Wealthy donors join the Trump-adjacent populism that is sweeping Australia
Angus Aitken, a Sydney stockbroker, donated A$230,000 (165,000) to Australia's conservative Liberal Party a few months before the party suffered its worst defeat in May last year. He thought he was supporting a cause he would be loyal to for his entire life. He is switching teams this year, committing A$1.1million to the populist anti immigration party One Nation of Pauline Hanson as he turns his back on a conservative establishment that was racked with infighting and poor polling.
Aitken's not the only one: encouraged by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart some of Australia’s wealthiest people are switching their support from the Liberal/National coalition to an?outsider?party which, up until recently, relied primarily on small donations. One Nation, which was founded in 1997, has only had a marginal presence in parliament due to its anti-immigration hardline and opposition towards environmental and progressive social causes. The party adopted Donald Trump's plans to deport visa overstayers in mass numbers and deregulation after his re-election as U.S. president in 2024.
The biggest change you will see in the coming 12-18 months is the groundswell in business and wealthy people who are supporting One Nation, but have been frustrated by the Coalition," Aitken said. Aitken met Trump in his Mar-a-Lago home in March after winning a One Nation fundraising event.
People are sick and tired of red tape that clogs up their business. He added that they believe Hanson and One Nation are the people and parties that will?cut through some of this. Researchers say the reason for this shift is the high turnover of Liberal leaders and the split between coalition partners on energy and hate speech issues. This reflects the global realignment of high-net worth donors, who are increasingly supporting populist parties in Britain and France as their traditional rivals on the centre-right fragment.
One Nation has benefitted from "coalition turmoil, a general decrease in support for major political parties in Australia and abroad, then things such as frustration with the housing crisis, the rising cost of living, as well as a changing media environment," said Jordan McSwiney. He is a researcher who studies far-right policies at the University of Canberra Centre for Deliberative Democracy.
BY-ELECTION CAN SEE FIRST SEAT INSIDE HOUSE of REPS
Opinion polls indicate that One Nation will win its first House of Representatives Seat from the Liberals in a Saturday by-election.
This would not affect the majority of the centre-left prime minister Anthony Albanese but it would be a major step forward for One Nation after its strong performance in the recent state election. Polls show that Pauline Hanson is now more popular than either Albanese, or the conservative opposition leader Angus Taylor. Hanson's party, which barely appeared in the federal election of May 2025, is now ranked second nationally, ahead of the conservative alliance, since the beginning of this year.
Hanson is a former fish and chips shop owner with flame-hair. She has been an Australian political fixture for over three decades. However, her party never won more than four out of the 76 Senate seats.
One Nation is unlikely to win enough seats in the lower house of parliament for a majority government at the next federal elections scheduled for 2028. However, polls suggest that it could double its Senate presence, giving it greater influence over what bills are passed.
Mark Riboldi is a researcher on social impact at the University of Technology. He said that wealthy voters are hedging bets to see which party will form the opposition.
One Nation and Hanson have not responded to questions regarding Rinehart's and One Nation?s changing donor base.
Taylor's spokesperson was not available to comment immediately.
Join the JetSetters
One Nation has been able to increase its appeal to wealthy figures in the private sector, including Rinehart. Rinehart was Australia's wealthiest person and a staunch supporter of Peter Dutton when he led the Liberal Party. She even flew him on her private aircraft at least twice before the 2025 elections.
Rinehart, who lost Dutton's seat, has now focused her generosity on One Nation. Last month, she donated a Cirrus plane valued at about A$1.5million. Hanson revealed that two employees from Rinehart’s flagship company gave her party A$500,000, which was far more than the previous One Nation record of A$100,000.
Five people with knowledge of the events said that Rinehart held several events each week to convert Liberal donors to One Nation. These included A$15,000-per-seat dinners, a fundraising event culminating in a March visit to Mar-a-Lago and other events.
Rinehart hosted Hanson, other?One Nation reps, and other private pilots on her Gulfstream G700 jet for around 20 flights including at least one flight to Florida, according to electoral commission records.
A spokesperson for Rinehart declined to comment on ?the businesswoman's relationship with One Nation but sent a statement criticising the "billions being spent on green energy" and "inadequately-screened immigrants straining the accommodation supply (and) putting strain on our hospital emergencies", among other issues.
Rinehart has occasionally commented on politics, including in a 2012 speech where he complained that Australia's Minimum Wage was too high.
She started attending?Trump's events during his first tenure and has used the ties she built with him to attract other wealthy donors to One Nation.
Doug Tynan, chief investment officer at GCQ Funds Management, met Trump at a One Nation fundraiser after donating A$100,000.
Tynan said, "I made the donation in the days after the Bondi tragedy because I felt it should be illegal for Australian flags to be burned." He did not say what drew Tynan to the party. The Bondi attack in which Islamist gunmen killed 15 people during a Jewish holiday last December was the only thing he mentioned.
Tynan said, "I also wanted to give Mrs Rinehart the chance to go to Mar-a-Lago and meet Donald Trump."
(source: Reuters)
