Former Liberal senator Cory Bernardi will contest the South Australian election as a One Nation candidate, with party leader Pauline Hanson confirming he will lead the party’s Legislative Council ticket.
The announcement was made late Monday, ahead of a joint press conference by Hanson and Bernardi in Adelaide on Tuesday morning.
Bernardi previously served as a Liberal senator for South Australia from 2006 to 2017, before quitting the party to form Australian Conservatives. He later resigned from the Senate in 2020.
Hanson said Bernardi’s conservative values aligned with One Nation’s platform and described him as a prominent South Australian seeking to bring change at a state level.
One Nation plans to run candidates in all lower house seats at the March election, which will test whether the party’s recent polling gains can translate into parliamentary representation.
Opinion polls indicate the Labor government, led by Premier Peter Malinauskas, remains on track to retain office, with the Liberal opposition facing a difficult campaign.
Bernardi said One Nation would focus on reducing spending and taxes, managing debt, and addressing regulation, health, and education, though no detailed policies were outlined.
