The National Party has claimed the “major party model” is “broken” and is being “replaced” — raising speculation it is preparing to merge with Gina Rinehart’s One Nation.
Nationals leader in the Senate Bridget McKenzie — whose party has been part of the “major party model” for most of the past century — has made the explosive claims in marketing material for far-right lobby group “Advance”.
The biggest funder of both Advance and One Nation is mining multi-billionaire Gina Rinehart, who has been actively courting Coalition members to join her One Nation party, led by Pauline Hanson.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan and Senator McKenzie both refused to comment when asked whether the Nationals are preparing to merge with One Nation.
Both also refused to comment when asked what the “broken” major party model was being “replaced” with.
“Canavan and McKenzie refused to comment when asked what the ‘broken’ major party model was being ‘replaced’ with”
Liberal Party Leader Angus Taylor refused to comment when asked whether he was aware of moves by the Nationals to join One Nation — and whether he also considered the “major party model” to be “broken”.
As previously revealed, media has been banned from the Advance event, despite the lobby group inviting the public, and that a formal address will be given by taxpayer-funded federal politician.
“Bridget McKenzie, Leader of the Nationals in the Senate will discuss why the tired major-party model is broken and what’s replacing it,” the marketing material states.
McKenzie is preparing to give her secretive address to the far-right Advance event at Melbourne’s Crown casino complex on Thursday evening.
According to Advance, it is the “first stop” in a “national tour”.
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How The Klaxon broke the story Friday. Source: The Klaxon
The media ban is the latest attack on democracy as Australia follows the path of far-right “MAGA” politics, which has seen the world’s biggest power diminished on the world stage, plummet in democracy rankings, and soar in rankings of state corruption.
Last month a Gallup poll found 89 per cent of US adults now see government corruption as “widespread”, the highest level in 20 years.
The National Party temporarily split with the Liberals last year after the ALP’s landslide federal election victory, the first split in the Coalition since 1987.
The Nationals split again in January, though rejoined the Liberals two-and-a-half weeks later.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan listens to Opposition leader Angus Taylor at a press conference in Canberra last month. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP
Both the Nationals and Liberals have been losing support to the far-right One Nation which, after 30 years, exploded in popularity late last year, with its long-time support level of around 10 per cent surging to almost 30 per cent.
That surge corresponded with major funding and involvement from Rinehart — a major US “MAGA” advocate — and vast amounts of MAGA-style, pro-One Nation and pro-Hanson propaganda flooding social media.
McKenzie has repeatedly refused to respond when asked whether she considers it appropriate, as a federal politician, to be giving a “public” address to an event from which media have been banned.
Advance has been actively spruiking tickets to the event to the general public.
The far-right lobby group said the event was “not open to the media”, after The Klaxon requested access last week.
Liberals Senate leader McKenzie is to discuss why the “major party model” is “broken”. Source: Advance
Rinehart was the biggest funder of Advance in 2024-25, the latest data, by a factor of three.
The multi-billionaire, Australia’s richest person, is also the biggest funder of One Nation.
She has “gifted” Hanson a $2 million aeroplane; flown Hanson and her chief-of-staff James Ashby on her private jet; and earlier this year hosted Hanson at a luxury resort in Italy.
This week it was revealed One Nation would move its headquarters into an $8 million Brisbane office building owned by Rinehart.
The Advance media ban follows One Nation banning certain media outlets from multiple press conferences in recent months.
Refusing to comment: Questions put to Coalition leader Angus Taylor
It is the first time the Coalition has gone along with media bans — with McKenzie still set to go ahead with her planned appearance — presenting major question marks for the Opposition and the nation’s democracy.
The bans mimic those of US President Donald Trump, although media outlets there have recently bandied to boycott in support of the free press and democracy.
Like Hanson and One Nation the US President claims to be an ardent advocate of “freedom” and “free speech”.
Advance, which ran the main “No” campaign against the Indigenous Voice to parliament, aggressively spreads claims on social media that it is a champion of “free speech” and of “freedom”.
The National Party and Liberal Party — their predecessors — have been a Coalition and central to the “major party model” for over a century.
In 1923 the Country Party, now the National Party, formed a Coalition with the then major non-ALP party, the Nationalist Party, forming the basis of today’s Liberal-National Coalition.
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Thank you,
Anthony Klan
Editor, The Klaxon
