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More than half of One Nation's elected state and federal MPs have left the party before finishing their terms, with 28 of 51 resigning or being expelled. The party now polls above 30% in some surveys despite a long history of chaos and instability.
More than half of the One Nation MPs elected to state or federal parliaments have left the party before the end of their term. In total, 28 of the 51 people elected under Pauline Hanson's banner either resigned midterm or were expelled.
One Nation's Record of Instability
The analysis by Guardian Australia of the party's colourful candidate history shows One Nation has a long record of chaos and instability. That history spans decades of resignations, expulsions and defections across state and federal parliaments. One Nation won 6% of the national vote at the 2025 federal election. It is now polling above 30% in some surveys.
Those numbers could potentially make the party the official federal opposition or even put it in a position of minority government. The polling rise has been rapid. After winning 6% of the vote at the 2025 election, One Nation's numbers ballooned from late 2025 to 13% by October and 25% by early 2026. By mid-2026, One Nation is polling about 30% nationally, neck and neck with Labor.
Pauline Hanson's Early Political Years
Hanson herself had a tumultuous entry to federal politics. She was selected as a Liberal candidate for the seat of Oxley but was disendorsed just before the election. Her name remained on ballot papers as a Liberal, and she won the seat as an independent until forming One Nation. In 1998, One Nation reached a high-water mark with 11 members elected in the Queensland election.
All 11 later resigned or left One Nation, either to sit as independents or to resign from parliament altogether. Hanson even quit her own party as the organisation splintered among infighting, but she later rejoined. She rejoined the party in 2013 and renamed it in 2015 to Pauline Hanson's One Nation. Between 2009 and 2015, One Nation was in the wilderness with no elected representatives nationally.
One Nation's Electoral Resurgence
Rosa Lee Long, one of the longest-serving One Nation members, lost her seat at the 2009 Queensland election. One Nation's resurgence began at the federal double dissolution election in 2016. Hanson and three colleagues were elected to the Senate, marking the party's first federal success since the 1990s. A revolving door of controversies and departures followed.
David Oldfield, co-founder of One Nation, was expelled from the party. All three Western Australian MLCs left the party in 2004. Malcolm Roberts was elected and later disqualified, and Fraser Anning replaced Roberts then left the party just three days later. Other high-profile recruits also quit.
High-Profile Departures and Defections
Former Labor leader Mark Latham was elected to the New South Wales upper house but resigned so he could run for a new eight-year term, then later left One Nation. Tania Mihailuk in the New South Wales parliament also quit. Brian Burston defected to the United Australia party, followed by an altercation with Hanson's chief of staff, James Ashby, in Parliament House. Another MP quit One Nation on his first day in parliament.
Some members have been long-running. Rosa Lee Long won several terms in the Queensland parliament in the 2000s. Roberts has been Hanson's right-hand man since 2016, rejoined parliament in 2019 and won re-election in 2025. The party's numbers have grown to record levels during its recent resurgence, with six members in federal parliament.
Federal Election Wins and Analysis
David Farley became the first person to win a federal lower house seat as a One Nation candidate. Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce defected to One Nation. Malcolm Roberts was re-elected to the Senate. A chart summarising politician outcomes is on a per-person basis with each person appearing only once.
Some people appear in multiple categories. For example, Malcolm Roberts is both an incumbent and has had his election ruled as invalid. In these cases current incumbents have been kept in the incumbent category, or priority was given to the outcome where the politician actually left the party. Mark Latham both resigned from parliament and left the party, but in the chart he is only shown as leaving the party.
Through the various rises and falls of One Nation, a constant theme has been instability in its candidate and member ranks.
Pauline Hanson Australian Politics Party Instability 2025 Federal Election
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