One Nation Manager Called Farley an 'Asshole' Before Farrer Win
One Nation general manager Kelvin Morton called MP David Farley an "asshole" in text messages sent days before Farley won the Farrer byelection in May, according to Guardian Australia.
The messages, seen by Guardian Australia, were sent after a Sydney Morning Herald story on infighting over Farley's previously undeclared support for Labor. That is the stated trigger.
Morton was appointed general manager in February to improve vetting — the background checks parties run on candidates — and build a more professional organisation. He was in the job when One Nation preselected Farley, the formal process for choosing who runs under its banner.
His role has since grown. Morton has joined One Nation's national executive, replacing former treasurer Alex Jones. He also wrote to the Lilley branch in Brisbane to advise of federal intervention, which included removing the entire volunteer committee after a dispute over promotional material and a $12,000 fundraiser.
A One Nation spokesperson said Farley is "a dedicated One Nation MP" and Morton's comments do not reflect the party's view. Guardian Australia published the texts as an exclusive titled "One Nation boss called David Farley an 'asshole' in lead-up to Farrer byelection, text messages reveal", listed at 11.00 EDT.
The broader context here is familiar to anyone who follows preselection. Vetting is meant to find problems like an undeclared party history before the campaign starts. When it misses, the party ends up with two headaches. The original disclosure, and its own internal commentary on the candidate.
In my view, the professionalisation promise matters more than the insult. Name-calling shows poor discipline, and every party has seen it. The harder question is organisational. Morton was hired to fix vetting. The preselection happened on his watch. He now sits on the national executive and signed off on removing a full branch committee in Lilley. That is a lot of administrative power in one set of hands, across candidate choice, national decisions and local branches.
For those watching the crossbench in Canberra, the test is straightforward. The party says Farley has its backing. It says the texts are not its view. Both statements can be true at once. But operatives will look at the structure. A general manager who bagged his own winning candidate in writing now helps set party direction. That goes to how candidates are looked after, and whether new professional systems check personal judgments or just lock them in.
