Chemtrails to Covid: Malcolm Roberts’ conspiracy theory beliefs under scrutiny amid One Nation surge in polls

Malcolm Roberts has claimed a cabal of ultra-elite figures is behind the global shift toward green energy, while declaring the Covid-19 vaccines were bioweapons to control the world, the latest in a series of resurfaced conspiracy-related comments from the One Nation senator.

Roberts, 71, who was elected as senator a decade ago and is the longest-serving One Nation member after party leader Pauline Hanson, has long espoused various conspiracy theories.

But his views have come under intense scrutiny after the party surged in polls over the first half of 2026, surpassing the Coalition and briefly, Labor, though support appears to have slipped slightly in recent weeks.

The reports in national newspapers come as Hanson finds herself under pressure over a “fact-finding” mission to the UK, meeting with far-right activist and convicted criminal, Tommy Robinson. Hanson was also photographed on a Mediterranean jaunt with Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, in images first published by the AFR.

Roberts, a former mining engineer who spent a number of years rallying against the existence of global warming, is now under scrutiny after, in 2024, he praised US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a “beacon of hope” and lauded the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, after his invasion of Ukraine.

Senior Liberal figures, some of whom have been reluctant to attack Hanson directly as One Nation plunders their supporters, have been quicker to condemn Roberts and his comments.

“There’s a long list of things that [Roberts] said,” the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, said on Thursday.

“The question here for Pauline Hanson is: what is she going to do about it? She’s over in Italy right now living it up.”

Roberts responded to the various media reports on social media on Thursday, criticising them as “selective cherry picking and dishonest distortions by mainstream media to mislead Australians on behalf of their uniparty mates”.

“First they came for Pauline [Hanson]. Then they came for Barnaby [Joyce]. Now it’s my turn,” he said.

The senator linked to an interview transcript where he claimed it was “highly likely” the US military was conducting chemtrail trials – a conspiracy theory suggesting aircraft spread toxic chemicals to manipulate weather or control populations - though he acknowledged he had no evidence.

In other appearances in niche podcasts, Roberts has claimed the world’s biggest three asset managers – Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street – control the world’s major events behind the scenes, and were responsible for starting the Covid pandemic.

The Queensland senator claimed in a June podcast, without pointing to evidence, that Covid vaccines were “killer” “bioweapons” and the US defence department had a “major say” in their control and development.

In another podcast in November 2025, Roberts also said the United Nations and the World Economic Forum were destroying democracies by doing the bidding of the ultra-wealthy asset managers to create a “new world economic order”.

“These countries think that they’re democracies. They’re not. They’re controlled by the media, controlled by the big banks, controlled by Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street,” he said.

Roberts’ advocacy of fringe beliefs long pre-dates his time in parliament. The Queensland senator, who was born in India before immigrating to Australia, was a project leader for Australian climate-denial group, the Galileo Movement.

In 2011, Roberts sent a pseudolegal affidavit to then prime minister, Julia Gillard, demanding he be exempt from the carbon tax or receive a remedy.

Roberts claimed in a May podcast his work in the climate-denial movement attracted the attention of Hanson, who later asked him to run on the Senate ticket with her in the 2016 election.

In his maiden speech in September 2016, Roberts praised the UK after its Brexit referendum, calling on Australia to do the same with the other global institutions.

“Australia’s values and way of life are also at risk from insidious institutions such as the unelected swill that is the United Nations,” he said.

“The EU [European Union] is a template for total socialist domination of Europe through unelected bodies, such as the IMF [International Monetary Fund], forcing their frightening agenda on the people. It is also the UN’s template, and Australia must leave the UN. We need an Aus-exit.”

Behind the scenes, many in the Liberal party are anxious to create a clear distinction with the fringe party.

The shadow industry minister, Andrew Hastie, who has become increasingly critical of One Nation after its targeting of him, said Hanson’s team needed increased scrutiny given its surge in support.

“Pauline Hanson wants to be prime minister of this country, so her and her team deserve proper scrutiny,” he told 2GB on Thursday.

“And when you find out that people like Senator Malcolm Roberts are talking about chemtrails and other sorts of odd things — they’re not really focused on delivering good economic solutions for Australian people to improve our standard of living.”

Roberts was approached for comment.