One Nation's Victorian leader, Warren Pickering, has publicly admitted to using illegal drugs in his twenties, addressing allegations made by his former partner, Jo Scott. Speaking at a press conference alongside party director James Ashby and members of his family, he confirmed he had taken marijuana, ecstasy and amphetamines as a young man but firmly denied ever using methamphetamine, or "ice", including an allegation that he had smoked it in a house while children were present.

Pickering said he had not been a habitual drug user and stopped taking drugs before joining the Australian Defence Force at the age of 28, describing the move as the turning point that changed the course of his life. He also acknowledged two drink-driving offences from his late teens and twenties, and Ashby clarified that a note referencing "sexual" and "devious" behaviour related to an open relationship the couple had at the time, not to the drug allegations. Pickering expressed regret over the impact of his past on his children but said voters should judge him on how he has changed rather than solely on his past mistakes.