Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court donated to the political campaign of former Liberal National Party minister and Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey in his unsuccessful tilt to unseat Keith Pitt at the federal election.

Mr Dempsey, who was police minister in the Newman LNP government between 2012 and 2015 but ran as an independent candidate in the May 21 poll, said the donations from the prominent business leaders to take on Mr Pitt – then federal resources minister – were because they were concerned about climate change.