Palmer’s $200m splurge: top political spenders revealed
Major parties and special interest groups have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into political parties and federal elections.
The biggest third-party spender was Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy, which brought in almost $53 million in the May election.
The mining team spent almost $200 million on all its political campaigns in the 2024/25 financial year, according to data released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday.
Mr. Palmer was unable to elect a candidate for his Trumpet Patriots party.
Federal Labor spent more than $71 million in the financial year, including the election, while the federal Liberal Party spent almost $53 million.
The Fed Nationals spent almost $5 million.
The Greens and Victorian branch each spent more than $9 million during the year, while the NSW and Queensland branches spent more than $7 million each.
Trumpets of Patriots splashed out more than $53 million, eclipsing the more than $3.3 million spent by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
The major parties are also supported by their state branches, which spend tens of millions of dollars more throughout the year.
AEC data does not separate the year and election expenditures of major parties, as is the case for third parties.
Conservative advocacy group Advance Australia spent more than $10 million on the election and $13.5 million in political payouts.
The Australian Education Union distributed more than $125 million in the financial year and spent $5.5 million on elections.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions, the busiest union body, spent almost $5.5 million on elections and distributed more than $34 million during the year.
Climate 200, a progressive funding tool that supports independent candidates, paid out almost $26 million and won almost $5 million in the federal election.
Labor won a huge majority with 94 lower house seats, while the coalition fell to 43.
The Greens were all but wiped out in the lower house, losing their leader and three of four seats, but they maintained the balance of power in the Senate.
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