Sally Zou donated $316,000 to SA Liberal party

ADELAIDE Chinese mining magnate Sally Zou’s company is among the largest donors to Australian political parties for 2016-17, with than $315,000 of her donation going to the SA Liberals.

A CHINESE mining magnate’s company is among the largest donors to Australian political parties for 2016-17 while Malcolm Turnbull has topped the list with a $1.75m pledge.

Businesswoman Sally Zou’s Aus Gold Mining Group donated more than $360,000 to Liberal party coffers over the past financial year, with $316,064 of her donation going to the party’s South Australian branch.

The donation to the SA branch was the third largest donation to a political party over the period, after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s $1.75m pledge to the Liberal Party and a $500,000 pledge to the party from Roslyn Packer, the widow of Kerry Packer.

Mr Turnbull revealed he had made the donation last year when it was not included in the previous round of disclosures due to the date the donations were made.

Ms Zou made a similar sized donation to the SA branch in the previous financial year.

The Adelaide-based businesswoman, also a major sponsor of the Port Power AFL club, caused heated debate in parliament over foreign donations last year after establishing the ‘Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation’.

Adelaide-based Chinese entrepreneur Sally Zou. Picture: Jo-Anna Robinson

She changed the name to Glorious Foundation just nine days later.

The latest round of the political donation disclosures, released by the Australian Electoral Commission today, also show a Chinese billionaire’s company donated $30,000 to the NSW Labor branch last year.

Businessman Chau Chak Wing, who is an Australian citizen, made the donation in May via his Hong Kong Kingson Investment company.

It was a significant step down from 2015-16 when the company became the second-biggest political donor by pledging $860,000 to Australian political parties, including more than $700,000 to the Liberal Party.

Businessman Chau Chak Wing donated $30,000 to the NSW Labor branch last year, the latest round of political donation disclosures reveal. Picture: Supplied

The AEC disclosures come amid concern over the impact of foreign donations on Australian politics.

Research by the Melbourne Law School found Chinese donors provided $12.6 million into the Australian political process between 2000 and 2016, or just under 80 per cent of all foreign donations.

The federal government has drafted laws which will ban donations from foreign bank accounts, non-citizens and foreign entities to all types of political campaigning.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had previously revealed the $1.75m donation. Picture: AAP

It says the changes will ensure only those with a meaningful connection to Australia can influence domestic politics and election campaigns.

But aid organisations and peak charity groups told a parliamentary inquiry yesterday the legislation unfairly lumped them together with political organisations.

The not-for-profit groups warned of a chilling effect on charities, arguing the reforms would muzzle the voices of civil society.

BIG TOBACCO CHIPS IN

The disclosures today also reveal an international tobacco giant has donated a total of $35,000 to the coffers of two Australian minor parties.

Philip Morris donated $20,000 to the Liberal Democratic Party and $15,000 to the National Party.

Labor banned tobacco donations in 2004 and the Liberals followed suit in 2013.

The donation to the National Party is up on the $10,780 the smoking giant gave in 2014-15.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s website said the party is pro-choice when it comes to smoking.

Roslyn Packer, pictured with her daughters Gretel and Francesca for Vogue in 2016, made the second biggest political donation to a political party. Picture: Vogue Australia September 2016, Hugh Stewart

It says the tobacco excise should be abolished and businesses and workers should have the right to choose if they want to operate in a smoky environment.

Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death in Australia with a tobacco- related death almost every 28 minutes.

Overall, the Liberal Party of Australia, including Queensland’s Liberal National Party, received $95.1 million in the 2016-17 financial year.