Greens accepted $29,000 in donations from NT cattle giant despite vowing not to take money from ‘big corporations’

The Greens accepted the donations from the South African-backed pastoral company in the last financial year despite the party’s website claim ‘politics for the people, not corporations or billionaires’.

The Greens have accepted a significant donation from a pastoral company backed by one of South Africa’s richest men, despite saying they “don’t take donations from big corporations” and that “billionaires have too much power over politicians”.

Rallen Australia Pty Ltd and its property arm Amanzi Property Group Pty Ltd donated a total of $29,000 to the Greens last financial year.

Rallen Australia has been fighting efforts to develop the onshore gas industry in the Northern Territory since it purchased five NT cattle stations worth more than $140 million between 2018 and 2020.

The donations were made just months before Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young used her position as chair of a Senate committee to accuse gas company Tamboran Resources of trying to threaten and intimidate Rallen.

The Greens have accepted a significant donation from a pastoral company backed by one of South Africa’s richest men, Sky News Australia can reveal. Pictured are traditional land owners standing with Rallen station hands at Tanumbirini Station. Photo: Supplied

Senator Hanson-Young told Sky News she was unaware of the donations when she questioned Tamboran Resources managing director Joel Riddle about this issue at the committee’s hearing on October 10.

“I was not aware, nor were my staff aware, of these donations until today,” she said.

“Thank you for bringing them to our attention. I have written to the Committee to inform its members and will ensure the matter is noted in the inquiry’s report.”

Rallen Australia is a subsidiary of Rallen Pty Ltd, a company based in Vereeniging south of Johannesburg.

It is controlled by Giovanni Ravazzotti – an Italian immigrant who made his fortune in the furniture retailing industry.

According to Forbes, Mr Ravazzotti has a net worth of 4.73 billion RAND ($400m AUD), making him among the 20 richest people in South Africa.

Rallen Australia and Amanzi Property Group each donated $14,500 to the Greens in 2021/22, according to information published on the party’s website.

Under Australian Electoral Commission rules, individual donations only need to be disclosed if they are more than $14,500.

But the Greens internal policy is to declare any donation of more than $1500 over a 12-month period.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says she will write to the committee informing it of the donations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

When asked if the donations had been declared to the AEC, Rallen Australia co-director Pierre Langenhoven said he would have to check with his accountant.

Asked why Rallen Australia had donated to the Greens he said: “Aren’t we allowed? So it’s fine. OK thanks.”

He then hung up.

Under a heading on the Greens website titled “Politics for the people, not corporations or billionaires”, the party says it will “cap the influence of big corporations and billionaires to ensure politics works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful”.

“The Greens don’t take donations from big corporations, so you can trust that we will put the people first,” the website says.

“Big corporations and billionaires have too much power over politicians.

“Liberal and Labor take millions in donations from big corporations and billionaires, they will never put people first.”

Rallen Australia has been locked in lengthy legal battles with Tamboran over land access issues in the Beetaloo Basin.

Rallen Australia enjoys surface rights to parts of the Beetaloo Basin where the oil and gas exploration rights are held by Tamboran.

During the October hearing Senator Hanson-Young referenced the legal dispute when questioning Mr Riddle.

“It’s been put to this committee that your modus operandi is legal threats and intimidation,” she said.

“We’ve been told … that you cut fences to access the property, fences that are not yours, and that you entered this property without approval. How is that upholding respectful relationships with stakeholders?”

Mr Riddle told the hearing it was “categorically false that we’ve done anything to pressure anybody”.

Tamboran’s vice-president of operations and external affairs David Close then told the hearing the fence had been cut to insert a gate after the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal had approved access for Tamboran.

“It was immediately transferred to a double-panel, cemented post gate—a stock-proof gate,” he said.

“There was no intent to endanger the herd or to create undue difficulty for the pastoralists.

Mr Close said Tamboran had undertaken “lengthy and genuine” consultation to try to negotiate access to its exploration site with Rallen.

Fracking operations on Tanumbirini cattle station. Picture: Supplied/Rallen Australia

“It was very unfortunate and a professional disappointment for me that we couldn’t find a way that didn’t result in such allegations,” he said.

“Obviously, it was lawful. There would be other consequences if we had done something—such as trespassing or damage—that was not lawful.”

Tamboran Resources had been called to give evidence at the committee to explain the details of a $7.5m grant it had received from the Federal Government to support its operations in the Beetaloo Basin.

Senator Hanson-Young said Tamboran had at first refused to give evidence and ignored a summons to appear.

Mr Riddle said he expected the peak body APPEA would appear on behalf of the gas companies operating in the Beetaloo Basin.

He said Tamboran had then been given just four days’ notice to appear before the committee in May, when he had already committed to attend a major overseas roadshow. He said he was already in transit when he received the request.

Matt Cunningham is the Sky News Northern Australia Correspondent. He has previously travelled to the Beetaloo Basin as a guest of Tamboran Resources.

Follow @mattcunningham