Pauline Hanson has jetted into Melbourne for a chaotic One Nation campaign launch, banning multiple media organisations including the ABC from attending the press event.
Senator Hanson’s security denied entry to reporters from ABC, The Age and The Guardian from covering the press conference held at the Savoy Hotel Melbourne on Monday.
Reporters were stopped and asked which outlet they were from by One Nation staff before being allowed into the hotel’s conference room.
Ms Hanson said the decision to bar the outlets was based on her wanting “truth and honesty” in reporting.
“I’m not going to have them,” she said.
“This isn’t the first time … I denied them entry into my meeting in 1996 for eight months, and the same will go for The Guardian.
“I’m not putting up with the spin, gotcha moments, wanting to have a go at me.
“So they’re banned.”
A spokesman for the ABC declined to comment.
Protests planned for One Nation event
Senator Hanson will on Monday night attend a function where volunteers, industry leaders, and supporters will be able to rub shoulders with her new Victorian leader and candidates.
Tickets were sold for $120 per person.
Protesters were expected to launch a demonstration against Senator Hanson at a park in Hawthorn.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said they were aware of the protest and will be on scene to maintain public order.
“Police will have a visible presence in the area to ensure the safety of those attending and the broader community,” she said.
“Traffic is expected to be disrupted on Burwood Road, between Glenferrie and Burke roads, from approximately 5pm.
“There will be a number of traffic management points in place, so we encourage drivers to plan ahead or seek alternative routes.”
She also encouraged those demonstrating to “do so peacefully without impacting the broader community”.
“The event organiser had no involvement in the Victoria Police response,” she said.
At least two dozen police officers wearing helmets surrounded the Hawthorn hotel that hosted the function.
A 50m stretch of Burwood Rd was also shutdown by police at 4.30pm in anticipation of the protest.
It comes after her June appearance at a South Melbourne fundraiser was marred by chaos when police blocked dozens of anti-racism protesters from the venue.
A prominent neo-Nazi protester was also pinned to the ground by officers after attempting to crash the same event.
Victorian leader announced
Monday morning’s press conference was being held after the Herald Sun revealed One Nation’s Victorian president Warren Pickering, a bricklayer-turned-soldier-turned-coal-industry-worker, will lead the party into the November state election.
Ms Hanson also unveiled seven candidates for the upper house.
Mr Pickering announced a last-minute change to his candidacy, switching this morning from the upper house candidate for Eastern Victoria to the lower house candidate for Pakenham.
Mr Pickering said the move reflects One Nation’s intention to “govern in its own right”.
“We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us — now we’ve got four months to earn the trust of Victorians, and we intend to do just that,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Senator Hanson denied she had left it too late to announce candidates, adding that there would be further announcements about lower house candidates shortly.
“In the next week or two, we will start announcing our lower house candidates,” she said.
But neither leader was able to announce any policies, adding that the party’s general priorities would be to tackle crime and corruption.
“Some of our key policies will be announced after the Farmer Fight Back event on the 28th of this month,” Mr Pickering said.
“So stay tuned for those.”
Senator Hanson said Ms Harkin was also a valuable candidate because of her background as a conservative education policy researcher.
“And that’s another big issue here that One Nation is going to attack — education,” she said.
“The wokeness that’s happened, the curriculum that’s in our educational system. Kids are going backwards in the educational system. So that all needs to be addressed.”
Mr Pickering added that the party would also be supporting a royal commission into Big Build corruption, which Senator Hanson said would ensure “truth comes out”.
But Mr Pickering conceded he had not looked at what terms of reference he believed the inquiry should have.
Asked if he was still open to forming a coalition with the Liberals, Mr Pickering said he’d “manage that situation if it eventuates”.
“We intend to do what’s absolutely necessary, and getting rid of this dangerous Labor government is our primary objective,” he said.
One Nation’s South-Eastern Metropolitan candidate Colleen Harkin was asked if she was a “trophy” candidate given her extensive history as a member and candidate for the Liberal Party.
She said her values had not changed.
“I didn’t leave the Liberal Party, the Liberal Party left me,” she said.
“I’m very comfortable and confident. My core values and my principles haven’t changed, and I’m committed to helping restore Victoria.”