Travel and Campaign Finance Matters Involving One Nation

Recent reports have brought attention to travel and campaign finance matters involving One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson and the party's candidates, with several instances relating to flights associated with mining executive Gina Rinehart.

Taxpayer-Funded Flight to College Event

In October 2025, Senator Hanson charged taxpayers $8,870 for a chartered flight from Tamworth to Avalon, Victoria, to attend an event at Marcus Oldham College in Geelong. The event celebrated the opening of new student accommodation funded by a $2 million donation from Gina Rinehart.

Parliamentary expense rules require claims to meet a "dominant purpose test" of parliamentary business and demonstrate "value for money."

A spokesperson for Hanson stated the chartered flight was the cheapest available option due to a lack of commercial flights between the two locations. Hanson was invited to the event by Rinehart.

During the event, Hanson participated in a question and answer session where a state MP raised the issue of a federal tax on the Fee-Help scheme for private college students. Hanson responded that she was not previously aware of the issue and would look into it.

On the same day, Guardian Australia reported that Hanson later flew from Melbourne’s Essendon airport to Sydney on a Gulfstream G700 jet registered to Rinehart's company. Hanson did not declare this flight within the required timeframe, updating her register of interests after the report was published.

When asked about receiving flights from Hancock Prospecting related to the event, Hanson initially said "no" and then stated, "I can’t remember."

Flights During South Australian Election Campaign

In March, during the South Australian state election campaign, Senator Hanson and the party's lead candidate, Cory Bernardi, used a private plane owned by S. Kidman & Co, a company majority-owned by Gina Rinehart. The flights occurred over several days, traveling to multiple regional locations.

• Cory Bernardi stated the flights were not an in-kind political donation and that he would pay for his seat, characterizing it as a campaign expense.
• Senator Hanson stated her understanding that Bernardi would cover the cost of the flights.
• South Australia's new electoral laws, enacted prior to the election, ban political donations to parties and candidates with certain exceptions and caps. The laws do not apply if a donation is used for a federal purpose.
• The state's Labor Party contacted the Electoral Commission to investigate the flights' compliance with the Electoral Act.
• South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas described the situation as "extraordinary" and called for an explanation from One Nation.

Candidate Finance Allegations in Victoria

Ahead of a byelection in Victoria, One Nation denied allegations reported by Nine newspapers regarding campaign finance advice. The reports alleged the party's state president, Warren Pickering, advised a candidate to use a personal bank account for campaign donations, which would have been contrary to Victorian electoral laws at the time. Those laws were scrapped by the High Court the week prior.

• Party leader Pauline Hanson called the allegations "false" and attributed them to "disgruntled former members," stating she would sue those who made them.
• Hanson stated there was "no separate bank account," only an account set up for the campaign, and that the party's accounts would be audited.
• Candidate Darren Hercus said the matter was "in the hands of the lawyers" and that he was funding his campaign with his personal credit card.
• When asked if he gave the alleged advice, Warren Pickering said the state executive would have given "rational, logical advice."

Broader Context and Other Scrutiny

• One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has previously identified Gina Rinehart as a donor to the party.
• A separate investigation published this week reported that former One Nation candidates stated they had not yet received their share of more than $6 million in public election funding the party received after the 2025 federal election. One Nation did not respond to questions for that story but has previously stated its finances are regularly audited.
• Separately, the National Anti-Corruption Commission is the subject of a Greens-led parliamentary inquiry examining its procedures.