One Nation has ordered new branches nationwide be reformed, with some forcibly dissolved, and imposed a secretive vetting process and gag orders.
Pauline Hanson’s party began opening branches in every federal electorate last year as it began to rise in the polls, but last month new general manager Kevin Morton ordered them to be reconstituted, due to “inconsistencies” that could result in legal challenges.
Noticer News understands the directive was issued to ensure preselections are legally binding, and members are being told not to attend neighbouring branches.
One branch, in Riverina, was temporarily dissolved pending a state-overseen reconstitution and the membership of a former Wagga Wagga councillor terminated amid a defamation lawsuit filed against him by another councillor over alleged social media posts, The Daily Advertiser reported.
The legal action is not targeted at One Nation.
According to documents seen by The Guardian, Mr Morton’s April 17 directive said branches needed to be broken up and re-established, followed by communications on May 14 revealing some had been made to dissolve and ordered to cease activities.
Committee members have also been ordered to sign non-disclosure agreements and undergo a 10-year “clean record” test under method called ONTRACE, which stands for One Nation Thorough Record Analysis & Character Evaluation, and are not allowed to discuss or appeal results.
Branches are banned from operating their own social media pages, can only share content from official party channels, must maintain “media silence”, and only communicate with members through a centrally controlled “approved membership portal”.
Branch meetings cannot be advertised online or on social media, and can only be organised via requests to party headquarters, which then uses the party’s system to issue invitations.
The gag orders have reportedly upset some members due to One Nation promoting itself as a free speech party and stating in its platform that it will “always stand for your right to speak, debate, and express your views”.
Mr Morton said in the directive that the process was underway to prevent problems with party documentation at the branch level jeopardising the party, and that he had been given instructions to build a “professional, scalable, and legally robust organisation capable of outright victory at the next general election”.
“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,” the letter states.
“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.”
A major new poll by Capital Brief/DemosAU published on Friday showed One Nation with a two-point lead over Labor, an increase of two points to 28% since April, while a poll by Roy Morgan immediately after last week’s Budget also had One Nation as the country’s most popular party.
According to DemosAU One Nation is polling highest in regional and rural areas with 38% of the vote and is winning 37% of those who voted for the Coalition at the 2025 federal election.
Labor is polling highest among voters who speak a language other than English, winning 39% of that cohort.
Header image: Pauline Hanson announcing One Nation’s energy policy (One Nation).
The post One Nation forcibly dissolves branches – adds social media bans and vetting first appeared on The Noticer.
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