Clive Palmer’s mining company tops political donations list with $116 million last financial year

Clive Palmer’s company, Mineralogy, was the only greatest political donor last financial year, pouring $116 million into the Queensland businessman’s United Australia Occasion (UAP).

Key factors:

• Clive Palmer’s company spent extra on political donations than it did on the earlier election
• Each the Labor and Liberal events every acquired greater than $100 million in donations
• Unbiased David Pocock acquired about $1.7 million in his profitable marketing campaign within the ACT

The file spend for the company was revealed within the Australian Electoral Fee’s annual dump of political donations knowledge, which takes within the 2022 federal election.

That election delivered only one seat for the UAP — a senator from Victoria. 

Labor declared simply over $124 million in donations and “other payments’, with Anthony Pratt’s company Pratt Holdings revealed as the ALP’s single biggest donor, contributing $1.75 million towards the party’s election campaign.

That was followed closely by the CFMEU and ETU which each tipped $1 million into Labor Party coffers.

Mr Pratt, Australia’s billionaire cardboard king, spent practically $4 million forward of the 2022 election, making him one of many nation’s greatest political donors, contributing $1.35 million to the Liberal Occasion and $250,000 to the Nationals.

The Liberals’ fundraising vehicle, the Cormack Foundation, donated $3 million to the party, which declared more than $105.6 million in donations last financial year.

Other notable donors include Sydney restaurateur Justin Hemmes, who tipped $300,000 into the Liberal’s unsuccessful re-election campaign.

The Greens received more than $22 million, with investor Duncan Turpie revealed as the party’s single biggest donor, contributing $334,000 last financial year.

Climate 200, which helped bankroll several “teal” independents, chipped $856,382 into David Pocock’s profitable ACT senate marketing campaign, which declared a complete of $1.7 million in donations.

Senator Pocock used the release of today’s AEC data to again call for electoral donation reform to limit the influence of cashed-up entities on political parties.

“Donations are essential to run a marketing campaign however I put pointers in place for my marketing campaign donations and who I’d settle for donations from,” he said in a statement.

“As we speak we see that the key events as soon as once more accepted a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} price of donations from fossil gasoline corporations, builders, banks, alcohol and playing corporations and their representatives — individuals with clear vested pursuits in key nationwide coverage debates.”

Analysis by Market Forces — which aims to expose companies’ links with fossil fuels — found oil and gas companies donated “a whopping” $2 million to the major political parties last financial year.

This money, according to research coordinator Axel Dalman was “clearly geared toward sweetening offers to broaden coal, oil and fuel manufacturing”.

Centre for Public Integrity has also reviewed the data and found total campaign spending for the 2022 federal election topped $439.4 million, with Mineralogy, Climate 200 and Pratt Holdings rounding out the top 3 donors.

“Ten people have given 77 per cent of the donations to events and people,” centre director and retired judge Anthony Whealy KC said.

“Given the reliance that the key events have on these prime donors, there’s a actual threat that they obtain particular entry and yield undue affect on our resolution makers.”

Political parties and associated entities are required by law to publicly declare any donations over $14,500, and by law they must disclose these donations annually and within 15 weeks of an election.

Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is considering a raft of changes to these rules, including forcing parties to declare any donations over $1,000, disclosing donations in real time and putting caps on the amount of money parties can spend.

Whereas Mr Palmer’s spending will probably gasoline the push for spending caps, the proposal has beforehand been criticised by the Liberal Occasion and Local weather 200 convener Simon Holmes a Court docket, who has warned it might maintain out newcomers.