Beyond the "Gotcha": One Nation's Immunity to Traditional Political Scandals

Leading pollsters warn that traditional "gotcha" politics are failing against One Nation as the party secures historic wins in South Australia and eyes the Farrer by-election.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 4, 2026, 7:55 AM EDT

Source: news.com.au

The Farrer Test: David Farley’s Controversies

One Nation’s candidate for Farrer, former agribusiness boss David Farley, has already faced a turbulent pre-election period.

The OnlyFans Incident: Farley drew sharp criticism from the Family First party after sharing suggestive content from OnlyFans creators on social media. While he claimed the shares were inadvertent, the incident resulted in a loss of conservative Christian preferences.

The "Hectic Griffith" Video: Farley was accused by Nationals MP Michael McCormack of "smearing" the residents of Griffith after posting a video highlighting the city's "crime backstory."

Despite these headlines, pollsters suggest these incidents are viewed by the One Nation constituency as desperate tools used by "established political players," further reinforcing their outsider status rather than damaging their credibility.

Historic Breakthrough in South Australia