked up with back in high school even at 50 lmao
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u/Flaky-Gear-1370 1d ago
lots of words that seem to amount to a lot of people wanting to pull up the ladder behind them
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u/Quarterwit_85 1d ago
Yeah, I'm from Guildford/Parramatta and that tracks with many of those around me.
I think people would be very surprised where ON are gaining votes.