CFMEU paid $100,000 for climate-focused party’s election ads

The CFMEU picked up the tab for more than $100,000 in federal election advertising for a fledgling pro-climate action party founded by an ex-Greens staffer.

Local Party founder Leanne Minshull. Picture: Chris Kidd

The CFMEU picked up a tab of more than $100,000 in federal election advertising for a fledgling pro-climate action party founded by a former Greens staffer.

Donation disclosures released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Wednesday show The Local Party received $100,166 from the Construction Forestry Mining Maritime and Energy Union’s Victoria branch in the lead-up to the May 2022 poll.

The party was founded by Leanne Minshull, a former Greens staffer and Australia Institute Tasmania chief, as a “vehicle for independents” committed to action on climate change. It failed to win a seat but is rebadging as the Local Network and plans to back independents at state and federal elections due in 2025.

Ms Minshull, who failed to secure the sixth Senate seat in Tasmania, told The Australian the CFMEU funding, listed by the AEC as “other receipt”, took the form of election advertising.

“Yes, that does look like a lot of money and yes that is a lot of money, but (the CFMEU) have an agency that creates a lot of ads for them, so they made ads for us and paid for them to go on regional TV,” she said. “We had union support because we had good statements and policies on workers’ rights.

“Also, I’ve done a lot of work personally in the area of workplace relations and I have a masters in labour law and relations. So I have a bent, or values, that align with unions.”

During the campaign, Ms Minshull strongly endorsed a rise in the minimum wage and in public sector wages and secured statements of support from the CFMEU, the Maritime Union of Australia and the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union.

As well as focusing on the Senate, The Local Party ran lower house candidates but failed to win any seats in either chamber.

It is understood left-wing unions believed Ms Minshull would be a more reliably sympathetic senator than her rival Tammy Tyrrell, who secured the seat for the Jacqui Lambie Network.

The CFMEU’s in-kind support was not listed on The Local Party’s donation disclosure web-page until after The Australian contacted Ms Minshull about the support.

She said the omission was an oversight.

The Local Party also received $50,000 from Climate 200, $20,000 from Wotif.com founder Graeme Wood and $50,000 from a NSW-based entity called Keep Them Honest. A private company of that name is owned by Sydney investment managers and past Greens donors Fred Woollard and Therese Cochrane.

Several CFMEU officials were contacted for comment.