One Nation faces scrutiny over volunteer linked to neo-Nazi group

One Nation is facing fresh questions about its vetting processes after it emerged that a volunteer for the party during a recent West Australian by-election had previously been linked to a neo-Nazi group.

David Donis, a founding member and president of the now-deregistered Society of Western Australian Nationalists (SWAN), handed out how-to-vote cards for One Nation in the state seat of Secret Harbour last month. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) previously found that SWAN was a racist extremist group that promoted neo-Nazi ideologies.

In a 2023 case concerning an army reservist's security clearance, the AAT said it was satisfied that Mr Donis and other SWAN members “adhere to, and promote, racist and neo-Nazi ideologies” and supported politically motivated and communal violence. The tribunal accepted evidence that Mr Donis was a member of SWAN, which it determined was a “nationalist and racist extremist group”.

Mr Donis was identified by other political volunteers at the Singleton Primary School polling booth on August 27 and later pictured standing near the stage at One Nation's victory party that night. Two people reported an incident during the day where Mr Donis yelled at a voter leaving the polling station, prompting other volunteers to intervene and calm the situation.

“Our party does not condone extremist views, and where such issues are identified they're acted upon swiftly by the party,” a One Nation spokesperson said.

It is understood that Mr Donis was a volunteer rather than a formal member and would not be permitted to continue associating with One Nation. A Liberal source claimed that Mr Donis had previously been a member of the party as a teenager but left when it became known his views were “not welcome”.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson recently revealed that the party had shut down four branches, citing concerns about infiltration by extremists. Senator Hanson said she was “being infiltrated by these extremists, so it's all the time happening with One Nation; they set us up all the time”.

Mr Donis has previously denied promoting neo-Nazi ideologies. The AAT findings about Mr Donis emerged in a case in which the tribunal upheld ASIO's decision that an army reservist posed a security risk and should lose his NV1 clearance.

SWAN came into existence around 2018 or early 2019, with Mr Donis as a “founding member and president”. Incorporation documents show that SWAN members voted to voluntarily deregister the organisation due to “inactivity” three months after the AAT findings.

West Australian One Nation leader Rod Caddies appeared to pre-empt potential controversy over a party volunteer last week in a video shared on social media. Mr Caddies criticised state Liberal MP Anthony Spagnolo for submitting a series of questions on notice to the Labor government “probing some tie” between One Nation's “Secret Harbour campaign and neo-Nazis”.

“I don't know what sad little 'gotcha' the member thinks he has. I suspect it's something about some low-level volunteer or some link like that,” the WA One Nation leader said.

Mr Caddies said if that were the case it meant the Liberal Party would have to own “everything their volunteers have said or done”. “The next time someone loosely affiliated with the Liberal Party has a shady background or says something crazy, I'll make sure every one of their members are set to the same standard you set,” he said.

Mr Caddies then said even if the Liberals did “uncover something” it would not prove anything. “If it turns out some idiot has managed to weasel his way into One Nation, we'll expel him; that's simple. If an extremist has infiltrated One Nation, it's by hiding their extremism,” he said.

Mr Donis initially attracted the attention of volunteers from other political parties at a Secret Harbour by-election polling booth last month after he yelled at a voter. A witness said it was before midday when they saw Mr Donis interact with a mother and daughter leaving the venue after voting.

The witness said the woman replied she was more likely to put One Nation last, which prompted Mr Donis to accuse her of supporting abortion and setting a “bad example” for her daughter. The witness said the woman gave a dismissive response, but Mr Donis kept yelling as she walked away across the car park.

The witness said the One Nation “booth captain” at the school intervened to try and quiet Mr Donis, as did a nearby Liberal member who urged him to “settle down”. They said there were no further incidents at the booth involving Mr Donis that day.

Later in the evening, Mr Donis was spotted at an event for supporters of One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen.