Updated ,first published
Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has given a private plane to soaring right-wing force One Nation, spurring party leader Pauline Hanson to brag on social media about the donation blitz, which also included $2 million in cash.
In a post to social media platform X on Wednesday morning, Hanson bragged about receiving a Cirrus G7 plane, which regularly sell for over $1.5 million, and thanked former Northern Territory chief minister Adam Giles and climate sceptic professor Ian Plimer for donations of $500,000 each. Both Giles and Plimer are employed by Rinehart.
“BREAKING NEWS – I’ve got a new plane, Sarah. Yes it was donated. Yes I’m super happy. Yes it’s fast. Yes it’s amazing. Yes it’s going to annoy the Guardian. Yes it means I can visit more regional towns across the country more often. Yes it’s a Cirrus G7. Yes it’s sexy. Yes I have a pilot. No I won’t be doing welcome to country each [time] we land. No it’s not battery operated,” Hanson wrote in her post.
“I want to pass on my sincere thanks to everyone who has made a contribution to One Nation over the years. I cannot thank you enough for the hope and encouragement you give me to help turn this country around.”
A spokesperson for Rinehart, a close personal ally of the party leader, confirmed the plane was donated by one of the magnate’s firms. This was confirmed by Hanson’s office, although the original social media post did not say who donated the aircraft.
The reference to “Sarah” in the post is believed to be a dig at Guardian Australia journalist Sarah Martin, who has reported extensively on Hanson’s travel expenses, including on Rinehart’s private plane.
Hanson has repeatedly scoffed at criticism over her failure to declare flights taken on Rinehart’s private jet, as well as accusations she used taxpayer-funded trips to attend party fundraisers.
During a press conference last month, Hanson said her travel came at “no cost to the taxpayer” and questioned whether reporting was focused on Rinehart.
“Are you worried about whose plane it was on?” she asked.
In Wednesday’s social media post, Hanson attributed a $1 million donation to Angus and Sarah Aitken, whom she described as “two wonderful, patriotic Australians”. Angus Aitken has previously donated $200,000 to right-wing campaign vehicle Advance, and $24,000 to the Liberal Party.
Aitken, a successful stockbroker, introduced Rinehart at News Corp’s Bush Summit in Wagga Wagga last year, saying: “Today, I’m here to introduce my good friend Mrs Rinehart … she’s not just an Australian, you know, who’s successful in business. She’s a genuine patriot. She loves Australia more than anyone I know, and she is a warm and caring person who is very loyal.”
Two further donations, handed in the form of oversized cheques in a video attached to the X post, came from Plimer and Giles. Plimer is the executive director of Hancock Energy, and Giles, a former Northern Territory chief minister, is the head of Hancock Agriculture, both companies owned by Rinehart.
Giles told this masthead he made the “significant contribution” of $500,000 out of his annual bonus, arguing that he had a responsibility as a well-paid person to make donations to the only party he believed could change the nation’s direction.
He said he had attempted to declare the donations, alongside a separate offering to the party of $30,000, but is unable to lodge them with the Australian Electoral Commission until the end of the financial year.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers slammed Hanson’s relationship with Rinehart at a press conference on Wednesday, saying the party “pretty frequently … dance to Gina Rinehart’s tune”.
“Pauline Hanson is the wholly owned subsidiary of Gina Rinehart, and we know this because whenever Pauline Hanson is asked to vote in the interests of Australian workers, she instead votes in the interests of Gina Rinehart,” Chalmers said.
There are currently no caps to party donations, but the haul, which could easily exceed $3.5 million, will require disclosure by the end of this year. Updated laws that will place caps on donations to parties and speed up disclosures have been delayed until the end of the year, but will come into effect before the next federal election.
“We have a lot of additional fundraising to undertake between now and the cut-off in December to combat the uni-party [Labor and the Coalition] ahead of the 2028 federal election,” Hanson said in her post.
Centre for Public Integrity chair Anthony Whealy, who has described the government’s donation reform agenda as “flawed”, said donations of the scale received by Hanson emphasise the “corrosive influence of money in politics”.
“While these donations are not illegal at this time, they represent a serious assault on democratic values,” Whealy said.
“One Nation’s increased financial reliance on Gina Rinehart and her friends makes for an uneasy alliance. This alliance does not augur well for the preservation of true Australian values – fairness, tolerance, empathy and genuine concern for others.”
While details on the model of plane were not made available through the post, information on the Cirrus website suggests the aircraft could travel between 700 and 1000 nautical miles in a single trip, enough to travel comfortably between Melbourne and Brisbane.
Rinehart has regularly lent Hanson a plane to travel around the country.
In 2017, Hanson was accused of breaching disclosure laws for not disclosing the donation of a light aircraft to the party. The Australian Federal Police cleared the party of any wrongdoing and registers were updated to reflect flight time on the aircraft.
A byelection for the regional seat of Farrer will be held on May 9, with One Nation candidate David Farley in a close contest with independent Michelle Milthorpe to win the seat. It has been held for the last 25 years by former opposition leader Sussan Ley.
Nick Newling is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.