Covert recordings reveal internal disputes and alleged billionaire influence in One Nation

A series of covert recordings featuring former One Nation national campaign director Sean Black allege that billionaire Gina Rinehart exerts significant control over the party’s strategy and that chief adviser James Ashby may be using the organisation for personal financial gain. Black, who served in senior back-room roles from 2023 until his dismissal in April 2026, said the party lacks the competence to manage the power it seeks in upcoming Victorian, New South Wales and federal elections.

"They don’t have a clue what democracy is," Black said in one excerpt.

He also asserted that policy decisions are driven by Rinehart or her close associates, and warned that party insiders, including Pauline Hanson’s daughter Lee, could be placed in senior political or security positions if One Nation attains government.

The recordings claim that Rinehart’s influence is exercised through proxies such as former Northern Territory chief minister Adam Giles, who donated $500,000 to the party earlier in the year. Treasurer Jim Chalmers previously described One Nation as a "wholly owned subsidiary of Gina Rinehart". Crossbench MP David Pocock has asked the electoral regulator to investigate the donation.

Black further alleged that party members’ funds were used to construct a shed on Ashby’s private property for a proposed micro-distillery, describing the arrangement as "astonishing" and "unconventional". Ashby has not commented on the claims.

The recordings also suggest that Black continued to assist One Nation as a paid fundraiser in Victoria after his removal, despite media pressure over his 2018 rape conviction and imprisonment. He said he received an offer from Hanson to retain his house deeds as part of a financial settlement.

Polling by Resolve Political Monitor shows One Nation’s primary vote at 25%, ahead of the Coalition (23%) and behind Labor (29%). The party’s rapid rise has prompted scrutiny of its finances and internal governance, with former members Mark Latham and Brian Burston previously raising similar concerns.

A spokesperson for Hancock Prospecting, Rinehart’s company, responded that her support of One Nation is modest compared with donations to other parties, emphasizing her long-standing advocacy for lower regulation and taxes.

The recordings have intensified calls for transparency and possible regulatory review of One Nation’s fundraising, donation disclosures and internal decision-making processes.