ONE Nation says credible national polling companies now show the party has overtaken the Liberal Party, with Pauline Hanson emerging as the preferred Prime Minister ahead of the Liberal leader Sussan Ley.
“We are now closing the gap on Labor, and we firmly believe Australians are ready to place their trust in us rather than the radical left,” says One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson in a special national update.
She says the party owes its success in winning public support has been achieved because of regular supporters. “Every step forward has been powered by our grassroots movement. Thank you. In a matter of months, One Nation has gone from being a minor party to a major political force.
“Rapid growth brings challenges, but they are the right kind of challenges to have. One of the next major tasks before us is the federal candidate preselection process.
“We are absolutely committed to ensuring our candidates are genuinely local and deeply connected to their communities. Local branches will choose candidates,” says Senator Hanson.
One Nation has nearly 150 branches nationwide, and the challenge now lies in training and resourcing each branch to confidently manage and present strong local candidates.
“Work on this is already underway. It is also encouraging to see branches beginning to develop policy ideas,” says Senator Hanson. “Head Office is building a clear process for debating proposals, refining them, and putting them to a vote of our grassroots membership.
“Managing this at scale is complex, but again, it is a sign of a healthy and growing movement. Since the May election, One Nation has experienced membership growth of almost 600 percent. This far exceeded our original projections.
“On current figures, we expect membership growth to reach 1000 percent around early May this year. The speed at which Australians are turning away from the major parties has been extraordinary.”
Due to the massive increase in membership, the party has delayed issuing membership cards and as a temporary measure will issue electronic cards while party members build systems capable of handling this unprecedented volume.
“We are also employing a dedicated membership officer, commencing in the coming weeks, whose role will be to respond to member enquiries and ensure every member is heard, supported, and issued their card,” says Sen. Hanson.
“This role will strengthen the existing Branch Organiser position, which has been in place since October last year.”
One Nation merchandise is also in hot demand and has exceeded all expectations, both in Australia and from supporters overseas.
Senator Hanson says the party’s small factory is now operating at full capacity, with a new team employed this week to clear the backlog of orders and respond to the hundreds of daily enquiries. She asked for patience as they work through the orders.
She says that with all 150 federal branches established, or in the final stages of establishment, across the country, a new website listing each branch and its Branch Coordinator is currently being tested and will be launched shortly.
“Branch meetings have also grown rapidly. Where meetings once drew 20 to 30 people, many now attract 100 to 150 attendees. Managing this growth will require changes, and we may need to move beyond federal electorate-based structures into more localised suburban or township groups sooner than expected.
“In the meantime, we ask that you continue attending branch meetings and support your Branch Coordinators as we train and equip them to manage larger gatherings.”
Senator Hanson says it’s important to note that branches operate at the federal level with state campaign activity separate, due to different laws governing fundraising and campaigning at the state and territory level.
“We are developing clearer guidance to support members who wish to assist with upcoming state elections, with clearer distinction between federal branches and state campaigns. Information regarding branches including by-laws, roles and responsibilities, code of conduct, guidebooks and upcoming meetings, please refer to the website.
