One Nation MPs' maiden speeches and controversies in South Australian parliament
Consensus Summary
One Nation’s South Australian MPs made a combative debut in parliament following their March 2026 election breakthrough, where they secured 21% of the first preference vote and four lower house seats. Cory Bernardi’s maiden speech in the Legislative Council sparked protests, with Greens MPs walking out over his criticism of gender-affirming care for children, which he called 'mutilation'. Bernardi also targeted socialism, COVID policies, and communism, while Jason Virgo, a former Labor and Sex Party member, used his speech to address being outed as gay during the campaign. The party’s internal divisions were highlighted by Virgo’s more moderate stance on migration and climate, contrasting with One Nation’s traditional rhetoric. Meanwhile, Pauline Hanson’s Adelaide appearance saw a heated media exchange, including a staffer telling a journalist to 'shut up' and Hanson calling someone a 'nasty bitch'. Analysts question whether One Nation’s disparate MPs can coalesce into a unified bloc, with major parties already probing for weaknesses.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Cory Bernardi delivered a controversial maiden speech in South Australia’s Legislative Council on 2026-05-19, where Greens MLCs Robert Simms and Melanie Selwood walked out during his remarks on transgender issues.
- One Nation won 21% of first preference votes in South Australia’s March 2026 state election, securing lower house seats in Hammond, MacKillop, Narungga, and Ngadjuri.
- Cory Bernardi criticized gender-affirming care for children, calling it 'mutilation' and claiming 'the media are silent while the government allows doctors to mutilate children'.
- Jason Virgo, a One Nation MP for MacKillop, publicly addressed being outed as gay during the campaign, stating he was 'openly gay throughout his entire adult life' in his maiden speech.
- One Nation’s federal leader Pauline Hanson attended an oil and gas conference in Adelaide on 2026-05-23, where a staffer told a Guardian journalist to 'shut up' during a press conference.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Bernardi began his speech by welcoming attendees to the 'land of my ancestors' and criticized 'the creeping hand of socialism' and 'tasteless vegan political tofu' as metaphors for government policies.
- Bernardi mentioned a personal crusade to 'starve the communist regime of Cuba of funds' by refusing to smoke Cuban cigars, later noting the cigar business was bought by Chinese communists.
- Labor won just under 40% of the primary vote in the lower house during the March 2026 election.
- Bernardi was a former Liberal senator who retired in 2020 after 13 years in federal parliament.
- Bernardi described COVID 'hysteria' as a product of 'the midwit managerial class and unaccountable bureaucrats' in his speech.
- Bernardi claimed there is 'no race or creed or colour in this country that needs special privileges or preferment by the state'.
- Pauline Hanson was captured on camera saying 'nasty bitch' during the Adelaide conference, though it was unclear who she was referring to.
- One Nation’s Sarah Game, elected in 2022, quit the party in 2025 to sit as an independent, calling it an 'act of treachery'.
- Labor Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis hinted at exploiting internal divisions in One Nation, referencing Virgo’s opposition to lifting the fracking moratorium in the South East.
- Virgo previously worked at the Christmas Island detention centre and was a former Labor and Australian Sex Party member before joining One Nation.
- Virgo said he left Labor due to disillusionment with the Rudd government’s climate change policies and refugee treatment.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Newscomau states Bernardi’s speech was on 2026-05-19, while ABC does not specify the exact date but references it as 'last week' before 2026-05-23.
- Newscomau reports Bernardi linked gay marriage to bestiality in 2012, but ABC does not mention this specific claim in its coverage of Virgo’s speech.
Source Articles
MPs walk out during Bernardi’s speech
Cory Bernardi has delivered a controversial maiden speech in the SA parliament, taking swings at communism and the transgender community.
'Midwits' and media bust-ups herald One Nation's arrival in SA parliament
One Nation broke its parliamentary silence to talk about culture wars and political barneys. But not everything went as expected.