Pharmacists have written to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to express their anger at a $15,000 donation to One Nation made in two separate payments in June and July.

The guild’s Queensland branch made the donations, and justified them by saying the money was paid before a secretly filmed al-Jazeera documentary released in April showed senior One Nation figures meeting with the National Rifle Association in the US to discuss ways to roll back Australia’s strict gun laws.

However, One Nation has long been controversial, with Hanson attracting criticism for her comments about vaccinations and her policies on immigration.

The guild describes itself as a national employers’ organisation that represents community pharmacy owners. While the guild provided Guardian Australia with a short statement that said attendance at political events by guild officials did not denote endorsement of policies of the host party, a more elaborate statement was posted to Facebook by guild branch committee member Adele Tahan following the backlash.

“In relation to One Nation, in mid-2018 the guild Queensland branch paid to attend two events,” the statement said.

“At the time, a Queensland parliamentary committee was conducting an inquiry into the need for a Pharmacy Council in Queensland, and whether pharmacists should be able to provide services to their full scope of practice. This was a matter on which the guild engaged with all sides of politics represented in the Queensland parliament, on behalf of our members and strictly on the pharmacy issues being considered.

Thanks for that. Wrote to them. pic.twitter.com/bP02kwdeDX — Margaret Morgan ✒📚 🎬🔬⚖ (@Monocotyledon) April 7, 2019

“It is unfair and spurious to link our engagement with One Nation on pharmacy issues in 2018 with subsequent events and revelations in the media.”

The statement went on to say that the guild was an employer organisation which speaks for its members on pharmacy issues.

“We do not express political views beyond those related to pharmacy and we certainly do not speak for our members in relation to their democratic right to assess political parties and candidates and vote for whomever they support. To repeat: attendance at political events by guild officials does not denote endorsement of any policies of the host party.”

The union representing pharmacists, Professionals Australia, said it had received complaints from the sector about the donation, including many who were also members of the guild.

“Our members are furious that the guild would throw the diverse pharmacy community under the bus to cosy up with One Nation,” spokesman Sean Kelly said.

“The guild is in bed with One Nation. Our members demand the guild never donate to One Nation again.”

Members of the public also expressed concern. A letter to the guild seen by Guardian Australia states: “Last year it was well known that [One Nation] was opposed to expenditure on measures aimed at bringing health and general living conditions for Indigenous Australians up to a level equal with those of the general population. Last year it was well known that the party’s leader was opposed to vaccination other than the ‘vaccination’ … against her latest scapegoat minority.

“So what was the contribution to Australian society, and in particular to our health as a society, that the Pharmacy Guild thought would be achieved by financially sponsoring this hate group masquerading as a political party?.”

Veronica Nou, a former Cambodian child refugee, owner-operator of two pharmacies in western Sydney, a Pharmacy Guild NSW member, and one of the national conveners for Mums4Refugees, said the donation was not representative of the guild she knew.

She said the NSW branch of the guild had been nothing but supportive of not only her career but of her advocacy work, and that it would be a shame if all guild members were seen as supportive of the donation.

“I think some of the commentary has been very unfair to taint the Pharmacy Guild as a whole,” Nou said.

“I personally, however, was very disappointed and shocked by the donation and I would be very happy to see the guild as a whole come out to say how much they value diversity and disagree with One nation’s values, even though I know the guild tries to be nonpartisan.”

The guild did not respond to a request from Guardian Australia for comment in response to the backlash.