One Nation Admits Party Funds Paid for $56,000 Shed on Ashby's Land
One Nation has admitted using party funds to build a $56,000 shed on James Ashby's private property in Queensland.
The admission was made in an email to members from general manager Kelvin Morton, reported on 25 September 2026. The Guardian
Morton told members the purchaser of the shed was Small Batch Brewing Pty Ltd. He said Ashby is living in the shed while he undertakes renovations at his Yeppoon property. That is the party's own account of its current use. He told members plainly that their funds built it.
The party describes the arrangement as a loan. Morton said the national executive approved a reinvestment package into Small Batch Brewing to establish a micro distillery. Under that package, One Nation agreed to lend the company the establishment costs for a shed and distilling equipment, to be placed on land owned by an executive member.
That member is Ashby. He sits on the national executive. Small Batch Brewing is privately owned in equal shares by Ashby, leader Pauline Hanson and former party treasurer Alex Jones. The shed sits on Ashby's private holding. He bought a lifestyle property near Yeppoon in Queensland in 2025. The Guardian
On job titles, the party describes Ashby as Chief of Staff. He was identified as national director in recent coverage. He now sits on the national executive that signed off the package.
The commercial reason given to members is licensing revenue. One Nation anticipates $400,000 to $500,000 a year in licensing revenue from Small Batch Brewing, based on projected sales. Its current average alcohol revenue is $105,796 a year. That is a projected four to fivefold increase.
The drinks behind those figures are the party's fundraiser stock. It currently uses contract brewer CAVU, based on the Sunshine Coast, to make its alcohol products. The plan is to bring part of that operation in-house through Small Batch Brewing. That plan is not yet running. Small Batch Brewing has engaged liquor licensing consultants to finalise licensing and Tax Office requirements before production starts in 2027. Ashby said the company is currently a non-trading entity, meaning it is registered but not yet selling anything.
The admission followed The Guardian's exclusive on 21 September 2026 titled 'One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson's right-hand man'. That earlier story also noted Ashby drives a new Ford Ranger. On 7 September 2026, One Nation proposed redirecting a portion of people's future pension contributions to take-home pay. Reuters On 10 September, the ABC and the Guardian called on One Nation to reverse a media ban after being barred from media events.
The broader context here is governance, not sheds. Parties routinely run commercial operations to raise funds. The issue is related-party deals, where decision-makers approve a loan to a business they partly own. Think of it like a club lending money to a shop owned by its own committee. What matters is how the deal is documented, the loan terms, what security the party holds if the venture fails, and how members can test if it was in their interests. An email after publication is not the same as prior disclosure.
Looking at what this means for One Nation internally, the test will be documentation. Morton has now put the party's version to its own membership. People who work in party finance will want the loan agreement, the executive minute, the valuation of the $56,000 spend, the repayment schedule, and the basis for the $400,000 to $500,000 projection. Without that, members are asked to take the executive's business judgment on trust.
In my view, the political risk sits apart from the paperwork. One Nation sells itself as the outsider holding the majors to account on waste and insider deals. A party-funded asset on a senior staffer's property, held through a company co-owned by the leader and that staffer, sits uneasily with that pitch. It does not need to be unlawful to be corrosive. Voters can do that maths themselves.
