The corporates that helped Bligh, Barnett to power

The release of this morning’s Australian Electoral Commission’s “periodic disclosures” data paint a vivid picture of who bankrolled the two state elections that occurred in 2008/09.

Despite the AEC’s website claiming in po-faced fashion that “the only electoral events in 2008-09 were the by-elections in Lyne and Mayo”, in fact two major polls were held within the reporting period — on 6 September 2008 in Western Australia and 21 March 2009 in Queensland.

While total donations lagged behind previous years due to the lack of a federal poll, there was still some surprises at state level as donors popped out the chequebook to ensure their preferred pollies got the green light to keep the wheels of commerce turning.

In Queensland, despite Anna Bligh issuing calls last year that political donations be banned entirely, her party did well out of several big donors, with huge 4KQ cash cow Labor Holdings tipping in $4.2 million, that while a substantial decline on previous years, contributed to a massive total trade union injection of $7,564,147.64. Prominent developers, including the high-flying spruikers at the Springfield Land Corporation, tipped in a total of $183,933.23 to Labor coffers.

Donations from a phalanx of consulting firms that receive government contracts could also attract scrutiny – especially from the LNP who has accused the government of accepting donations from contractors as amounting to the laundering of taxpayer funds, while ethanol player Manildra also waded back into the game with a $30,000 cash payment.

On the conservative side, Mineralogy big man Clive Palmer once again made his presence felt with a donation of $280,000 to the Queensland LNP as part of a massive $840,000 outlay to Tories across the country.

Here are the top 20 donors that assisted Anna Bligh in her rise to power in March last year. The Electoral Commission appears as a major contributor due to the policy of refunding political parties $1.55 for each vote they receive at elections.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the ascent to power of conservative parties following the 6 September WA state poll was bankrolled by the usual suspects in the elite 500 Club, which contributed $425,000, with no further breakdown over who the donors actually were. Clive Palmer helped out his patrons in the West through the WA Nationals, stumping up $110,000 to support the party’s bullish defence of the state’s mining interests. Non-Palmerite miners also featured with Sally Malay and Gindalbie getting on board in the top-20.

Here are the biggest donors to the WA Libs and Nats respectively, alongside public funding from the WA electoral commission and some significant Australian Tax Office refunds.

On the losing Labor side, WA new right MP Margaret Quirk’s $15,000 cash splash is sure to raise eyebrows, with the member for Girrawheen’s electorate among the poorest socio-economic areas of Perth. Quirk’s membership of a a faction accused of processing numerous cash memberships could also attract scrutiny.

Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s $11,000 seems like a small amount for the amount of largesse directed his way at the hands of the previous Labor government, while the mysterious “Dearloves Caravan Park” also made its presence known with a donation of $15,000. Amusingly, fallen mining entrepreneur Ric Stowe’s firm Devereaux Holdings, the ultimate owner of the collapsed Griffin Coal, splashed $95,000 between the WA Labor and the Liberals, an amount he’d no doubt be praying to get back. Palmer also hedged his bets, kicking in $25,000 to WA Labor.

Annoyingly, the AEC maintained the divide this year between “receipts other than donations” — which includes everything from interest owned from funds on deposit but also payments from corporates for dinners and all kinds of other ancillary services — and donations proper. The 19 month gap between the writing of cheques and their eventual publication also remains a highly dubious feature of the annual deluge.

See anything that jumps out in this year’s political donations? Email boss@crikey.com.au