The top New South Wales upper house candidate for One Nation, Stuart Bonds, has alluded to the far-right 'great replacement' conspiracy theory in a protest speech against migration, drawing condemnation from Premier Chris Minns and federal Assistant Multicultural Affairs Minister Julian Hill.
Stuart Bonds, One Nation's lead upper house candidate in NSW, told a rally against "mass migration" in Sydney on Sunday that "we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation". He said he would fight against Australia's "demographic suicide" and becoming a "special economic zone of Asia", according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Bonds said at the rally: "If we don't support Australian mothers having Australian children, we are going to pay for other cultures' children to be brought up in our lands." He also said he did not accept that "an immigrant arriving yesterday is as Australian as you or me", drawing cheers from the crowd.
The "great replacement theory" posits that European and Western populations are being deliberately and systematically replaced by non-Western populations. The theory has its origins in the late 1800s.
Premier Chris Minns described the remarks on Monday as "horrific" and reliant on "a conspiracy theory that's been imported from the US here to Australia". "This bloke's heading the ticket for One Nation," Minns said. "If they win the election, what ministry is he going to have? Trade, education, treasury?"
Minns repeated his view that One Nation leader Mike Newman will "either be the premier or the opposition leader". Resolve polling shows 25 per cent of NSW voters intend to vote for One Nation in March.
Federal Assistant Multicultural Affairs Minister Julian Hill said it was "sadly not surprising a lead One Nation candidate is openly pushing racist, white supremacist conspiracy theories", according to AAP. "The 'great replacement theory' is a widely discredited far-right, nationalist conspiracy with antisemitic roots. It's also mathematically nonsensical … Australians can draw their own conclusions as to why One Nation constantly gets embroiled in issues of race and culture and want to import that kind of chaos and division into our beautiful country."
During the speech, Bonds also covered abortion rates, white South Africans on "stolen land" and the Bondi Beach shooters.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- A major party candidate openly using white nationalist conspiracy language brings the theory into the NSW election campaign, where One Nation has 25 per cent polling support.
- The language could embolden similar views among voters and normalise the great replacement theory in Australian political discourse.
- The incident underscores the challenge for mainstream parties in responding to a populist force that may hold the balance of power after the March 2027 election.
Background
The 'great replacement' conspiracy theory originated in the late 1800s and has been promoted by far-right figures globally, including white supremacists. It has been cited by mass shooters in Christchurch, Buffalo and elsewhere. One Nation, led federally by Pauline Hanson, has a history of anti-immigration and race-based rhetoric. In NSW, the party is surging ahead of the state election, with Resolve polling putting its primary vote at 25 per cent. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly framed One Nation as a direct threat to Labor's chances of retaining government.
Key Perspectives
Stuart Bonds (One Nation candidate): Said voters are being "demographically replaced inside our own nation" and that Australians are facing "demographic suicide" and becoming a "special economic zone of Asia". He called the situation "the fight of our lives".
Chris Minns (NSW Premier): Called the comments "frankly outrageous and racist", describing them as a conspiracy theory imported from the US. He questioned what ministry Bonds would hold if One Nation won.
Julian Hill (Federal Assistant Multicultural Affairs Minister): Called it "not surprising" that a lead One Nation candidate is "openly pushing racist, white supremacist conspiracy theories". He described the great replacement theory as a "widely discredited far-right, nationalist conspiracy with antisemitic roots" that is "mathematically nonsensical".
What to Watch
- Whether One Nation leader Mike Newman or federal leader Pauline Hanson distance themselves from Bonds' comments, or double down.
- Future polling in NSW to see whether the controversy affects One Nation's 25 per cent support.
- The NSW Labor campaign's response and whether Minns continues to link Bonds' statements directly to One Nation's fitness for government.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedThe headline says Stuart Bonds repeated the “great replacement” conspiracy theory at a protest.The Age - Latest News: “One Nation’s top NSW upper house candidate alluded to the far-right “great replacement” conspiracy theory in a protest speech at the weekend”
- SupportedChris Minns labelled the remarks “frankly outrageous and racist”.The Age - Latest News: “Premier Chris Minns labelled “frankly outrageous and racist”.”
- SupportedJulian Hill called the theory “a widely discredited far-right, nationalist conspiracy”.The Age - Latest News: ““The ‘great replacement theory’ is a widely discredited far-right, nationalist conspiracy with antisemitic roots.”
- SupportedBonds alluded to the “great replacement” theory in a speech at a Sydney rally against migration on Sunday, drawing condemnation from Minns and Hill.The Age - Latest News: “Stuart Bonds, the top upper house candidate for the party in NSW, told protesters at a rally against “mass migration” on Sunday that “we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation””
- SupportedAt the rally, Bonds said, “we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation”.The Age - Latest News: “Stuart Bonds, the top upper house candidate for the party in NSW, told protesters at a rally against “mass migration” on Sunday that “we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation””
- SupportedBonds said he would fight against Australia’s “demographic suicide”.The Age - Latest News: “Bond said he would fight against Australia’s “demographic suicide” and becoming a “special economic zone of Asia”.”
- SupportedBonds said he would fight against Australia becoming a “special economic zone of Asia”.The Age - Latest News: “Bond said he would fight against Australia’s “demographic suicide” and becoming a “special economic zone of Asia”.”
- SupportedBonds said, “If we don’t support Australian mothers having Australian children, we are going to pay for other cultures’ children to be brought up in our lands.”The Age - Latest News: ““If we don’t support Australian mothers having Australian children, we are going to pay for other cultures’ children to be brought up in our lands,” he said.”
- SupportedBonds said he did not accept that “an immigrant arriving yesterday is as Australian as you or me”, and the remark drew cheers.The Age - Latest News: “the One Nation candidate said he didn’t accept that “an immigrant arriving yesterday is as Australian as you or me”, to cheers from the crowd.”
- SupportedThe theory posits that European and Western populations are being deliberately and systematically replaced by non-Western populations.The Age - Latest News: “The great replacement theory, which began in the late 1800s, posits that European and Western populations are being deliberately and systematically replaced by non-Western populations.”
- SupportedMinns described the remarks as “horrific” and reliant on a conspiracy theory imported from the US to Australia.The Age - Latest News: “Minns on Monday described the remarks as “horrific” and reliant on “a conspiracy theory that’s been imported from the US here to Australia”.”
- SupportedResolve polling shows 25 per cent of NSW voters intend to vote for One Nation in March.The Age - Latest News: “Resolve polling shows 25 per cent of NSW voters intend to vote for One Nation in March.”