Updated ,first published
A volunteer hailed on stage by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation after the party’s stunning Farrer byelection victory was previously condemned by a judge as a “thuggish” bully who used “absolutely reprehensible racial slurs” during a violent confrontation between rival fishing guides in the Northern Territory.
Allan Beale, a volunteer who clashed with Liberal senator James Paterson at a polling station during the Farrer campaign, also last year shared a post defending police killer Dezi Freeman and supported neo-Nazi figure Thomas Sewell in a series of social media posts. He was also once accused by his fishing tour customers of being abusive and defecating off the side of a boat.
One Nation MP-elect David Farley called Beale to the stage to the cheers of the audience during Saturday’s victory speech in Albury, lauding his commitment to the cause, while previously having accused Paterson’s of being a “mongrel dog” for “goading” him into an altercation.
“Well done mate, well done,” Farley said to Beale. “That man takes no s— from no sailor.“
Hanson too had posed for pictures with Beale, and told reporters on the trail she was “standing by my volunteer in that whole scuffle”, after he was filmed grabbing Paterson’s phone following a confrontation.
The One Nation leader on Wednesday defended celebrating the Farrer victory alongside Beale and said she was not disappointed to have kept his company.
“I’m not disappointed at all. He was invited there. He was a volunteer. It was a night of celebration … and I’m not taking a backward step on that,” Hanson said during Farley’s inaugural press conference at Parliament House.
Hanson said she did not condone bullying or violence of any kind but refused to comment further, suggesting the media might “put a spin on” the allegations.
In one Facebook post last September, Beale shared conspiracy material about Freeman – the so-called sovereign citizen who murdered two Victorian police officers last year – claiming he had been targeted because of his knowledge of constitutional law.
“For all to Consider. not just trust MSM (main stream media),” Beale wrote.
In another post defending Sewell and members of the now-banned National Socialist Network last September, Beale wrote: “These lads are not Neo Nazis they are lads sick of the immigrants gangs that the Police do f–k all about.”
In a separate post, he wrote: “I met a lot of these young guys on the 31st Aug March. Very genuine definitely not Neo Nazis but we’re genially [sic] responsible to ensure freedom marchers were protected from the crappy ProPalestinean abusive arseholes.”
“Back in my Military Days we would have certainly been a lot more aggressive in ensuring long term injuries were imparted,” he added.
Beale said “obviously you are not going to listen to the truth of past issues” in a text to this masthead on Wednesday morning, and that he would reply later as he was away from his computer.
Beale’s history also includes a notorious 2014 confrontation on a remote Northern Territory river that ended in court after a dispute between rival fishing charter operators escalated into threats, racial abuse and violence in front of paying customers.
At the time, the then-55-year-old Darwin-based fishing guide from Barra Base was charged over a confrontation with fellow guide Kaleem “Mickey” Qaiser at Shady Camp.
Although Beale was cleared of assault charges, Magistrate John Neill fined him $6000 for interfering with commercial fishing equipment and delivered a scathing assessment of his behaviour.
“Your actions were self-righteous, aggressive and thuggish bullying acts,” Neill said. “It puts Mr Beale and his character in the poorest lights.”
The magistrate said there was evidence Beale “had threatened more than once to kill Mr Qaiser” and did say words “along the lines of ‘you black c—’”.
“The absolutely reprehensible racial slurs are extremely troubling in the context of this matter,” Neill said.
The confrontation drew wider attention after Beale’s fishing business became embroiled in a separate controversy over negative online reviews from customers.
Customers alleged Beale “was abusive … and defecated off the front of the boat”. Beale later posted on the popular travel website defending the claims.
Beale, who returned to the Albury region in 2017, told The Border Mail last week he was motivated to join One Nation after the Convoy to Canberra protest over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. He said he was disappointed in himself for “getting suckered in and baited” by Paterson.
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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.
Brittany Busch is a federal politics reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
