The Aporia · One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man

One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man

Read the original at The Guardian ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

correspondent, S. M. S. (2026, September 20). One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/21/the-populist-one-nation-james-ashby-shed-pauline-hanson-gina-rinehart-ntwnfb

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

James Ashby, Pauline Hanson's right-hand man and current national director of One Nation, is seen benefiting from perks tied to his position, including a $56,000 shed built on his property by Small Batch Brewing Pty Ltd, a company partially owned by Ashby himself. The article also mentions that Ashby drives a new Ford Ranger gifted by Hancock Agriculture’s chief executive and has access to Gina Rinehart’s Cirrus plane, which he primarily uses for campaign purposes according to him.

Written by AI on 2026-09-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In central Queensland, One Nation linked company Small Batch Brewing, privately owned by party leader Pauline Hanson, James Ashby, and treasurer Alex Jones, built a shed valued at $56,000 on Ashby’s private property. The shed was reportedly part of an initiative to support the distillery business while also benefiting One Nation's financial interests and campaigning efforts. Party general manager Kelvin Morton defended this expenditure as an unconventional but necessary fundraiser for future campaigns.

Ashby, who serves as the party's national director and was formerly Hanson's chief of staff, benefits from additional perks such as driving a new Ford Ranger gifted by Hancock Agriculture CEO Adam Giles and having access to a $2m Cirrus plane owned by Gina Rinehart. These resources are intended to bolster One Nation’s presence ahead of the next federal election.

The Guardian reported that these activities raise questions about transparency in political donations, as the party failed to declare the aircraft worth $2 million as a required donation after an investigation from the Australian Electoral Commission prompted its declaration by the donor. Ashby maintains that the car is used for campaign purposes only and denies using the plane for personal transportation, stating he has his own vehicle for private use.

Written for “One Nation Party Controversy” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

One Nation defends $56k party spent on Ashby shed as ‘unconventional’ fundraiser Same event

The Sydney Morning Herald

⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 4 of 29 claims Outlet record 61/100

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

12%

3 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Leans left

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

66/100

The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Politics

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 2740 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Sarah Martin Senior correspondent

2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 One Nation could collect as much as $633,000 from people who have put their hand up to run in the Victorian state election, with potential candidates questioning whether the party is staging a “cash grab”.

2026-09-27 · assertive framing · ‘Cash grab’: One Nation demands up to $630,000 from Victorian election candidates

🔮 Hanson said the vehicle would help the party’s campaign efforts and “provides us the presence we need in the lead-up to the next federal election”.

2026-09-20 · assertive framing · One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man

Also by Sarah Martin Senior correspondent

‘Cash grab’: One Nation demands up to $630,000 from Victorian election candidates

2026-09-27 · The Guardian

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Australia Guardian Australia One Nation Queensland Yeppoon

Subjects

Ashby PERSON · 12× Hanson PERSON · 5× Guardian Australia ORG · 4× One Nation ORG · 4× Yeppoon GPE · 3× Australia GPE · 2× One Nation’s ORG · 2× Queensland GPE · 2× Small Batch Brewing ORG · 2× Pauline Hanson’s PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Guardian Australia understands that Ashby, formerly Hanson’s chief of staff and now the party’s national director, also drives a new Ford Ranger that was “personally” gifted to One Nation by Hancock Agriculture’s chief executive, Adam Giles, in April.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-20

🔮 Hanson said the vehicle would help the party’s campaign efforts and “provides us the presence we need in the lead-up to the next federal election”.

2026-09-20 · The Guardian

One Nation-linked company built $56,000 shed on private property of Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man · assertive framing

Claims (24 extracted, 3 hedged)

Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man, James Ashby, is enjoying generous benefits as a result of his role working for One Nation, with documents showing that a company linked to the party built a $56,000 shed on his central Queensland property. asserted

company → enjoy → property

that → understand → April

Hanson said the vehicle would help the party’s campaign efforts and “provides us the presence we need in the lead-up to the next federal election”. asserted

we → say → election

Sources say Ashby is earning a lucrative salary in his new high-profile role. asserted

Ashby → say → role

He also has regular access to the $2m Cirrus plane gifted to the party by Giles’ employer and Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart. asserted

He → have → employer

The aircraft is kept at Rockhampton airport, not far from Ashby’s home, and he is its main pilot. asserted

he → keep → home

In a statement to Guardian Australia, Ashby said the car was used “for campaign and branch purposes” while the plane was “not used for personal transportation”. asserted

plane → say → transportation

“I have a privately owned vehicle for personal use,” he said. asserted

he → have → use

A friend of Ashby’s travelled on the plane with him and Hanson on its maiden flight to Albury in May. uncertain

friend → travel → May

Property records show that Ashby bought a “lifestyle property” near Yeppoon in Queensland in 2025. asserted

Ashby → show → 2025

A development application lodged with the shire of Livingstone lists the One Nation-linked company, Small Batch Brewing Pty Ltd, as the purchaser of a $56,706 shed on the land. asserted

application → lodge → land

Small Batch Brewing is also named as the customer on documentation provided by an independent engineer and included in the council paperwork. asserted

Brewing → name → paperwork

The company – jointly owned by Ashby, Hanson and the party’s national treasurer, Alexander Jones – has been described as a craft-brewing venture but Guardian Australia has confirmed that it does not hold a liquor licence to sell alcohol. asserted

it → own → alcohol

It also has no excise licence, which is required to manufacture alcohol products in Australia. asserted

which → have → Australia

A different brewing company, Sunshine and Sons, is listed as the manufacturer of One Nation’s branded liquor line. asserted

company → list → line

Ashby told Guardian Australia that Small Batch Brewing was “currently a non-trading entity”. asserted

Brewing → tell → Australia

“The business will go through the necessary licensing application and approval process when the time is right,” he said. asserted

he → go → process

It is unclear how the company bought a $56,000 shed. uncertain

company → buy → shed

Ashby regularly conducts live television crosses for News24 (formerly Sky News) from the building. asserted

Ashby → conduct → building

Council records show he has received approval to build a house and an in-ground pool on the Yeppoon property. asserted

he → show → property

Australian Securities and Investment Commission records show that Small Batch Brewing’s principal place of business is One Nation’s Brisbane headquarters, on an industrial estate at the airport. asserted

place → show → airport

Ashby’s move into the role of the party’s national director sparked speculation that he was clearing the way to run for One Nation at the next election. asserted

he → spark → election

In May Hanson asked the Department of Finance for permission to establish a second electorate officein Yeppoon, further fuelling suggestions that Ashby was preparing a tilt at federal parliament. uncertain

Ashby → ask → parliament

When asked if he would run at the next election, Ashby told the Guardian: “No.” asserted

Ashby → ask → Guardian