Hanson: It was all just talk

JAMES Ashby raised his proposal for One Nation to profit from the Queensland election many times, according to a former party official, despite leader Pauline Hanson’s claim it was immediately killed off.

Ms Hanson said her chiefof-staff’s suggestion the party could profit at the upcoming Queensland election by charging candidates to cover half the cost of campaign expenses was swiftly shut down.

“We knocked it on the head at the meeting,” she said. “It didn’t go ahead.”

In a secret recording of a party meeting from last year, Mr Ashby is heard suggesting the party could “make some money” at the upcoming Queensland poll by charging candidates to cover half the cost of campaign expenses.

He said they could charge candidates $11 for campaign posters which cost $6.

“We say to the candidates, we will fund 50 per cent of this [printing] package, so the package might be $5000 – you’re going to pay $2500 and we’ll pay the other $2500 of the $5000,” he said.

“The other $2500 is the profit.” Asked to explain, he replies: “Because when you lodge the receipt at the full price with the Electoral Commission of Queensland you get back the full amount that’s been issued to you as an invoice.”

He was also heard to say “I will deny I ever said this.”

He has since said he regrets his choice of words.

Former One Nation Queensland director Ian Nelson said he had attended multiple meetings during which Mr Ashby had been unopposed by Ms Hanson when he made the suggestion.

“He’s said it on many occasions,” Mr Nelson said.

“I’m not sure whether that meeting was the one that was actually recorded but he said it on many occasions and since then all the people that stood up to him have gone.

“Nobody killed it off.”