One Nation’s newest senator, Fraser Anning, defected from the far-right populist party hours after being sworn into the Senate on November 13.

In a statement, party leader Pauline Hanson said Malcolm Robert’s replacement had “abandoned” the party to stand as an independent. She said former employees of Roberts made contact with Anning months earlier to encourage him to switch to Corey Bernadi’s Australian Conservatives party.

On Monday morning, Anning walked alongside cross-bench senators Bernadi, and David Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democratic Party. Hanson was not present in the chamber during the ceremony.

The Weekend Australian reported that tensions were brewing ahead of his confirmation as an elected member of Parliament. Credit: Australian Parliament House via Storyful