Chinese mining magnate Sally Zou donates over $400,000 to SA Liberals

Labor is demanding the Liberals return a whopping donation into party coffers as new documents reveal who’s been pouring money into both parties. See the lists.

Chinese mining magnate Sally Zou has poured more than $700,000 into Liberal party coffers, it’s been revealed, sparking Labor demands for the Opposition return the money.
Ms Zou made the new donations under her “wine exporting” business, Australian Romance

Latest financial documents published by the Australian Electoral Commission on Wednesday revealed the company, led by Ms Zou, donated a total of $445,783 to the SA branch of the Liberal Party in the 2021-22 financial year.

The whopping tally, a huge spike from the $32,000 she donated last financial year, makes her the state branch’s biggest financial backer.

Treasurer Stephen Mullighan. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Treasurer Stephen Mullighan called on the Liberals to return the donations, as Ms Zou remains entangled in an ongoing Federal Court case over claims she owes former business partner Anthony Smyth $10m. The case has not been finalised and Ms Zou has denied Mr Smyth is owed anything.

Mr Mullighan accused Liberal leader David Speirs of “double standards” after he hounded Labor to return a $125,000 donation to the CFMEU.

Ms Zou donated a further $232,544 to the party’s federal level under a separate company called Transcendent Australia, on top of another $25,000 under Australian Romance.

Ms Zou is a regular Liberal Party donor, having provided more than $2.4m since 2015 to the party’s state and federal branches.

SA Labor donations

SA Liberal donations

Ms Zou explained Australian Romance is a “wine exporting business”.

“Many Australians contribute to the political process in this country by supporting the party of their choice financially,” she told The Advertiser.

“All donations by Australian Romance, a wine exporting business, are declared to the AEC.”

The Advertiser requested further information about Australian Romance’s operations in the wine industry.

Ms Zou previously established an entity called the Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation, later shortened to Glorious Foundation.

SA Liberal Party state director Alex May said: “Australia’s political parties are subject to a rigorous funding and financial disclosure regime under the Commonwealth Electoral Act”.

“We fully comply with the funding and disclosure regime at all times,” Ms May said.

The SA war chests of the two major parties, Liberal and Labor, massively expanded in the lead up to the March state election and the May federal election last year.

In 2018, Ms Zou tweeted an image of a cheque for $1.2m made out to the SA Liberal Party. But then leader Steven Marshall said the party never received the donation and labelled the tweet “very strange”.

Last February, Mr Marshall, who was premier at the time, was accused by the Opposition of blocking the release of documents relating to his interactions with Ms Zou.

“(Mr Speirs) needs to practice what he preaches and return this donation,” Mr Mullighan said.

A Liberal source said the AEC documents showed the militant construction union donated $4.3m to the Labor Party and its various branches nationwide.

Sally Zou. Picture: Dylan Coker

Documents published by the Australian Electoral Commission show Labor’s SA branch accumulated a whopping $10.6m in income – including at least $1.1m in donations – and was far above its comparatively modest war chest of $2.1m declared in the previous financial year. The party spent $7.2m in 2021-22.

Several unions helped line Labor’s coffers, as the powerful shoppies union donated $125,000 and the United Workers Union contributed $161,152.

The SA Liberal Party, meanwhile, accumulated $8.9m in income – up from $4.1m in the previous financial year – but spent $11m. It collected at least $1.1m in donations.

Prominent philanthropists Pamela Wall OAM and her late husband Ian Wall AM donated $175,000 each to the SA Liberals.

Only donations worth more than $14,500 must be declared to the Australian Electoral Commission.

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