Two Australian fund managers, Ben Cleary and Doug Tynan, have donated $300,000 to One Nation after billionaire Gina Rinehart auctioned a dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The auction, held at a December event hosted by Rinehart, also included a bejewelled Trump handbag. Cleary and Tynan, former Liberal donors, met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in March, three weeks after US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
The donations are part of a broader pattern of Rinehart’s increasing financial and logistical support for One Nation. The Guardian has revealed that Rinehart gifted multiple undeclared flights to party leader Pauline Hanson, including a return trip to Florida for the Conservative Political Action Conference and events at Trump’s resort. The flights, some on Rinehart’s Gulfstream G700, were not declared within the required 35-day period, breaching Senate rules.
Rinehart’s backing has also included hosting political fundraisers on the luxury cruise ship The World, where she owns an apartment. Her ally, former Northern Territory chief minister Adam Giles, publicly encouraged donations to One Nation, stating the party is “fighting for our country”. Giles quit the Nationals after his support for Hanson’s party was questioned.
The relationship between Rinehart and Hanson was further highlighted by a November media stunt where Hanson cooked a wagyu steak from Rinehart’s 2GR brand for then-Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce. Joyce later defected to One Nation. Hanson also wore clothing from Rinehart’s S Kidman and Co and used the company’s private aircraft, which was not declared for months.
Despite the clear ties, Hanson and her chief of staff, James Ashby, have downplayed Rinehart’s influence. However, the donations and undeclared gifts raise questions about the extent of Rinehart’s role in One Nation’s expansion, as the party prepares for upcoming elections.
