In 2023, a young and ambitious Liberal moderate was on the brink of securing one of the most powerful roles in the party: state director of the New South Wales branch.
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moderate → secure → branch
Three years later, he is playing a key role in selecting and vetting One Nation candidates determined to beat his former colleagues.
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he → play → colleagues
Multiple Liberal sources familiar with recruitment for the position, which involves running election campaigns and managing fundraising, confirm Mark Jones was among the final three candidates for the role before his career advancement was ultimately blocked.
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advancement → involve → role
Internal One Nation documents seen by Guardian Australia show Jones – who quit the Liberal party in January – has become integral to One Nation’s state election campaigns performing similar administrative functions.
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who → see → functions
Since joining One Nation as a political consultant in February, Jones has helped redesign the party’s candidate selection and vetting process and sat in on interviews.
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Jones → join → interviews
He is being assisted by former Queensland National party executive Susie Douglas, who briefly worked for the Palmer United Party before quitting and describing it as a cult.
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who → assist → cult
The changes have not stopped One Nation endorsing several state candidates with controversial backgrounds, however.
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Nation → stop → backgrounds
These include a former Liberal who has won support from alleged underworld figures, a naturopath who has endorsed Donald Trump’s unfounded claim that paracetamol is linked to autism and a former shire councillor who lost his licence for drink-driving.
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who → include → driving
On Sunday, the One Nation candidate for Melbourne, Matthew Collins, resigned and apologised for now deleted comments on social media regarding a number of issues including sexual consent and pornographic jokes.
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candidate → resign → consent
A party spokesperson said the comments were “offensive”.
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comments → say → ?
Guardian Australia can reveal One Nation has also overhauled its candidate selection process in NSW after being criticised by some members in Victoria for lengthy delays and a lack of democratic decision making.
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Nation → reveal → making
Victorian applicants who were invited to short online interviews with Jones and Douglas were surprised to find the state party leader, Warren Pickering, was also in attendance.
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leader → invite → attendance
Internal documents show the three-person team was a “selection committee”.
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team → show → ?
Endorsement decisions were made after police and credit checks.
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decisions → make → checks
In NSW, 20-30 minute interviews are now being conducted by Jones and Douglas alone, who then make recommendations to a three-person selection committee that does not include them.
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that → conduct → them
These online interviews test candidate ideas for the future of the state, their knowledge of the parliamentary system and how they could contribute to a future One Nation government.
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they → test → government
“You are expected to address each of these matters,” states a document seen by Guardian Australia.
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document → expect → Australia
In Victoria, applicants were first screened with a 25-page form that included detailed questions including whether someone had been subject to court proceedings or accused of bullying and verbal abuse.
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someone → screen → bullying
In NSW, this has been streamlined to a much shorter online questionnaire.
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this → streamline → questionnaire
The NSW branch has also introduced a requirement for candidates to include a 60-second video of themselves outlining why they want to join the party, after finding Victorian candidates who looked good on paper but were not up to scratch when interviewed.
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who → introduce → scratch
These changes may not be enough to satisfy some One Nation members who would like branches to have a greater say in who is selected to represent their regions.
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who → satisfy → regions
In September, Newman said One Nation had already received 900 applications for 93 NSW seats.
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Nation → say → seats
Earlier this month, the party called for more applications before the 31 October deadline.
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party → call → deadline
Before interviews are conducted, applicants must sign restrictive non-disclosure agreements that are not imposed by any other parties.
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that → conduct → parties
This stops them from publicly confirming their applications.
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This → stop → applications
A copy of a non-disclosure agreement used in NSW confirms candidates may be held financially liable should they share or fail to appropriately secure confidential party information.
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they → use → information
From moderate Liberal to One Nation whisperer
Guardian Australia has spoken to several NSW Liberal sources who described Jones as a professional operator who retains close ties to the party.
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who → speak → party
Some expressed frustration he no longer worked for the Liberals and disappointment that a moderate would help One Nation’s campaigns against his former colleagues.
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moderate → express → colleagues
After leaving state parliament in 2019, Jones joined the lobbying firm PremierNational and worked alongside another moderate powerbroker, Michael Photios.
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Jones → leave → powerbroker
In early 2026, Jones formed his own political consultancy firm with his wife, Shani, who also previously worked for a NSW Liberal minister and has since been contracted to One Nation.
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who → form → Nation
South Australian electoral records show that firm, Camelot Consulting, was paid more than $100,000 for services to One Nation during the state election in March.
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firm → show → March
It is not yet known how much money Camelot has earned from the party in NSW and Victoria.
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Camelot → know → NSW
Documents seen by Guardian Australia show Douglas is working as “candidate selection officer”.
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Douglas → see → officer
She describes herself as a “former senior vice president of the National party in Queensland”.
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She → describe → Queensland
After serving as an independent councillor on the Gold Coast, Douglas unsuccessfully contested the federal seat of McPherson in Queensland for the Palmer United party in 2013.
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Douglas → serve → 2013
A year later, she told the Gold Coast Bulletin that Clive Palmer’s party was “a bit like being in a cult – everyone in his group looks up to him”.
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everyone → tell → him
One Nation, Jones and Douglas declined to comment.
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Nation → decline → ?
The Aporia
