The West Australian Liberals are investigating an apparent failure to declare a $25,000 donation from the casino giant Crown in their 2014-15 disclosures.
The donation is among hundreds of thousands of dollars that records show were directed by gambling interests into major party coffers.
The latest donations data, covering the 2014-15 financial year, also show the persistence of tobacco money in the system, with Philip Morris directing more than $10,000 to the Nationals, the only major party to still accept such funding.
In the lead-up to Victoria’s 2014 election, James Packer denied suggestions he would “kick every goal” for Labor’s Daniel Andrews, and sure enough money from Crown favoured the Coalition.
The Victorian ALP declared $39,000 from the gambling giant while the Victorian Liberals received about $46,000 – which the party classified as an “other receipt”.
While the AEC calls any sum of money given to a political party a donation, parties are able to classify amounts as “donation” or “other receipt” at their own discretion, where other receipt may refer to anything from financial returns from investments, to payment for membership fees or event tickets in lieu of donations.
The 2014-15 financial year saw the announcement and passage through Victoria’s parliament of an extension to Crown’s license, which controversially insured the casino chain against any losses tied to future gambling-safety regulation. The deal won bipartisan support.
In Western Australia, the site of Crown’s other Australian casino, Crown Resorts Limited declared total donations of $57,156 to the WA Liberals. The Liberal party declared only $25,000 as an “other receipt” from Crown-affiliated company Burswood. The state secretary Andrew Cox told Guardian Australia he was “investigating the discrepancy”.
Crown gave WA Labor about $25,000. The WA Nationals took in $11,946, just under the disclosure threshold.
Also under the threshold was the Australian clubs’ lobby’s only direct donation to an electorate fighting fund: $10,000 in May to Kevin Andrews, the former social services minister who allowed the ClubsNSW chief, Anthony Ball, to appear in a video announcing the Coalition’s gambling policy before the 2013 election.
The donation is only known because ClubsNSW chooses to disclose donations above and below the legal threshold of $12,000. It did not appear on the Liberal party’s disclosure sheet.
The South Australian ALP was given more than $18,000 by the state branch of the Australian Hotels Association, their Liberal counterparts receiving a similar amount. Neither party needed to declare these funds, according to Australian Electoral Commission rules, as they were given in increments less than $12,000.
SA Labor also received $120,000 from Mallen’s Colac Hotel, a pub licensor and investment fund associated with the political party, which officials said has since been closed.
Federally the hotels’ lobby spread its money around the major parties, giving $180,000 to the Liberals, $50,000 to the Nationals and $150,000 to Labor.
In New South Wales, where the state Liberal party has signed a memorandum of understanding on gambling policy with ClubsNSW – and relaxed pokies regulations since it was elected in 2012 – almost $30,000 was directed by the clubs’ lobby to premier Mike Baird’s party. It was classified by the NSW Liberals as an “other receipt”.
Another $15,000 was given by the clubs to NSW Labor (specifically their federal campaign account), while the federal branch of the party also received a $66,000 in “subscriptions” – defined by the Australian Electoral Commission as party memberships or other levies.
The Australian Wagering Council, which protects the interests of bookmakers, gave more than $20,000 to the Labor party, classified by the ALP as an “other receipt”.
