One Nation demands NDAs from $3,000 Sydney donors
The party is requiring attendees at a closed-door fundraiser to sign agreements banning them from revealing discussions or other guests, a move critics call a worrying precedent for transparency.
By Bianca Herrera ·
Donors attending a One Nation fundraiser in central Sydney next Thursday will be asked to sign a legal agreement preventing them from speaking about the event. The party is charging $3,000 per head for the four-hour gathering, which is set to take place behind closed doors at an undisclosed venue. Attendees are required to agree to confidentiality terms that cover conversations, photos, and video captured during the night.
The non-disclosure agreement explicitly forbids guests from sharing information with journalists, media organizations, bloggers, or other publishers. It states that these obligations continue after the event concludes. The document requires attendees to remain silent about the identities of other people present. This restriction applies to a group of donors paying premium prices for a private evening with the party's senior leadership.
Invitations for the event list the scheduled speakers and hosts. The lineup includes Pauline Hanson, federal MP Barnaby Joyce, One Nation national director James Ashby, federal chief of staff Chris Taylor, and New South Wales leader Mike Newman. The program is described as featuring a cocktail and canape service as the sun sets, alongside a live auction. This format differs from previous One Nation events, such as a $2,000 invite-only dinner in Melbourne in September, which did not require similar legal waivers.
Clancy Moore, chief executive of Transparency International Australia, described the use of NDAs as a worrying new step in political fundraising. Moore argued that charging guests for access while requiring silence raises serious questions about transparency ahead of the state election. Moore stated that voters deserve to know if political commitments are being made to paying guests behind closed doors. The group has long criticized such dinners as a form of cash for access.
Christian Slattery, a senior campaigner at the Australian Democracy Network, said Australians are rightly suspicious of exclusive fundraising events. Slattery noted that slapping an NDA on a political fundraiser sets a worrying precedent for the democratic process. Slattery emphasized that democracy thrives in the sunlight, suggesting that hidden discussions between wealthy donors and leaders need public scrutiny to maintain trust.
One Nation has disclosed $5,000 in reportable donations for the 2026-27 financial year so far. These funds come from three donations linked to a fundraising dinner with Barnaby Joyce, according to records from the NSW Electoral Commission. For comparison, the NSW Labor party has raised $286,200 in total reportable donations during the same period. The NSW Liberals have raised $95,900. The individual threshold for a reportable donation in New South Wales is set at $1,000.
The party has taken steps to keep the location of Thursday's event secret. A defunct webpage stated that registered attendees would receive a text message with the specific address just one hour before the start time. This secrecy follows a leak in early September, when the location of a three-course fundraising lunch with Hanson in Melbourne was disclosed to media. That leak allowed journalists to photograph donors entering the venue, leading to increased media attention on the party's fundraising circles.
The fundraiser occurs while One Nation runs a major donations drive in New South Wales. A September Sydney Morning Herald Resolve poll showed the party polling at 25% of the first-preference vote in the state. This places One Nation ahead of the Coalition at 24% and behind Labor at 29%. Internal polling by Labor suggests One Nation could secure more than 20 seats in the state's lower house. Newman and Joyce hosted several publicly advertised dinners in October, with more events planned for November. One Nation was contacted for comment.
