New donation data shows how wealthy individuals and well-funded campaigning organisations sought to shape Australia’s 2025 election through money, messaging and pressure politics.

Australia’s richest people have again been using their money to try to influence our elections. The political donations data released by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 2 February showed Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy gave the most – $53 million to the Trumpet of Patriots.

Palmer was not the only rich person who was a significant political actor in the 2025 federal election. Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, also wanted Australia to follow Trump. She urged the Liberal Party ‘to watch and learn’ from Trump, particular in cutting government waste and regulation and saying no to Paris. She backed this up with money via Hancock Prospecting, for example $204,000 to the Liberal Party in 2024–25.

Rinehart’s donations to the Liberal Party have sometimes been indirect. After allegations appeared in news stories, the Australian Electoral Commission undertook an investigation that found Hancock Prospecting had given $150,000 to the........

© Pearls and Irritations