Pauline Hanson says reports contain ‘false allegations’ during a shambolic press conference in Victoria
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
One Nation says reports that its Victorian state president, Warren Pickering, told a candidate to use his personal bank account for campaign finances contain “false allegations”.
The rightwing party, which has surged in the polls in recent months, said there was no personal bank account used but did not answer specific questions about whether the advice was given.
On Saturday, party leader Pauline Hanson held a press conference with Nepean candidate Darren Hercus ahead of the 2 May byelection in the Mornington Peninsula seat.
The byelection was triggered by Sam Groth’s resignation after a defamation battle and infighting in the Victorian Liberal party.
The Nine newspapers reported on Saturday that two former members of Hanson’s party raised concerns about the advice to use a personal bank account for campaign donations, and both had since quit the party over the handling of donations.
Under Victoria’s electoral laws at the time, all donations had to go into an account registered with the electoral commission.
On Wednesday the high court scrapped those laws, removing critical safeguards ahead of the state’s November election. The government has pledged to introduce new laws to ensure accountability, and says they will apply retrospectively.
On Saturday, when asked about the alleged advice, Hercus said the...
We detected unusual activity from your device or network. Reasons may include: Rapid taps or clicks JavaScript disabled or not working Automated (bot) activity on your network (IP 216.218.191.