Pauline Hanson adviser James Ashby caught on tape saying One Nation could profit from candidates

PAULINE Hanson’s key adviser James Ashby has been caught on tape saying One Nation could profit from candidates.

PAULINE Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby has denied he is a liability to One Nation, after the leak of a secret recording in which he is heard saying the party can profit from their Queensland election candidates.

Senator Hanson is also standing by her closest adviser, blaming the leak on a “disgruntled” party member who retaliated after the senator refused to employ her at her parliamentary office.

Both she and Mr Ashby, in a joint press conference in Perth, also blamed the major parties for being out to get One Nation, despite offering no explanation as to how they thought either the Liberal or Labor parties were involved in the leak.

Mr Ashby has vowed to report the secret recording to police, though admitted to a “poor choice of words” during the brainstorming talks, which were recorded some time last year.

The adviser with considerable influence within One Nation denied he was a liability.

“I don’t believe I’m a liability, it was a clearly a mistake, a poor choice of words has embarrassed both Pauline and the party, and I accept that,” he said.

James Ashby with Pauline Hanson in Ipswich. Picture: Annette Dew

“It’s embarrassing, there’s no doubt about that.

“But let’s not forget that these were secretly recorded conversations in what we thought was an environment where we could safely put any idea on the table and it wouldn’t go any further. “We’ve never implemented this idea that was put forward and it’s regretful that obviously poor choice of words on my behalf had to be aired in such a manner.”

Senator Hanson stood by Mr Ashby.

“Don’t forget that I was at the meeting as well. Don’t forget that you don’t have the full recording of the meeting,” she said.

“We knocked it on the head at the meeting. It didn’t go ahead. It was an issue that was raised and it was knocked on the head there and then.”

“It” was an idea aired by Mr Ashby at the meeting to rort One Nation candidates in the upcoming Queensland election.

According to the Courier-Mail, Mr Ashby is heard to say the party can “make some money” at the upcoming election commission by charging candidates for expenses.

“We say to the candidates we will fund 50 per cent of this package. So the package might be $5000. You’re going to pay $2500 and we’ll pay the other $2500 of the $5000,” he is heard to say in the recording.

“The other $2500 is the profit. It’s the fat. And I’ll write it off. I don’t want the cash for it. I will make it as a tax deduction or ...”

When asked how the party would make money, he explains: “Because when you lodge the receipt at the full price with the Electoral Commission of Queensland you get back the full amount that’s been issued to you as an invoice.”

There is no evidence the plan was carried out and there has been no suggestion of wrongdoing on Mr Ashby’s part.

Mr Ashby now says the conversation was merely brainstorming session and the party never enacted anything discussed in it.

He said the party did not make any money from campaign materials provided to candidates and that banners produced by his own printing company were provided at cost.

“The party makes no money off it.”

He said he would refer the recording to police.

“They were quite clearly secret recordings, it captured some off-guard comments, there’s only one thing I regret and that’s a poor choice of words,” he said on Monday.

He claimed the conversation had been recorded illegally by a disaffected staff member and said the party would refer the matter to police.

“This almost has a flavour of blackmail, which has been used over the last 12 months,’ he said.

“We’ll refer the matter on to police.”

Crossbench Senator Derryn Hinch labelled the recording “shocking”.

“This is unconscionable behaviour, you can’t do it,” Senator Hinch told the Seven Network on Monday after hearing a recording of the meeting.

Deputy Queensland Premier Jackie Trad said authorities should investigate the recording.

“I think these revelations are startling, and I think Queenslanders should take notice of them,” Ms Trad told reporters.

“Clearly if there are issues there in relation to whether electoral laws are being circumvented or they are being used in a way that they weren’t intended to be used then that should be looked at.”