Bradfield teal candidate Nicolette Boele has oil and gas connections
It’s been a week of controversy for teal independent Nicolette Boele. The Bradfield candidate apologised to a teenage hairdresser after directing a lewd remark to her at a Gordon salon. Now her list of donors is cause for raised eyebrows.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A star teal candidate backed by Climate 200 has accepted donations from the wealthy founder of a funds management company investing heavily in fossil fuel businesses “to make money for my clients”.
Bradfield hopeful Nicolette Boele — who apologised earlier this week for a sexual remark directed at a teenage hairdresser – has triggered further controversy after listing online her individual campaign donors for the 2025 financial year.
They include Fred Woollard, Managing Director at Samuel Terry Asset Management (STAM), which has more than $850 million in funds under management.
Established by Mr Woollard in 2003, STAM reported in a fund summary in December last year that its top six holdings included oil and gas companies Horizon and Karoon Energy.
STAM had also invested in oil exploration business Diamond Offshore Drilling.
“My day job is to make money for my clients, and Horizon shares have been good for clients,” Mr Woollard told The Daily Telegraph.
“Our firm does invest in a wide variety of assets. They include oil and also renewable energy. In my private life I like to encourage climate change action.”
While Ms Boele’s website names “donors whose gifts totalled over $1500 during FY25”, Mr Woollard declined to provide a dollar figure for his campaign donation.
Climate 200 supports “community-backed” independents standing on climate-related issues including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Candidates aligned to Climate 200 also share platform pillars of integrity and gender equity.
Ms Boele’s website describes her as “a finance and clean energy executive” prepared to “hold the government to account”.
Her priorities include “taking serious climate action” and phasing out “taxpayer-funded fossil fuel subsidies”.
Ms Boele received funding from Climate 200 at the 2022 election where she slashed the margin long-standing Member Paul Fletcher held in a traditionally safe Liberal seat.
Climate 200 are again supporting Ms Boele who is contesting Bradfield this time against Gisele Kapterian, who was pre-selected by the Liberals post Mr Fletcher’s retirement announcement late last year.
Ms Boele has not responded to questions from The Daily Telegraph.
Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court has also been contacted for comment.
Liberal Senator James Paterson told this masthead: “Once again, the hypocrisy of the Teals is on full display.
“How can Ms Boele and other Climate 200-backed candidates continue to spout a progressive climate agenda and political transparency while taking money from the very industry that they tell their constituents they so vehemently oppose?”
More Coverage
Originally published as Bradfield teal candidate Nicolette Boele has oil and gas connections
‘Game changer’: Dutton’s $231m Western Sydney funding blitz
Peter Dutton will try to win over Sydney’s crucial western suburbs by unveiling a multi-million-dollar cash bomb to unlock the region’s new airport and choked roads.
Sydney’s great divide: Why city’s west is worse off
Four in 10 Western Sydney households are worse off than a year ago, an exclusive survey for The Daily Telegraph’s Future West forum has found. This could be the solution.