Politics1 min read

Stuart Bonds made ‘racist’ and ‘divisive’ comments. But One Nation is showing no sign of dumping the NSW candidate

By · Via The Guardian · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Stuart Bonds sparked intense criticism after warning of a socialist plot to alter the nation's demographics, later defending his position on a podcast and radio appearance. Both houses of the New South Wales parliament passed motions to censure the candidate following widespread backlash from state leadership. Even so, the Coalition has declined to rule out potential minority government negotiations with One Nation after the 2027 vote. Analysts observe that while the rhetoric may alienate diverse suburban seats, Bonds' background as a former coalminer could bolster the party's reach across regional electorates.

Key points

  • Political analysts project that the controversial rhetoric could inadvertently assist Lab…: Political analysts project that the controversial rhetoric could inadvertently assist Labor in multi-ethnic outer Sydney electorates.
  • One Nation aims to leverage Stuart Bonds' profile as a former coalminer to win regional s…: One Nation aims to leverage Stuart Bonds' profile as a former coalminer to win regional seats from both major parties.
  • The minor party has maintained Stuart Bonds' endorsement for the 2027 state election desp…: The minor party has maintained Stuart Bonds' endorsement for the 2027 state election despite formal parliamentary condemnations.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

In a Facebook video from a Sydney anti-immigration rally on Sunday, as a man dressed like a medieval knight watches on, One Nation leader upper house candidate Stuart Bonds launches into a speech against “mass” migration.

“Make no mistake, we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation,” he says.

“If we don’t support Australian mothers having Australian children, we [are] going to pay for other cultures’ children to be brought up in our lands.”

In an apparent allusion to the “great replacement theory”, a far-right conspiracy theory that white westerners are being actively “replaced” by non-white immigrants, he continued: “That’s the socialist plan, is to destroy and bring down and tear down the fabric of your civilisation.”

The comments sparked a wave of criticism, but the party has shown no signs of taking Bonds off the ticket for the 2027 New South Wales state election. One Nation did, however, dump one candidate this week: the Victorian branch disendorsed a lower-house candidate over an old social media post describing Hitler as the GOAT, an acronym for the greatest of all…

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