MELBOURNE, VIC. — Controversial politician Pauline Hanson will speak at tomorrow’s (Sunday, November 30) ‘Put Australia First‘ rally in Melbourne, along with several other speakers.
‘Put Australia First’, the ‘March for Australia’ and ‘Reignite Democracy Australia’ movements all have direct and indirect ties to the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network (NSN), which is attempting to rebrand as a political party called ‘White Australia’ under its leader, Thomas Sewell.
Whilst the ‘Put Australia First’ and ‘March for Australia’ claim to have ‘nothing to do with the NSN’, several journalists and the ABC fact-checking unit have discovered direct links between them all.
A counter-protest is also planned for tomorrow, starting from the State Library at 11.30am.
Organiser Monica Smit says “Australians want to talk about this,” Ms Smit told Sydney’s Ben Fordham on 2GB. Ms Smit is well-known for selling Chinese-made Australian flags – she has 250 to give away at tomorrow’s Melbourne march – and recently appeared on Sky News to promote the Sydney and Melbourne rallies.
Ms Smit is an Australian COVID-anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protester. She is the founder of Reignite Democracy Australia (RDA), an anti-lockdown and COVID-19 conspiracy group, although she is now also involved in the Put Australia First and National Socialist Network groups.
In August 2021, Victoria police charged Smit with five offences after she attended, and allegedly incited others to attend, anti-lockdown protests. She initially refused to accept her bail conditions, resulting in her being remanded in custody.
Ms Smit and RDA were charged by Consumer Affairs Victoria with failing to register a fundraiser purportedly for Smit’s legal defence. In May 2024, both Smit and RDA were found guilty of running an unregistered fundraiser.
Speakers at tomorrow’s Melbourne rally include Senator Pauline Hanson (formerly known as Pauline Zagorski), who has been suspended for a week after wearing a burka in parliament to push for a ban on the Muslim garment.
She will not sit in Parliament now until it resumes in 2026.
Other speakers include Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, who will address the Melbourne rally via video link from the UK. He is a British anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK’s most prominent far-right activists, with a history of criminal convictions and has served five prison terms in the UK between 2005 and 2025.
He regularly appears before London’s ‘Old Bailey’ courthouse.
Nick Paterson, who claims to be a ‘devoted Christian, a former ‘number one ranked MMA fighter’, and a justice advocate.
After 12 years running a martial arts gym, he turned to fighting corruption and child trafficking,” according to his Facebook profile, which is full of racist rants and promotions for the ‘Put Australia First’ rallies.
He is one of the organisers for tomorrow’s Melbourne rally.
Morgan Jonas, who is also one of the organisers, is the founder of the little-known – and with limited membership – Freedom Party.
He is an anti-vaxxer and far-right extremist blogger. He has previously been in a relationship with Monica Smit.
Kelly Newton-Wordsworth is a Christian evangelist with a worldwide ministry through her songs, preaching, podcasts, writing and performing. She has travelled the world since becoming a Christian in 1995. Kelly “gave up” her life to serve God in 1988.
At the time, she was only interested in being a “healer” and was searching in the “New Age” movement to find the “way” to do this. When she claimed to have “found God,” and “a voice spoke clearly to her within seconds.”
Pastor Ofa Mo’unga, who goes by the handle of ‘BoxingGrandpa’ on Facebook. He is a pastor of Tongan heritage and is associated with the GEN12 church.
According to the GEN12 website “Gen12 Ministries believes that the Bible clearly shows God’s heart for all people.
In Revelation 7:9 we read that in the end times “all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages” will be represented in heaven.”
Warren Pickering is a former Army combat engineer and political adviser with a strong commitment to securing a better future for all Victorians.
His background in the Australian Defence Force, combined with his experience advising in Victoria’s Parliament.
He believes in securing Australia’s borders, stopping foreign ownership of land and housing and prioritising Australian interests over globalist agendas.
“One Nation is the only party that truly fights for the Australian people,” Warren says. “We need leaders who will stand up, push back and restore the freedoms and opportunities that made this country great,” his One Nation profile pages states.
Dr. Issac Balbin is the founder of Parsl, a new type of technology company that is helping the cannabis industry communicate effectively through the utilisation of blockchain and other cutting-edge technologies, including IoT, AR, VR, and AI / Machine Learning.
He completed a PhD in electrical engineering.
He is also a a Professor living in Melbourne and is a fan of Judaism, Halacha, and computer science, and today calls himself a ‘senior consultant,” according to his LinkedIn profile.
Matt Emerson is a candidate for Lyle Shelton’s Family First party and ran for the federal seat of Lalor in the 2025 federal election, returning 4,578 votes (4.6 per cent of the vote).
He “pushes for freedom from what he sees as progressive agendas that undermine family values and is particularly committed to shielding children from philosophies that harm their innocence,’ according to his Family First profile.
His career is “marked by impactful roles in business operations and a steadfast commitment to strengthening families and communities.”
Henk Wallenborn is also a member of Morgan Jonas’ Freedom Party. He ran for the Victorian Upper House (Legislative Council) seat of Northern Victoria in the 2022 Victorian state election. He received just 121 votes (0.03 per cent), according to the Victorian Electoral Commission.
However, on his Facebook profile, he claims to have “polled 5,000 votes in 2022.” He intends to run again for Northern Victoria next year. “[I] polled 5,000 votes in 2022,” Mr Wallenburn states.
Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell is a member of the Victorian Legislative Council (upper house) for the Northern Victoria Region. She was elected at the 2022 Victorian state election. She is the first person representing Pauline Hanson’s One Nation in the Victorian parliament.
In the past, Ms Tyrrell has publicly distanced herself from anti-immigration billboards placed in her electorate by her own party, calling the messaging “unsuitable” for the region. “It was true Australia faced a rental crisis, it was not an appropriate message for her region, which relies heavily on immigrant workers,” Ms Tyrrel told ABC News.
Pastor Paul Furlong. Little is known of Pastor Paul. Facebook profile
Seldom information exists about Pastor Paul.
As such, this masthead is unable to verify any details about him, as there are many “Pastor Paul’s” and without further details his stance, views and motives can not be verified.
It can not be verified as to which Pastor Paul will address tomorrow’s Melbourne ‘Put Australia First’ rally.
Chukwuemeka ‘Emeka’ Edwin-Nweze, an African-Australian, is the director and CEO of Neta Care, a company that provides services to over 1,200 people on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Courier Mail listed him as one of the 25 most influential African Australians.
After an online backlash and calls for a boycott of the company, Edwin-Nweze issued an apology, but stressed his beliefs were of a personal nature, and he is not a medical professional, according to Out In Perth.
He is also known as an anti-LGBTQI activist.
The rally will call for immigration reform, freedom from enforced digital ID, and affordable energy and will begin at ‘under the clocks’ of Flinders Street Station at 12pm before marching to Flagstaff Gardens.
–None of the speakers responded to requests for comment.
–Snarky Gerkin and Batshit Crazy Cookers contributed to this report.
