One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has denied holding a meeting with neo-Nazis at Canberra’s casino, refuting claims made by Crikey that he spent two hours discussing political matters there. Speaking to radio station 2GB and News24, Joyce claimed he was approached by the group unexpectedly and left as soon as they started discussing controversial topics like immigration. The article focuses on Joyce’s denial of any planned meeting or affiliation with the National Socialist Network, which is currently challenging laws that ban extremist groups in Australia's High Court.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Barnaby Joyce, a One Nation MP, has denied allegations that he met with neo-Nazis at the Canberra Casino earlier this month. The claims stem from an email by a Crikey journalist suggesting Joyce spent two hours talking with members of the National Socialist Network, including Hugo Lennon and Thomas Sewell. In response to radio station 2GB, Joyce claimed he was there for a social visit with a "good mate" when approached by the group and left shortly after feeling uncomfortable with their conversation about Anglo-Celtic issues and immigration. The allegations come amid the neo-Nazi movement's declared support for One Nation if the High Court overturns the ban on their new political party, raising concerns over potential political alliances in Australia.
Written for “Joyce Neo-Nazi Meeting Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has angrily denied holding a meeting with prominent neo-Nazis in Canberra earlier this month, after news outlet Crikey sent him an email alleging he spent two hours talking with the extremists at the local casino one evening.
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he → deny → casino
Joyce’s denial of the interaction comes just weeks after Australia’s neo-Nazi movement declared it would back One Nation’s path to government if the High Court overturns a ban on its new political party.
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Court → come → party
Speaking to radio station 2GB on Wednesday, Joyce said he attended the Canberra Casino a fortnight ago for a social visit with a “good mate”, and was later approached by a group “unbeknownst” to him.
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he → speak → him
“After a while, I start to get a little bit worried about them because they start talking about Anglo-Celtic and immigration and stuff like that.
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they → start → that
So I quietly make my way away.
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I → make → way
They go back to their table.
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They → go → table
Apparently, they are the … National Socialists,” Joyce said.
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Joyce → say → ?
“Now, the story that they’re running around is that I arrived with them.
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I → run → them
That’s a lie.
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That → ’ → ?
That’s a lie.
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That → ’ → ?
I left with them.
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I → leave → them
That’s a lie.
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That → ’ → ?
Did I actually even know who they were when they came up?
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they → know → ?
No, I didn’t.
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I → do → ?
“I don’t follow the Nazi Party, but they seemed like weird dudes, and I made sure we stopped the conversation.
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we → follow → conversation
And I went back and talked to some tradies from the Central Coast.
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I → go → Coast
An email from a Crikey journalist to Joyce seen by this masthead reads: “We understand Mr Joyce entered and left the casino with a group of National Socialist Network members including Hugo Lennon and Thomas Sewell, staying for approximately two hours sitting and talking together, and at a point discussed the group’s ongoing legal matter before the High Court.”
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Joyce → see → Court
The email requested comment and informed Joyce an article would be published at midday on Wednesday.
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article → request → Wednesday
In a second media appearance on Wednesday morning, Joyce said he found neo-Nazis to be “disgraceful” and that he “can’t stand them”.
“My family fought against the fascists, I don’t want anything to do with them at all,” he told News24, formerly Sky News.
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he → say → News24
The National Socialist Network, an openly neo-Nazi group, is petitioning the High Court to overturn laws passed after the Bondi massacre that outlawed neo-Nazi and Islamist groups.
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that → petition → groups
Thomas Sewell – a notorious neo-Nazi who has called for a “race war” – and a team of lawyers are arguing the federal ban on the NSN’s successor, the White Australia Party, should be struck down because the Commonwealth was acting outside its power and was breaching the implied freedom of political communication and the separation of powers.
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Commonwealth → call → powers
A court decision to strike down the laws would be a serious defeat for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s post-Bondi crackdown on hate groups and, according to Sewell, it would “assist the creation of a Pauline Hanson prime ministership”.
“Our purpose would be to support One Nation in forming government,” Sewell said outside the High Court on Thursday in a video posted on social media.
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Sewell → strike → media
“I believe that a factor in why the Labor government has decided to pass this legislation was not only because of the hysteria of the Israeli lobby, but also because they know that we can assist One Nation in forming government.
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we → believe → government
“If this legislation is not overturned by the High Court, it could mean the difference between Pauline Hanson winning the election or not.”
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Hanson → overturn → election
Crikey editor Alisha Rouse said Joyce was contacted for comment as a matter of standard practice.
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Joyce → say → practice
“A typical journalistic enquiry,” she said.
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she → say → enquiry
“We still haven’t heard back!”
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We → hear → ?
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Subscribers → sign → newsletter
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