One Nation's national director James Ashby has defended barring ABC and Guardian journalists from a Victorian press conference, calling the outlets "morally bankrupt" and accusing them of unfairly targeting the party. The conference, held in Melbourne on Tuesday, saw the party's Victorian leader Warren Pickering address allegations about his past, including historic methamphetamine use and a drink-driving conviction, after previously denying some claims. The episode drew criticism given One Nation's frequent calls for media transparency and free speech, with Ashby facing pointed questions from Nine News over the exclusion.

Ashby insisted One Nation was entitled to decide which media organisations attend its events and said the party would "treat" journalists "accordingly" depending on how it was treated. He also compared dealing with the ABC to being in an abusive relationship, a remark that drew immediate criticism from Today co-host Sylvia Jeffreys on air. On Pickering, Ashby denied any deliberate deception, arguing the original questions put to him were inaccurate and praising his admission of past drug use as "courageous" compared with other politicians.