Election 2022: Zoe Daniel backer’s $745,000 donations

A financial backer of former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel’s tilt as an independent in the seat of Goldstein has donated more than half a million dollars to GetUp and over $200,000 to the Greens.

Independent Zoe Daniel. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

A financial backer of former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel’s tilt as an independent in the seat of Goldstein has donated more than half a million dollars to GetUp and in excess of $200,000 to the Greens.

Environmental philanthropist David Rothfield has personally donated $43,000 and is a member of the Melbourne Bayside Community Voices, which has ­donated $40,000 to Ms Daniel’s campaign.

He was formerly a director of the Norman Rothfield Peace and Justice Fund, established by his late father, which has donated $529,975 to GetUp since 2014. The fund has also donated $215,500 to the Greens since 2014.

Mr Rothfield said his father, who died in 2010, devoted his life to fighting for global peace, human rights and justice, and that he stipulated in his will that the funds had to be disbursed within a decade of his death. Mr Rothfield said he was personally supporting Ms Daniel because she wanted to see honesty, transparency, integrity and community participation restored to government.

“My support for Zoe Daniel today is because she was nominated by a community group that is not tied to any political party and represents wide-held concerns in the community about a breakdown in party politics,” he said. “That is due to secrecy and deals hidden from public ­scrutiny.”

Ms Daniel is one of several high-profile candidates running to unseat moderate Liberals – in her case Tim Wilson.

Allegra Spender is taking on Dave Sharma in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, Monique Ryan is running against Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong and Kylea Tink is up against Trent Zimmerman in North Sydney.

Ms Daniel told The Australian she was not aware of any of her campaign team being involved with GetUp following reports the activist group would campaign in Goldstein as well as alongside other independents in key seats.

The independent candidates are supported by the Climate 200 group of millionaire climate activist Simon Holmes a Court. They deny being part of a political party but use centralised funding and campaign on similar policies, centred on climate and integrity.

Ms Daniel said she’d received $993,000 in donations, including six cash injections from Climate 200 totalling more $459,000.

She told the ABC on Tuesday that being able to access funding from Climate 200 levelled the playing field between independents and their major-party opponents. “I have to compete with a six-year incumbent that has the backing and funding of a major party,” she said.

Former Liberal prime minister John Howard said: “If this is a genuine revolt by long-term traditional Liberals it is very strange to me that none of these candidates have come forward in Labor-held seats.”