One Nation Leader Vows to Fight for Abortion Controls

New South Wales One Nation leader Mike Newman has pledged to push for stricter abortion controls if his party succeeds in the March election. Speaking at a rally outside the state parliament, Mr. Newman, who is contesting the Hunter Valley seat of Cessnock, emphasized his party's commitment to the "right to life".

"We want to support people who want to make sure that abortion rights — we want to stop them," he said. "We want to make sure that same-sex … oh sorry, abortion is stopped."

"We want to make sure that people have the right to life and we will vote for you in favour of that," Mr. Newman told the crowd.

Prominent anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe, a professor of law at the University of Adelaide, endorsed Mr. Newman as the "next premier of NSW".

When contacted, Mr. Newman clarified that he was referring to abortions for the purposes of sex selection, as well as late-term abortions.

NSW parliament is considering a private member's bill from Libertarian MP John Ruddick that would prohibit abortion for the purposes of sex selection. The practice is already banned under NSW Health policies, but is not explicitly outlawed.

Medical practitioners can face disciplinary action if they breach the rules, but under Mr. Ruddick's bill, they could face jail terms. Mr. Newman vowed to support the bill's principles in parliament.

"If we win government and I end up being your premier, I will be working for you," he told the crowd. "If we win power, we will put it straight back on the agenda and make sure it passes the right way, to make sure that is ended for good."

Greens MP Amanda Cohn criticized One Nation's stance, saying the bill and the party's support for it were designed to reduce reproductive rights in NSW.

"The agenda of those pushing this bill has been clear from the start," Dr. Cohn said. "It's a thinly veiled attempt to re-criminalise abortion in NSW."

A NSW Health review found that between October 2019 and September 2020, 15,973 terminations were reported. Of those terminations, 13 were reported to have been for the "sole purpose of sex selection". However, the review found that 10 of those cases were likely to be reporting errors.

Supporters of Mr. Ruddick's bill have pointed to a 2025 study from Edith Cowan University, which aimed to find indirect evidence of a link between sex-selective abortion practices and higher-than-expected rates of male births in some migrant populations.

Premier Chris Minns said voters should carefully consider One Nation's policies, stating that the party was likely to be part of the next government if the current government falls.

"If the government falls in March of next year, it's likely to be a One Nation-led government," he told parliament. "That's the grim numbers as we're looking at it."

Mr. Newman said One Nation would run candidates in "every single seat across NSW" who would be from the "real world". He claimed the government's parliamentary attacks on his party showed it was worried.