One Nation donors to sign NDAs for high profile Sydney fundraiser

One Nation is asking donors to sign non disclosure agreements for an upcoming private fundraiser in Sydney, a move that has drawn criticism from democracy advocates and senior figures in other political parties. The event, described as a very special evening, will be held at an undisclosed venue in central Sydney next Thursday. Donors will be charged $3,000 for the four hour gathering, which is characterized as private and very discrete.

The invitation lists several prominent figures who are expected to attend, including Pauline Hanson, the party’s national director James Ashby, federal MP Barnaby Joyce, the federal party’s chief of staff Chris Taylor, and the New South Wales leader Mike Newman. While fundraising dinners are a common practice for major Australian political parties, the inclusion of a formal non disclosure agreement is described as unprecedented by senior sources from both the Labor and Liberal parties who organize similar events.

The agreement requires attendees to keep the identities of other guests confidential. It also prevents them from sharing details about the nature of discussions held during the event. The document states that guests must not disclose information about conversations, activities, photographs, video, or other details obtained through attending. Furthermore, donors are prohibited from providing information, photographs, recordings, or comments about the event to journalists, media organizations, bloggers, or other publishers.

The non disclosure obligations are stated to continue after the event has concluded. The fundraiser is reportedly set to feature a cocktail and canape service throughout the evening as the sun sets, along with a live auction. This approach contrasts with other recent One Nation fundraisers, such as a $2,000 invite only event held in Melbourne in September, where such strict confidentiality clauses were not reported.

Clancy Moore, the chief executive of Transparency International Australia, has long criticized closed door fundraising dinners, arguing they often represent cash for access. He described the use of non disclosure agreements as a worrying new step in political fundraising. Moore stated that charging guests for a political fundraiser and requiring them to keep quiet raises serious questions about transparency, particularly ahead of an important state election.

Moore emphasized that voters deserve to know whether political commitments are being made behind closed doors to paying guests. He argued that a non disclosure agreement should never be used to shield political fundraising from public scrutiny. Christian Slattery, a senior campaigner at the Australian Democracy Network, echoed these concerns, noting that Australians are rightly suspicious of exclusive cash for access events. Slattery said that slapping a non disclosure agreement on a political fundraiser sets a worrying precedent, asserting that democracy thrives in the sunlight.

According to disclosures with the New South Wales Electoral Commission, One Nation has reported $5,000 in reportable donations so far in the 2026 to 2027 period. This amount covers three donations made for a fundraising dinner with Barnaby Joyce. During the same period, disclosures indicate that the New South Wales Labor party raised a total of $286,200 in reportable donations, while the New South Wales Liberals raised $95,900. The individual threshold for a reportable donation in New South Wales is $1,000.

The current event is part of a major donations drive by the party in New South Wales. A now defunct webpage for the event stated that registered attendees would receive a text message with the venue location just one hour before the start time. This level of secrecy follows earlier incidents, such as a leak in early September regarding the address of a fundraising lunch with Pauline Hanson in Melbourne, which allowed journalists to photograph donors entering the venue.

Other high profile fundraisers in the state have faced protests, leading to clashes with One Nation supporters and a heavy police presence. The party has also required candidates at state elections to sign non disclosure agreements preventing them from discussing their potential candidacy with the media or revealing confidential information obtained during the process.

The fundraiser takes place while One Nation is polling at 25 percent of the first preference vote in New South Wales, ahead of the Coalition on 24 percent and behind Labor on 29 percent, according to a September Sydney Morning Herald Resolve poll. Internal polling by Labor suggests One Nation could pick up more than 20 seats in the state’s lower house. Mike Newman and Barnaby Joyce hosted several publicly advertised small ticket dinners and forums in October, with more events planned for November. One Nation has been contacted for comment.