Pauline Hanson has officially launched One Nation’s Victorian campaign by unveiling the party’s first group of candidates for November’s state election, introducing a ticket that combines experienced political figures with newcomers drawn from policing, local government, law, business and the creative industries.

The announcement marks a significant step in One Nation’s preparations for what the party believes could be its strongest Victorian campaign yet, as it seeks to build on improving polling and increase its representation in the Legislative Council.

Leading the campaign is long-serving Victorian party president Warren Pickering, who has been entrusted by Senator Hanson to coordinate the party’s statewide push while contesting the lower house seat of Pakenham. Party officials say his years of organisational leadership and grassroots campaigning made him the natural choice to front the Victorian campaign.

Although Pickering has maintained a relatively low public profile compared with some senior One Nation figures, he has played a central role in rebuilding the party’s Victorian organisation over recent years.

Before entering politics, Pickering worked across construction, mining and agriculture, while also serving in the Australian Army. During the COVID-19 pandemic he became a prominent critic of Victoria’s lockdown policies, helping raise his profile among conservative voters.

Joining Pickering is one of the campaign’s most recognisable recruits, former Liberal Party member Colleen Harkin, who will contest the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region.

Harkin attracted national attention after leaving the Liberal Party following internal disputes over the treatment of former MP Moira Deeming. She has since argued that her political values remain unchanged and says One Nation now better reflects the principles she wants to represent.

Her move is viewed as another example of One Nation attracting conservatives who have become disillusioned with Australia’s major parties.

Also joining the ticket is Mark Nicholson, creator of the popular Please Explain political cartoon series and co-founder of Stepmates Studios.

Nicholson has built a substantial online audience through animated political satire and commentary. One Nation says his campaign will focus on government accountability, reducing public debt, supporting small businesses and addressing community safety concerns in Melbourne’s Northern Metropolitan Region.

Another high-profile addition is former Victoria Police officer Chris Burson, who previously served on former Premier Daniel Andrews’ protective security detail during the COVID-19 period.

Burson, now a Geelong councillor and Army veteran, will contest Western Victoria. He has said his policing experience gave him firsthand insight into the pressures facing frontline officers and the broader impact of government decision-making during the pandemic.

He has pledged to campaign on law and order, regional infrastructure and government transparency.

Incumbent Northern Victoria MP Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell will seek re-election after becoming One Nation’s first Victorian member of Parliament in decades.

Tyrrell has used her parliamentary term to advocate on issues including regional services, agriculture, cost-of-living pressures and government accountability.

Her re-election campaign is expected to be one of the party’s highest-profile contests as One Nation attempts to retain its existing parliamentary representation while expanding elsewhere across the state.

The remaining upper house candidates include Natalie Adams for North-Eastern Metropolitan, Fiona Lopez for Western Metropolitan and criminal lawyer Aaron Sanford for Southern Metropolitan.

Together, the candidates represent a mix of legal, business, military and community backgrounds that One Nation says reflects its effort to broaden its appeal across metropolitan and regional Victoria.

Speaking during the campaign launch, Pauline Hanson said Victoria was ready for political change and argued growing dissatisfaction with the major parties had created an opportunity for One Nation to significantly increase its parliamentary representation.

She said the party intended to campaign strongly on cost-of-living pressures, crime, government integrity, education and regional development, with more detailed policy announcements expected in the coming weeks.

Pickering echoed that message, saying Victorians wanted practical solutions rather than political slogans.

He described the November election as an opportunity to restore accountability in state government and pledged that One Nation would campaign vigorously across metropolitan and regional communities.

Party organisers have indicated candidates will contest both Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council seats as One Nation seeks its strongest Victorian showing to date.

The announcement comes during a period of broader organisational expansion for One Nation.

Earlier this week, Pauline Hanson appointed former Morrison government adviser Chris Taylor as her chief of staff while promoting long-time strategist James Ashby to the newly created role of Party Director.

The restructuring is designed to allow Ashby to concentrate exclusively on election strategy, candidate recruitment and campaign operations while Taylor oversees parliamentary operations and policy development.

The Victorian election is expected to be one of Australia’s most closely watched state contests.

Labor is seeking another term after more than a decade in office, while the Liberal-National Coalition is attempting to regain government under new leadership.

Minor parties, including One Nation, are hoping dissatisfaction with both major parties will translate into stronger support, particularly in the Legislative Council where proportional representation provides greater opportunities to secure seats.

Recent polling has suggested One Nation remains competitive among conservative voters, although surveys differ on the extent of its support.

Political analysts note that while winning lower house seats remains challenging, even modest gains in the upper house could increase the party’s influence over legislation if Parliament becomes more fragmented after the election.

One Nation’s candidate launch also attracted attention because of Senator Hanson’s decision to exclude journalists from the ABC, The Guardian and The Age from the Melbourne press conference.

Hanson defended the move by accusing those organisations of unfair reporting, while critics argued accredited media should be able to question political leaders during election campaigns. The dispute ensured the event generated headlines not only for the candidates announced but also for the broader debate over media access and political accountability.

With the campaign now officially underway, One Nation is positioning its Victorian team as an alternative to both Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition.

Whether that strategy translates into additional parliamentary seats will become clear when Victorians head to the polls in November, but the unveiling of a diverse slate of candidates signals the party’s intention to play a far more prominent role in the state’s political landscape than in previous elections.