Failed Victorian Liberals the biggest donors

A tech business founder who ran for the relatively safe Labor seat of Eltham contributed $110,000 of the almost $1.1m raised through donations to the Victorian Liberals.

Former Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy with former MP Louise Staley. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

More than a quarter of the Victorian Liberal Party’s donations in the lead-up to the November state election came from unsuccessful candidates who used a loophole allowing them to make uncapped contributions.

Tech business founder Jason McClintock – who ran for the relatively safe Labor seat of Eltham – alone contributed $110,000 of the almost $1.1m raised through donations to the Victorian Liberals.

The Australian’s analysis of disclosures to the Victorian Electoral Commission follows reforms that capped donations at $4320 per donor per party or independent candidate for every four-year period between elections, and require all donations over $1080 to be declared.

However, there is no limit on the amount candidates can donate to their own campaigns.

Company executive and RSL branch president Lucas Moon – who received 18.8 per cent of the primary vote in the Labor-turned-Greens inner city seat of Richmond – coughed up $48,200, and former frontbencher Louise Staley gave $47,400 ahead of losing her marginal western Victorian seat of Ripon to Labor.

Alongside almost $300,000 contributed by Liberal MPs and candidates is $101,000 – or almost 10 per cent of the party’s total donations – raised by former member for Kew Tim Smith through fundraising vehicle the Kew 500 Club.

Mr Smith personally contributed $5000 and 24 other donors he recruited each gave $4000 in the months before the drunken 2021 car crash that effectively ended his state political career.

The almost $276,400 contributed by candidates who were ultimately unsuccessful compares with just $34,400 raised by those who are now receiving taxpayer-funded salaries as MPs.

Wendy Lovell, Bridget Vallence, Brad Rowswell and Brad Battin were the only successful incumbent MPs who made donations, respectively contributing $15,000, $5500, $3000 and $2000, while former tennis star Sam Groth gave $6000, and Mr Smith’s replacement in Kew, Jess Wilson, gave $2937.

Other unsuccessful candidates who made significant contributions include businessman and Yan Yean candidate Richard Welch, who gave $30,000, Clarinda candidate Anthony Richardson, who gave $11,000, and Shepparton candidate Cheryl Hammer, who gave $10,000.

The Nationals’ donations from candidates predominantly came from party leader Peter Walsh, who gave $48,000, with his deputy Emma Kealy the only other MP to donate, contributing $1500.

The Coalition’s total of $362,300 contributed by candidates compares with Labor’s $269,600.

Similarly, Labor’s largest donors were unsuccessful candidates – Malik Zaveer, who ran for Berwick and donated $70,000, and Darren Natale, who ran for Malvern and donated $40,000.

Overall, the Coalition received 394 donations totalling almost $1.3m, compared with 734 donations to Labor totalling almost $1.7m.