One Nation dumps South Australian election candidate after reports claiming warrant for his arrest in UK | One Nation
Former South Australian One Nation candidate Aoi Baxter has been abandoned by the right-wing party following media reports claiming there was a warrant for her arrest in the UK.
Baxter, who was previously reported to be known as Trent Baxter, allegedly did not attend the hearing. According to ABC news. A UK court has confirmed to the ABC that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man named Trent Baxter.
The former candidate for the Adelaide state seat has allegedly been accused of sexually touching a woman without her consent in September 2023, according to an ABC report.
The statements come on the eve of Saturday’s South Australian state election, in which One Nation’s popularity is soaring. The Liberal party announced it would direct its preferences towards One Nation, despite the smaller party opting to run open tickets on how-to-vote cards.
In a statement to Guardian Australia on Friday, One Nation said it had not disclosed Baxter’s arrest warrant to the party.
“Mr Baxter is no longer a One Nation candidate following this news,” One Nation said.
“One Nation carried out a nationwide police check on Mr Baxter, as it does on all candidates. No problems were found.”
The party said it would “fully cooperate with law enforcement” and had been unable to contact Baxter.
The candidate page on Baxter’s website has now been scrubbed and replaced with a message that reads: “Maybe Albo broke the internet (again), or maybe the page you were looking for couldn’t be found on our amazing new website.”
Before he was removed, the party said Baxter brought a mix of “real-world experience to politics” and said he had spent time in the Australian defense force and small business operations, as well as volunteering with Rotary, Australian Disaster Relief and the Movember campaign.
Baxter’s social media and LinkedIn profiles list him as the “creative director” of Aoi Studio. He had made headlines in recent weeks as a late addition to One Nation’s ticket, with his move to North Adelaide due in mid-2025.
Baxter has been contacted for comment.
