Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy was the nation’s largest political donor last financial year, while a private WA company donated more than $1 million to the group behind the Voice to Parliament referendum’s No campaign.
Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy was the nation’s largest political donor last financial year, while a private Western Australian company donated more than $1 million to the group behind the Voice to Parliament referendum’s 'No' campaign.
Mineralogy, which earns significant royalties from the Sino Iron magnetite project run by China’s CITIC Pacific Mining in the Pilbara, donated more than $7 million to Mr Palmer’s own United Australia Party last financial year.
The spend was almost seven times more than that of WA’s Hadley Holdings Pty Ltd, which contributed $1.02 million to Advance Australia in the lead up to the Voice Referendum.
Advance Australia was the conservative lobby group that led the 'No' campaign.
Hadley Holdings was the nation’s second-highest political donor over the period, and one of only four to spend more than $1 million.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission records show the company, which has been registered since 1968, has two directors: Brian Hadley Anderson and Lena Hilton. It was the largest sole donor to Advance Australia over the period.
Mr Anderson was a well-known owner of car dealerships since the late 1960s, most notably Anderson Ford in Adelaide Terrace.
No other WA organisation made the top 10 of the donors list, released by the Australian Electoral Commission today and showing all donations above $15,200 made to political parties over the 2022-23 financial year.
Sitting just outside the top 10 political donors was professional firm PwC, which contributed the most of the big four consulting firms.
The scandal-hit PwC donated just under $370,000 to political parties in the financial year, close to $150,000 more than the $227,853 donated by the next highest of the firms, EY.
The second highest spend by a WA-based donor came from APM Human Services International, which recorded a series of donations totaling $170,502 to the state and federal branches of both major parties (the majority of which went to federal Labor.
APM, recently in the spotlight when it downgraded its profit expectations for the current financial year, counts former state treasurer Ben Wyatt as an executive director and employs former premier Mark McGowan as an adviser.
The company recorded donations totaling $121,020 to federal Labor and $26,120 to the party’s state division. It also reported donations worth $11,000 to the Liberal Party WA and $12,362 to the federal Liberal Party.
The donations were lodged on behalf of a range of the human services company’s subsidiary companies.
APM's core business is the delivery of employment, disability and allied health services on behalf of governments at state and federal level.
Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting made a $150,000 donation to the Liberal Party.
Perth-based Bryant Macfie, who is aligned with conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, donated $100,000 to Advance Australia.
Oil and gas plays were also active in terms of political donations.
Woodside Energy donated $97,750, split across the Liberal, Labor and Nationals parties in WA and federally.
The ALP received $43,400 in donations from the Scarborough energy project developer, followed by WA Labor, which received $24,750.
The Nationals Party of Australia received $14,700 and The Nationals WA received $7,000.
Woodside donated $11,580 to the WA division of the Liberal Party and $8,500 to the federal division.
INPEX and Chevron were not far behind, with each reporting political donations on either side of $87,000.
INPEX’s donations were spread across Liberal and Labor, and Chevron Australia’s were made to the state and federal divisions of the Liberal, Labor and Nationals parties.
Industry group Australian Energy Producers chipped in a further $109,050 across the three parties on the sector’s behalf, including a $5,000 donation to the Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party.
Nigel Satterley’s Satterley Property Group donated more than $50,000 to political parties over the period, including $27,680 to WA Labor and a further $24,979 to federal Labor.
Satterley also reported a $100 donation to the WA Liberal Party.
Corporate affairs agency Corporate Affairs Australia made a series of donations to state and federal divisions of Labor, totalling $51,092.
Coogee Chemicals, owned by the Martin family, donated $20,000 to Advance Australia.
More than $28 million worth of donations were registered across the political parties in 2022-23.
That total could soon factor in more numbers. While not applied to the 2022-23 data, the Albanese government plans to reduce the disclosure thresholds for political donation disclosures, following the lead of the state government.
