One Nation’s general manager, Kelvin Morton – brought in by the party to improve its vetting processes – referred to David Farley as an “asshole” just days before Farley’s historic Farrer byelection win for the party in May.
In a series of text messages seen by Guardian Australia, Morton responds to a news article published in the Sydney Morning Herald about infighting among senior party figures over Farley’s previously undeclared support for the Labor party.
“Shit stirring,” he writes.
“We need to do way better with our candidate selection – we need to stop finding these assholes … or letting them find us.
“I guess this might nail David’s colours to us a little more. He’s sworn allegiance in the face of all the concerns being raised – he’d look like a completely untrustworthy snake if he jumped ship after the election – he’d be ruined forever.”
A One Nation party spokesperson said that Farley was “a dedicated One Nation MP”.
“The comments made do not reflect the view of the party.
“The only untrustworthy snake is the person who leaked the text messages.”
Tensions between Farley and other One Nation MPs and staff have reportedly been high since he was elected to parliament, with the party having to publicly criticise him after he claimed One Nation’s migration policy was not dissimilar to the Labor government’s.
Morton, who claims on his LinkedIn to be a “strategic business transformation leader” with vast experience with some of the world’s biggest companies, was appointed as general manager in February.
At the time, he said the party’s national executive had wanted him to build a “professional, scalable, and legally robust organisation capable of outright victory at the next general election”. He claimed to be introducing a new vetting process and was in his position when Farley was preselected.
But while his appointment was heralded as a turning point for the professionalisation of the party, the Guardian can reveal that Morton has since clashed with staff at the party’s Brisbane headquarters and officials at one of the party’s most active branches.
He was recently appointed to the One Nation national executive, replacing former treasurer Alex Jones.
Documents seen by the Guardian show he wrote to the Lilley branch in Brisbane advising it of federal intervention, which included removing the entire committee of volunteers. This came after a dispute about access to promotional materials and a local fundraiser that raised $12,000 for the party.
The dispute arose after Morton and the Lilley branch coordinator, Mark McGuire, clashed over access to promotional materials for a different event, which prompted Morton to suspend him.
“Your membership will continue to remain suspended until a formal written apology is received by you,” Morton said, accusing him of removing promotional materials from head office and clashing with a staff member.
McGuire told the Guardian he had accessed policy flyers to take to an event being run by the party’s Brisbane branch.
Other volunteer branch members and the president, Deb Dalton, complained about McGuire’s treatment, advising head office that the branch committee would cease volunteering in protest.
The letter from Morton sent in response stated that he accepted the board’s “resignation”, despite the branch members only advising they would cease volunteering.
“The Federal Executive is now intervening in the management of the Lilley branch as its functioning and compliance are in question,” he writes.
“All branch decisions and actions are now subject to direct review and management by the Federal Executive, which reserves the right to overturn any local decision which is not in the best interest of the Party.”
Morton also accused the branch of not handing over $12,000 raised at a branch fundraising dinner last year and demanded it be transferred to party headquarters where it would be controlled by the party’s national executive.
“You are reminded that … branches are strictly prohibited from maintaining independent bank accounts,” Morton said in a letter to the branch president.
“All branch funds – including the $12,000 referred to by Mark McGuire in his phone call to me – must be managed centrally.”
He said he would revoke the membership of all branch committee members, and that “ongoing membership is contingent upon the full and transparent return of all party property, financial records, and the $12,000 in raised funds”.
McGuire told the Guardian that he believed the party’s volunteers had been treated unfairly and the $12,000 had already been paid automatically to central office when people bought tickets.
“They were treated with no procedural fairness and total disrespect,” McGuire said. “They all put their own time in, they make a sacrifice for their own family.
“The fact is that he’s got it wrong, the question is, where’s the 12 grand? Who’s had their sticky fingers in the pie? He needs to stand up and be accountable to show the whole of the branch where the 12 grand is.”
A One Nation spokesperson said the party “does not provide comment on internal disciplinary actions”.
“All branch donations are managed through a microsite that tags funds with the corresponding branch. Branch funds are quarantined for localised campaigns.”
