Pauline Hanson has officially unveiled One Nation’s Victorian election team, confirming Warren Pickering will lead the party into the 28 November state election as it seeks to convert rising support into parliamentary representation across the state.

The announcement marks one of the party’s most significant organisational milestones in Victoria in recent years, with candidates now confirmed across every upper house region while the party continues preparing a broader lower house campaign.

Pickering, who has served as One Nation’s Victorian president, will not only lead the state campaign but will also contest the lower house seat of Pakenham in Melbourne’s growing south-east.

Speaking during Monday’s announcement, Senator Hanson praised Pickering’s leadership and said the party was entering the election with what she described as a strong and capable team determined to challenge Victoria’s political establishment.

“Warren has done a great job as state president of One Nation in Victoria,” Hanson said.

“We’ll have a talented team of people intent on restoring Victoria and kicking out the tired and toxic Labor government.”

The announcement comes only days after Ben Carroll became Premier following Jacinta Allan’s resignation, adding another layer of political uncertainty ahead of what is already shaping as one of Victoria’s most closely watched elections in years.

The upper house team features a diverse mix of candidates drawn from military, policing, legal, business and political backgrounds.

• Warren Pickering – Victorian leader and lower house candidate for Pakenham.
• Chris Burson – Geelong councillor, former police officer and army veteran contesting Western Victoria.
• Colleen Harkin – former Liberal Party member contesting South-Eastern Metropolitan.
• Mark Nicholson – creator of the Please Explain cartoon series contesting Northern Metropolitan.
• Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell – the party’s incumbent MP seeking re-election in Northern Victoria.
• Natalie Adams – contesting North-Eastern Metropolitan.
• Fiona Lopez – contesting Western Metropolitan.
• Aaron Sanford – criminal lawyer contesting Southern Metropolitan.

The candidate list reflects One Nation’s strategy of recruiting people with established professional or community profiles rather than relying solely on long-term party activists.

Several names are expected to attract particular attention during the campaign.

Chris Burson has previously spoken publicly about his experience working in policing during the COVID period, while Colleen Harkin left the Liberal Party after internal disputes. Mark Nicholson has become well known among conservative audiences through the Please Explain animation series.

Meanwhile, Aaron Sanford represents a younger generation of candidates, bringing legal experience to the campaign.

One Nation also enters the election with the advantage of already holding its first Victorian parliamentary seat through Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, who was elected to the Legislative Council in 2022 and is seeking another term.

The launch follows months of increasingly favourable polling for the party in Victoria.

Several surveys conducted during 2026 have suggested One Nation has dramatically expanded its primary vote compared with previous elections, although polling has varied considerably depending on methodology.

Some surveys have placed the party ahead of both Labor and the Coalition on the primary vote, while others have shown a more traditional contest with One Nation remaining a significant third force. Analysts have cautioned that translating polling support into seats will ultimately depend on preference flows and campaign performance.

Victoria has historically been one of the more difficult states for One Nation, but party officials believe changing political conditions have created new opportunities.

The campaign is expected to focus heavily on cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability, crime, government debt, energy policy and dissatisfaction with the major parties.

Hanson has repeatedly argued that many Victorian voters no longer feel represented by either Labor or the Coalition and says One Nation intends to offer what she describes as a common-sense alternative.

The launch also attracted attention beyond the candidate announcements after Hanson confirmed several major media organisations, including the ABC and The Guardian, were excluded from attending the press conference, accusing those outlets of biased reporting. The decision immediately generated criticism from political opponents while becoming another talking point surrounding the campaign’s opening day.

Despite the controversy, the central objective for One Nation remains expanding its parliamentary footprint.

The party has previously stated its ambition to contest virtually every lower house electorate while fielding candidates across all Legislative Council regions.

Success in the upper house would potentially give One Nation greater influence over legislation, particularly if neither Labor nor the Coalition secures a commanding parliamentary majority.

Political observers note that Victoria’s proportional representation system in the Legislative Council can create opportunities for minor parties that achieve sufficient statewide support, even if they struggle to win lower house seats.

For that reason, the upper house campaign is expected to be one of One Nation’s highest priorities throughout the coming months.

The timing is also significant because Victoria’s political landscape has shifted considerably since the last state election.

Leadership changes within Labor, continued debate over government debt, housing affordability, infrastructure spending and public safety have all become prominent election issues.

One Nation believes these factors have created an environment where voters may be more willing to consider alternatives outside the traditional two-party contest.

Whether that translates into parliamentary gains remains uncertain, but the official unveiling of the Victorian ticket signals the party is moving from preparation into full campaign mode.

With Warren Pickering now confirmed as Victorian leader, Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell defending the party’s existing seat and several high-profile newcomers joining the campaign, One Nation has assembled what it hopes will be its strongest Victorian election team to date.

As campaigning intensifies ahead of the 28 November poll, the performance of minor parties—including One Nation—is expected to be closely watched by both major parties, particularly in outer metropolitan and regional electorates where voter dissatisfaction has featured prominently in recent opinion polling.