One Nation could lose its official registration in Queensland after failing to hand in audited financial statements for three years in a row. The state's Office of Fair Trading has told the party to fix this by 18 August 2026 or face enforcement action (The Guardian).

In Queensland, groups like clubs and political parties can register as an "incorporated association" under a law called the Associations Incorporation Act 1981. Being registered this way gives the group a legal identity, but it comes with rules. One of those rules is that the group must file annual returns that include audited financial statements — that is, financial records that have been checked and signed off by an independent auditor. One Nation, registered as One Nation Queensland Division Inc, has not filed those audited statements for the 2022/2023, 2023/2024, or 2024/2025 financial years.

The Office of Fair Trading first asked the party to comply in June 2026. One Nation did lodge overdue annual returns on 3 July 2026, but those returns did not include the audited financial statements the law requires. So the party handed in some paperwork, but not the paperwork that actually matters.

Pauline Hanson is listed as president of the association. NSW Senator Sean Bell is the secretary, and Alex Jones is the treasurer. All three sit on the management committee, which is the group of people legally responsible for running the association. Under the Act, committee members must make sure financial statements are lodged, or they can be fined. Hanson and Bell, as president and secretary, face potential financial penalties for the breach.

If One Nation does not meet the 18 August deadline, the regulator will start a formal investigation. That could lead to an infringement notice — basically a fine — or a show cause notice. A show cause notice is an official letter that says: tell us why we should not cancel your registration. If the party cannot give a good enough reason, the next step is deregistration, which means the association is struck off and loses its legal status.

This is not the first time One Nation has had trouble following the rules in Queensland. Guardian Australia reported in June 2026 that the party has repeatedly failed to meet legal requirements, including holding its annual general meetings late and filing reports behind schedule. The party's financial returns up until 2022 showed more than $1 million in missing or worthless assets that the party refused to explain.

The treasurer's background raises further questions. Alex Jones pleaded guilty to attempted electoral fraud in 2023 after trying to deceive the Queensland Electoral Commission about the timing of a $24,000 claim for payment. He was fined $1,000, and no conviction was recorded.

There is also a separate set of rules that applies here. Under Queensland's Local Government Electoral Act 2011, a registered political party and its associated entity are treated as a single entity for financial disclosure purposes (ECQ). The Electoral Commission of Queensland requires political parties to lodge financial disclosure forms through an online system (ECQ), and all registered parties must keep records for at least five years (ECQ). Because One Nation has not produced audited statements for the Queensland regulator, it cannot show it is meeting these record-keeping obligations either.

The broader context here is about more than paperwork. A party that cannot or will not file audited financial statements for three years running has effectively opted out of the transparency rules the law imposes. When that same party's earlier returns show more than $1 million in missing or worthless assets it refuses to explain, and its treasurer has a fraud conviction, the regulator's patience — giving the party three weeks to sort it out — looks more than fair. The 18 August date is not a suggestion. It is the last chance before the regulator stops asking and starts investigating, and from there moves toward cancelling the party's registration.

Losing its Queensland incorporation would not directly remove One Nation's federal registration. But it would take away the legal vehicle the party uses to operate in its home state, and it would hand opponents an easy line of attack. The party that campaigns on accountability and transparency cannot account for its own finances, and the regulator is running out of patience with asking.