Earlier this week, One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson went viral for her rant on bags — the Woolworths kind — and now, the supermarket giant has responded to the politician’s online crusade.
On Tuesday, the Aussie side of the internet was set alight over Hanson’s over-the-top rant surrounding Woolies’ “cheap, rubbish” paper bags that “that split and break on you all the time”, calling for the return of plastic ones despite them being banned across the country.
“I’m over it, I’m so angry about this,” she lamented while carrying a broken paper bag to her kitchen counter.
“And 25 cents a bag. I’m sure many of you know how I feel about that. Of course, I had to buy it, didn’t I? Because I’m in Canberra and I didn’t carry my own bags with me, but anyway, this is what you have to put up with.
“I am telling Woollies and Coles — get your act together with the bags. You charge a fortune for it, cost of living, people can’t afford it, and it’s ridiculous. I’m sure you’re making a fortune out of it.”
Woolworths, for its part, has kindly assured the public that its paper bags are not, in fact, disintegrating under pressure — at least not supposed to.
A spokesperson told 9News the bags have been around since 2020, are tested to hold six kilograms, and can be recycled at home. They also made it clear the goal is to sell fewer bags because, shockingly, supermarkets would prefer people bring their own.
The part Hanson skipped over is that single‑use plastic bags have been banned in every Australian state and territory. Those bans didn’t come from Woolies HQ or Coles boardrooms, but from each state and territory government, aiming to cut down on plastic waste choking waterways and wildlife. Coles and Woolies even went ahead of schedule, voluntarily ditching plastic bags back in 2018. I don’t love that I have to defend the supermarket giants, but the law is the law.
Unfortunately for Pauline, “bring back the trusty plastic bags” isn’t exactly a policy proposal — more a nostalgic, environmentally-unfriendly throwback to the pre‑2018 grocery shop. The woman really doesn’t like change.
Reality check? Unless every state and territory scraps its laws, plastic bags aren’t making a comeback. Knowing Pauline’s history in politics, it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if she made this her new political crusade.
But for now, we will continue living in the land of paper bags and reusable totes. Sorry Pauline!
Lead image: Facebook
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