Steve Dickson's visit to a strip club teaches us two things about One Nation

Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson has created something of a historic moment by quitting the party before election to public office, rather than after as has become traditional.

Pauline Hanson confirmed on Tuesday morning that Mr Dickson — who was identified as the star of A Current Affair's long-teased "scoop" about a married politician busted for visiting a strip club — had offered his resignation, and that she had accepted it.

The dramatic development has achieved two things.

First, it smashes Fraser Anning's previous record for defecting from One Nation on his very first day as a senator.

Quitting before the election is even over (but after the ballot papers have been printed, allowing his name to sail on like the Marie Celeste, undeniable and yet still unelectable) is an achievement that will forever belong to Mr Dickson.

Second, the incident provides fascinating insights into where — on the spectrum of human behaviour — Pauline Hanson draws the line.

Past experience indicates that phone-chucking, physical scuffling, burka-wearing, jiggery-pokery with a light aircraft and getting shickered while buddying up to the NRA and gathering tips on how to generate positive publicity from mass shootings are all on the OK side of the line.

Talking dirty at a strip club, however, is taking things too far.

Two men walked into a strip club

Now you might think that going to a strip club is unremarkable. Kevin Rudd, of course, not only survived but flourished after a similar revelation during the 2007 campaign; he, like Mr Dickson, reported that he had telephoned his wife the morning after and made a full confession.

So far, so unremarkable, particularly when you consider that — compared to Mr Dickson's other recent exploits — a few hours sinking beers and leering at pneumatic young women in a seamy DC club probably registers toward the lower end of the scandal-o-meter.

The difference, however, is a live mike.

And the club footage — leaked to Nine's A Current Affair from Al Jazeera, which had previously aired Mr Dickson plotting to seize the balance of power "which very simply means that we have the testicles of the Government in our hand at every given stage" — is not pleasant viewing at all.

One Nation's moral tipping point

"I've had more Asian than I know what to do with," confides Mr Dickson at one point, while reviewing the merits of the performers.

"I think white women f**k a whole lot better, they know what they're doing. Asian chicks don't."

Perhaps misunderstanding the ground rules of such establishments, Mr Dickson expresses his view that a particular dancer is "keen" on him, then invites her to … well, let's just say he invites her to seize the balance of power.

On Tuesday morning, he declared himself ashamed of his behaviour and Senator Hanson said she would be horrified if any of her sons spoke about women in such terms.

Which means that Mr Dickson joins the One Nation out-pile and Senator Hanson finds herself with a pile of orange "I'm Sticking With Steve" T-shirts she'll probably now have to sell to cricket fans on eBay.

Mopping up the mess

Senator Hanson did implore Australian voters on Tuesday morning to look to her party's record, which is worth doing, especially since it's 20 years now that the party's been winning seats in Australian elections.

In that time, 32 One Nation candidates have been elected to Australian parliaments.

Of those, 19 quit the party within the first year (for details, see this excellent potted history by the ABC's Antony Green).

Eight are presently in office (including the newly-elected Mark Latham in NSW, who is to political parties as Zsa Zsa Gabor was to rich dudes). Two were disqualified from the Senate. Two served a full term for One Nation and were voted out.

And one person — only one — has ever been re-elected as a One Nation member of parliament: Rosa Lee Long, who sat in the Queensland Parliament from 2001-2009, serving as the party's leader for most of that time.

Ms Long is a standout performer in terms of One Nation longevity; it's fair to say that One Nation MPs tend to be there for a good time, not a long time — as Mr Dickson may or may not have reflected in a rare off-mike moment, as he entered the club.