Queensland election: Coal industry funding third-party backing of Opposition Leader David Crisafulli

The coalmining industry has ploughed almost $1.5m into right-leaning third-party groups involved in the Queensland election campaign over the past two months.

Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli during the leaders’ debate in Brisbane on Wednesday. Picture: Liam Kidston

The coalmining industry has ploughed almost $1.5m into right-leaning third party groups involved in the Queensland election campaign in the past two months, electoral disclosures show.

Coal Australia donated $613,500 to conservative think-tank the Australian Institute for Progress through September and October, and injected $495,000 into Australians for Prosperity, run by former federal Liberal National MP Julian Simmonds, last month.

The additional funding from the industry follows the Labor government’s introduction of progressive coal royalties, which were designed to ensure the profits achieved by mining companies operating in the state are appropriately taxed and paid back to Queensland.

The Energy Resources Council has received $1.039m since April from Byerwen Coal – a mining company that operates a $1.76bn project in the Bowen Basin backed by the coal baron Chris Wallan’s QCoal Group – including $363,535 in September.

Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said the coal industry is spending big to bolster Opposition Leader David Crisafulli’s campaign in order to increase its profits.

“Some of these companies that are making these donations, they are publicly listed ASX companies,” Mr Dick said.

“They have a responsibility – certainly the directors of those companies have a responsibility – to their shareholders to spend money in an appropriate way to maintain and discharge their fiduciary duty. They’re spending this money campaigning for the LNP to get a return on investment, and that return on investment is getting rid of progressive coal royalties, so the profits of coal companies can go up in this state.”

The founding member of Queensland’s Red Unions and former LNP member Graeme Haycroft has also donated $10,000 to the Australian Institute for Progress, of which he is also a director.

Thirty-seven third parties have registered for the election. More than half are unions, which would have political war chests that are not purely funded by donations.

Changes to electoral laws mean parties can spend only $95,964 in each contested electorate during the election period, while third parties can spend up to $1m statewide. Disclosures on the amount each has spent and on what is only required once the election is over.

Over the past year, Queensland unions have given $405,000 to major and minor parties, of which nearly $356,000 was directed towards the Labor government.