Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National

Former One Nation senator Rod Culleton in court over alleged quarantine breach, vows to fight charge in High Court

One Nation Senator Rod Culleton speaks in the Senate.  (ABC News: Ross Nerdal)

A former One Nation senator accused of breaching quarantine directions when WA's hard border came down last month has told a magistrate he intends to take his case to the High Court.

Rodney Norman Culleton, 57, did not enter pleas when he faced the Kalgoorlie Magistrate's Court on Monday. 

Mr Culleton and his Great Australian Party supporters were among 17 people charged by police for failing to comply with a direction under the Emergency Management Act when they entered WA last month at Eucla. 

The charge carries a potential term of up to 12 months' imprisonment or a fine of up to $50,000.  

Mr Culleton told the court he would be seeking the services of a constitutional lawyer and that he intended to take the matter to the High Court.

Mr Culleton told the court he had spoken with the police prosecutor but had yet to see the "evidence brief" of what was being alleged.

He requested a 12-week adjournment but was granted four weeks.

"We're off to the High Court," he added later as the matter was adjourned.

Mr Culleton's co-accused Roslyn Jane Stewart, 56, also appeared in court and did not enter a plea.  

She started making a constitutional argument about how she fell under the jurisdiction of Australian Federal Police, instead of WA Police, before she was cut off by the mMagistrate who asked if she intended to make a plea.  

She is set to reappear on the same day as Mr Culleton next month.   

Mr Culleton initially sat as a One Nation senator and then an independent after the 2016 election, before the High Court ruled in 2017 that his election was invalid due to a conviction.

He founded the Great Australian Party in 2019 and his social media pages indicate he plans to contest the upcoming Federal election.  

According to the Australian Electoral Commission, if convicted, he would likely be ruled ineligible under Section 44 of the Constitution which sets out restrictions on who can be a candidate for Federal parliament.   

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.