Mark Latham says he is honoured to receive broadcaster and longtime Liberal fundraiser’s support

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Alan Jones has given $10,000 to One Nation’s New South Wales election campaign, electoral disclosures reveal.

On Monday the former federal Labor leader Mark Latham, now a One Nation upper house candidate, said on social media the party had “received … donation support” from Jones in the lead-up to the 23 March poll.

“No one in Aust media has a bigger, thoroughly researched interest in public policy debate than Alan Jones,” Latham wrote on Twitter. “My campaign is honoured to have received his donation support and I aim not to let him and other supporters down as I pursue our policy agenda in NSW parliament, if elected.”

Since October, political parties and candidates in NSW have been required to declare donations within 21 days.

NSW election: Labor says Liberals 'arrogant', Liberals warn of Labor 'corruption' Read more

While the party’s disclosures in NSW don’t list Jones as a donor, Queensland electoral returns show he made two contributions to the party – one as an individual and one through his company Belford Productions – of $5,000 each.

A description of the donations describes them as being for “fundraising – NSW”.

Jones has long been a reliable fundraiser for the Liberal party and is a sought-after speaker at the party’s events.

However, the veteran broadcaster has also been a critic of the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian. In 2017, when Berejiklian inherited the job from the former premier Mike Baird, Jones came out of sick leave to label her a “bad choice”.

Jones and Latham have a history. Last year the pair released a cookbook, Conversations in the Kitchen, which offered a window into their “world of good food and friendship”.

Jones is currently off contract with the owner of radio station 2GB, Macquarie Media, and reports have suggested he may leave the network.

Last week he was involved in a heated on-air confrontation with the NSW opposition leader, Michael Daley, who told Jones he would be sacked from the SCG Trust if Labor won the election.

One Nation did not contest the last NSW election but appears likely to secure at least one upper house seat this time. Last month an Essential poll for the Guardian had its first-preference support at 8%.

Monday marked the first day of pre-polling across NSW, with voting material distributed by the parties showing the governing Coalition has given preferences to the conservative Christian Democratic party headed by Fred Nile in the upper house.

Labor is directing upper house preferences to the Greens, the Animal Justice party and anti-lockout laws party Keep Sydney Open.

Latham, the one-time Labor leader turned party pariah, joined One Nation last year after previously aligning himself with the Liberal Democrats.

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On Monday, Latham declared One Nation would seek to force Indigenous people to undergo DNA tests before claiming government benefits.

In a media release, Latham claimed without evidence that “Indigenous self-identification” had been “open to widespread abuse”.

He said Indigenous people should be forced to undergo testing before receiving support such as ABstudy, a means-tested payment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait students and apprentices.

“Australians are sick and tired of seeing people with blonde hair and blue eyes declaring themselves to be Indigenous, when clearly they have no recognisable Aboriginal background and are doing it solely to qualify for extra money,” he wrote.

Latham led Labor to defeat against John Howard in 2004 before quitting federal parliament in 2005.

He says he was sacked as a columnist for the Australian Financial Review in 2015 for making offensive comments about the domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty.

Latham was also sacked from Sky News after just four months co-hosting a show due to offensive comments about fellow Sky presenters and the teenage daughter of the Reserve Bank governor.