Major Parties Spend Big However Clive Palmer Goes Larger

Clive Palmer spent more on political campaigning in the last fiscal year than the two combined, donation records show.


Mr Palmer's Mineralogy pumped nearly $53 million into last May's federal election, according to Australian Electoral Commission data launched on Monday.


The mining attire invested nearly $200 million on all its political campaigning in the 2024/25 fiscal year, but the billionaire stopped working to get any candidates from his Trumpet of Patriots party elected.


The Labor Party and all its state and area branches received more than $150 million in the fiscal year and spent practically $160 million.


The then-coalition, which included Liberal and National state branches in addition to a joint branch in Queensland and the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory, got more than $220 million and invested almost $215 million.


The Greens received nearly $36 million and invested more than $40 million while One Nation received 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 clothing Advance Australia invested more than $10 million on the election and made $13.5 million in political payments.


Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting pumped nearly $900,000 into Advance in a year.


Progressive advocacy group GetUp raised issues about rich donors propping up conservative project clothing like Advance, which declared to be a grassroots motion.


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, invested $5 million in the federal election while Better Australia, set up to project versus the teal independents, spent more than $1.2 million.


Labor secured a huge bulk with 94 lower house seats, while the coalition slipped to 43.


2024-25 financial disclosure returns are now reside 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 spending and donations before reforms, including spending caps, entered into result in mid-2026.


Major celebrations will just have the ability 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 indicated money payments to significant celebrations could go undetected.


This implied Australians would be left in the dark about who was purchasing access to political leaders, he said.


"Even with enhanced contribution disclosure guidelines, there will be cash-for-access payments that Australians never ever discover," he stated.


Greens democracy spokesperson Steph Hodgins-May criticised Labor and the Liberals for taking money from nonrenewable fuel source, betting and pharmaceutical business in addition to the major banks, linking an absence of policy action to the companies' influence over the federal government.


SportsBet, Tabcorp and betting lobby Responsible Wagering Australia offered a combined $166,500 to Labor and $92,500 to the Liberals.


Major donors largely hedged their bets in between Labor and the coalition.


Pratt Holdings, led by billionaire business owner Anthony Pratt, provided 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 union $73,000.


Oryxium, a financial investment company linked to business owner Frank Lowy, contributed $1.8 million to the Liberals, while DoorDash offered the celebration $780,000.


The food shipment business also provided $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 offered $640,000 to the Liberals, while Hancock Prospecting offered the Liberals' Victorian branch $105,000.