Major Parties Spend Big However Clive Palmer Goes Larger
Clive Palmer invested more on political marketing in the last monetary year than the two significant parties combined, contribution records reveal.
Mr Palmer's Mineralogy pumped nearly $53 million into last May's federal election, according to Australian Electoral Commission data released on Monday.
The mining outfit invested almost $200 million on all its political campaigning in the 2024/25 fiscal year, however 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 monetary year and spent nearly $160 million.
The then-coalition, that included Liberal and National state branches along with a joint branch in Queensland and the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory, got more than $220 million and invested nearly $215 million.
The Greens received almost $36 million and spent more than $40 million while One Nation got and invested just over $3.3 million.
The AEC information does not different major-party spending for the year and the election as it does for 3rd parties.
Conservative advocacy outfit Advance Australia invested more than $10 million on the election and made $13.5 million in political payments.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting pumped practically $900,000 into Advance in a year.
Progressive advocacy group GetUp raised concerns about rich donors propping up right-wing campaign attire like Advance, which claimed to be a grassroots movement.
The Australian Education Union invested $5.5 million on the election, the Australian Council of Trade Unions practically $5.5 million, the mining and energy union $3.8 million and the United Workers Union $1.5 million.
Progressive financing car Climate 200, which backs independent prospects, spent $5 million in the federal election while Better Australia, established to campaign against the teal independents, invested more than $1.2 million.
Labor protected a massive majority with 94 lower home seats, while the coalition slipped to 43.
2024-25 monetary disclosure returns are now survive on the Transparency Registerhttps:// t.co/ A6LbFXu2WH https://t.co/rqe1khhIVk
- AEC (@AusElectoralCom) February 1, 2026
The federal election was the last to feature uncapped costs and contributions before reforms, consisting of spending caps, entered into result in mid-2026.
Major celebrations will just be able to invest $90 million on elections nationwide while third-party groups will be restricted to $11 million.
The Australia Institute criticised the ramped-up money splashes and while director Bill Browne welcomed election reforms, he stated they didn't go far enough as there were loopholes that suggested cash payments to major parties might go undetected.
This suggested Australians would be left in the dark about who was buying access to political leaders, he stated.
"Even with enhanced donation disclosure guidelines, there will be cash-for-access payments that Australians never discover," he said.
Greens democracy spokeswoman Steph Hodgins-May criticised Labor and the Liberals for taking cash from fossil fuel, gambling and pharmaceutical business in addition to the significant banks, linking a lack of policy action to the business' impact over the federal government.
SportsBet, Tabcorp and gambling lobby Responsible Wagering Australia gave a combined $166,500 to Labor and $92,500 to the Liberals.
Major donors mostly hedged their bets in between Labor and the union.
Pratt Holdings, led by billionaire business person Anthony Pratt, provided Labor $2 million and the Liberal Party $1 million.
Labor $100,000 and the Liberals $500,000 while the Pharmacy Guild gave Labor $245,000 and the union $73,000.
Oryxium, an investment firm linked to business person Frank Lowy, contributed $1.8 million to the Liberals, while DoorDash provided the celebration $780,000.
The food delivery company likewise gave $124,000 to Labor.
Fox Group, headed by trucking giant and billionaire Lindsay Fox, gave the Liberals $500,000 and the Labor Party practically $540,000.
Mining business Adani offered $640,000 to the Liberals, while Hancock Prospecting gave the Liberals' Victorian branch $105,000.