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| One Nation's Ipswich candidate quits, saying he won't be 'bullied' | One Nation's Ipswich candidate quits, saying he won't be 'bullied' |
| (4 months later) | |
| Troy Aggett, the eighth candidate the party has lost in Queensland, says he left after he was given an ultimatum over paying $3,500 for promotional materials | |
| Joshua Robertson | |
| Tue 10 Oct 2017 07.10 BST | |
| First published on Tue 10 Oct 2017 07.03 BST | |
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| One Nation has lost an eighth candidate in its Queensland election campaign after Ipswich hopeful Troy Aggett quit after he said he would not be “bullied” into paying the party for promotional materials before the poll date was set, an allegation the leadership denies. | One Nation has lost an eighth candidate in its Queensland election campaign after Ipswich hopeful Troy Aggett quit after he said he would not be “bullied” into paying the party for promotional materials before the poll date was set, an allegation the leadership denies. |
| Aggett said he quit after a party official on Friday gave an “ultimatum” he pay $3,500 within days for the campaign package – printed by Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby – or be disendorsed. | Aggett said he quit after a party official on Friday gave an “ultimatum” he pay $3,500 within days for the campaign package – printed by Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby – or be disendorsed. |
| A former Australian federal police officer and onetime bodyguard to the former prime minister John Howard, Aggett said he had been willing to buy the materials once the official campaign was under way, but until then they would only take up space under his bed and on his verandah. | A former Australian federal police officer and onetime bodyguard to the former prime minister John Howard, Aggett said he had been willing to buy the materials once the official campaign was under way, but until then they would only take up space under his bed and on his verandah. |
| “Being bullied to pay money is just ridiculous. Being threatened, like, if you don’t pay this we’re going to disendorse you – well, get bent,” Aggett told the Guardian. | “Being bullied to pay money is just ridiculous. Being threatened, like, if you don’t pay this we’re going to disendorse you – well, get bent,” Aggett told the Guardian. |
| “Basically by them accepting my resignation over this matter, all they’ve done is take the chains off.” | “Basically by them accepting my resignation over this matter, all they’ve done is take the chains off.” |
| Aggett said he looked forward to running as an independent, saying One Nation muzzled its candidates while offering virtually no campaign support apart from selling them material all sourced from Ashby’s printing business. | Aggett said he looked forward to running as an independent, saying One Nation muzzled its candidates while offering virtually no campaign support apart from selling them material all sourced from Ashby’s printing business. |
| He said the ultimatum to pay by Monday came from the One Nation Brisbane office manager, Greg Smith, Hanson’s brother-in-law, who “doesn’t like being told no”. | He said the ultimatum to pay by Monday came from the One Nation Brisbane office manager, Greg Smith, Hanson’s brother-in-law, who “doesn’t like being told no”. |
| Aggett said the exchange “doesn’t reflect on Pauline or the other candidates, who are all good guys”. | Aggett said the exchange “doesn’t reflect on Pauline or the other candidates, who are all good guys”. |
| But the party was “helping about two candidates and that’s it”, Aggett said. | But the party was “helping about two candidates and that’s it”, Aggett said. |
| “Everyone else is on their own and you’ve got to find your own volunteers, your own marketing, your own everything. They just give you the material and say, there you go, go use it. There’s no support in the office. | “Everyone else is on their own and you’ve got to find your own volunteers, your own marketing, your own everything. They just give you the material and say, there you go, go use it. There’s no support in the office. |
| “It’s all on you. You do everything and you’re dictated to on what you can and can’t say because they don’t want you speaking out and causing any sort of ripples in the media. So they just want us to be quiet, really.” | “It’s all on you. You do everything and you’re dictated to on what you can and can’t say because they don’t want you speaking out and causing any sort of ripples in the media. So they just want us to be quiet, really.” |
| Smith told the Guardian there was “no bullying or threatening at all. He resigned his position and we have to act on it”. | Smith told the Guardian there was “no bullying or threatening at all. He resigned his position and we have to act on it”. |
| “I wouldn’t read too much into it. He resigned from his position and that’s basically it,” he said. | “I wouldn’t read too much into it. He resigned from his position and that’s basically it,” he said. |
| Aggett is the second Queensland candidate to break with One Nation over the campaign package fees, with Callide hopeful Elise Cottam disendorsed for not paying $2,400 by a deadline set in February. | Aggett is the second Queensland candidate to break with One Nation over the campaign package fees, with Callide hopeful Elise Cottam disendorsed for not paying $2,400 by a deadline set in February. |
| The packages have been a source of rolling controversy, including after Ashby was caught in a secret recording from last year suggesting One Nation could profit from the state election by selling printed materials to candidates at inflated prices. | The packages have been a source of rolling controversy, including after Ashby was caught in a secret recording from last year suggesting One Nation could profit from the state election by selling printed materials to candidates at inflated prices. |
