The short version
- One Nation has identified eight candidates for the Victorian upper house, with Warren Pickering shifting to contest a lower house seat in Pakenham.
- Party leader Pauline Hanson excluded reporters from the ABC and The Guardian from her announcement event, stating democracy does not occur on the national broadcaster.
- The candidate lineup includes former Liberal party members and figures with backgrounds in security and animation, reflecting the party's recent surge in polling data.
One Nation has officially named its initial slate of candidates for the upcoming Victorian state election, a move accompanied by a renewed effort to restrict access for major news organizations. Party leader Pauline Hanson barred journalists from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The Guardian from attending her press conference on Monday, where she introduced seven of the eight individuals who will lead the party’s upper house tickets. Reporters from these outlets, along with The Age, were not provided with advance notice regarding the time or location of the event.
Hanson defended the exclusion by asserting that democratic processes do not take place on the ABC, noting she had previously denied access to the national broadcaster for eight months in 1996. When questioned about whether limiting media coverage would hinder the party’s ability to reach regional voters, Hanson indicated satisfaction with Rebel News Australia as an alternative platform. She emphasized that the party is content with this arrangement despite the potential reduction in mainstream visibility.
Warren Pickering, the Victorian president of One Nation, was initially expected to lead the campaign and run in the eastern Victoria region for the upper house. However, Hanson announced at the event that Pickering will instead contest the lower house seat of Pakenham, an ultra-marginal electorate southeast of Melbourne where the party has established an office. This shift leaves the eastern Victoria upper house ticket without a confirmed leader at this time.
The remaining candidates include Colleen Harkin, a former Liberal party member and director of education at the Institute of Public Affairs, who will run in the south-eastern metropolitan region. Mark Nicholson, co-founder of Stepmates Studios which produces Hanson’s satirical content, is set to contest the northern metropolitan region. Chris Burson, a Geelong councillor and former police officer who previously served on the security team for then-premier Daniel Andrews, will represent western Victoria. Other candidates include Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell seeking re-election in northern Victoria, alongside Fiona Lopez, Aaron Sandford, and Natalie Adams heading tickets in various metropolitan regions.
This announcement follows a period of significant growth for One Nation in Victorian polling, with recent figures suggesting between 19 and 27 percent of voters are considering supporting the party. This stands in stark contrast to the 2022 election results, where One Nation secured only 0.22 percent of first-preference votes in the lower house and 2 percent in the upper house. The candidate unveilings occur as new Victorian premier Ben Carroll introduces legislation to abolish group voting tickets, potentially altering the electoral landscape for minor parties.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗One Nation names eight Victorian election candidates as Hanson bars ABC and Guardian from press conferences
