A packed crowd at One Nation’s Mt Eliza fundraiser on Friday night offered another glimpse of the enthusiasm surrounding the party on the Mornington Peninsula ahead of Victoria’s November state election.
I attended the party’s Mornington and Hastings fundraiser at Mount Eliza Country Club on 9 October in my capacity as publisher of STPL News, to observe and report on the event.
Victorian One Nation leader Warren Pickering appeared alongside Hastings candidate Peter Angelico and Mornington candidate Ashli Beards.
It was my first opportunity to see Pickering speak in person.
Warren Pickering Is Polished But Human
Articulate without appearing overly rehearsed, Pickering was comfortable poking fun at himself and others.
In plain English, he has the gift of the gab.
Questions from the audience were met with barely a moment’s hesitation, followed by detailed answers often mixed with cheeky humour.
He managed to dance the fine line between being too polished and too rough, keeping the room engaged without sounding like he was reading from a political script.
His presentation was a marked contrast to the impression I’d formed from previous mainstream media coverage.
Two Candidates, Two Very Different Contests
While Pickering drew much of the attention, Friday’s fundraiser was ultimately about supporting Peter Angelico and Ashli Beards in their respective campaigns.
And both face quite different political circumstances.
Hastings: Peter Angelico Takes On The Major Parties
For Angelico, the Hastings contest carries some political history.
After two decades associated with the Liberal Party, and a run for the Libertarians in May’s Nepean by-election, he now finds himself representing One Nation against Labor incumbent Paul Mercurio and Liberal candidate Frank Schiefler.
Angelico previously sought Liberal preselection for Hastings, making his contest against Schiefler particularly interesting.
Mercurio won Hastings by just 1,116 votes in 2022, ending 16 years of Liberal representation.
As STPL News reported in July, the seat was subsequently excluded from Labor’s priority campaign list, with no dedicated field organiser allocated under the party’s reported strategy.
Mercurio also received a D+ in STPL News’ Rate Your State MP survey, with participating readers raising concerns about roads, crime, service delivery and electorate office responsiveness.
The voluntary survey was self-selected and does not constitute representative polling.
As outlined in his interview with STPL News, Angelico has been campaigning on practical problem-solving, cost-of-living pressures, roads and government accountability, drawing on his business and manufacturing background.
Mornington: Ashli Beards Faces A Different Challenge
In Mornington, Ashli Beards faces incumbent Liberal MP Chris Crewther, independent Melissa Goffin, who has secured Climate 200 backing, and fellow independent Adrian Maher, among other candidates.
Beards, a lawyer and former Liberal voter, has focused her campaign on crime, policing, housing and the cost of living, as outlined in her recent interview with STPL News.
Unlike Hastings, the feedback received about the sitting MP has been considerably more positive.
Crewther received an A in STPL News’ Rate Your State MP survey, with participating readers praising his accessibility, responsiveness and community engagement.
However, Mornington is not without its own electoral complexities.
Despite Crewther’s positive survey feedback, he narrowly retained the seat in 2022, defeating independent Kate Lardner by just 590 votes after preferences.
With two independents already campaigning, alongside One Nation and other candidates, Mornington presents a different political landscape from Hastings.
One Nation’s People Power
Perhaps more significant than the presentations was the crowd itself.
This was not the first One Nation event attended by STPL News where the room was full of supporters.
And while packed fundraisers don’t necessarily translate into votes, they demonstrate something every election campaign needs: people willing to turn up.
People prepared to knock on doors, distribute material, staff polling booths and volunteer their weekends.
Interestingly, some of those now supporting One Nation have previously campaigned for the major parties.
STPL News has spoken with several people actively supporting One Nation in Hastings who said they previously volunteered on Labor’s successful 2022 campaign for Paul Mercurio.
Many others said they had previously supported Liberal candidates.
It raises an interesting question about where traditional major-party supporters are finding themselves politically.
Where Are The Major Parties?
The contrast with some recent Liberal campaign activity is difficult to ignore.
In Frankston, several sources have told STPL News that just six people attended Liberal candidate Bree Ambry’s campaign launch, although that figure remains unconfirmed.
During the Nepean by-election, STPL News received correspondence reporting 97 Liberal Party membership cancellations following Anthony Marsh’s endorsement. We subsequently spoke with 13 of those individuals, although the overall figure has not been independently verified against party records.
At several major pre-poll and election-day locations, I observed a Liberal campaign presence heavily supported by volunteers from outside Nepean, alongside state and federal MPs.
Following earlier reporting, readers identified some volunteers as having connections to South Australia or parliamentary offices elsewhere in Melbourne.
There is nothing unusual about bringing in outside campaign support. However, a by-election allows parties to concentrate resources on one electorate. A statewide election is a different proposition.
Despite the internal discontent, Marsh retained Nepean for the Liberals. But the result tells a more complicated story.
The Liberal primary vote fell from 48.11 per cent in 2022 to 38.68 per cent, while One Nation’s Darren Hercus secured 24.52 per cent, placing him second on first preferences.
Independent Tracee Hutchison ultimately overtook Hercus through preferences, finishing second behind Marsh.
While Labor’s decision not to contest the by-election makes direct comparisons difficult, the decline in the Liberal primary vote and One Nation’s performance were notable developments.
Meanwhile, as of 6 October, Labor had yet to announce candidates for Mornington or Nepean.
Are Australians Really Politically Disengaged?
We often hear Australians are becoming politically disengaged and increasingly distrustful of politicians.
But perhaps we’re confusing disengagement from traditional political parties with disengagement from politics itself.
The people attending these One Nation events certainly aren’t disengaged.
They’re showing up, asking questions, discussing policies and volunteering their time.
That doesn’t mean they represent the wider electorate, nor does it establish how undecided voters will respond.
But there is a difference between complaining about the political system and becoming motivated enough to participate in something different.
The Real Test Comes Next
Friday’s fundraiser provided an opportunity to observe Warren Pickering’s communication style and the enthusiasm surrounding the campaigns of Peter Angelico and Ashli Beards.
Pickering stood out on stage, but the bigger story may be what’s happening off it.
A packed room doesn’t necessarily mean a packed polling booth, and an enthusiastic supporter doesn’t necessarily become a volunteer.
Nevertheless, across successive One Nation events, one observation has remained consistent.
People are turning up.
With the Victorian election scheduled for 28 November, the question is how many will continue turning up when the real campaign work begins.
