On a quiet Sunday, a populist party in New South Wales put forward four candidates for the state's upper house, and the most recognised among them is a figure who once tried to take a place in federal politics and lost. The move sits within a familiar cycle in democratic life, where those who have stepped back from the spotlight return to it under a new banner, promising to restore what they believe has been lost. Ahead of the 13 March vote, the party has named only one lower house contender and says it will contest every seat, a pledge that will test how far its ambitions can travel beyond it
Katherine Deves Joins One Nation's NSW Upper House Slate Ahead of March Election
People who 'bleed orange' — and one name everyone already knew
Mark
Why does a single candidate announcement get attention?
Mimi
Because of who it is. Katherine Deves was a high-profile, controversial figure in 2022, and she is now running for a different party in a different parliament.
Mark
What is she actually promising?
Mimi
Changes to state laws on discrimination, hate speech, vilification and birth certificates, with clearer language on biological sex and single-sex spaces in services and sport.
Luke
Worth noting that's a stated intention. Nothing in the reporting says how many votes she'd have or whether any of it could pass.
Mark
And the party says it will contest all 93 lower house seats?
Mimi
Newman says so. So far only he has been named, in Cessnock.
Luke
Right, so that's a claim about the future, not a fact on the ground. Four upper house names and one lower house name is what's confirmed.
Mark
What about the secrecy?
Mimi
Candidates have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements. In October the party confirmed only three names, even though Deves's candidacy had already been reported.
Luke
We don't know why the agreements exist or how widely they apply beyond what's reported. The article states the requirement, not the reasoning.
Mark
And the 'real world' framing?
Mimi
It's Newman's description. The candidates include a farmer, a surf lifesaver and a construction worker, though Wither also works for a sitting senator.
Luke
Which shows how much a label like that can carry. It's his characterisation, not a measured fact.
Il Polso
- A little-known party has thrust a polarising former federal candidate into the state upper house race, stirring debate over her past.
- Party leader Mike Newman frames the slate as 'people from the real world', pitching outsiders against career politicians.
- Only one lower house candidate has been confirmed, even as the party vows to contest all 93 seats before the March vote.
- Deves vows to reshape state laws on discrimination, hate speech and birth certificates, setting up a fierce fight ahead of 13 March.
On a quiet Sunday, a populist party in New South Wales put forward four candidates for the state's upper house, and the most recognised among them is a figure who once tried to take a place in federal politics and lost. The move sits within a familiar cycle in democratic life, where those who have stepped back from the spotlight return to it under a new banner, promising to restore what they believe has been lost. Ahead of the 13 March vote, the party has named only one lower house contender and says it will contest every seat, a pledge that will test how far its ambitions can travel beyond its current footing.
On Sunday, One Nation's New South Wales leader, Mike Newman, unveiled four candidates for the Legislative Council. The best known was Katherine Deves, the former federal Liberal candidate whose 2022 Warringah campaign, handpicked by Scott Morrison, was marred by controversy over her campaign against transgender women in women's sport. She lost that race, and now she returns under a new banner.
The other three are less familiar: a Hunter region construction worker, a Dubbo farmer and teacher who is a mother of eight, and a south coast surf lifesaver. Newman describes them as authentic people who understand business and the cost of living, who 'bleed orange'. Yet the party has so far named only one lower house candidate, Newman himself in Cessnock, while still pledging to contest all 93 seats.
Deves said she joined to be part of the 'rescue, recovery, and restoration' of the nation, pointing to rising fuel, housing and energy costs. If elected, she intends to seek changes to state laws on discrimination, hate speech, vilification and birth certificates, aiming to restore clear language about biological sex. The road to the announcement was quiet, with candidates bound by non-disclosure agreements, and the question now is whether the party can fill its promised field before the vote on 13 March.
On Sunday, One Nation's New South Wales leader, Mike Newman, put four names forward for the state's Legislative Council, and the best known of them was Katherine Deves, the failed federal Liberal candidate who campaigned to keep transgender women out of women's sport. She will stand for One Nation at the state election on 13 March.
The other three are less familiar. Arnon Wither is a construction worker from the Hunter region who works as an electorate officer for Senator Sean Bell. Manti Steele is a farmer, teacher and mother of eight from Dubbo. Daniel Hill is a surf lifesaver from the south coast. Newman described all four as authentic, as "people from the real world" rather than career politicians.
He said he wanted candidates who "bleed orange", the party's colour, and who understand business, cashflow and the pressures of the cost of living. The party has so far named just one lower house candidate: Newman himself, in the electorate of Cessnock. He said One Nation will nonetheless contest all 93 lower house seats.
Deves's name carries history. Former prime minister Scott Morrison handpicked her to run in the federal seat of Warringah in 2022. Her campaign was marred by controversy, including when she likened anti-trans activism to standing up against the Holocaust. She lost that contest.
On Sunday she said she joined One Nation because she wanted to be part of the "rescue, recovery, and restoration of our nation". She pointed to rising fuel, housing and energy costs, and said the government was so wedded to ideologies such as DEI and net zero that it was prepared to impoverish people.
If elected, she said, she would seek changes to state laws on discrimination, hate speech, vilification, birth certificates and related matters. She said the aim would be to restore clear language about biological sex, men and women, and to ensure women and girls have spaces for services and sports where it is inappropriate for males to be present.
The path to Sunday's announcement was quiet. One Nation has required candidates at state elections to sign non-disclosure agreements barring them from discussing a potential candidacy with the media. News24 reported last month that Deves would run for the upper house, and she had announced in September that she joined the party. When Guardian Australia contacted her in October, she referred questions to Vikki Campion, the NSW party's part-time media adviser. The party's statement then said only three candidates were confirmed: Newman, the lead upper house candidate Stuart Bonds, and Jeff Bacon, a Tamworth firearms manufacturer.
With the vote on 13 March, the thing to watch is whether One Nation can fill out its promised field across all 93 lower house seats, given that one has been named so far.
Citazioni salienti
They are people from the real world, not career politicians, and they 'bleed orange'.— Mike Newman, One Nation NSW leader
She joined One Nation because she wanted to be part of the rescue, recovery and restoration of the nation.— Katherine Deves
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