Chinese mining magnate Sally Zou is SA Libs’ largest donor as PM Malcolm Turnbull reveals his $1.75m donation
MEET the Chinese mining magnate who drives a Rolls-Royce emblazoned with the Australian flag, and can today be revealed as the South Australian Liberal Party’s largest donor by a massive margin.
- PM confirms $1.75m donation to Liberal Party
- PM backs new coal-fired power stations to stop SA’s power woes
CHINESE mining magnate Sally Zou has been revealed as the South Australian Liberal Party’s largest donor by a huge margin, with her company Aus Gold Mining Group kicking in $360,000 last financial year.
The amount dwarfs funds contributed by traditional Liberal Party backers such as former Clipsal boss Robert Gerard, who donated $83,400, pastoral company patriarch Hugh MacLachlan ($50,000) and Coopers Brewery managing director Dr Tim Cooper ($20,000).
Aus Gold also donated $100,000 to the federal branch of the Australian Liberal Party.
Ms Zou, who is the sole shareholder in the company, is also a key financial backer of Port Adelaide Football Club, and is the primary financial supporter behind the Club’s “Open to the World” campaign, with match day sponsorship rights of the Power’s match in Shanghai in May.
Broken Hill-based Aus Gold’s Australian interests include gold mining leases around Broken Hill.
In 2015, The Advertiser reported that the company was soon to start production at a new granite mine in the Murray Mallee and had also taken over a jade mining operation on the West Coast.
It has previously been reported that Ms Zou’s family has strong links to the Chinese government and her extended family is one of the largest steel mill owners in China.
Ms Zou is known for her generosity and recently paid for full page advertisements in local and national media celebrating Australia Day.
It is understood she also attended Australia Day celebrations in Adelaide as a guest of the Liberal Party. Her Twitter feed includes a Rolls-Royce car branded with the Aus Gold logo, which has been repainted with an Australian flag.
Ms Zou’s daughter, Gloria — apparently a child star in China — attends school in Adelaide. Gloria sprang to national attention two years ago aged eight, when Sally threw her a lavish birthday aboard a superyacht in Sydney’s Pittwater with 80 guests, including winners from the reality TV shows X Factor and My Kitchen Rules.
Nationally, other donations data showed Labor received just over $60 million — with plenty from the unions — while the Liberal Party hit $80 million. The biggest donation was $1.4 million from mining magnate Paul Marks to the Liberal Party.
The Australian Greens scored $630,000 from Wotif founder Graeme Wood, and hundreds of thousands from other individuals.
Other notable donations included:
SOUTH Australian climate change denier Ian Plimer — a former professor in geology at the University of Adelaide — was the biggest donor to Family First with a donation of $40,000.
There was a surprising lack of other major donors to the party.
He also gave Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm $45,000.
WEALTHY businessman Roostam Sadri gave the Liberal Democrat team $200,000.
Mr Sadri has been investigated for allegedly offering a $500,000 donation in return for an SA Senate candidacy spot.
SENATORS Nick Xenophon lent a quarter of a million to his team while another $250,000 was on loan from his colleague Stirling Griff’s property investment trust.
DEFENCE Industry Minister Christopher Pyne’s local Liberal branch raised $185,000, while a $20,000 donation listed as being from SA Senator Simon Birmingham is actually from his local party office.
THE State Labor Party’s largest donor was the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association ($124,498) and United Voice ($124,824).