| He later told the Guardian this was a “silly idea” that was never carried out. | He later told the Guardian this was a “silly idea” that was never carried out. |
| A federal Labor senator referred the matter to police and the Electoral Commission Queensland but One Nation has said it welcomed scrutiny and had nothing to hide. | A federal Labor senator referred the matter to police and the Electoral Commission Queensland but One Nation has said it welcomed scrutiny and had nothing to hide. |
| Ipswich anti-corruption campaigner and repeat mayoral candidate Gary Duffy, who joined One Nation as a party member this month, said he was interested in taking Aggett’s place “if the opportunity comes up”. | Ipswich anti-corruption campaigner and repeat mayoral candidate Gary Duffy, who joined One Nation as a party member this month, said he was interested in taking Aggett’s place “if the opportunity comes up”. |
| “I did join One Nation because I thought if I am going to win a seat in government I really need a party behind me,” Duffy told the Guardian. | “I did join One Nation because I thought if I am going to win a seat in government I really need a party behind me,” Duffy told the Guardian. |
| “I did look at [Cory Bernardi’s] Australian Conservatives. That was very interesting. | “I did look at [Cory Bernardi’s] Australian Conservatives. That was very interesting. |
| “But the basis of [One Nation] is quite good and the policies are quite good.” | “But the basis of [One Nation] is quite good and the policies are quite good.” |
| Asked about the prominent Ipswich local as a potential replacement candidate, Smith said: “I don’t know a Mr Gary Duffy, sorry.” | Asked about the prominent Ipswich local as a potential replacement candidate, Smith said: “I don’t know a Mr Gary Duffy, sorry.” |
| Aggett said he was interested in campaigning in Ipswich on employment issues, lost infrastructure and business attraction opportunities, and positive work incentive schemes for people on government support payments. | Aggett said he was interested in campaigning in Ipswich on employment issues, lost infrastructure and business attraction opportunities, and positive work incentive schemes for people on government support payments. |
| He said he told Smith on Friday: “You’ve already printed all the stuff, I know, because you’ve sent me half of it already and I haven’t asked for it.” | He said he told Smith on Friday: “You’ve already printed all the stuff, I know, because you’ve sent me half of it already and I haven’t asked for it.” |
| “I’ve got 10,000 flyers and 3m banners and everything and I said I don’t want it, I’ve got nowehere to store it. I’ve got it stacked under my bed and on my verandah. | “I’ve got 10,000 flyers and 3m banners and everything and I said I don’t want it, I’ve got nowehere to store it. I’ve got it stacked under my bed and on my verandah. |
| “It’s just going to sit here, get silverfish, get wet, and by the time the election comes I’m going to go, I need all new stuff because all mine’s wrecked.” | “It’s just going to sit here, get silverfish, get wet, and by the time the election comes I’m going to go, I need all new stuff because all mine’s wrecked.” |
| The other candidates that either quit or were dumped since One Nation introduced its ticket in December include Mark Ellis, who quit in April after the Guardian revealed his alleged death threats against a former employee and an image of him saluting beside a huge swastika mown into a backyard lawn. | The other candidates that either quit or were dumped since One Nation introduced its ticket in December include Mark Ellis, who quit in April after the Guardian revealed his alleged death threats against a former employee and an image of him saluting beside a huge swastika mown into a backyard lawn. |
| John Cox, previously supported by One Nation despite social media posts carrying 9/11 conspiracy theories, was dumped from Redcliffe in July for reasons not made public. | John Cox, previously supported by One Nation despite social media posts carrying 9/11 conspiracy theories, was dumped from Redcliffe in July for reasons not made public. |
| Shan Ju Lin was disendorsed in Bundamba in January after posting on Facebook that “gays should be treated as patients”. | Shan Ju Lin was disendorsed in Bundamba in January after posting on Facebook that “gays should be treated as patients”. |
| Peter Rogers was disendorsed in Mulgrave in north Queensland the same month over a blog post claiming that the Port Arthur massacre and the drowning death of a Syrian toddler, which sparked a global outcry last year, were fabrications. | Peter Rogers was disendorsed in Mulgrave in north Queensland the same month over a blog post claiming that the Port Arthur massacre and the drowning death of a Syrian toddler, which sparked a global outcry last year, were fabrications. |
| Currumbin candidate, Andy Semple, quit in December after One Nation headquarters asked him to delete a tweet joking about a T-shirt with the acronym LGBTI. | Currumbin candidate, Andy Semple, quit in December after One Nation headquarters asked him to delete a tweet joking about a T-shirt with the acronym LGBTI. |
| Damien Emery quit in Pumicestone in February citing business and family reasons. | Damien Emery quit in Pumicestone in February citing business and family reasons. |
| One Nation | |
| Queensland politics | |
| Pauline Hanson | |
| Queensland | |
| Brisbane | |
| Australian politics | |
| news | |
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