One Nation's 'missing' aircraft located at hangar in outback city

The mystery of One Nation's missing first aircraft has been solved: the plane was sold to a private pilot and is now locked in a hangar in far-western New South Wales, an ABC investigation has confirmed.

One Nation’s national director James Ashby has indicated he received the proceeds from the sale of the plane.

The discovery of the Jabiru 230D, tail number 24-8637, at Broken Hill, about 1,000km west of Sydney, is likely to trigger more questions for the party about the handling of proceeds from the sale of the aircraft.

In September, One Nation declined to answer questions from the Sydney Morning Herald about the location of the plane and if it had been sold.

Yesterday, when the ABC contacted Mr Ashby via text to ask how the plane ended up in Broken Hill, he confirmed he had sold it to a NSW pilot.

He also said he had phoned Victorian businessman Bill McNee, who gave him the money to buy the plane, to seek his permission for the sale.

Asked if he, Mr Ashby, had received the funds from the sale, he texted back a thumbs up. He did not respond to a text asking how much it sold for.

Aircraft sales websites recently listed several J230s for sale at prices ranging from about $80,000 to just over $100,000.

The plane's Broken Hill-based operator, a state public servant, does not appear to have any connection to One Nation.

He did not want to be identified and declined to say how he came to obtain the plane or whether he had any contact with Mr Ashby or One Nation about the plane.

Locals told the ABC they believe the white-painted aircraft has been kept at the Broken Hill airport for more than five years.

Questions over funding for plane

The light sports aircraft was first associated with One Nation when the party announced it would be used by Mr Ashby, who has a pilot's licence, and leader Pauline Hanson to fly around the country while campaigning in 2015.

Decorated with Ms Hanson's face and the One Nation logo, and featuring her campaign slogan of "Fed Up", the plane made its maiden flight from Caloundra Airport after Hanson told reporters she was "thankful" for its use to visit remote communities.

But at the time it was unclear who paid for the plane, and in 2017 controversy erupted after ABC's Four Corners program aired allegations that funding for the plane had come from Mr McNee.

The program raised questions that the plane and the funding were not declared to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) as a donation.

Mr McNee at the time denied to Four Corners that he had any involvement in the organisation of the plane and had not had communications with One Nation staffers about the plane.

Following the program, the AEC launched an investigation into whether the party had breached rules around donation declarations regarding the plane and its funding.

While the AEC investigation was underway, amendments relating to One Nation's political donations were made.

In March 2018, Mr Ashby lodged an individual donor return declaring a donation to the party of $30,375 for use of a Jabiru aircraft for 243 hours.

In May 2018, a Melbourne development company linked to Mr McNee lodged two amended organisation donor returns with the AEC, according to the AEC.

One was for the 2014 to 2015 period declaring a donation to the party of $10,908 and the other was for an amended declaration relating to the 2015-2016 period and for $98,175, says the AEC.

In December 2018, the AEC concluded its report and found that these returns and amended returns lodged with the AEC during the course of the investigation in respect of the party, Mr Ashby and the development company, had provided the relevant disclosure.

While the AEC appeared satisfied, questions remained over who actually owned the plane and whether it had been sold.

There was nothing in the declarations to say the party was the owner of the plane.

In 2017, Mr Ashby gave an interview to News Corp where he said he purchased the plane.

In 2018, the plane was photographed at Caboolture Airfield painted plain white, with just a One Nation website address on the tail.

Then, earlier this year, the plane, painted all white this time without any One Nation advertising, turned up at Gunnedah Airport in western NSW.

The ABC was able to trace the plane from Gunnedah to Broken Hill, where it is being kept at the airport by the public servant.

The plane is stored in a locked hangar that was used by a now-closed flight school at the airport.

The ABC does not suggest the owner has acted inappropriately.

Efforts to contact Mr McNee have been unsuccessful.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Gina Rinehart had gifted the use of a new Cirrus SR22 aircraft worth about $1.5 million to One Nation.