Former One Nation adviser alleges unlawful dismissal after raising concerns about party conduct

Charles Swindon, who managed the campaign that elected One Nation’s first lower-house MP, says he was terminated in June after alerting senior party officials to several issues. Swindon alleges he raised concerns about former campaign director Sean Black’s rape conviction, which he says was downplayed by high-ranking official Kelvin Morton, and about alleged connections between Victorian state secretary Bianca Colecchia and a strip club promoted by a person linked to organised crime.

Swindon claims Morton joked about Black’s conviction, describing it as “surprise sex,” a comment Morton later denied, stating that “rape is a serious crime and not a subject for humour.” Swindon also says he questioned a fundraising arrangement between the party and Black’s family firm, Front Door Services, which he says allowed the firm to receive a share of donations raised for the Victorian election campaign. Black denied any post-dismissal involvement with the party.

In an interview, Swindon described the internal environment of the party as “shady” and “chaotic,” and said he believed billionaire Gina Rinehart exerts significant influence over party strategy, a claim Rinehart rejected. Swindon further alleges that One Nation threatened to seek repayment of campaign funds if its first federal MP, David Farley, left the party. Farley has described Swindon’s statements as “nonsense” and “speculation.”

Swindon says he intends to sue One Nation for unlawful termination, a claim the party has denied. Morton has admitted to overstating his military background and to inflating claims about past work for a U.S. Democratic campaign, but he denied any jokes about rape. Party leader Pauline Hanson dismissed the allegations as “absolutely garbage” and declined to comment further.

The allegations emerge as One Nation polls show the party gaining support ahead of upcoming Victorian and New South Wales state elections.