One Nation members remain none the wiser about
where the money has gone.
16th December 1999
No one outside the directors of Pauline hanson's One Nation Limited really knows what has happened to the estimated $5 million that has flowed through the party's books at Manly.
Oldfield says "he is not an accountant" and claims that the books have been accepted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
Ettridge says that members "just had to ask" and the accounts would be shown
to them. The experience of a member of the national executive Heather Hill
- who has been threatened with defamation by the 2Ds for "asking" would suggest
otherwise. One Nation members remain none the wiser about
where the money has gone.
The graphic on the right broadly outlines a very worrying picture.
On the left we have the Pauline Hanson's Supporters Movement/Members Inc to which all members currently belong. Not even branch accounts are now controlled by this entity.
In the red circles we have bank accounts and money controlled by Pauline Hanson's One Nation Limited. The only financial statements shown to the national executive are cheques drawn against the trust account's $2.6 million. No deposits have been made to that account. The $2.6 million was part of the $3.2 million paid to PHON by the AEC following the 1998 Federal Election. Of the $2.6 million over $600,000 was paid to one creditor - Donald and Donald Advertising - promoting Oldfield's successful campaign to get into the NSW Parliament.
The One Nation branch accounts and all funds in them are now controlled by the company - following a directive from Manly in January this year that all account names be changed from PHON Members Inc to PHON. No branches were warned that this name change would effectively move the control of that money from the members to the PHONL company.
PHONL maintain a separate account called "PHON" which two of the five national executive members, Hill (now Harris) and Fischer in WA have no access to. Only Hanson, Ettridge and Oldfield have access to this and other PHON related accounts.
On Tuesday Oldfield confirmed that almost all the $5 million that has passed through the PHON books has been "spent".
I would estimate the unaccounted portion of the Manly Millions in various "hidden" accounts to be in the order of $2 to $3 million. If there is nothing to hide why can't the PHONL company disclose all its financial affairs to the men and women in One Nation who are behind the income "earned".
When the National Director of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Limited, David Ettridge, is involved in business transactions that are questioned in the Supreme Court you have to be worried.