Australian politics has been rocked by the news the co-founder of One Nation David Ettridge has died after a long battle with cancer.
The 79-year-old former politician, and former menswear model, is believed to have passed away on Wednesday in South Australia.
Ettridge founded the One Nation Party alongside Pauline Hanson and David Oldfield in 1997, holding the role of national director until 2000.
He and Hanson were jailed in August 2003 after they were found guilty of fraudulently registering One Nation in the District Court of Queensland.
The pair were eventually acquitted and their convictions were overturned two and a half months later in the Court of Appeal.
The two politicians reportedly fell out after they were released from prison, with Ettridge claiming on ABC’s Four Corners in 2017 that One Nation abandoned him.
Ettridge claimed he had been let with debt, costing him his home and personal wealth, after the party didn’t compensate him for his legal fees.
One Nation rejected this claim and told him to cease contact with the party.
Co-founder of the One Nation party David Ettridge (pictured) has died at the age of 79
Ettridge founded the One Nation Party alongside Pauline Hanson and David Oldfield in 1997
Following the fallout, Ettridge declared One Nation was ‘non-existent’ in 2004 while speaking to The Age.
‘It exists in the minds now of a handful of people who are clinging to a cadaver and those people, I think, are just lonely souls who need somewhere to go for monthly meetings.’
The same year, he also published the book ‘Consider Your Verdict’ which suggested, whether someone is a ‘pollie’ or a ‘brickie’, the workplace can be tricky.
The book promised to give the reader the ‘edge to survive’.
Before entering politics, Ettridge worked in sales and marketing including for promotional companies Australia Made and Buy Australian.
He was described as ‘cheerful and bluff’ and he reportedly took part in an advocacy and fundraising campaign for UNICEF in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Ettridge, who died after battling with cancer for over a decade, is survived by his wife Ashley, three daughters and his grandchildren.
