Technology, fossil fuels and financial sector donors gave millions to Australian political parties ahead of the 2025 election, while lobby groups, gambling firms and hotels companies also chipped in.
Analysis of Australian Electoral Commission data from the 2024-25 financial year found companies and individuals with interests in the tech sector donated more than $13m to the Labor, Liberal and Greens parties.
Mining, resources and fossil fuel companies donated more than $10m, rising to $62m if Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy – which donated solely to his Trumpet of Patriots party – is included.
In total, donors gave $131m before the election.
The AEC’s release of the financial disclosure reports for the period covering the May election found a record amount of donations made to the major parties, as well as a record in terms of all money declared.
The amount of political donations declared by donors totals $131m, but the actual amount donated to political parties and other groups is likely far more. This total only includes donations over the reporting threshold of $16,900, or donations below this that have been optionally declared. For comparison, the total amount of money from any source received by major political parties in 2024-25 was $421m.
AEC records show mining magnate Clive Palmer was again the country’s largest single donor, giving his own Trumpet of Patriots just over $53m, while Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting donated almost $900,000 to rightwing political campaign outfit Advance. Coal Australia, a lobby group for that sector, funded nearly entirely the Australians for Prosperity campaign group that attacked Labor, the Greens and teal independent candidates at the election.
But the source of more than $138m in donations to Australian political parties remains unknown, thanks to contributions that fall below the disclosure threshold in the federal electoral system that are known as “dark money”.
Guardian Australia analysis of the AEC data shows that, excluding the donations from Palmer’s Mineralogy which all went to the Trumpet of Patriots, fossil fuel and resources companies sent $10m in total to the Labor, Liberal and Nationals parties, as well as third-party campaign groups.
Coal Australia gave $5.4m, mostly to campaign groups including Australians for Prosperity and Jobs for Mining Communities, but also several small donations to the Liberal National Party of Queensland ($50,000), the National Party ($44,000), the Australian Labor party ($5,000) and Labor’s QLD branch ($2,500).
Hancock Prospecting gave $895,000 to Advance and $105,000 to the Victorian Liberal branch. The Minerals Council of Australia gave $1m in total, in a series of donations to Labor, Liberals and the Nationals, as well as the Jacqui Lambie Network.
Adani Mining contributed $842,500, while resources companies like Inpex, Santos, Tamboran, Ampol and Chevron all gave over $100,000 each, spread across the major parties.
Benefactors who made their fortune in technology were among the biggest individual contributors. Pamela Wall donated more than $5.2m to the Liberal Party in South Australia, while Atlassian co-founders Scott Farquhar ($1.5m) and Mike Cannon-Brookes ($1.3m) helped bankroll Climate 200, which backs independent candidates.
Food delivery app DoorDash contributed $877,000 in total, including $785,000 to the Liberals and $92,500 to Labor.
Gambling companies Sportsbet ($143,000), Tabcorp ($131,500) and The Lottery Corporation ($123,000) also kicked in substantial amounts, spread across the Labor, Liberal and National parties.
Edward James Craven, the Melbourne billionaire who co-founded online casino Stake, contributed $315,000 to Labor’s Victorian branch. Reclusive mathematician and professional gambler Duncan Turpie donated $1.05m to the Greens.
Banking and financial companies like Macquarie Group ($205,000), Westpac ($193,000), Commonwealth Bank ($174,000), also tipped in contributions to the major parties, as did cryptocurrency firms Coinbase ($230,000) and Swyftx ($201,000).
Major consulting firms KPMG, Deloitte and Ernst & Young, which enjoy large contracts from government for services, also contributed over $100,000 each, spread across Labor and Liberal parties.
Alcohol groups Endeavour ($184,000) and Lion ($130,000) spread their donations across the major parties. Hemmes Trading, owned by Sydney nightlife baron Justin Hemmes, put $312,000 to the Liberal Party.
The Australian Hotels Association’s various branches spread major amounts across the parties, with its NSW branch contributing $858,000, its South Australian branch $333,000, and its federal branch $314,000 in total.
