Senior players in Australia’s technology industry are joining efforts to bankroll grassroots candidates for the federal election, fed up with the Coalition’s obfuscation on climate change and a national anti-corruption commission.

Canva’s head of engineering, Brendan Humphreys, has donated $20,000 to independent candidate and corporate litigator Georgia Steele, who is running the Sydney seat of Hughes. It is currently held by Liberal defector Craig Kelly.