21st November 1999
The battle to win over the minds of One Nation members by David Ettridge has, for once, fallen on stormy water.
The predictable result of my reported concerns about the ambitions and intent of David Oldfield earlier this month has now resulted in a formal letter from One Nation Limited "National" Director David Ettridge claiming that I am the enemy intent on destroying the party. This is a ploy used successfully by Ettridge many times in the past on well-meaning One Nation members.
Of course the claims against me are quite simply ludicrous. A well founded attack on the two Davids is simply that - an attack on the two Davids. The attack has been pre-empted because of their hidden motives and the secrecy surrounding their decision making processes. Many decisions have, clearly, not been made in the interests of the One Nation party members.
The best thing that the two Davids could do if they really had the party's best interests in mind is to resign from the national executive and disband the company known as Pauline Hanson's One Nation Limited. The party should be managed by a management committee selected by party identities outside the influence of these two men and have no company structure hanging over the membership.
Yesterday I sent this following email to branches whose email addresses are listed on-line:
Dear One Nation branch
I am writing to you out of sadness, not anger.
You will have heard that I have been branded the latest of David Ettridge's "white ants". I am responding to that allegation by sending you this email.
My "white ant" status follows my sincere pursuit of the truth following the deregistration of One Nation in Queensland.
Introduction:
We have been advised by Ettridge that One Nation was, by insinuation, dudded
by Justice Atkinson. See Ettridge's letter "explaining" the deregistration
at this link:
http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/onenation/ettridge.htm
However, my investigations have revealed that gross incompetence, secrecy and deception are the hallmarks of One Nation's head office.
Status of the party's members in Queensland:
Pauline Hanson Support Movement was taken over by the two Davids under
questionable circumstance in early 1997. Bruce Whiteside, the founder of
PHSM, has an interesting perspective on this carried at:
http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/onenation/phsup.htm
Whiteside was later called a "white ant" by David Ettridge and shut out from
contact with the movement he started - the movement which launched Pauline
Hanson's One Nation. This same strategy has been used successfully time and
again by Ettridge.
Deregistration of One Nation in Queensland:
The Supreme Court found that you and your branch members are NOT members
of Pauline Hanson's One Nation but still members of Pauline Hanson's One
Nation Members inc.
1. Pauline Hanson One Nation Ltd ACN 079 986 913 (the company). There were
five subscribers to the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Pauline Hanson,
David Ettridge, David Oldfield, Andrew Carne and Stephen Menagh.
2. The unincorporated political party known as Pauline Hanson's One Nation
of which Pauline Hanson, David Ettridge and David Oldfield were the only
members.
3. The incorporated support group known after the 3 February 1998 as Pauline
Hanson's One Nation Members Inc. By design the members voting rights of this
group are obviously confined to the support group and they have no voting
rights in the actual political party.
See the Judge's ruling at:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/do/disp.pl/au/cases/qld/QSC/1999/190.html?query=Sharples
Your bank account name:
When, in January 1999, Manly office instructed you to change your bank account
from Pauline Hanson's One Nation's Members Inc to Pauline Hanson's One Nation
(location) branch they were actually instructing to move your funds from
the control of the old PHSM to Pauline Hanson's One Nation Limited.
See:
http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/99a/phnov1.gif
This is highly irregular because:
Members remain in the Pauline Hanson's One Nation Members Inc TODAY
as:
1) We have not accepted the Pauline Hanson's One Nation flawed constitution
(which has cost $80,000 in legal fees to develop in accordance with the wishes
of the two Davids).
2) PHSM is still a legal entity in its own right recognised by the State
Office of Fair Trading.
See:
http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/99a/phnov5.gif.
PHSM, unlike PHON, has a valid constitution.
3) The correct procedure to enlist members into the Pauline Hanson's One
Nation "political party" from Pauline Hanson's One Nation Members' Inc requires
all members to vote on a "special resolution" to legitimise this move. This
never happened. In other words members of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Members
Inc were never informed of the implication of this name change or given the
opportunity to vote on making this move to a separate legal entity. Why did
Manly ignore the rules?
