One Nation Victoria leader acknowledges gaps in candidate vetting after extremist controversies

One Nation Victoria leader Warren Pickering told reporters at a Melbourne Press Club event on Thursday that the party had discovered "a little bit of a hole" in its vetting procedures after it was forced to disendorse a candidate who praised Adolf Hitler and another with anti-Muslim and anti-consent remarks. The party, which polls at about 23 percent of primary support ahead of the state election, said it had examined the background of state secretary Bianca Colecchia before she ran as a federal candidate and found no red flags. Colecchia previously managed the Melbourne strip club Dreams, which was owned by her partner Salvatore Aparo and promoted by Mike “Skinny” Jones, a figure previously accused by police of links to the Comanchero bikie gang.

"It wasn’t a problem because we understand that you cannot tar people with a brush if they’re three-times removed," Pickering said, adding that the party does not judge individuals "guilty by association."

Pickering, who is contesting the seat of Pakenham, said the vetting system had been updated to search further back on social-media histories after the recent disendorsements. He also said One Nation’s policy platform includes cutting several Victorian taxes, such as stamp duty on insurance, and offsetting the revenue loss with spending reductions, though he did not detail which programs would be trimmed.

The leader noted that the party would not prioritize reintroducing the death penalty and emphasized economic growth as a means to improve social cohesion. He also said One Nation Victoria does not enforce a media ban, leaving engagement decisions to individual candidates, and that national leader Pauline Hanson does not interfere with state operations.