Pauline Hanson's One Nation gives surprising reaction to smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country protest outside event

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:16, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 04:47, 21 April 2026 Supporters attending a One Nation campaign barbecue were met with an unexpected welcome on the weekend - an Aboriginal smoking ceremony staged as a protest outside the front gate.  The party had gathered about 200 supporters on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula for candidate Darren Hercus, who is contesting the upcoming Nepean by-election after the resignation of former Liberal MP and tennis star Sam Groth. But before guests could get to the sausages, Bunurong artist Adam Magennis turned up uninvited and began performing a traditional smoking ceremony on the footpath near the entrance. He was approached by the party's Victorian president and Mr Hercus' campaign manager after smoke began billowing toward the crowd. 'Good morning, my name is Adam, welcoming you to country,' Mr Magennis explained. A party official replied: 'Thank you mate, appreciate it. It's causing smoke, which is drifting onto the crowd, so it's a problem.' Mr Magennis responded: 'Yep, we need to be clean, probably 30 more seconds and it should be right.' The exchange then turned surprisingly cordial, with small talk about the turnout as the ceremony continued. A function for One Nation supporters was disrupted by a smoking ceremony on the weekend Pauline Hanson and One Nation received a mixed reception from locals when she visited Victoria's Mornington Peninsula on the weekend 'No cause for alarm,' Mr Magennis assured. One Nation chief of staff James Ashby later made light of the incident. 'I forgot to get his telephone number. He would have been a good alternative for these state and federal governments who spend $7,000 on a smoking ceremony,' he told 2GB host Ben Fordham on Tuesday. 'It was a concern initially because it was billowing and we thought the barbecue had got out of control. 'We then realised someone had lit a fire. He was there to make a statement — he got his 15 seconds of fame.' A One Nation media spokesman declined to comment further. Daily Mail also contacted Mr Magennis for comment. The incident came as Pauline Hanson was also heckled while campaigning for Mr Hercus over the weekend. She was told by protesters to 'go back where you came from' and branded 'the most despicable politician we've ever had', prompting a fiery response. 'You're so ill-informed. I wish you would understand my policies and what I stand for,' Hanson replied. Recent polling has suggested One Nation has lifted strongly in Victoria ahead of the next state election. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.