2025-02-03
03 February 2025
Political donations data published today by the Australian Electoral Commission shows corporate control over the major parties is rife through donor influence and our dodgy donation laws.
Both the big parties accept huge sums of money from dirty industries with a track record of trying to buy favourable policy outcomes. Only once a year can we find out just how much these powerful industries are paying for their influence on our democracy.
Lines attributable to Greens spokesperson on Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters:
“As becomes clear every February, Australian democracy is still for sale and big corporations are pulling the strings.
“Today’s data once again shows that money talks, with more than $8.5 million in donations pocketed by the big political parties in the last financial year.
“Corporate donations to both big parties is over $260 million in the last ten years.
“The annual disclosure records for the big political parties are littered with donations from big miners, property developers, banks and consultants - the same big corporations who are buying influence for private profits.
“The Liberal’s multimillion dollar investment fund the Cormack Foundation has shares in both Woolworths Group and Coles which returned $52,500 and $172,500 the fund respectively. Woolworths also made an $11,000 donation to Labor last financial year.
“It’s no wonder the big parties aren’t taking action to bring down the cost of groceries when they’re making bank off the back of the big supermarkets’ profits.
“Fossil fuel donations to both big parties continue and it’s no surprise that in return the Albanese government continues to approve new coal and gas projects and give $11 billion of public money every year in fossil fuel subsidies, turbo charging climate destruction.
“The biggest fossil fuel and mining donors are bankrolling a Dutton prime ministership with Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting giving $500,000 to Liberal Parties, and Rio Tinto giving $555,619 and BHP $469,368 to Liberal body Cormack Foundation.
“The Greens will continue to push for a ban on donations from dirty industries seeking to influence government policy - like coal and gas, the banks, big pharma, the pokies and alcohol lobby, tobacco, and weapons manufacturers.
“We’ve had to wait a whole year, and today’s data only shows the tip of the iceberg. Many donations fall below the $16,300 disclosure threshold, and many ‘membership fees’ and cash-for-access event fees are not classed as donations so stay hidden from public view.
“We urgently need real-time donations disclosure so the public can see who is buying influence in the lead up to the federal election, not 20 months afterwards.
“There are the numbers in parliament to pass electoral reforms which can improve transparency, bring in truth in political advertising and genuinely reduce the influence of big money in politics.
“The government needs to decide if it wants a deal with the Liberals to keep the big parties’ coffers flush or have serious talks with the Greens and crossbench to ensure electoral reform improves democracy and doesn’t just prop up the fortunes and war chests of the two big parties.
“Big corporations keep making political donations to the big parties, yet one in three big corporations pay no tax. The Greens will keep Dutton out and push Labor to make the big corporations pay their fair share of tax, to fund the things we all need.