AEC donation records reveal $76,000 splurged by controversial property developer
Ferrari-driving developer John Woodman handed out tens of thousands of dollars to the Labor and Liberal parties in the last financial year. Here’s which party got the most cash.
VIC News
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Controversial property developer John Woodman’s company splurged $76,000 on the Labor and Liberal parties in the last financial year.
Donation records released by the Australian Electoral Commission this morning show Watsons Pty Ltd gave $24,000 to Labor’s Victorian branch in the month before the 2018 state election.
Another $10,000 was given to the Australian Labor Party shortly before last year’s federal election, when Bill Shorten was favoured to become prime minister.
Mr Woodman’s donations have been at the centre of an explosive Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigation, with money having gone to candidates and MPs on both sides of politics.
Other revelations in today’s donation records include:
FEDERAL Liberal MP Gladys Liu — who has faced questions about her fundraising efforts — donated $90,000 to her party in the days before she won the seat of Chisholm last year.
THE cash-strapped Victorian Liberal Party received a massive windfall totalling $407,500 from Bus Association Victoria, as the group fought with the Labor government over a push to sell its assets.
FORMER Liberal state president Michael Kroger coughed up $116,607 to help his party’s campaign efforts.
THE Australian Hotels and Hospitality Association donated more than $1 million in the last financial year — including a massive $761,000 to the Victorian Labor Party.
IBAC hearings late last year were told Mr Woodman and his associated entities handed out $157,900 to Labor candidates before the last state election, and $63,000 to Liberals.
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Not all of Mr Woodman’s donations are detailed in his public disclosure because contributions only have to be revealed up to a certain threshold, and he had also donated through Labor’s Progressive Business fundraising arm.
Watsons gave another $10,000 donation to Victorian Labor in September 2018.
The federal Liberal Party received $20,000 across the 2018/19 financial year, while its state branch received $10,000 two months before the last state election.