Hanson reveals Rinehart paid for London, Rome and Sicily flights

Pauline Hanson says One Nation will begin unveiling its Victorian election candidates within days, claiming the party has almost completed a statewide slate as it attempts to turn a surge in support into seats at November’s election.

Appearing in a one-hour special hosted by Paul Murray on News24, the rebranded Sky News Australia, Hanson said the party would start with upper house candidates as early as Friday before announcing its lower house contenders and releasing its Victorian policy platform.

She said One Nation had secured candidates for about 74 of Victoria’s 88 electorates and expected to be represented in every seat across the state. She declined to name who would lead the party at a state level, telling Murray: “No, Paul. That’s not part of the deal.”

Seeking to reassure voters that One Nation has learned from years of candidate controversies, Hanson said the party had introduced a tougher screening process ahead of the Victorian and next federal elections.

Hanson said there had been strong interest from prospective candidates, with about 1200 expressions of interest received in Victoria and 1500 nationally to contest the federal election.

The party’s sole Victorian representative, Shepparton-based upper-house MP Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, was re-endorsed on Tuesday.

“It hasn’t been easy for the party over a period of time because the last election we got about six-and-a-half per cent,” she said. “So people are thinking they want to support us and give it a go and stand as a candidate … but this time around there’s a real chance that we can actually win seats in the lower house and the Senate.”

The television appearance came hours after Hanson updated her parliamentary register of interests to disclose that mining billionaire Gina Rinehart paid for flights to London, Rome and Sicily, as well as inviting her to attend a Dolce & Gabbana fashion parade during her recent European trip.

Hanson declared she personally paid for her accommodation, meals and daily expenses.

The disclosure followed scrutiny of the One Nation leader’s close relationship with Rinehart after photographs emerged of the pair together at the luxury Grand Hotel San Pietro in Taormina, Sicily, where the billionaire attended a Dolce & Gabbana event.

The push into Victoria comes as One Nation records its strongest polling in years. The latest Resolve Political Monitor for this masthead put the party on 22 per cent in the state, behind Labor and the Coalition, which were tied on 27 per cent.

Hanson said Victoria had become a “basket case” following Tuesday’s leadership change that saw Ben Carroll replace Jacinta Allan as premier, arguing voters were increasingly looking beyond the major parties.

The claims of campaign readiness follow questions about the party’s preparations in Victoria.

The Herald Sun reported earlier this month that One Nation’s Victorian leadership had moved to reassure frustrated prospective candidates that its election campaign was progressing, after some applicants complained about delays, secrecy around the campaign structure and uncertainty over candidate selection.

The party told candidates that recruitment, policy development and organisational planning were under way, while regional committees were being established to help build a Victorian campaign operation.

Some candidates raised concerns about confidentiality agreements and fees of up to $5500 associated with running, with one applicant questioning whether the party had invested enough in the infrastructure needed to compete in a major state election.

One Nation has defended the secrecy around its preparations, arguing campaign strategy needed to be protected from leaks.

Hanson said the party had introduced a far more extensive vetting process using advanced artificial intelligence technology to weed out rogue applications.

She said the tougher screening process was designed to ensure candidates were prepared for the responsibility of representing One Nation as the party seeks to convert voter dissatisfaction into electoral gains.

The system, developed by One Nation general manager Kelvin Morton and Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, examines prospective candidates’ criminal records, financial history, civil litigation and social media activity.

“So if you’ve got something that you’ve done somewhere else in the world, it’ll find you,” Hanson said.

“It’ll tell us if you’ve got a criminal offence internationally. It’ll tell us if you’ve been a bankrupt, if you’re owing money to the taxation office. It’ll tell us if you’ve made any comment or put on Facebook some stupid comment.”

The overhaul follows a history of damaging controversies involving One Nation candidates and elected members, including former senators Brian Burston, Fraser Anning and Rod Culleton.

Other candidates have been forced to withdraw after offensive antisemitic or homophobic material posted online resurfaced, or after falling out with the party leadership.

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