One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has barred journalists from the ABC, The Age and The Guardian from attending a Melbourne press conference as the party launched its Victorian state election campaign, saying the decision was driven by her belief that the outlets had repeatedly failed to report on her party fairly.

The move immediately reignited debate over media access, political accountability and press freedom, with critics arguing elected representatives should face questions from all accredited media organisations, while Hanson maintained political parties are entitled to decide who attends their events.

The press conference, held at Melbourne’s Savoy Hotel on Monday morning, was organised to introduce One Nation’s Victorian election team ahead of the state’s November poll.

Before reporters entered the conference room, security staff and party officials asked journalists which organisation they represented. Reporters from the ABC, The Age and The Guardian were refused entry, while representatives from other media organisations were permitted to attend.

Explaining the decision, Senator Hanson said she wanted reporting based on “truth and honesty” rather than what she described as “spin” and attempts to create political “gotcha” moments.

“I’m not going to have them,” she said.

She added that it was not the first time she had taken such action, recalling that she had previously denied ABC access to her events for several months during the late 1990s.

“I’m not putting up with the spin, gotcha moments, wanting to have a go at me,” Hanson said.

“So they’re banned.”

An ABC spokesperson declined to comment on the decision when approached following the event. Representatives of The Age and The Guardian also publicly criticised the exclusion, arguing that journalists have an important role in scrutinising political leaders and informing the public.

The media ban came as One Nation formally unveiled its campaign leadership team for Victoria.

Victorian party president Warren Pickering was announced as the party’s lower house candidate for Pakenham after making a late change from his previously planned upper house candidacy.

Pickering said the switch reflected One Nation’s ambition to compete seriously for government rather than merely influence the balance of power.

“We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us,” he said.

“Now we’ve got four months to earn the trust of Victorians.”

Seven additional upper house candidates were introduced during the event, including former Liberal Party member Colleen Harkin, political cartoonist Mark Nicholson and former police officer Chris Burson.

While the candidate lineup was revealed, detailed policy announcements were deferred.

Party officials said major policy releases would follow later this month after a planned “Farmer Fight Back” event, although Hanson outlined several priority areas that would shape the campaign.

She said One Nation intended to focus on crime, government accountability, education, support for regional communities and what the party sees as excessive government spending.

Speaking to reporters outside the event, Hanson argued that regional Victoria had been neglected.

She cited concerns raised by farmers about electricity transmission lines, the pressures facing small businesses and what she described as declining government services.

“The farming sector has been hard done by,” she said.

“You’ve got a lot of small businesses going under, and you’ve got services that aren’t being delivered to the people.”

She also criticised road maintenance, saying complaints about potholes had become one of the most common issues she heard while travelling throughout Victoria.

Education was another major theme raised by Hanson during the campaign launch.

She argued Australia’s school curriculum required significant reform and said One Nation would campaign against what she described as increasing “wokeness” within education.

According to Hanson, declining academic outcomes demonstrated that changes were needed to improve standards in Victorian schools.

The press conference was followed later that evening by a $120-per-ticket fundraising dinner at Hawthorn Tower Hotel in Melbourne’s east.

Large crowds of demonstrators gathered outside the venue to protest against Hanson’s appearance.

Victoria Police deployed more than two dozen Public Order Response Unit officers, established traffic management points and temporarily closed part of Burwood Road in anticipation of the demonstration.

As Hanson arrived shortly after 5.30pm, protesters who had moved through police lines shouted slogans and directed abuse towards the One Nation leader while officers worked to keep the groups separated.

Police had earlier urged demonstrators to protest peacefully and minimise disruption to the wider community.

Authorities confirmed the event organisers had no involvement in operational policing decisions.

The Melbourne events formed part of Hanson’s second major campaign visit to Victoria ahead of the November election.

An earlier fundraising event in South Melbourne during June also attracted significant protests, highlighting the increasingly polarised political atmosphere surrounding One Nation’s campaign in the state.

Hanson also used the Melbourne visit to criticise the Victorian Liberal Party’s reluctance to discuss any future cooperation with One Nation.

Asked whether Opposition Leader Jess Wilson might eventually consider working with One Nation, Hanson suggested senior Liberals had adopted what she described as an “arrogant attitude”.

She argued Labor, rather than One Nation, was responsible for many of Victoria’s current economic and social challenges.

For his part, Pickering said any future relationship with the Liberals would depend on election outcomes, but stressed One Nation’s immediate objective was to campaign independently.

“We intend to do what’s absolutely necessary,” he said.

“Getting rid of this dangerous Labor government is our primary objective.”

The exclusion of major media organisations quickly became a political issue beyond the campaign launch itself.

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth criticised the decision, saying politicians should expect to answer difficult questions from journalists rather than choosing which organisations receive access.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young was also critical, describing the decision as inconsistent with the scrutiny expected in democratic politics and arguing that political leaders should not avoid questioning from media outlets they dislike.

Supporters of Hanson, however, defended the move, arguing that political parties are under no legal obligation to provide unrestricted access to privately organised campaign events and claiming certain media organisations have consistently reported on One Nation in an unfair or hostile manner.

The dispute has added another dimension to One Nation’s Victorian campaign as the party seeks to expand its parliamentary representation ahead of the November election.

With further lower house candidates expected to be announced in the coming weeks and major policy announcements still to come, the campaign is likely to remain under intense public and media scrutiny.