This was published 9 years ago
Labor Holdings tops Queensland political donors list
By Cameron Atfield
An investment fund set up by the Labor Party in the 1980s topped Queensland's political donations for 2014-15, according to Australian Electoral Commission returns released on Monday.
Labor Holdings, which was set up with $16.5 million when the ALP sold Brisbane radio station 4KQ in 1987, contributed $3.16 million to the Australian Labor Party's Queensland branch, including $2.95 million in donations.
Labor and the LNP received a combined $35m in donations in 2014-15.Credit: Louie Douvis
Unsurprisingly, the bulk of Labor's donations came from affiliated trade unions.
Queensland Labor had a total of $16.73 million in receipts, which was more than a million dollars less than the Liberal National Party's $18.38 million.
Deputy Queensland Premier Jackie Trad was a prolific contributor to the Labor Party's coffers.Credit: Chris Hyde
On the other side of politics, the biggest single donation to the LNP in the period was from taxi payment company Cabcharge, which donated $100,000.
But Cabcharge was willing to spread the love, or at least half of it, with a $50,000 donation to the ALP.
Another company to hedge its bets was Wingate Properties, which donated $20,000 to the LNP and $15,000 to Queensland Labor.
The LNP's biggest individual donor was coal baron turned marina operator Paul Darrouzet, who donated $40,000 to the party.
Labor Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert and her husband, Frank Gilbert, were Labor's biggest individual contributors, with the couple donating $55,000 in four payments.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad was the most prolific, adding $26,700 to Queensland Labor's coffers, including 24 payments of $1000.
The Palmer United Party received $10.01 million, almost exclusively from companies owned by Clive Palmer.
Katter's Australian Party received $610,065 and the Queensland Greens received $480,161. Neither party received a single donation above the declaration threshold.
Family First's Queensland branch had $51,430 in receipts, $13,560 of which came from the party's former Broadwater state candidate, Stuart Ballantyne.
Perennially unsuccessful candidate Pauline Hanson's One Nation received a total of $11,487.