One Nation's leader, Pauline Hanson, has dismissed Mark Latham as the head of the party in NSW, following a significant setback in the March state elections.
Citing the recent electoral defeat, Hanson said in a letter to the NSW leadership team, cited by The Daily Telegraph: “At the state election in March 2023, there was a 14 per cent swing against our party vote from the previous election.” She expressed concerns about the unexpected decline, noting, "There is still no good explanation as to why this occurred."
Latham, in response, took to Facebook on Monday, accusing Hanson of assuming control of the NSW branch "without consultation or due process." He added, “She has installed her own new State Executive with people from Queensland and Tasmania who did not lift a finger to help us during the March election campaign.”
One Nation's anticipated strong showing in the March elections did not come to fruition, as they managed only 1.8% of the vote and no seat wins in the Legislative Assembly. Despite the overall disappointment, the party's Legislative Council seats grew to three, a silver lining for them.
Tensions between Hanson and Latham were evident earlier in the year when Latham's controversial tweet targeting Independent MP Alex Greenwich was publicly condemned by Hanson. She commented on the matter, saying, “I want you to know that I don’t condone them, and neither do my members of parliament or party associates.” Hanson had also urged Latham to apologize. The incident led to a legal challenge against Latham, which remains pending.
