One Nation’s Former Jabiru Aircraft Traced to a Broken Hill Hangar
One Nation’s first campaign aircraft has been traced to a locked hangar in Broken Hill, more than five years after locals say it was last seen at the airport. National director James Ashby says he sold the Jabiru 230D to a New South Wales pilot and received the sale proceeds, but hasn’t disclosed the price.
The plane, registered as 24-8637, was bought for use by Ashby and party leader Pauline Hanson during a 2015 campaign. Its path from campaign aircraft to private hangar revives questions about who owned it and how the sale was handled.
When asked by text how the aircraft ended up in Broken Hill, Ashby said he had sold it to a NSW pilot. He said he also called Victorian businessman Bill McNee, who provided money to buy the plane, to ask permission for the sale. Asked whether he received the proceeds, Ashby replied with a thumbs-up. He didn’t answer a follow-up about the amount.
Aircraft sales websites have recently listed several Jabiru J230s for roughly $80,000 to just over $100,000. That range offers a market reference, but the sale price of this aircraft is unknown.
The pilot now operating the plane is a Broken Hill-based public servant who appears to have no connection to One Nation. He declined to be identified and wouldn’t discuss how he acquired it or whether he had contact with Ashby or the party. Locals told the ABC they believed the white aircraft had been at Broken Hill Airport for more than five years.
A campaign plane with a disputed paper trail
One Nation introduced the light sports aircraft in 2015 as transport for Hanson and Ashby, a licensed pilot, to visit communities around the country. It carried Hanson’s face, the party’s logo and the slogan “Fed Up”. At its maiden flight from Caloundra Airport, Hanson said she was “thankful” to have the plane for visits to remote communities.
Who paid for the aircraft was unclear at the time. In 2017, ABC’s Four Corners raised allegations that McNee had funded it and questioned whether the plane and the funding had been declared as a donation. McNee denied involvement in arranging the aircraft and said he hadn’t communicated with One Nation staff about it.
The Australian Electoral Commission investigated the party’s disclosures. In March 2018, Ashby filed an individual donor return reporting a $30,375 donation to One Nation for 243 hours of use of a Jabiru aircraft. Two months later, a Melbourne development company linked to McNee filed amended returns: one declared a $10,908 donation for 2014–15, and another declared $98,175 for 2015–16.
The AEC concluded its investigation in December 2018, finding that returns and amended returns filed during the inquiry provided the relevant disclosure. Those records, however, didn’t establish that One Nation owned the plane. Ashby told News Corp in 2017 that he had purchased it.
The aircraft’s appearance changed over the years. It was photographed at Caboolture Airfield in 2018 painted white, with a One Nation website address on its tail. Earlier this year it appeared at Gunnedah Airport without party advertising. The ABC traced it from Gunnedah to Broken Hill, where it is stored in a locked hangar formerly used by a flight school that has since closed.
Efforts to reach McNee have been unsuccessful. Earlier this year, Hanson said Gina Rinehart had gifted One Nation the use of a new Cirrus SR22, valued at about $1.5 million. The former Jabiru’s location is now clear; its sale price and ownership history remain unresolved.
