One Nation risks losing legal status as Pauline Hanson fails to turn over financial records
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Queensland division has failed to provide three years of audited financial statements to the state’s corporate regulator, despite missing an earlier compliance deadline and now facing a final deadline next month.
Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading has given the party until August 18 to submit the outstanding financial records, warning that further action could follow if it fails to comply.
As president of the Queensland division, Hanson is responsible for ensuring the organisation meets its legal obligations, alongside division secretary and One Nation NSW senator Sean Bell.
While the party has since lodged its overdue annual returns, the Office of Fair Trading said the required audited financial statements under Queensland law are still outstanding.
‘One Nation Queensland Division Inc has lodged its annual returns to the OFT for the years 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, but these returns did not include the audited financial statements as required by the Associations Incorporation Act 1981,’ an Office of Fair Trading spokesman told the Australian.
‘The Office of Fair Trading has given the association until 18 August 2026 to lodge the outstanding financial statements.’
Failure to comply could leave Hanson, Bell and party treasurer Alex Jones facing individual fines of $690.80 for breaches of the reporting requirements.
More significantly, the matter could escalate beyond financial penalties and threaten the party’s legal status in Queensland.
Hanson (pictured) is liable to provide documents as President of One Nation Queensland
The regulator could issue a show-cause notice requiring One Nation to justify why its incorporation should not be cancelled.
If the party fails to satisfy the regulator, the Queensland division could lose its incorporated status, stripping the organisation of its legal standing in the state where the party was founded.
Daily Mail contacted One Nation Queensland for comment.
Financial records filed by One Nation Queensland over several years have drawn criticism.
The party’s previous filings with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading reveal a history of compliance issues, including late annual general meetings, overdue financial reporting and failures to lodge required documents within statutory deadlines.
One Nation has also previously faced scrutiny from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) over the accuracy of its federal financial disclosures.
In a compliance review of One Nation’s 2020-21 annual disclosure return, the AEC found multiple reporting errors and determined the party had understated both its receipts and payments.
The regulator concluded the return did not comply with the Commonwealth Electoral Act and directed One Nation to amend its filing.
Sean Bell (left) and Hanson (right) both risk fines, as well as the state party losing legal status
The review found the party had reported total receipts of $375,735 when the correct figure was $687,457. Total payments were also amended from $1.03million to $1.59 million.
The AEC further determined that several reportable receipts above the disclosure threshold had been omitted from the original return.
In its findings, the AEC recommended One Nation improve its accounting and disclosure processes by ensuring future returns accurately record all receipts and payments, and properly identify transactions requiring disclosure.
The regulator ultimately accepted an amended return lodged by the party in February 2023, but found the original filing had failed to meet requirements under federal electoral disclosure laws.
