AEC reveals how much money was received, spent on teal independents’ campaigns

Thousands of people spent millions of dollars unseating Liberals from once-safe seats – with the biggest spender’s bill in excess of $2m, new figures have revealed.

A teal-coloured wave swept to power during the May election, and now it can be revealed how much money the independent candidates had behind them.

The Australian Electoral Commission’s’ transparency register has published the financial disclosure returns for the 2022 federal election for non-party backed candidates.

The register has revealed that Allegra Spender, who won the once “blue-ribbon” seat of Wentworth, taking out Liberal MP Dave Sharma, received the most donations of any independent candidate.

A total of 661 donations, generating $1,927,906, funded the daughter of Carla Zampatti’s campaign, with her total electoral spend $2,124,058.

Allegra Spender’s election campaign cost more than $2m. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

Fellow teal candidate Sophie Scamps spent more than $1.2m. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Ms Spender with her mother Carla Zampatti

Among her donations were hundreds of thousands of dollars from Simon Holmes a Court’s Climate 200 group.

The group donated money to Ms Spender’s campaign eight times, totalling $717,776 – including a donation of $1 on November 2 last year.

Climate 200 was the biggest donor of the campaign, spending $5.9m to back candidates, six of whom unseated Liberal MPs, while receiving $8.5 million in donations itself.

The largest donors to Climate 200 were billionaire Scott Farquhar ($1.5m), and Boundlass Earth ($1m) – chaired by Mr Farquhar’s Atlassian partner Mike Cannon Brookes.

Ms Scamps received funding from 828 donors. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Monique Ryan, who defeated former treasurer Josh Frydenberg in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong, received $1,841,237 in donations from 3762 donors.

Mr Holmes a Court made $20,232 in independent donations to Ms Ryan’s campaign in addition to Climate 200’s donations totalling $749,347.

Her total electoral expenditure was $2,122,231.

North Sydney independent Kylea Tink raised $1,825,072 from 945 donors – including $786,532 from Climate 200 – for her $1,379,196 election campaign.

Former ABC journalist turned Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel received $1,745,039 from 1999 donors – including $709,840 from Climate 200 – for her $1,594,345 campaign.

Sophie Scamps received donations from 828 donors totalling $1,558,960. She spent $1,216,746 on her campaign.

Kate Chaney, who won the WA seat of Curtin, received $1,333,093 in donations from 653 donors.

Crossbenchers Zali Steggall, Helen Haines and Andrew Wilkie all received donations from Climate 200.

The AEC said 1590 of the 1624 candidates who contested the May election lodged returns – 1001 of whom lodged nil returns.

Candidates and senate groups endorsed by a political party were able to provide a “nil disclosure” and roll their reporting into the political party return for the 2021-22 financial year. It will be publicly available in February.