Pauline Hanson courts wealthy donors with $2,000 ‘exclusive’ Melbourne lunch, but where are the receipts?

28 Aug, 15:00. AU edition

One Nation hopes to raise $36,000 from the lunch but the state party has disclosed just one donation this financial year

On Tuesday at 9am, a hand-picked group of business leaders in Melbourne will be texted the address of one of the city’s “most prestigious and exclusive venues”. Pauline Hanson will be waiting for them.

Over a three-course lunch, One Nation Victoria will provide “a unique opportunity to meet senator Hanson” and engage in an “open, candid discussion” about economic issues. In return, the party hopes to raise at least $36,000.

Details of this “deliberately small” gathering in Melbourne’s CBD are being closely guarded by the party’s state branch. It is eager to protect those paying a $2,000 entry fee from protesters who have already targeted two high-profile fundraisers in June and August.

Hanson will have just returned from a separate fundraising dinner on Monday with the Victorian party’s leader, Warren Pickering, in the regional town of Sale. The pair are also hosting a barbecue in Melbourne’s outer suburbs a day earlier.

Despite their significant fundraising efforts in recent months, One Nation Victoria had not disclosed a single donation above the $1,290 threshold since 1 July until late this week, after being contacted by Guardian Australia.

Last financial year, the state branch disclosed less than $20,000. So far this year, with an election in November, it has disclosed just one $5,000 donation. All donations must be reported to the state electoral commission within 21 days.

Meanwhile, Labor’s well-oiled fundraising vehicle has secured 217 donations worth $634,000 since 1 July and the Liberals have disclosed 65 donations worth $220,000.

The rush for cash

The federal party claims to have raised millions of dollars from its “fire the liar” campaign targeting the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Multiple Victorian Liberal sources have told Guardian Australia that some of its traditionally loyal donors are also supporting One Nation.

But in Victoria, money donated to federal parties cannot be used to finance state election campaigns. Local candidates must raise the money themselves.

This has led to state candidates, government ministers and opposition leaders attending fundraising dinners across the state.

“They know there is no such thing as a free meal,” said one person involved in organising fundraising dinners.

According to the Victorian Electoral Commission, One Nation Victoria did not disclose a single donation in July. In June, it received three donations worth $7,970. It also disclosed one donation in May of $2,000.

After being contacted by Guardian Australia on Wednesday, One Nation disclosed a $5,000 donation that was received on Thursday last week. The total of that donation has not yet been confirmed by the donor – a requirement of the commission.

One Nation updates invites

Politicians dining with donors behind closed doors in return for money is nothing new. Almost every party does it, from the prime minister down, despite routine criticism from transparency experts who warn it’s harming trust in democracy.

But One Nation’s invites to fundraisers have differed from the approach taken by Labor and Liberal campaigns, which clearly state which branch money will go to and how it will be used.

An invitation to Tuesday’s “private lunch” did not carry a formal authorisation message, which tells potential donors which party is ultimately responsible for the political content and the event.

University of Melbourne law professor Joo-Cheong Tham, an expert in electoral integrity, said the invitations should have been authorised. The Victorian Electoral Commission did not comment directly on the invitation, but said “all electoral material produced by a registered political party must be authorised”.

When contacted by Guardian Australia with these comments, One Nation Victoria did not respond but updated its invitations to include authorisation from the state party. This matches the authorisation for Monday’s dinner fundraiser with Hanson and a local candidate, Greg Hansford.

But a third fundraising dinner with Hanson in Melbourne, scheduled for less than a month before the November election, contains an authorisation message from the federal party registered in Queensland. It also carries One Nation’s federal logo.

This “senator’s circle” dinner specifically mentions the state campaign and tells donors that “we look forward to sharing the evening with you as we prepare for an important period ahead in Victoria”.

“With the Victorian election approaching, this dinner provides a unique opportunity to hear from our representatives, connect with fellow supporters and help strengthen One Nation’s efforts across the state,” the invite said.

‘Donors risk exceeding the cap’

None of the three One Nation invitations to dinner seen by Guardian Australia outline disclosure obligations or a donation cap.

Labor invitations to fundraisers seen by Guardian Australia include an overview of the donation cap and disclosure threshold, authorisation by the state party, and details on which branch receives the money and what it will be used for.

An invite to a “cocktail evening” on Wednesday with the Liberal candidate for Hawthorn, Amelia Hamer, said all donations would go to the state campaign but carried no formal authorisation. This was corrected by the Liberal party on Friday, after being contacted by Guardian Australia.

The lack of detail about donation rules on One Nation invitations has concerned one senior Liberal party figure, who was not authorised to comment publicly.

“Donors are at very high risk of inadvertently exceeding Victoria’s strict donation caps because One Nation is not even bothering to tell them about them when soliciting contributions,” the source said.

A senior Labor source also raised concerns about the lack of detail on invitations and said “every political party and candidate should be subject to the same level of scrutiny and accountability”.

But the Victorian Electoral Commission said there was no “obligation to provide this information to donors before the donation has been given”.

“For example, it may be provided in a receipt once the political donation has been given,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said it would “look at any material raised with us and compare it against the requirements of the [electoral act]”.

“When in doubt, authorise.”

One Nation Victoria did not respond to questions from Guardian Australia.