CAMPAIGN FUNDS – AUSTRALIA

Police material likely to back claims Shorten donation investigation improper

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 21-Mar-18

The Federal Court has postponed a trial concerning the Registered Organisations Commission’s investigation into the Australian Workers’ Union, and ruled that the AWU should be granted access to documents pertaining to the case. The Australian Federal Police want the documents to be subject to public interest immunity, but Justice Tony North ruled that it would be unfair for the union to go to trial without having access to the documents. He said the redacted sections could support the AWU’s claim that the ROC’s investigation was undertaken for an "improper purpose". The ROC is investigating donations to the Australian Labor Party when Bill Shorten was the union’s national secretary.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS

Coal lobby our biggest spender

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Original article by Tom McIlroy, Edmund Tadros
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 2-Feb-18

The Liberal Party received $A95.1 million in political donations in 2016-17, according to the Australian Electoral Commission, while Labor received $A70.8 million. The Greens received $A16.3 million, and the National Party received $A12.2 million. ACA Low Emissions Technologies, a company founded by the Minerals Council of Australia, spent the most on political campaigning ($A3.6 million), while the Minerals Council of Australia itself spent $A1.3 million. Left-wing activist group GetUp! spent $A821,000 on political campaigns.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ACA LOW EMISSIONS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COAL ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE LEASING AND SALARY PACKAGING ASSOCIATION., THE PHARMACY GUILD OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, ECHO ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LIMITED – ASX EGP, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, CORMACK FOUNDATION PTY LTD, PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS PTY LTD, UNITED VOICE, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, ERNST AND YOUNG, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Shorten faces ‘donation’ probe

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 23-Oct-17

The Registered Organisations Commission is believed to be investigating a $A25,000 donation by the Australian Workers’ Union to the 2007 election campaign of current Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. He had been the head of the AWU at the time. The union also made large donations to the election campaigns of two other Labor candidates. The ROC recently began a separate probe into the AWU’s donation to activist group GetUp in 2006, whose board members at the time included Shorten. Labor MP Brendan O’Connor alleges that the ROC investigations are part of a smear campaign against Shorten.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Donations row engulfs Turnbull’s team

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Jun-17

China-born billionaire Chau Chak Wing has rejected claims that he has links to the Chinese Communist Party. Chau, who has been an Australian citizen for 20 years, has hit out after he was named in a television program about overseas donations to Australian political parties. Chau says he has never tried to seek any gain from donations made by himself or his companies to political parties. He notes that both of Australia’s major parties have solicited donations from him, and it has been revealed that one of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s campaign organisers approached Chau for a donation prior to the 2016 federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, COMMUNIST PARTY (CHINA)

Turnbull suggests foreign donor ban

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Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 9-Sep-16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has suggested allowing only those who are eligible to vote to make political donations. The issue of political donations gained national prominence after revelations that Australian Labor Party senator Sam Dastyari accepted payments from Chinese-backed companies. The Liberal Party of Australia wants the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters to suggest appropriate changes, but the Opposition says the matter is urgent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Maurice Blackburn tops the list of political party donors

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Original article by Marianna Papadakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 12-Feb-16

Figures from the Australian Electoral Commission’s political donations register show that law firms donated $A287,551 to political parties in 2014-15. Some firms chose to make donations to both major parties, with Arnold Bloch Leibler being the biggest contributor in this category, donating $A89,400 in total. Maurice Blackburn emerged as the biggest donor to any one party, donating $A80,237 to the Australian Labor Party.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, THE CIVIC GROUP PTY LTD, WOODSIDE ENERGY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN HOTELS AND HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION, PRATT GROUP HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, HOLDING REDLICH, CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH, TURNER FREEMAN, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Palmer tops list of political generosity

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Original article by Primrose Riordan, Edmund Tadros, Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 2-Feb-16

Mining magnate Clive Palmer donated almost $A10 million to his own Palmer United Party in 2014-15. Annual disclosure returns, released by the Australian Electoral Commission, show that Palmer was the largest political donor in 2015. The total amount of political donations fell significantly, with the Liberal Party of Australia recording a 40 per cent decline in receipts.

CORPORATES
MINERALOGY PTY LTD, PALMER UNITED PARTY, QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD, COOLUM RESORT PTY LTD, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BRUNSWICK PROPERTY VENTURE PTY LTD, EVER BRIGHT GROUP PTY LTD, CORMACK FOUNDATION PTY LTD, PHILIP MORRIS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC, ENERGY, INFORMATION, POSTAL, PLUMBING AND ALLIED SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, VISY INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRATT HOLDINGS, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

ICAC clears Sinodinos over corruption claims

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Original article by Sharri Markson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Jan-16

The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has found no evidence of corruption involving Senator Arthur Sinodinos. The ICAC investigated claims of funds being fraudulently donated to the Liberal Party by Sydney Water, through Australian Water Holdings. The anti-corruption body stated that no public official was involved in the case.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, SYDNEY WATER CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WATER HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA