Rinehart allegedly tried to help recruit Liberal MP to join One Nation
One Nation's billionaire backer Gina Rinehart allegedly attempted to help recruit a sitting federal Liberal MP at one of her holiday homes.
Gina Rinehart allegedly approached Liberal National MP Henry Pike during a lunch at her $34 million beach house in Queensland, asking him if he was considering joining One Nation. Mr Pike, who represented the seat of Bowman for the Coalition, saw this as an attempt to recruit him to the party. The Liberal National Party (LNP) has asked the Albanese government about concerns over two $500,000 donations to One Nation made by two of Rinehart's executives: Adam Giles and Ian Plimer.
One Nation's billionaire backer Rinehart has been providing support to the party, including hosting fundraisers and providing advice, which has raised questions about her influence. In April, Rinehart gifted a plane worth over $1.5 million to One Nation, while Giles and Plimer each donated $500,000. The AEC has not yet published the donation data, but the Coalition has written to the government asking if there are concerns about the legitimacy of these donations.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
