Australia's 2025 federal election saw record-high spending in political donations, exceeding nearly $215 million by the major parties, with Labor trailing behind at around $160 million. Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting contributed nearly $900,000 to right-wing campaign group Advance, despite its opposition to climate policies and immigration reform.
In contrast, billionaire Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots received over $53 million from his company Mineralogy, making it the largest single donor in 2024-25. Palmer also donated to his United Australia party, but neither party secured seats. Labor, on the other hand, received significant backing from high-profile donors such as Fox Group and Pratt Holdings.
The Liberal and National parties collectively spent over $215 million before the election, largely driven by large donations from coal mining companies like Coal Australia and Hancock Prospecting. Lobby groups also made substantial contributions, including Advance and Climate 200. However, changes to political donation rules are set to limit major spenders' influence and increase transparency.
Reclusive mathematician Duncan Turpie donated $1.05 million to the Greens, a party he has supported in recent years. The party's pro-climate action offshoot, Climate 200, secured significant funding from high-net-worth individuals, including Atlassian co-founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes.
The data highlights the significant influence of powerful donors on Australian politics, with some backing groups and parties that may be seen as opposing their interests. As new donation rules take effect in 2028, the landscape is likely to change further, potentially limiting the ability of major spenders like Rinehart and Palmer to bankroll candidates.
A number of high-profile companies also made significant donations, including food delivery app DoorDash and Adelaide philanthropist Pamela Wall's Codan. The Liberal party received over $1.8 million from investment company Oryxium linked to Frank Lowy and over $785,000 from DoorDash.
Meanwhile, Pauline Hanson's One Nation recorded nearly $2.6 million in total receipts but revealed just $152,000 in donations due to the new reporting threshold. The changes will increase transparency and limit major spenders' influence, potentially shifting the balance of power in Australian politics.
In contrast, billionaire Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots received over $53 million from his company Mineralogy, making it the largest single donor in 2024-25. Palmer also donated to his United Australia party, but neither party secured seats. Labor, on the other hand, received significant backing from high-profile donors such as Fox Group and Pratt Holdings.
The Liberal and National parties collectively spent over $215 million before the election, largely driven by large donations from coal mining companies like Coal Australia and Hancock Prospecting. Lobby groups also made substantial contributions, including Advance and Climate 200. However, changes to political donation rules are set to limit major spenders' influence and increase transparency.
Reclusive mathematician Duncan Turpie donated $1.05 million to the Greens, a party he has supported in recent years. The party's pro-climate action offshoot, Climate 200, secured significant funding from high-net-worth individuals, including Atlassian co-founders Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes.
The data highlights the significant influence of powerful donors on Australian politics, with some backing groups and parties that may be seen as opposing their interests. As new donation rules take effect in 2028, the landscape is likely to change further, potentially limiting the ability of major spenders like Rinehart and Palmer to bankroll candidates.
A number of high-profile companies also made significant donations, including food delivery app DoorDash and Adelaide philanthropist Pamela Wall's Codan. The Liberal party received over $1.8 million from investment company Oryxium linked to Frank Lowy and over $785,000 from DoorDash.
Meanwhile, Pauline Hanson's One Nation recorded nearly $2.6 million in total receipts but revealed just $152,000 in donations due to the new reporting threshold. The changes will increase transparency and limit major spenders' influence, potentially shifting the balance of power in Australian politics.
. Like, I get that billionaires have more cash, but shouldn't our politicians be making decisions for the people, not just their favorite donors? 
It's weird to see Gina Rinehart pumping millions into groups that go against her own interests, and Clive Palmer doing the same... it feels like a pretty blatant conflict of interest. 
I'm not sure how much of a difference it'll make when the biggest spenders can still dish out tens of millions at a time. 
, have you seen this? Billionaires are throwing money around like it's going out of style! I mean, Clive Palmer's company Mineralogy is like a one-man donation machine - $53 million to Trumpet of Patriots alone? That's more than the entire Australian government budget for some years! And Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting is like the ultimate "I'm rich and I don't care" donor. Like, what's up with that? 
I mean, have you seen those numbers? Nearly $215 million in campaign spending by the big parties alone is just mind-boggling 
. And to think that Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer are among them... yeah, it raises some eyebrows 
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. The Greens' new donation rules are a good start, though - at least it'll make it harder for those with ulterior motives to sway the system 
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and it got me thinking about how they have these amazing tent sets that are literally giant structures 
. I mean, who needs politics when you've got icing and sprinkles, right? 
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. It's all about covering up who's really in charge here 
. The fact that these companies are making large donations to both major parties and lobby groups is just too much. It's like they're all in on some kind of secret game 
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. We need more accountability and less influence from these powerful donors 
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with different slices representing parties... Australia's 2025 federal election showed us how some slices were REALLY big 
! And Labor got help from companies like Fox Group and Pratt Holdings 
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. One thing's for sure: math whiz Duncan Turpie donated a lot of money to the Greens 
, and some high-net-worth individuals are supporting Climate 200 
seems weird that big companies like DoorDash are getting into politics 
. And don't even get me started on the fact that they're opposing policies that affect their own interests, you know? Like, it's not fair that they get to influence politics without having to put in any of their own hard-earned cash 
. That's just plain sketchy. But on the other hand, I'm glad that there are some people like Duncan Turpie who are donating to parties that actually care about climate change and social justice 
. And what about all these anonymous donors? Who are they and why can't we know their identity? It's like, transparency is key, you know? 
It's like, what even is the point of having a fair election if some billionaires can just buy their way into power? 
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. I hope the new donation rules bring more transparency and take away some of that influence