Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party is set to launch a high-profile advertising campaign during the upcoming State of Origin rugby league match, investing approximately $200,000 to promote its “Fire the Liar” message targeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The television commercial, featuring clips contrasting the prime minister’s past promises with instances where he reportedly abandoned those commitments, will air nationally during Channel Nine’s broadcast of the game and on other networks.

One Nation’s chief of staff, James Ashby, explained the decision to focus on the State of Origin event due to its vast audience reach. He noted that while Origin night draws substantial viewership, the party planned to extend the advertisement’s exposure across multiple channels to maximize impact.

The advertisement campaign is backed by a recent fundraising drive that amassed over $4 million within days, significantly surpassing the party’s initial $1 million target. Hanson highlighted that more than 60,000 Australians contributed to the campaign, which she attributed to growing dissatisfaction with the Labor government since the last election. Speaking at Sydney Airport on Monday, Hanson emphasized the increase in public support and said the response reflected broader understanding and endorsement of One Nation’s policies.

Game 1 of this year’s State of Origin series drew the largest television audience in Australia so far in 2026, with more than four million viewers on free-to-air television supplemented by approximately 1.5 million streaming online. In addition to television advertising, One Nation intends to deploy “Fire the Liar” mobile billboards around Melbourne ahead of the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Prime Minister Albanese responded to the campaign on Monday by declining to engage with what he described as personalized politics. When asked to address the accusation underpinning the ad, that he is a liar, Albanese said, “I don’t engage in the sort of personalised politics that we are seeing.” He also questioned the validity of the reported donations to One Nation, asking, “What evidence is there?”

However, an independent auditor has since confirmed the legitimacy of the fundraising figures, validating the substantial financial support reported by the party.

Recent opinion polls indicate a notable shift in voter sentiment, with Hanson overtaking Albanese as Australia’s preferred prime minister. Analysts suggest this reflects changing dynamics in the national political landscape ahead of forthcoming elections.