A packed Rosebud venue, a fired-up crowd and a high-profile appearance from Pauline Hanson gave Darren Hercus’s campaign a visible lift on Friday night.
Held at Rosebud Football Netball Club, the event drew a strong turnout, with organisers saying 300 tickets were sold on the day. By the time Hanson took the floor alongside the One Nation candidate, the room was already buzzing.
Hanson set the tone early, labelling Labor “terrible” and the Liberals “useless” as she rallied supporters and sharpened the night’s anti-major party message.
“If you want change, it’s through the ballot box,”
Hanson said.
“If you want change that benefits yourself and future generations, then the only way to go is with One Nation,”
Hanson added, before the crowd erupted in cheers.
Hercus, who was visibly not as confident behind the microphone as veteran party leader and founder Pauline Hanson, made a clear and succint pitch to supporters.
“$50 billion dollars over budget and a $185 billion dollar deficit.
“It’s translating now, to over a million dollars an hour in interest”
Both Hanson and Hercus appeared highly approachable throughout the evening, regularly surrounded by supporters and speaking freely with attendees as the event unfolded.
On the Ground Observations
There is a real sense that an orange storm is brewing in Nepean. To quote The Castle, it is “the feeling, the vibe” in the Hanson / Hercus camp that they are onto something.
The appetite for change is ripe, and the sense on the ground is that many in Nepean have had enough of both major parties. Whether that translates into victory for One Nation’s Darren Hercus in the May 2 by-election remains uncertain.
But if the vibe in the room on Friday night was anything to go by, the Liberals may be heading for either a narrow defeat or a narrow escape that leaves them politically wounded well before Victorians next go to the polls at the 28 November 2026 state election.
Nothing is certain in politics, and campaign atmosphere does not always convert into votes. Even so, Friday night showed that One Nation is not carrying itself like a fringe player in this contest.
In Rosebud, it looked organised, energised and convinced it has found an opening in Nepean.
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