Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidates have revealed they were asked to purchase a $3500 printing package days before Christmas, with the work expected to go to party chief of staff James Ashby’s print and signage business.  

Ashby owns Sunshine Coast-based Coastal Signs & Printing, which specialises in wide format digital printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting and offset printing.

In an email request, 36 One Nation candidates preselected for the upcoming Queensland election were asked to make a down payment of $1000 by the end of December or early January, with two further instalments due before the end of February.

The email sent by state secretary Jim Savage and state director Greg Smith details the print package to consist of 100 business cards, 10,000 flyers, 200 corflutes, three banners, 10 T-shirts and two button-up shirts.

Australian Printer put in a call to Ashby, but did not receive a response by deadline. 

However, Ashby has told other media outlets his business will likely work alongside wholesale suppliers to complete the job.  

While former party candidate Andy Semple has spoken out against the print costs, calling it ‘a bit rich’, Gold Coast candidate Brendan Ball says he believes it is a reasonable request.

As well as being a print business owner, Ashby is also an Australian political advisor who rose to prominence in 2012 when he made allegations that he was sexually harassed by Federal MP, Peter Slipper. 

In 2014 he dropped his sexual harassment case against Slipper, which sought to claim for damages.

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