Federal election independent candidates backed by Climate 200 funding vehicle

AEC disclosure returns reveal funding connections between candidates, renewables activists.

Renewable energy activist and co-CEO of Atlassian Mike Cannon-Brookes. Picture:

Pro-climate change independent candidates were bankrolled by a company backed by renewable energy activists Mike Cannon-Brookes, Simon Holmes a Court and the Climate Outcomes Foundation in a co-ordinated funding campaign ahead of the election.

Australian Electoral Commission disclosure returns reveal funding connections between candidates and supporters through a Climate 200 funding vehicle, established by accountant Damien Hodgkinson.

Climate 200 Pty Ltd was formed on April 9 ahead of the May 18 election, and donated about $450,000 to 12 independents. Disclosure documents lodged by Mr Hodgkinson reveal donations made by Climate 200 to Helen Haines, Kerryn Phelps, Anthony Pesec, Gary Kent, Oliver Yates, Rob Oakeshott and Julia Banks totalled $354,500.

The AEC returns, listing ­donations above the $13,800 disclosure threshold, also show Alex Turnbull, the son of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, made two donations worth $20,000 to Mr Pesec’s Senate campaign, which was supported by Mr Hodgkinson.

AEC documents reveal the independent campaigns of Warringah MP Zali Steggall, Ms Haines, who replaced Cathy McGowan in Indi, and Mr Yates, who failed to unseat Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong, raised almost $2m from 2641 donors.

Zali Steggall won the seat of Warringah off former PM Tony Abbott. Picture: Kym Smith

The Australian understands Ms Steggall’s warchest was the largest-funded independent campaign in history. Mr Hodgkinson appears as an agent on Ms Steggall’s AEC return, which ­listed 1378 donors and more than $1.1m in donations.

According to disclosure documents, the Climate 200 fund’s biggest contributors were Mr Cannon-Brookes ($50,000), Mr Holmes a Court ($25,000) and the Climate Outcomes Foundation ($195,000).

The Climate Outcomes ­Foundation, which lists Mitchell Hopwood as a director, says it is an “independent, not-for-profit research centre working to position Australia to achieve climate ­outcomes for the benefit of all ­Australians”.

The AEC transparency register for political campaigners named Mr Hodgkinson, sole director of Climate 200, as financial controller for three entities: KP Indep­endents Limited, Peninsula Independent Limited and Warringah Independent Limited.

Mr Cannon-Brookes, who is backing a $25bn project in the Northern Territory to create the world’s biggest solar farm, declined to comment on his donation to Climate 200. In March, the billionaire founder of software giant Atlassian called for Australia to move to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2035.

Oliver Yates, who challenged Josh Frydenberg in the seat of Kooyong. Picture: Supplied

Mr Holmes a Court, a climate activist whose father Robert was Australia’s first billionaire, said Climate 200 would continue backing independent and major party candidates who “back science-based climate policy and integrity in our political system”.

He disputed suggestions the bloc of climate change candidates should have registered as a political party.

“I don’t think this is the case. I haven’t looked at any other candidate’s return, but I don’t think C200 provided the majority of any candidate’s campaigns,” Mr Holmes a Court said.

“We’ll focus on ones who can make a difference, starting well before the election. In the past few days we’ve been contacted by a number of donors very much aligned with our values, and a number of candidates who’d like to talk,” Mr Holmes a Court told The Australian.

[Mr Holmes a Court disputed any suggestion the bloc of climate change candidates should have registered as a political party.

“I don’t think this is the case. I haven’t looked at any other candidate’s return, but I don’t think C200 provided the majority of any candidate’s campaigns]. We identified candidates to support long after they’d chosen to run and announced their platforms. We aim to help them but they’re running their own races.”

Mr Holmes a Court said Australia’s electoral system was “skewed towards” the major political parties and “heavily favours incumbents”.

In response to funding connections between pro-climate change candidates, Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz said: “Under the law they are entitled to do so and I don’t begrudge them that opportunity. What I do begrudge is the misleading of the public as to who actually are the real backers of these so-called independents.”

Senator Abetz, a critic of GetUp’s claims to independence, said the AEC returns highlighted how “vested interests have been manipulating behind the scenes for electoral outcomes”.

Margo Kingston, who publicly supported the independent candidates, rejected claims published by the ABC last week that she received a $35,000 grant from Climate 200. During the campaign, she released an “Independents Day” video linking the like-minded aspirations of independent candidates. “I am a citizen journalist and did not receive a grant,” she said. She said a crowd-funding campaign that raised $27,264 paid for the video.

“I didn’t get one cent from Climate 200, but Simon [Holmes a Court] told me they spent that money promoting my Independents Day video on social media.”

Ms Kingston said the video, made to highlight a new power of climate independents, was funded by a Chuffed crowd-funding campaign that raised $27,264.

Mr Yates, the former Clean Energy Finance Corporation chief, raised $362,578 from 261 donors. Ms Banks, the Liberal defector who failed to win Greg Hunt’s seat of Flinders, raised $146,736 from 117 donors, including four payments from the Climate 200 group.

Minax Uriel Pty Ltd, which lists Jonathan and David Rothfield as directors and is a long-time financial backer of the Australian Greens, donated $18,000 to Ms Banks’s fund. Dr Phelps, who lost Wentworth, raised more than $218,000 from 333 donors. In addition to funding from Climate 200, Dr Phelps also claimed $25,000 from DEM Australasia Pty Ltd. Mr Hodgkinson is listed as a director of DEM Australasia.

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime and Energy Union national office provided $43,718 in 12 donations to independent candidates Brett Smith (Braddon) and Todd Lambert (Bass). Labor lost both Tasmanian seats to the Coalition at the May 18 election, helping Scott Morrison claim a majority government.

Mr Hodgkinson said: “To my knowledge, none of them were working in concert and most of them had very distinct and separate views on things.

“All of them actually had quite different policies. I think climate change became a core issue for many, but the positions taken were quite different.”