Jun 6, 2026 – 5.00amIn 2019, two Australian political operatives, including Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, found themselves at the centre of a major scandal when they were secretly filmed in what appeared to be private discussions with the powerful US gun lobby, the National Rifle Association.The story, as reported at the time, was that One Nation, Australia’s most prominent far-right political party, was soliciting donations from the notorious US group, and looking for ways to soften the country’s famously tough gun laws. Then-prime minister Scott Morrison described the interaction as “abhorrent” and appealed to voters to abandon the party.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Ryan CroppEnergy and climate reporterRyan Cropp is an energy and climate reporter at The Australian Financial Review based in the Canberra bureau.Joshua PeachData journalistJoshua Peach is a data journalist at The Australian Financial ReviewFetching latest articles
How Pauline Hanson and One Nation went mainstream
For 30 years, the party was written off as a home for “cookers”. Now Pauline Hanson’s moment has come. But is she, and Australia, ready for what lies ahead?
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