How James Ashby slipped through One Nation’s cracks

THE man pulling the strings in Pauline Hanson’s office would “never have been let near her” if One Nation members knew about his past.

A FORMER senior One Nation member has revealed the man pulling the strings in Pauline Hanson’s office ended up in the gig because he slipped through the cracks.

Had the party known about James Ashby’s colourful past, he would not have been allowed “anywhere near” the leader.

An ABC investigation has exposed how the party’s printer turned de facto joint leader’s meteoric rise would have been stopped by party members, if only they had bothered to check.

Speaking with Four Corners, One Nation’s former Queensland president and treasurer Ian Nelson said he “failed miserably” by bringing Mr Ashby into the fold.

Mr Nelson said he received a call from the then former political adviser out of the blue in 2014, offering a too-good-to-be-true offer on printing for the party’s promotional material.

At the time Mr Nelson said he “just thought it was a kind offer”. The conversation didn’t set off any alarm bells.

When asked if he had run checks on the supplier, he said he hadn’t.

“Everyone can blame me for that,” he said.

“I was there to watch Pauline’s back and when I had time I was going to vet people before they got too close to Pauline. But I absolutely failed miserably on that one.

“Had I known what I know today, there was no way I would have put him anywhere near her.”

Had Mr Nelson run even a cursory check of Mr Ashby’s history, he would have found a career in media and politics that has involved highly-publicised scandal.

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson and her adviser James Ashby. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The former radio presenter had departed a presenting job in Newcastle amid allegations of verbally harassing another radio presenter at a rival station.

The incident, over a series of allegedly offensive phone called, saw Mr Ashby charged and earned him a $2000 fine and a three-year good behaviour bond.

Mr Ashby’s radio career continued, but he returned to prominence in 2012 after a switch to politics while working for Federal MP Peter Slipper.

As the Sunshine Coast MP’s media adviser, Mr Ashby accused his boss of sexual harassment including suggestive text messages and showering with the door open while the pair shared a Canberra apartment.

The case was dismissed by the Federal Court but Mr Ashby continued to pursue the matter. He successfully appealed the decision, though later opted to drop the lawsuit.

Though the case was dropped, the drawn-out scandal dogged Mr Slipper and Mr Ashby and remains one of the ugliest political scandals of recent years.

Mr Ashby made headlines again when his and former MP Mal Brough’s homes were raided by Australian Federal Police officers investigating the source of copies of Mr Slipper’s official diaries that had been distributed.

James Ashby leaves the Federal Court in Sydney during his case against his former employer Peter Slipper.

Peter Slipper leaves The Federal Court for mediation with former staffer James Ashby.

When Mr Ashby came back on the scene by Senator Hanson’s side, jaws dropped around Canberra and in Queensland political circles.

Mr Ashby’s rise within One Nation was meteoric.

After the cold call to Mr Nelson over printing, the contractor quickly worked his way into the party’s inner circle and was appointed to its executive in 2015.

He now runs Ms Hanson’s office as her chief of staff, as well as retaining his printing contract for campaign materials. He is also the party’s unofficial private pilot, ferrying Ms Hanson around on a plane whose purchase is causing controversy for One Nation after the undeclared asset was exposed on Four Corner last night.

Speaking with Four Corners, former candidates and members have shared their experiences in dealing with Mr Ashby.

Contracts shown by the program showed Queensland candidates were required to each pay thousands of dollars to his business for their campaign materials with some reportedly feeling “pressured” to fork out for products they couldn’t afford.

Former One Nation president Ian Nelson says he ‘failed miserably’ bringing James Ashby into the One Nation fold. Picture: Four Corners/ABC

“Multiple candidates were being pressured to buy from Ashby. The products, the flyers the corflutes, all had to come from Ashby, nobody else. Significant amounts of money being talked about,” Mr Nelson told the program.

One former candidate recalled being berated by Mr Ashby in a way that “you should not speak to somebody like that”.

A recorded phone conference between Mr Ashby and a number of Queensland candidates demonstrates a forthright manner with colleagues.

“I don’t give a rat’s arse what you think of me. I’m here to do a job and that job is to get you elected, and the party in a position where it's either in opposition or in government,” he was heard saying in one conversation.

In the same recording Mr Ashby spoke of having “dirt” on politicians, and revealed a deal had been done with the state’s Liberal National Party.

“I got a phone call this morning from the chief of staff of (Queensland Opposition Leader) Tim Nicholls. I have an agreement with the Liberal National Party ... I’ve made a commitment that we will not go out there and slag them for the sake of slagging them,” he is heard saying to candidates. “But I also kindly reminded him if they choose to change that agreement we have plenty of ammunition on their candidates well, which pulled their head in a little bit.”

Mr Nicholls has denied the deal. He dismissed the claims as “absolute crap” on Twitter and in a statement said his chief of staff “doesn’t even know James Ashby”.

After gaining a Senate seat in last year’s federal election Pauline Hanson said she couldn’t have done it without James Ashby. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

The program exposed concerns from candidates about the party’s leadership under a self-interested leader who was heavily influenced by her chief of staff.

Speaking with news.com.au on Monday, Four Corners reporter Caro Meldrum Hanna said: “The concerns lay in the leadership of Pauline Hanson and James Ashby. He went from being a printer, someone outside of the party, to her chief of staff quite quickly and now they have an extremely close relationship, and there are concerns.”

The party’s co-founder David Ettridge, who established One Nation with Ms Hanson in 1997 and was sent to prison along with her, has also been critical of the direction the powerful pair have taken the party in.

“When it was started it met the needs of a lot of people,” he said. “It’s become a Pauline Hanson dictatorship. If you don't agree with Pauline, she wants to fill the party up with people who say yes and if you disagree with her, if you work closely with her, lose respect for her, give advice, it’s not respected of accepted. Pauline is in full control.”

A member of Senator Hanson’s office said Mr Ashby had declined to comment on this story when approached by news.com.au.

Originally published as How James Ashby slipped through One Nation’s cracks