One Nation’s $6 million payday after record SA election result
New projections reveal how big a payday parties will rake in after changes to SA’s election laws, One Nation poised to win 10 times more to grow its ranks by 2030. Read the exclusive details.
One Nation SA is expected to receive $6 million in party funding to spend on future state election campaigning and administration, according to the Australia Institute.
It trails Labor’s $10 million, the Liberal Party’s $9 million and is double the Greens’ $3 million, all of which will be allocated over the next four years.
The Australia Institute’s projections, shared exclusively with InDaily, are based on a 2024 update to legislation that banned political donations and says each candidate or party gets $5.50 of taxpayer funds per vote.
Institute Democracy and Accountability Director Bill Browne told InDaily the taxpayer funding was “generous” and at “record” levels for SA parties since the state’s political donation laws changed in 2024.
“The administrative funding they’re looking at, of about a million dollars a year, is pretty close to what the Liberal and Labor parties have spent on their administrative funding in South Australia historically,” Browne told InDaily.
“This elevates One Nation to the level of a major party, at least in terms of administrative resources, and having a sophisticated party operation is the kind of thing that sets it up for success federally as well as at the state level.
“Far from reducing money in politics, the Malinauskas Government’s generous taxpayer funding for parties and candidates sets the 2030 election campaign up to be the biggest yet.”
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Under the legislation, “administrative” funding can go towards running the party, hiring officials, obtaining legal advice, holding conferences and member services.
This funding is separate from the salaries of MPs, who earn a base of about $197,000 plus a $20,000 allowance, according to the SA Remuneration Tribunal. Ministers and members who run committees have a higher earning potential.
The funding model is part of the legislation that banned gifts and capped donations at $5000 for new entrants in state elections.
The rules meant SA One Nation leader Cory Bernardi was required to pay for flights between Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Maitland and Coober Pedy during the campaign on a private jet owned by Australian billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart.
Rinehart this week bought federal One Nation leader Pauline Hanson a “sexy jet”, a Cirrus G7 plane of her own worth more than $1.5m, to use in the lead-up to the next federal election. Under federal rules, Hanson has to declare gifts and donations, but is not limited in what she can accept in the same way state pollies must.
Browne said the One Nation funding would level the playing field with the major parties, given that funds are capped once parties have 10 members in parliament.
At the recent state election, One Nation won seven seats, four in the lower house with about 256,000 votes and three in the upper house with about 273,000 votes, according to the Electoral Commission.
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One Nation SA president Carlos Quaremba said the party had not yet been told what funding it would receive, but “we won’t have a cent more than what was decided on by that law”.
Quaremba said One Nation would use the money to “actually run like a normal party does”, setting up offices, staff and becoming “a more professional outfit”.
“But the essence of One Nation will not change just because we have money,” he said.
“We’re still going to be grassroots but it’s going to be just helping to build a party so that in 2030 we’re contesting to run the state.”
Quaremba said he was aware a Victorian funding model of political parties was ruled “unconstitutional” by the High Court this month, and that it was time for a parliamentary inquiry into SA’s March election.
“We have not discussed any challenges in the court or anything. We’re just trying to focus on getting our MPs up and running,” Quaremba said.
“I think for the sake of everybody and for all future elections, there needs to be a good deep dive into the whole thing, not just the election, the way the election was run, but did these new laws contribute to some of the issues the Electoral Commission had.”
The Electoral Commission will allocate public funds in July “in accordance with legislation”, a spokesperson said, but could not confirm how much money parties would receive, the funds to be published in a report to be tabled in parliament.
A state government spokesperson said the legislation already requires a review of the donations ban laws, which include the taxpayer funding model, and that will begin by the end of this year.
“The Malinauskas Labor Government is proud to have delivered a world-leading ban on political donations,” the spokesperson said.
“We have sent a message that South Australia’s elections are a contest of ideas, not a battle of the biggest donors and deepest pockets.
“Our ban on donations is carefully designed to ensure fairness for independents and minor parties. This was clearly effective, with the 2026 election seeing three new independent candidates elected.”
It comes as the declaration of upper house members is delayed another three days, after ECSA said earlier this week that the declaration would be made today.
The spokesperson said ECSA had earlier advised candidates that the Legislative Council results were to be finalised by today (Friday 1 May) but this had been rescheduled to Monday.
The delay has impacted planning, training and pay for new members like One Nation and the Greens.
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