Big Players in Gambling and Tobacco Industries Make Major Political Bets Amid Parliament Discussions on Donation Limitations
New returns detail the amount received by Australian political parties.
As federal Parliament reconvenes, the debate on whether stricter limits should be imposed on political party donations continues.
The government and opposition are at a standstill regarding appropriate limits on donations and expenditures. Critics argue that proposed reforms aim to make it more challenging for independent and third parties to raise funds.
Recent returns filed with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for 2023/24 show that the Australian Labor Party received over $15 million, the Liberals received more than $11 million, the Nationals received $2.5 million, and the Greens received $4.8 million at a federal level.
The Labor Party’s major donors included the Australian taxpayer, granting the party $1.1 million through an AEC grant based on the number of votes received. Pratt Holdings, owned by billionaire Anthony Pratt, donated $1 million, surpassing other major donations such as $121,000 from the Pharmacy Guild and $88,000 each from Private Healthcare Australia and Sportsbet.
Tobacco, Gambling Companies Lead
The Liberals also received a $1.1 million grant from the taxpayer, along with significant donations from companies like Meriton Property Services and the Greenfields Foundation. The Nationals received their largest contribution of $720,000 from the National Policy Forum.
Among the largest membership fees in 2023/24 were contributions from tobacco companies Philip Morris and British American Tobacco, miner Adani, Tabcorp, and Responsible Wagering Australia.
The Greens’ primary federal donors were their Victorian, Queensland, and New South Wales branches, as well as a substantial donation from Duncan Turpie.
Climate200 Gets $2 Million From Share Traders
Climate200 reported total receipts of $6 million, with significant contributions from share traders Marcus Catsaras and Keldoulis Investments.
The proposed reforms include reducing the threshold for declared donations, limiting individual candidate spending, capping federal spending for non-political parties, and increasing AEC funding per vote for political parties.
