Revealed: Labor leader’s $22k donation to party
Labor leader Dean Winter has emerged as one of the party’s major donors during the 2023/24 financial year, the Australian Electoral Commission’s transparency register reveals.
Tasmania
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Labor leader Dean Winter has emerged as one of the party’s major donors during the 2023/24 financial year, the Australian Electoral Commission’s transparency register reveals.
Donations made to Tasmanian political parties have been revealed as part of the annual release of information by the federal election regulator.
Under current rules, only the identity of donors who contribute amounts of over $16,300 must be revealed by law.
The annual returns showed that the Liberals enjoyed a handy financial advantage over their rivals in the election year.
The Liberal Party received $3.3m in donations in 2023/24.
The source of $173,933 was disclosed. It included donations of $22,000 from Google and $20,000 from the Pharmacy Guild’s local branch.
Google gave the Labor Party’s federal branch the same amount, the returns note.
The Labor Party’s Tasmanian branch received $2.2m in donations during the financial year.
The source of just $172,478 of that funding was revealed in including $22,500 from now leader Dean Winter and $18,667 from Lyons candidate Carol McQueeney.
The Greens Tasmanian branch received $660,387 in donations and the source of $384,015 was disclosed.
The bulk of the funding came from the party’s national branch. Duncan Turpie donated $25,000 and Keep them Honest $20,000.
The Greens voluntarily disclose donations of more than $1500 on their website.
Federal member for Franklin Andrew Wilkie disclosed $11,411 in donations from 10 donors during the financial year.
As none was over the threshold, their identities were not disclosed.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Liberals disclosed what they were required to undere the law.
“We’ll disclose or what the law says we need to disclose, will always comply with the law,” he said.
“Can I say the only party that’s reformed donations. When it comes to political donations, the Liberal Party, we are the party of reform when it comes to political donations.”
Greens MLC Cassy O’Connor said the continuing lack of disclosure was appalling.
“Another year and another display of shameless secrecy from the Liberal and Labor parties in the Australian Electoral Commission returns,” she said.
“We’ve got the Liberal Party who in the last financial year raked in around $3.4m — they disclose the source of around $110,000.
“The Labor Party took $2.2m in donations and disclosed the source of just $172,000.
“Both these Old corporatist parties really argued in middle finger to democracy, transparency and to voters.”
New rules will come into effect in Tasmania mid-year requiring the disclosure every month of all donations of more than $5000.
A Greens bill to reduce the threshold to $1000 is before the Legislative Council.
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