Pauline Hanson hits back after Mark Latham and Rod Roberts quit One Nation

One Nation has been thrown into chaos after two of its three NSW MPs sensationally quit the party over explosive allegations that the federal division misappropriated more than $270,000 of NSW taxpayers’ money.

One Nation has been thrown into chaos after two of its three NSW MPs sensationally quit the party over explosive allegations that the federal division misappropriated more than $270,000 of NSW taxpayers’ money.

But Senator Pauline Hanson, One Nation’s federal leader, hit back at Upper House MPs Mark Latham and Rod Roberts and rejected their claims about the party’s finances.

It came after Mr Latham wrote to Special Minister of State John Graham to allege that $102,000 NSW Electoral Commission money had been “redirected” to One Nation’s Brisbane office to pay for “fixed equipment” and merchandise including “hats, T-shirts, (and) sunscreen”.

“On 29 September 2021 I rang the PHON National Director (based in Brisbane), Rod Miles, who told me that the merchandise was to be on-sold to raise funds for the next Federal election and spent across the country,” Mr Latham wrote in his letter tabled to parliament.

‘I’m out’.... Mark Latham has quit One Nation. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Rod Roberts also sensationally quit the party. Picture: NSW.OneNation

Mr Latham also claimed that during the March 2019 election, Ms Hanson’s Chief of Staff James Ashby attempted a similar “merchandise-related scam”.

He said that a member of the party’s NSW state executive tried to purchase $200,000 worth of merchandise, while only $30,000 was needed.

“The Ashby scam was for the NSW party to claim the full $200,000 in electoral expenses and store the $170,000 worth of unnecessary merchandise in warehouses for use in the forthcoming 2019 Federal election campaign across the country - another inappropriate transfer of NSW taxpayer resources to other States,” he said.

The resignations of Mr Latham and Mr Roberts come after Ms Hanson disbanded the NSW division’s executive, ousting Mr Latham as state party leader.

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson. Picture: AAP

Ms Hanson rejected claims of maladministration made by the pair.

“I utterly reject the allegations made by these individuals under the protection of parliamentary privilege,” Senator Hanson said.

“I’d invite them to repeat these statements outside of the parliament but they would never accept it, because then they would be forced to tell the truth.

“Ultimately these men need to accept responsibility for their own actions instead of blaming literally anyone but themselves,” she said, citing the poor performance of the party at the March election.

The sensational war of words has left One Nation with just one MP - Labor defector Tania Mihailuk - in NSW parliament.

Originally published as Pauline Hanson hits back after Mark Latham and Rod Roberts quit One Nation