One Nation senator Brian Burston will attend the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump after his party was specially invited by the Trump Inaugural Committee.
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Senator Burston told Fairfax Media two tickets were arranged through Darren Brady Nelson, a former Team Trump adviser who now works for fellow One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson revealed the gift on Twitter on Monday, but said she would not attend due to domestic commitments, including the upcoming Western Australia election.
"I thought about it for a minute, it would be a fantastic opportunity, but I've got too much happening in Australia," she told News Corp.
Instead, Senator Burston will attend the January 20 ceremony on One Nation's behalf. The New South Wales senator said Mr Trump's victory represented a global shift towards the right-wing.
"I won a few bottles of champagne on him actually," he said. "I'm a little bit of a fan. We'll see how he now performs as President."
Senator Burston said he would pay for flights and accommodation out of his own pocket, amid the latest iteration of anger over parliamentarians' travel expenses that claimed the scalp of former health minister Sussan Ley and prompted an overhaul of the entitlements system.
The inauguration ceremony is open to the public but tickets to the parade and Inaugural Ball can be difficult to come by, especially at this late stage, with Democratic members of the US House of Representatives having trouble securing seats according to US news site Politico.
Senator Hanson's chief adviser, James Ashby, said the Trump camp, including the President-elect himself, were aware that One Nation and Senator Hanson were big supporters of his agenda. The party's economic protectionism and anti-immigrant positions align closely with policies espoused by Mr Trump.
Mr Ashby said he had been aware of the invitation since Friday. It was unclear whether the gift included special tickets for the inauguration parade or the official Inaugural Ball. A spokesman for Senator Hanson said more information would be released later.
Tickets for inauguration events are managed by Mr Trump's Presidential Inaugural Committee, which consists largely of casino owners and resources industry figures, and is chaired by real estate tycoon Thomas Barrack jnr.
Senator Hanson, Senator Roberts and Mr Nelson - the former Team Trump adviser who arranged the special invitation - celebrated Mr Trump's election victory in November by cracking open champagne outside Parliament House.
In December, fellow Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts spent a week in the US and met with several Trump advisers including staffers to the incoming attorney-general Jeff Sessions, climate change sceptics and other lobbyists.
A ReachTEL poll conducted last week found One Nation had surged above the Greens in popular support, commanding a primary vote of 9.7 per cent compared to 8.9 per cent for the Greens according to the survey of 2126 voters.
