One Nation general manager Kelvin Morton referred to David Farley as an "asshole" in text messages obtained by Guardian Australia, just days before Farley's historic victory in the Farrer byelection for the party in May. The messages were a response to a news article in the Sydney Morning Herald about infighting among senior One Nation figures over Farley's previously undeclared support for the Labor party. Morton described the situation as "shit stirring" and said the party needed to improve its candidate selection process. He noted that Farley had sworn allegiance to One Nation despite concerns about his past support for Labor. A One Nation party spokesperson said Farley was "a dedicated One Nation MP" and claimed Morton's comments did not reflect the party's views. The spokesperson added that the only untrustworthy person was the one who leaked the text messages. Tensions between Farley and other One Nation MPs and staff have reportedly been high since he was elected to parliament, with the party publicly criticising him after he claimed One Nation's migration policy was not dissimilar to the Labor government's. Morton, who describes himself on LinkedIn as a "strategic business transformation leader" with experience in major companies, was appointed general manager in February. At the time, he said the party's national executive wanted him to build a "professional, scalable, and legally robust organisation capable of outright victory at the next general election." He introduced a new vetting process and was in his position when Farley was preselected. However, despite being seen as a turning point for the party's professionalisation, Morton has since clashed with staff at the party's Brisbane headquarters and officials in one of the party's most active branches. Morton was recently appointed to the One Nation national executive, replacing former treasurer Alex Jones. Documents seen by the Guardian show he wrote to the Lilley branch in Brisbane, advising it of federal intervention, which included removing the entire committee of volunteers. This followed a dispute over access to promotional materials and a local fundraiser that raised $12,000 for the party. The conflict began after Morton and Lilley branch coordinator Mark McGuire clashed over access to promotional materials for a different event, prompting Morton to suspend McGuire. Morton stated that McGuire's membership would remain suspended until a formal written apology was received. McGuire told the Guardian he had accessed policy flyers for an event being run by the Brisbane branch. Other volunteer branch members and the president, Deb Dalton, complained about McGuire's treatment, advising head office that the branch committee would cease volunteering in protest. In response, Morton stated that he accepted the board's "resignation," despite the branch members only advising they would stop volunteering. He wrote that the Federal Executive was now intervening in the management of the Lilley branch due to concerns about its functioning and compliance, and that all branch decisions and actions were now subject to direct review and management by the Federal Executive, which reserved the right to overturn any local decision not in the best interest of the Party. Morton also accused the branch of not handing over $12,000 raised at a branch fundraising dinner last year and demanded it be transferred to party headquarters, where it would be controlled by the national executive. He stated that branches were strictly prohibited from maintaining independent bank accounts and that all branch funds, including the $12,000 referred to by Mark McGuire, must be managed centrally. He said he would revoke the membership of all branch committee members and that "ongoing membership is contingent upon the full and transparent return of all party property, financial records, and the $12,000 in raised funds." McGuire told the Guardian that he believed the party's volunteers had been treated unfairly and that the $12,000 had already been paid automatically to central office when people bought tickets. He said the volunteers had been treated with "no procedural fairness and total disrespect" and questioned where the $12,000 was. He added that Morton needed to "stand up and be accountable to show the whole of the branch where the 12 grand is." A One Nation spokesperson said the party "does not provide comment on internal disciplinary actions." The spokesperson added that all branch donations are managed through a microsite that tags funds with the corresponding branch and that branch funds are quarantined for localised campaigns.