The rapidly expanding One Nation party is benefiting from the support of Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, with flights, luxury meals, and political fundraisers highlighting their alliance. Last November, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson cooked a wagyu steak from Rinehart’s 2GR brand for then-Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce in her parliamentary office, a stunt that showcased the billionaire’s involvement.
Months later, Joyce defected to One Nation, joking about the steaks. Hanson was seen wearing a shirt from Rinehart’s S. Kidman & Co and boarding the company’s private aircraft, a flight not declared to the Senate for many months. The Guardian revealed five flights were concealed over nine months, including a return trip to Florida for the Conservative Political Action Conference and events at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
Rinehart and Hanson have been friends for some time, and their US trip fortified their political alliance. Rinehart took Hanson to Mar-a-Lago, where she met Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Hanson also attended CPAC’s exclusive Circle Retreat. After the trip, Rinehart hosted fundraisers, including one aboard the luxury cruise ship The World, on which she owns an apartment.
Rinehart has shifted support away from the Liberal Party, with her ally Adam Giles backing One Nation and encouraging donations. At a December event, Rinehart auctioned a jewelled Trump handbag and dinner with Trump for $300,000, convincing three former Liberal donors to switch. Two of them met Trump with Rinehart in March. Despite this, Hanson and her chief of staff James Ashby have downplayed Rinehart’s connections to the party.
