Nimrod’s Marks donates $1.3m to Liberals; Pratt gives $790k

Corporate Australia put its money behind the Coalition last year, latest donation records reveal.

Anthony Pratt helped out the Liberals. Picture: Aaron Francis.

Some in the Liberal Party might have complained that business did not do enough to advocate for its policies during last year’s election, but corporate Australia — including the big four banks — put its money behind the Coalition, the latest donations records reveal.

The bulk of corporate donations went to the conservative side of politics, but a growing number of wealthy individuals are willing to step up with large donations to the major parties as well as fringe groups.

Leading the list is mining investor Paul Marks, a friend of former prime minister Tony Abbott, who was the biggest single donor with $1.3 million to the Liberal Party, Australian Electoral Commission filings show.

A former currency and commodities trader, Mr Marks controls the NSW-focused mining explorer Nimrod Resources.

Mr Marks was followed by box billionaire Anthony Pratt, whose Pratt Holdings shipped $790,000 to the Liberal Party, and just $20,000 to Labor.

Chinese billionaire Chau Chak Wing — who helped fund a Frank Gehry-designed building at University of Technology Sydney and bought gaming mogul James Packer’s Sydney mansion — was one of the biggest political donors. He contributed $710,000 to the Liberal Party at state and federal levels, versus $150,000 to the Labor Party.

Cinema and theme park operator Village Roadshow, long a significant political donor in Australia, split $582,000 between the major parties, including $325,000 for the federal Liberals.

The Liberal Party also did well out of the big four banks, which faced sustained calls for a royal commission — calls that were ­resisted by the government amid a raft of regulatory actions and ­inquiries.

ANZ gave $100,000 each to Labor and the Liberal Party, while NAB gave $55,979 and $27,500 came from the Commonwealth Bank.

The 2016 financial year will be the last time the Coalition receives so much money from the banks, with ANZ and NAB revealing at a Senate inquiry that they were ending political donations.

Commonwealth Bank and Westpac had already stopped donating, although CBA has said it will continue to pay to attend major party events as a business observer — a practice both Labor and the Liberals use to raise funds.

Between 2011 and 2015 almost $3.1m was donated by the banks to the major parties, including $1.2m to Labor and $1.9m to the Coalition.

Victorian Liberal Michael Kroger last year raised concerns that corporate donations were shrinking, making the party more financially reliant on small businesses and individuals for funds.

The latest filings show shopping centre owner Westfield Corp gave $150,000 each to the federal arms of Labor and the Liberals, while oil and gas major Woodside gave $110,000 to each of the two major parties

Long-time Liberal supporters and the family behind the Servcorp serviced offices business Alf and Taine Moufarrige gave a combined $140,000 to the party via private companies OmniOffices and Sofori, among $400,000 in total donations.

While corporates play a significant role they have come under pressure from shareholders to withdraw or reduce political funding and been overshadowed by wealthy individuals.

Headlining those was Clive Palmer, who made a spectacular entry to politics when he won a seat in parliament and backed the election of four senators before the party crumbled. AEC records show in 2015-16 Mr Palmer’s Mineralogy donated $400,022 to the Palmer United Party while QN Metals and QN Resources contributed $288,515 to PUP.

Wotif founder Graeme Wood gave $630,000 to the Greens in 2015-16, including $500,000 for the Victorian branch and $130,000 to Tasmania.

His generosity was almost matched by Duncan Turpie, a reclusive maths whiz who contributed $500,000 to the Victorian Greens. Queensland-based Turpie is a former partner in the Punters Club with David Walsh, the multi-millionaire founder of the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania.

Sustainable Australia, a party that claimed to be inspired into action to oppose former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s call for a “big Australia” and a population of 40 million by 2020, drew $620,000 from the wealthy founders of travel booking business Flight Centre.

Company founder Geoff Harris contributed $220,000 via 26 Summers and his former wife Susan pledged $300,000 through her company Rufolo. Another Flight Centre director, William James, tipped in $100,000 through the private company James Management Services.

West Australian surgeon Anthony Robinson and wife Deborah gave $537,114 to the Australian Liberty Alliance, about half its budget.

Multi-millionaire advertising man John Singleton, who targeted a series of NSW Central Coast seats in the 2015 NSW election, made a $100,000 donation to the NSW division of the Nationals.

Fellow adman Harold Mitchell gave $133,176 to the Victorian branch of the ALP.

James Packer’s Crown Resorts, where Mr Mitchell is a director, gave $30,360 to the Victorian division of the Liberal Party but $11,200 to Labor. In Western Australia, Crown gave the Liberals $62,946 and the ALP $36,885.