One Nation’s rapid national expansion in disarray as ‘significant risks’ force dissolution of new branches

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has directed its branches to properly reconstitute after an internal review. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP View image in fullscreen Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has directed its branches to properly reconstitute after an internal review. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP One Nation’s rapid national expansion in disarray as ‘significant risks’ force dissolution of new branches Exclusive: Documents seen by Australia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="329" data-entity-type="organization">Guardian Australia also show new branches and members will be subject to strict gag orders Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast One Nation’s rapid expansion of local branches across the country is in disarray, with the party being forced to dissolve and re-establish its new network less than eight months after the ambitious roll out began. Documents seen by Australia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="329" data-entity-type="organization">Guardian Australia show the party’s new general manager, Kelvin Morton, issued a directive to the party’s branches in April ordering committee members to properly reconstitute their branches after an internal review uncovered “significant risks”. The correspondence also shows that the party’s new branches and members will be subject to strict gag orders: all committee members and nominees must sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), while branches must agree to a “media silence” policy and a social media ban. The requirement is understood to have upset some party members, given One Nation has frequently billed itself as the party of free speech. Its policy platform states that the right to free speech should be enshrined in the constitution, saying: “One Nation will always stand for your right to speak, debate, and express your views.” One Nation announced it would begin rolling out new branches in every federal electorate in August last year as “the engine room of our grassroots movement”, however, branches have since been told that the review uncovered “inconsistencies” in their structure that could leave them vulnerable to legal challenge. “We are finding discrepancies and inconstancies [sic] including that formal establishment minutes do not exist, were recorded incorrectly, or the processes for establishing a branch and/or electing formal committee roles (Co-ordinators, Secretaries, and Treasurers) were non-compliant or unvetted,” the directive dated 17 April says. “I fully accept that this may not be true for all branches, however the amount of time and resources involved in thoroughly identifying all is more than significant in circumstances where we have an election to win outright.” The letter states that if the party’s documentation was flawed, “the very existence of a branch can be legally challenged”. “Decisions, appointments, and policy contributions made by a committee can be overturned, leaving the party in a position of legal and operational jeopardy. “Given the threat that One Nation presents to the other partes [sic], the risk of this occurring is very real. We cannot – and will not – allow administrative oversights to compromise our movement as we approach the single most critical moment in Australian political history.” Morton says that he has been instructed by the party’s national executive to build a “professional, scalable, and legally robust organisation capable of outright victory at the next general election”. “I understand that this requirement will cause some frustration, but it is a non-negotiable step toward ensuring that when we win, our victory cannot be taken away from us on an administrative technicality.” View image in fullscreen Pauline Hanson at a press conference in Canberra. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP The directive emphasises that all committee members must complete the party’s vetting process and agree to the “standard NDA terms and conditions”, including sitting members. “It is a mandatory process. Please do not request an exemption as we value our members and refusal often offends.” An “urgent” communication from the office of the general manager sent on 14 May shows that some branches failed to comply with the April directive and have since been forcibly dissolved and instructed to cease all branch activities. “The operational review identified significant risks where historical establishment processes were unvetted or lacked formal minutes. We cannot – and will not – allow administrative oversights to leave the party in a position of legal jeopardy as we approach the most critical moment in Australian political history.” Another document called “One Nation Guide: How to Establish and Operate a Branch” provides more details on the vetting process and the financial and media rules for new branches, demonstrating the tight control the party’s head office will retain as it rapidly expands ahead of the next election. Concerns have previously been raised about the “chaos” in the party’s head office, with Australia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="329" data-entity-type="organization">Guardian Australia reporting on high staff turnover, a “dysfunctional” culture and concerns about its management of public funding. Under its vetting process, committee members are subject to a 10-year “clean record” test using the party’s ONTRACE method (One Nation Thorough Record Analysis & Character Evaluation). It is unclear what this process entails, but the document states that test results are final and cannot be discussed. The financial and media rules state that branches cannot maintain independent bank accounts and “all funds are managed centrally by One Nation HQ”. Branches must agree to a “media silence” with all media inquiries to be referred to One Nation HQ or “the Federal Leader”, while branches are “strictly prohibited” from operating independent social media pages. “Members should share content from official Party channels instead,” the guidelines state. Another message to members suggests that branches can use “supporter pages”, but “must not present themselves as official branch communications or misrepresent Pauline Hanson’s One Nation”. One Nation has faced criticism for its attempts to control media coverage of its rise after it banned the ABC and Australia" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="329" data-entity-type="organization">Guardian Australia from campaign events linked to the Farrer byelection. In a sign of the iron grip the party’s headquarters intends to keep on the new branch network, correspondence also shows that branch communications to members must take place through the “approved membership portal” that is centrally controlled. Branch meetings “must not be advertised online or on social media”, and any request for members to meet must be submitted to the party’s headquarters which then issues the invitation through the party’s system. The guidelines issued to branches also include a general message that states “all branch decisions and actions are subject to review and may be overturned by the Federal Executive to protect the best interests of the Party”. Explore more on these topics One Nation Pauline Hanson Australian politics news Share Reuse this content