Fed: One Nation could be forced to deregister: Hough

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Fed: One Nation could be forced to deregister: Hough

By Liza Kappelle

PERTH, Aug 20 AAP - One Nation could be forced to deregister nationally unless factionalinfighting which threatened to destroy the party was quickly resolved, the party's nationaldirector said today.

West Australian upper house MP Frank Hough - apparently deposed in an internal couplast month - said the party's internal affairs had come to a standstill due to an impassecreated by a leadership dispute.

Last month, the party's Pauline Hanson-backed Queensland branch announced that a nationalexecutive teleconference had deposed key WA-based leaders - president John Fischer, MrHough and national secretary Ed Wall.

But the three WA officials - who claim support from the Victorian, South Australianand Northern Territory branches - refused to abandon their positions, saying the votewas unconstitutional.

Mr Hough said they would prove their case with a legal challenge to the "renegades".

"There's no doubt about it," Mr Hough said.

"Those Queensland drop kicks have got it wrong."

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has called for proof that the new officialswere elected in accordance with One Nation's constitution, Mr Hough said.

AEC Assistant Director of Funding and Disclosure, Teena-Maree Hannett, said the commission'sbusiness with One Nation was confidential and she could not comment.

However, Ms Hannett said it was standard procedure to seek proof of changes of anyparliamentary party's AEC-registered office bearers, namely the registered officer, partyagent and party secretary.

"We certainly seek evidence of that change," Ms Hannett said.

"Until we receive the evidence that we require, the person who was previously listedwould remain."

This means that until the coup-elected Bronwyn Boag proves otherwise, Mr Wall remainsnational secretary - with the power to deregister the party at a national level.

And Mr Hough said Mr Wall may well use this power unless the Queenslanders acceptedarbitration soon.

The split had made it impossible for either side to get a quorum to conduct party business,Mr Hough said.

"He might have to deregister us because it is impossible to trade," Mr Hough said.

Mr Hough said state-registered branches would be unaffected.

One Nation has been deregistered as a political party before, but never at nationallevel, and never voluntarily.

It was deregistered in Queensland in 1999, after the Supreme Court found the partyhad been fraudulently registered before the 1998 election.

Pauline Hanson re-registered the Queensland party last year in time for the state electionon February 17.

The NSW party was deregistered in 2000 after the state electoral commissioner foundthe registration of the party in 1998 had been obtained by misrepresentation.

It has not been re-registered.

AAP lk/sd/mg/br

KEYWORD: NATION