One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has returned fire on Labor’s campaign, asking supporters to donate $27 to stop her party’s rise, launching a counter-fundraising push seeking $29 donations to fund an advertising blitz against the Albanese Government.
The campaign, branded “Fire the Liar”, is aimed at raising money for billboards, television and radio advertisements targeting Labor-held seats, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s own electorate of Grayndler in Sydney’s inner west.
The move comes after Labor launched social media ads urging supporters to chip in $27 to “prevent One Nation from turning polling momentum into seats”.
One Nation has responded by spoofing Labor’s black, white and orange donation advertisements and accusing the government of trying to silence voters who are turning away from the major parties.
“Albo thinks $27 buys him the right to silence us. We think Australians deserve a real choice,” the One Nation advertisement says.
“Donate to help One Nation’s quest to Fire the Liar! Billboards, TV, radio, that’s how we reach Australians that Albanese ignores. Help our candidates and donate before 30 June 2026.”
One Nation is seeking to raise $1 million and has said it will track donations through a real-time counter on its website.
The fundraising war follows a dramatic shift in national polling, with One Nation recently overtaking Labor on primary vote in a major national poll. The result has intensified pressure on both major parties and fuelled debate about whether Pauline Hanson’s party is moving from protest politics to a more direct electoral threat.
Hanson has described Labor’s donation campaign as “absolutely disgusting” and questioned why the Prime Minister was asking ordinary Australians to give money to fight One Nation at a time when many households are struggling with cost-of-living pressures.
One Nation’s new campaign accuses Albanese of breaking promises on issues including stage three tax cuts, energy prices, negative gearing and capital gains tax. It also references the Prime Minister’s 2025 campaign stage fall in Cessnock, which became a political talking point after Albanese repeatedly denied he had fallen from the stage.
Speaking in Bendigo on Tuesday, Albanese sought to link One Nation with the Coalition, saying the Liberal Party, Nationals and One Nation were “three right-wing parties” with a common agenda.
Senior Labor figures have attempted to downplay the fundraising blitz, saying political parties regularly ask supporters for donations.
Trade Minister Don Farrell said Labor had nothing to fear from One Nation, describing populist parties as movements that “come and go”.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins acknowledged there was “an anti-establishment sort of feel” in the community while people were doing it tough, but said the government took community sentiment seriously.
The Coalition has also moved to frame One Nation’s rise as a symptom of voter frustration with Labor. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O’Brien said the minor party’s polling surge showed Australians had “lost confidence” in the Albanese Government because they were “getting poorer by the day”.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation in the political fight over One Nation’s rise.
For Labor, the donation drive reflects concern that Hanson’s party could convert polling momentum into seats, particularly in outer-suburban and regional electorates where voters are under pressure from housing, migration, energy and cost-of-living concerns.
For One Nation, the counter-campaign is designed to portray Labor as rattled by the party’s growing appeal and to turn that attention into a fundraising opportunity.
The timing is also significant. Donations made before the end of the financial year may be politically useful for parties building campaign war chests ahead of the next federal election cycle.
One Nation’s surge has unsettled the political landscape because it threatens both sides of politics. In regional and conservative seats, it risks eating into Liberal and National support. In outer-suburban and working-class areas, Labor faces the risk of losing disillusioned voters who feel the government has failed to respond to economic hardship.
The fight over $27 and $29 donations may appear small, but it reflects a larger shift in Australian politics: the major parties are no longer only fighting each other. They are fighting a growing anti-establishment mood that minor parties are increasingly turning into votes, money and campaign infrastructure.
Hanson’s message is that One Nation is being targeted because it is gaining ground. Labor’s message is that One Nation must be stopped before polling momentum becomes parliamentary power.
With both parties now using each other’s attacks to raise money, the campaign has turned into a political feedback loop, and a sign that One Nation’s rise is no longer being dismissed as a temporary protest vote.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
