Exclusive: Party’s strategy questioned as campaigner says One Nation is not ‘capitalising on the groundswell’
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One Nation candidates in a number of winnable Victorian seats say they have been left to fund their own campaigns, with several questioning the party’s strategy ahead of the election.
Six candidates and campaigners, unauthorised to speak publicly, have told Guardian Australia their campaign material – including pamphlets, corflutes and roadside banners – have been paid for entirely through the $5,500 contribution they are required to make after being preselected.
They claim One Nation has not contributed any of its own money towards the material and that their payments will only be reimbursed if they secure at least 4% of first preference votes in their seat, which unlocks public funding for the party.
Two candidates have also said they were initially told their campaigns would receive a share of revenue from One Nation merchandise their teams sold. They claim that arrangement was changed in recent weeks, with all proceeds now going to the party.
The approach has left some within One Nation in Victoria concerned – particularly those with experience in other political parties.
One former Liberal campaigner, who is now volunteering for One Nation’s campaign in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, said the contrast between…
