Ashby pilots Rinehart-donated Cirrus and drives Giles-gifted Ford Ranger

According to a development application lodged with the Livingstone Shire Council, Small Batch Brewing Pty Ltd is listed as the purchaser of a $56,706 shed on a “lifestyle property” near Yeppoon in central Queensland that Ashby purchased in 2025. Property records reviewed by Guardian Australia document the purchase. Small Batch Brewing is also named as the customer on documentation provided by an independent engineer and included in the council paperwork.

Small Batch Brewing is jointly owned by Ashby, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, and the party’s national treasurer, Alexander Jones. The Guardian reported that the company holds neither a liquor licence to sell alcohol nor an excise licence to manufacture alcohol products in Australia, and that a separate brewing company, Sunshine and Sons, is listed as the manufacturer of One Nation’s branded liquor line.

Ashby told Guardian Australia that Small Batch Brewing was “currently a non-trading entity.” He added: “The business will go through the necessary licensing application and approval process when the time is right.” It is unclear how the company bought a $56,000 shed, the Guardian reported.

Council records reviewed by the Guardian show Ashby has received approval to build a house and an in-ground pool on the Yeppoon property. Australian Securities and Investments Commission records show Small Batch Brewing’s principal place of business is One Nation’s Brisbane headquarters, on an industrial estate at the airport.

Ashby has also benefited from gifts made to the party. Guardian Australia understands that the Ford Ranger he drives was “personally” gifted to One Nation by Hancock Agriculture chief executive Adam Giles in April. At the time, Hanson said the vehicle would assist the party’s campaign efforts and “provides us the presence we need in the lead-up to the next federal election.”

A $2 million Cirrus aircraft, gifted to One Nation by Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, is kept at Rockhampton airport, not far from Ashby’s home, and Ashby serves as its main pilot, the Guardian reported. A friend of Ashby’s travelled on the plane with him and Hanson on its maiden flight to Albury in May.

In a statement to Guardian Australia, Ashby said the Ranger was used “for campaign and branch purposes” while the plane was “not used for personal transportation.” He added: “I have a privately owned vehicle for personal use.”

Ashby regularly conducts live television crosses for News24, formerly Sky News, from the shed, the Guardian reported.

Sources told the Guardian that Ashby is earning a lucrative salary in his role as national director. His elevation to the post sparked speculation that he was preparing to run for One Nation at the next federal election. In May, Hanson asked the Department of Finance for permission to establish a second electorate office in Yeppoon, which the Guardian reported further fueled those suggestions.

When asked by the Guardian whether he would run at the next election, Ashby said: “No.”