‘Make NSW Competitive Again’: One Nation Picks Investment Banker to Lead State Election Campaign

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson speaks to the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 12, 2026. Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

One Nation has announced investment banker Mike Newman will lead the party’s New South Wales wing into the March state election.

Newman, 54, previously served as the NSW Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for North Asia based in Tokyo from 2021 to 2024. Currently working as the chief representative for North Asia at the HunterNet Co-op, he holds a degree in economics and a master of management.

One Nation Party Leader Pauline Hanson has hailed Newman a “heavy hitter” with decades of international finance experience.

“We need to make NSW competitive again,” he said in a party statement.

“We'll be focusing on issues like the cost of living, our housing crisis, and the neglect of our regional communities and rural industries under Labor.”

During a press conference shared by Hanson, Newman criticised the renewables industry.

“We’re having a conversation around data centres, and the New South Wales government wants to enforce 40 percent of it to be wind power,” he said.

“Now, if renewables are supposedly the cheapest form of energy, why would the government need to mandate it?

“Surely a data centre will just go ’that’s the most logical thing to do. I’m going to go full wind power', but they’re not.”

Mike Newman. Courtesy of One Nation

“Offshore wind will never happen because the economics do not work,” he said.

“People need to understand that the wind turbine installation vehicles that you have to rent cost US$500,000 a day, right?

“So you tell me if you have to rent these things for months on end to put up these offshore wind towers, the economics just do not work.”

Hanson said he was a “great addition” to the party.

“He has decades of experience in finance across a range of industries and is very well credentialed,” she said.

Hanson also announced coal miner Stuart Bonds would headline the party’s upper house ticket in the NSW election.

Hailing from the Hunter region, Bonds’ platform will focus heavily on agriculture.

“Our primary industries like mining and agriculture are under ever-increasing pressure,” Bonds said.

“One Nation backs our miners and our farmers. We back our regional communities.”

In February, research by Roy Morgan showed One Nation leading voter intention in NSW on 30 percent, while Labor sat on 25 percent and the Coalition on 19 percent.

The data showed the pull towards One Nation largely driven more by male voters, while female voters were more in favour of Labor.

However, support was shown to be consistent in all age groups.