A One Nation branch official in Brisbane made social media posts defending Hitler Youth and using racist slurs against Aboriginal people, according to Guardian Australia.

John Drew confirmed he works as a policy development officer for One Nation's Ryan branch in Brisbane. The Guardian reported on the posts attributed to him defending Hitler Youth and using racist language against Aboriginal Australians. He later claimed the party kicked him out.

Here's what matters: Drew confirmed his job to the Guardian before One Nation announced doing anything about him. He said he was expelled only after the posts were shown to him. The party has not publicly confirmed this.

Does the vetting system work?

One Nation has a vetting tool called ONTRACE. It checks the backgrounds of elected branch leaders — people formally chosen for roles like branch president or secretary. The party holds this up as proof that it keeps bad actors out of its ranks.

Drew's case tests that claim. A policy development officer with posts like his is exactly what a vetting system should catch. But there's a problem: ONTRACE only checks elected leaders. Drew's role was appointed, not elected. That means he may have fallen through a gap.

For a party that says it controls what happens at the local level, that gap is awkward.

What this shows

One Nation has always been run tightly from the top. Pauline Hanson personally approves candidates and decides who can be in the party. ONTRACE was meant to make that control more formal and systematic.

But the Drew case shows the system has holes. Appointed positions like his may not get the same scrutiny as elected ones. In a party where local officials shape candidate campaigns, that's a real problem.

There's also the question of who's telling the story. Drew says he was expelled. One Nation hasn't confirmed it. If he was removed, that's the end of it. If he wasn't, then a branch member is using a media report to control the narrative rather than the party controlling it. Either way, it doesn't look good.

For a party built on immigration and national identity, posts defending Hitler Youth and attacking Aboriginal Australians in racial terms are not minor. There's no ambiguity here.

One Nation put candidates in Ryan at the 2025 election, and does the same across Queensland. A policy officer isn't just a volunteer — they do real work on campaigns. It matters what they say.

At the time of publication, Pauline Hanson's office had not confirmed or denied Drew's claim. The Guardian Australia report is what we have.

One Nation can now confirm the expulsion and explain what went wrong with ONTRACE — or stay silent and let Drew speak for the party.