AFTER pushing the major parties at the 2019 federal election, Pauline Hanson's One Nation's (PHON) Stuart Bonds isn't resting on his laurels as he continues to be involved in political proceedings.
The Singleton local was a surprise package back in May, picking up more than 21 per cent of the vote and becoming the highest polling PHON candidate in the country.
Running for the seat of Hunter, he launched a legitimate challenge to long-term incumbent Joel Fitzgibbon's position and, as a result, has secured himself a seat at the table for many of the party's events in NSW.
One of those conferences took place on Saturday night, as Rod Roberts MLC (member of Legislative Council) spoke to a crowd of approximately 50 people at a private function in Lake Macquarie.
Much of the event surrounded the success of Mr Bonds and the platform he ran on during the campaign leading up to May 18.
"The volunteers in the Hunter had done a remarkable job and the result is still being talked about in back rooms and on the floors of state and federal parliament today," Mr Roberts said.
"People should not be ashamed of being a coal miner, they work very hard in extremely dangerous conditions.
"These are the people keeping the lights on and although it's lost on some people in parliament, it's not lost on me."
Mr Bonds explained while he believed his Labor opponent was a supporter of coal, he didn't have faith in the rest of the party who he said let the region down.
"I always said the Labor Party was going to look like a gymnastics team after the election," he stated.
"They'll be doing backflips on policies and promises all over the place, even Penny Wong is putting some support behind the coal miners again.
"They are trying to gain back the trust of their supporters they hung out to dry in the election."
A firm ally of the coal industry, the aspiring politician made it clear the party would continue to support further developments in the future.
He was also keen on ensuring that PHON's presence stayed alive in the Hunter, and is looking to influence decisions in the region as much as possible.