Hanson's position as leader under threat:
If the appeal is lost, which is quite likely. Pauline Hanson could be charged
for fraud. David Oldfield recently distanced himself from our deregistration
problems in Queensland saying, "I have no relationship with the Queensland
party in any shape or form". The Age see:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/19991117/A47559-1999Nov16.html
It is quite clear that Oldfield is preparing himself for a takeover of the party leadership.
Meanwhile Pauline Hanson has gone overseas on "family business" for two months yet we are kept in the dark by Manly.
My recent comments critising Manly's activities in my on-line newspaper have been overwhelmingly supported by One Nation readers. They are not meant to "destroy One Nation". They are intended to force the truth out, remove the deception and force the issue with Manly office. This has been recognised by the many people who follow my page.
I happily resigned as One Nation webmaster because the party's future and the ISSUES we represent are more important than me.
I have since been banned from attending any One Nation meetings in NSW following a split vote at a State Executive meeting a week ago attended by both Davids.
The money trail:
Consider these facts:
1) Over $3 million spent in just 12 months by Manly office.
2) $1.2 million (nealy half of that) spent on getting David Oldfield into
the NSW Parliament.
3) $500,000 will probably have to be found if the party is deregistered in
Queensland. It is believed that Pauline has personally gone as guarantor.
4) $80,000 spent on legal expenses on a constitution designed by the two
Davids which was rejected by the membership at the last AGM. The constitution
still remains in limbo today.
Expelling "white ants":
Anyone who dares challenge any one of the directors of Pauline Hanson's
One Nation limited are automatically expelled from the party and labelled
"white ants".
Consider this account by "white ant" Alan Esson. See: http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/onenation/whiteant1.htm
Esson reports how Australia's largest One Nation branch at Hervey Bay was dessimated by the incompetence of Manly office in late 1997.
Where to now?
Obviously we all joined One Nation because of the issues. These issues will
not go away.
In the last 12 months the membership of One Nation has been in terminal decline largely because of the perception of ineptitude and the autocratic control exercised by Manly office. Queensland's membership has fallen from 3,700 twelve months ago to just 1,200 today.
If we do not change the structure we WILL become irrelevant in the political arena.
I am calling on branch members and executives to carefully consider the FACTS that I have raised above. We obviously have a problem.
One Nation Queensland:
Here in Queensland I am calling on members to fall in solidly behind the
Queensland MPs under Bill Feldman who now, more than ever, need your support.
Remember at their time of need David Oldfield has removed himself from the
ramifications facing THEM because of the Queensland party's
deregistration.
Be proactive - contact Ian Petersen, their political adviser, and see how you can help (ph 07 3406 7111).
Remember at next Tuesday's Supreme Court appeal the Queensland MPs are the ones who stand directly in the firing line - not the two Davids in Manly.
Summary:
Please note the comments above are MY OWN and have not been instigated by
anyone but Ettridge's move to label me a "white ant". If you value the party
think about what I have said before dismissing this email as David Ettridge
would demand that you do.
BE INFORMED.
My membership status:
Finally you might have been told that I failed to renew my membership in
May this year.
My cheque stubs show that I sent a cheque for $40 to Manly office in April this year. My bank accounts show that the cheque was never presented. I have now been informed that I am "no longer a member of One Nation because I did not renew my membership in May this year".
I never received a renewal advice or any correspondence from Manly office querying my outstanding membership payment. It is only since receiving a letter dated 17th November that I checked my bank records for the missing $40 payment.
In any event I do not recognise the Pauline Hanson One Nation constitution as we have not adopted it. This constitution was referred to when justifying my non-membership status. In Queensland we are governed by the original Pauline Hanson Support Movement constitution as we have never left the movement.
I remain, as always, a member of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Members Inc. I have dedicated thousands of hours to our cause and will continue to do so.
THINK ABOUT IT.
Scott Balson
Ex-Pauline Hanson's One Nation webmaster (NO WHITE ANT)
There has been a tremendous vote of support from recipients with most emailers asking that I do not publish their comments. These requests have, of course, been respected.
The responses of those who are happy for their comments to be published can be seen at this link
