The Australian Electoral Commission's latest political donations disclosures have generated a lot of comment. The single largest donation, $1,000,000 from Lord Ashcroft to the Liberals, was also the most controversial: Ashcroft is a former treasurer, and current Deputy Chairman of the British Conservative Party but also, controversially, holds dual nationality from Britain and the tax haven of Belize, for which he was the permanent representative at the UN. Concern was expressed in Britain about his role in politics there, given his continuing close relationship with a foreign government. Despite claims by the Liberals that Lord Ashcroft has a close affinity with Australia, it seems that he has no particular association with it beyond that of keen visitor. His contribution has naturally raised questions about the role of foreign donations to political parties in Australia.
Crikey has carried a more detailed analysis of the disclosures, including a list of the largest ten donors to Labor and the Liberals:
10 Largest Donors to Liberals
Lord Michael Ashcroft KCMG - $1,000,000.00
Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd - $200,000.00
Pratt Holdings Pty Ltd - $200,000.00
Village Roadshow Limited - $200,000.00
Croissy Pty Limited - $175,000.00
ANZ Banking Group Ltd - $100,000.00
Mistral International Pty Ltd - $100,000.00
Walker Corporation Pty Ltd - $100,000.00
Wesfarmers Ltd - $100,000.00
JP Morgan Administrative Services Pty Ltd - $82,500.00
Total Receipts: $29,477,988.00
10 Largest Donors to Labor
CFMEU Mining & Energy Division - $470,000.00
Shop Distributive & Allied Employees' Association - $300,000.00
CFMEU Construction & General Division, National Office - $200,000.00
Village Roadshow Limited - $200,000.00
Westfield Capital Corporation Ltd - $175,000.00
Canberra Tradesmen's Union Club - $120,000.00
AMWU - $100,000.00
Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd - $100,000.00
Pratt Holdings Pty Ltd - $100,000.00
Network Ten Pty Limited - $75,000.00
Total receipts: $29,989,686.00
In The Age, Joo-Cheong Tham, of Melbourne University's Law School and the co-author of the Democratic Audit of Australia's forthcoming report on Political Finance, criticises the role of corporate funding of political parties. He argues that at both State and Federal level, the parties are becoming dangerously reliant on corporate funding, and calls for tighter regulations around disclosure.
In the Sydney Morning Herald , Elisabeth Sexton argues that, in spite of the deluge of information from the AEC, the disclosures are still opaque and important information can remain hidden. |
