One Nation appoints investment banker Mike Newman as NSW leader for 2027 election

One Nation has announced investment banker Mike Newman as its new New South Wales leader and its first lower‑house candidate for the March 2027 state election. The party will field Newman in the Hunter seat of Cessnock, a long‑held Labor stronghold.

Newman, the son of former Australian Broadcasting Corporation chair Maurice Newman, was introduced by Pauline Hanson at a press conference in Sydney on Friday. Hanson said Newman has “kept his eye on politics here in Australia” despite living in Japan for the past 25 years. “Premier Chris Minns has a fight on his hands now,” she added, positioning the new candidate as a challenge to the incumbent government.

The announcement comes after One Nation named former federal candidate Stuart Bonds as its first upper‑house candidate in New South Wales. Bonds will contest the state Legislative Council, while Newman will run for the Legislative Assembly seat of Cessnock.

Newman described his background in a News24 interview. He worked as a trade bureaucrat in Asia and spent three years as Investment NSW’s senior trade and investment commissioner in Tokyo. He also serves as chief representative for North Asia for HunterNet Co‑op, a business networking organisation in the Newcastle‑Hunter region. When asked whether he has moved to the Hunter, Newman said he has been living in Japan longer than in Sydney and that he is now based in the region.

The party’s policy platform in New South Wales includes cutting payroll tax by half, eliminating it entirely in regional areas, freezing the number of public servants, and introducing private‑sector style key performance indicators for senior public‑service executives. Newman said, “If you say you’re going to build 20,000 homes, if you don’t build 20,000 homes, you don’t get paid.” He also stated the party will “get rid of wokery,” a phrase he used to describe its stance on social cohesion.

In response to Pauline Hanson’s earlier remarks that Australia was “in danger of being swamped by Asians,” Newman said he did not see One Nation as racist, citing his Japanese wife and business partners who are “absolutely patriotic Aussies.” He noted that Japan and Korea are “monoculture[s]” and that they are “absolutely super successful nations.” Newman also defended Hanson’s memory of the Japanese prime minister, saying “she knows who Prime Minister Takaichi is.”

The Cessnock seat has been held by Labor’s Clayton Barr for 38 years. Barr won the 2023 election against One Nation by a margin of 23.4 per cent after the Nationals withdrew their candidate. In the Hunter, the Nationals’ Dave Layzell holds a narrow margin of 3.8 per cent, and he warned that a One Nation candidate could split the vote under optional preferential voting, potentially allowing Labor to win.

Polling data suggests One Nation is gaining ground in the state. A July Sydney Morning Herald Resolve poll showed the party at 25 per cent, ahead of the Coalition at 23 per cent and behind Labor at 29 per cent. DemosAU polling in June found One Nation’s primary vote at 37 per cent outside Sydney, with Labor at 23 per cent and the Coalition at 19 per cent. The party’s leader, Newman, said it was targeting “every single one” of the state’s seats.

The political context in the Hunter region is sharp. Premier Chris Minns has recently announced plans to bring train manufacturing back to the area, while the state and federal governments announced a $2.5 billion deal to keep Tomago aluminium smelter operational, which requires a commitment to deliver 3 GW of new renewable energy. Federal MP Barnaby Joyce criticised the deal, saying the party would abandon the state’s renewable energy zones. One Nation’s stance on energy and industrial policy remains a key point of contention.

In a broader national context, Pauline Hanson remains the face of One Nation, having been elected to the federal parliament in 1996. Her party’s platform has historically focused on immigration and cultural issues, and it has faced criticism for its stance on Asian migration. Newman’s candidacy, with his international experience and business background, signals an attempt to broaden the party’s appeal in New South Wales.

The March 2027 state election will test whether One Nation can translate its growing support into seats. With a candidate in a long‑held Labor seat and a clear policy platform on tax, public service reform and social cohesion, the party is positioning itself as a significant force in New South Wales politics.