The year that donations dried up
By Michael Evans | smh.com.au | 03 February
The banks, gaming and leisure, construction and energy companies feature prominently on the list of political donors for 2008-09, released yesterday.
As the banks faced the worst of the credit crisis - and received a deposit guarantee and the use of the government's triple-A rating - the likes of Macquarie Group, Westpac, ANZ and Commonwealth Bank all featured as donors.
Macquarie, which regularly pitches for privatised infrastructure concessions, contributed close to $200,000 spread almost evenly across the political divide. Westpac donated more than $120,000 slightly favouring Labor, the ANZ $100,000 split evenly, and the Commonwealth Bank about $25,000.
"We're just supporting the political process," Lisa Jamieson, a spokeswoman for Macquarie Group, said.
A spokesman for Westpac, David Lording, said: "We don't make cash donations - we make donations to attend functions. We just do it because government is an important part of the economy, and we're interested in hearing their views and giving our views, but they're functions and not cash donations."
The Australian Electoral Commission detailed a 60 per cent fall in donations for the year, citing the political cycle. The 2008-09 year also coincided with the worst of the uncertainty surrounding the global financial crisis.
Political donations are keenly watched as an indication of which corporations and wealthy individuals may be lobbying government policy. Noticeable by their absence, however, were major companies such as Qantas, Telstra, BHP Billiton and the National Australia Bank.
The gaming and leisure sector, seen as susceptible to government regulation, featured prominently, with Tabcorp, Crown and the likes of Clubs NSW donating. Tabcorp, the owner of Sydney's Star City casino, donated nearly $250,000, including $110,000 to the NSW branch of the ALP.
James Packer's Crown Casino donated $63,000 spread across the political divide.
The Australian Hotels Association donated more than $300,000, mostly to the ALP. Australia Leisure and Hospitality, the Woolworths pub joint venture with Bruce Mathieson, donated $20,000 to each side of politics.
Construction and development companies also featured prominently, including Leighton Holdings which through its various subsidiaries donated just short of $500,000. The Queensland developer Springfield Land Corp donated more than $160,000, with the Labor Party favoured at just over $100,000.
The clay and concrete manufacturer Brickworks donated more than $150,000 to conservative politics.
Harry Triguboff's Meriton Apartments donated more than $40,000 to each side, and Bradcorp tipped in nearly $50,000 to Labor interests. Frank Lowy's Westfield slightly favoured the Labor side in its overall spend of nearly $240,000.
Mining and energy companies also featured heavily, with Clive Palmer and his private Mineralogy company the largest donor for the year at $865,000, almost entirely to the conservative side of politics.
Foreign interests were also prominent. Singapore's Singtel, the controlling shareholder of Optus, donated more than $30,000 to Labor interests and more than $40,000 to conservative interests.
First published by Smh.com.au on February 03 2010
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