Clive Palmer spent more on political campaigning in the last financial year than the two major parties combined, donation records show.
Mr Palmer's Mineralogy pumped almost $53 million into last May's federal election, according to Australian Electoral Commission data released on Monday.
The mining outfit spent almost $200 million on all its political campaigning in the 2024/25 financial year, but the billionaire failed to get any candidates from his Trumpet of Patriots party elected.
The Labor Party and all its state and territory branches received more than $150 million in the financial year and spent almost $160 million.
The then-coalition, which included Liberal and National state branches as well as a joint branch in Queensland and the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory, received more than $220 million and spent almost $215 million.
The Greens received almost $36 million and spent more than $40 million while One Nation received and spent just over $3.3 million.
The AEC data doesn't separate major-party spending for the year and the election as it does for third parties.
Conservative advocacy outfit Advance Australia spent more than $10 million on the election and made $13.5 million in political payments.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting pumped almost $900,000 into Advance in a year.
Progressive advocacy group GetUp raised concerns about wealthy donors propping up right-wing campaign outfits like Advance, which claimed to be a grassroots movement.
The Australian Education Union spent $5.5 million on the election, the Australian Council of Trade Unions almost $5.5 million, the mining and energy union $3.8 million and the United Workers Union $1.5 million.
Progressive funding vehicle Climate 200, which backs independent candidates, spent $5 million in the federal election while Better Australia, set up to campaign against the teal independents, spent more than $1.2 million.
Labor secured a massive majority with 94 lower house seats, while the coalition slipped to 43.
The federal election was the last to feature uncapped spending and donations before reforms, including spending caps, come into effect in mid-2026.
Major parties will only be able to spend $90 million on elections nationwide while third-party groups will be limited to $11 million.
The Australia Institute criticised the ramped-up cash splashes and while director Bill Browne welcomed election reforms, he said they didn't go far enough as there were loopholes that meant cash payments to major parties could go undetected.
This meant Australians would be left in the dark about who was buying access to politicians, he said.
"Even with improved donation disclosure rules, there will be cash-for-access payments that Australians never find out about," he said.
Greens democracy spokeswoman Steph Hodgins-May criticised Labor and the Liberals for taking money from fossil fuel, gambling and pharmaceutical companies as well as the major banks, linking a lack of policy action to the companies' influence over the government.
SportsBet, Tabcorp and gambling lobby Responsible Wagering Australia gave a combined $166,500 to Labor and $92,500 to the Liberals.
Major donors largely hedged their bets between Labor and the coalition.
Pratt Holdings, led by billionaire businessman Anthony Pratt, gave Labor $2 million and the Liberal Party $1 million.
Meriton gave Labor $100,000 and the Liberals $500,000 while the Pharmacy Guild gave Labor $245,000 and the coalition $73,000.
Oryxium, an investment company linked to businessman Frank Lowy, donated $1.8 million to the Liberals, while DoorDash gave the party $780,000.
The food delivery company also gave $124,000 to Labor.
Fox Group, headed by trucking giant and billionaire Lindsay Fox, gave the Liberals $500,000 and the Labor Party almost $540,000.
Mining company Adani gave $640,000 to the Liberals, while Hancock Prospecting gave the Liberals' Victorian branch $105,000.
