David Ettridge

David Ettridge
National Director of One Nation
In office
11 April 1997 – 15 January 2000
Alongside David Oldfield
PresidentPauline Hanson
Preceded byParty established; office created
Succeeded byJohn Fischer
Personal details
Born
David William Ettridge

(1945-06-08) 8 June 1945 (age 79)
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
CitizenshipAustralian
Political partyIndependent (after 2002)
Other political
affiliations		Pauline Hanson's One Nation (1997—2002)
OccupationCorporate fundraising director
(United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)
(World Vision Australia)
Business marketing strategist
(Self-employed)
(Pauline Hanson's One Nation)
ProfessionBusinessman
philanthropist
politician
Websitedavidettridge.com

David William Ettridge (born 8 June 1945) is an Australian businessman who co-founded Pauline Hanson's One Nation in 1997 with Pauline Hanson and David Oldfield.

Ettridge was One Nation's professional fundraiser and administered and marketed the One Nation party. Leading a small team he helped to set up 350 branches throughout Australia and admitted 18,000 members to the party.[1]

On 20 August 2003, a jury from the District Court of Queensland convicted Hanson and Ettridge of electoral fraud and the Chief Judge sentenced both to three years without parole for fraudulently registering the One Nation Party. Prosecutors had alleged that the use of a list of 500 paid-up members of a One Nation supporters group as members for the purpose of registering the party had been fraudulent. A police report which advised the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions that no offence had been committed was never revealed by the Crown and DPP.[2] However, on 6 November 2003, the Queensland Court of Appeal quashed both convictions and Ettridge and Hanson were released from jail.[3] In 2004, Ettridge published a book regarding the fraud conviction and acquittal.[1][4]

Following an extensive Queensland Fraud Squad investigation, the Queensland Police advised the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions that no offence had been committed. Ettridge used his own money for his legal defense, on the understanding that One Nation would repay him, but he states that he has never been repaid.[5]

  1. ^ a b Martin Lehmann (24 March 2005). "Consider Your Verdict – David Ettridge's gripping new book".
  2. ^ "One Nation founder's conviction quashed". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 7 November 2003. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  3. ^ de Jersey CJ, McMurdo P and Davies JA (6 November 2003). "R v Hanson; R v Ettridge [2003] QCA 488" (PDF). Supreme Court of Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  4. ^ Consider your verdict (ISBN 174110232-4) published by New Holland Publishers Pty, Limited
  5. ^ "One Nation co-founder accuses party of abandoning him". ABC News. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.