[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_inset=”0px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_inset=”0px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ _label=”Intro Part 2″ style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text class=”cs-ta-justify”]
1 February 2018
Malcolm Turnbull’s personal donation of $1.75 million around the time of the 2016 Federal election may have grabbed all the headlines, but the ongoing contributions to political parties by Australia’s largest fossil fuel companies may explain why our climate policies are so appallingly weak.
Fossil fuel companies donated $968,343 to the ALP, Liberal and National parties in 2016-17, which was slightly down from the $1.03m donated in 2015-16 and $1.94m in 2014-15 (which was also a Federal election year).
Woodside Energy once again led the pack with $279,800, followed by Wesfarmers with $198,000 and Origin Energy with $102,174. Check out the rest of the top ten in the table below, and explore the list of donations since 2014 by fossil fuel companies further down the page.
[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h4″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false”]Top 10 fossil fuel donors 2016-17[/x_custom_headline][cs_text style=”background-color:#433244;”]
| Company | ALP | LIB | NAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside | $135,500 | $127,700 | $16,600 | $279,800 |
| Wesfarmers | $33,000 | $165,000 | $0 | $198,000 |
| Origin Energy | $55,710 | $33,539 | $12,925 | $102,174 |
| Santos | $35,321 | $35,725 | $28,670 | $99,716 |
| Chevron Australia | $45,208 | $25,210 | $11,810 | $82,228 |
| Minerals Council of Australia | $6,700 | $31,945 | $18,700 | $57,345 |
| Whitehaven Coal | $0 | $30,000 | $0 | $30,000 |
| Aurizon | $22,320 | $0 | $6,600 | $28,920 |
| Caltex Australia | $20,912 | $0 | $5,130 | $26,042 |
| Asciano | $22,000 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” _label=”New Item 2″ style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_button type=”real” shape=”rounded” size=”global” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”http://superswitch.org.au/” title=”” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]Are your retirement savings invested in these fossil fuel companies? Visit Super Switch to find out and take action![/x_button][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_inset=”0px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_inset=”0px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ _label=”Section 8″ style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h4″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false”]What about the rest?[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class=”cs-ta-justify”]
The table below lists donations made by fossil fuel companies to major Australian political parties in the 2016-17 financial year. What we found amazing was not just the scale of donations from fossil fuel interests, but the discrepancies in donations that were reported by donors and parties.[/cs_text][x_accordion class=”accordionDarkPurple”][x_accordion_item title=”Total donations by fossil fuel companies and lobby groups to political parties, 2016-17″ open=”true”]
| Party | Donor | Donations disclosed by party | Donations disclosed by company |
|
ALP
|
Adani Mining Pty Ltd | 2,200 | NA |
| APA Group | 1,100 | NA | |
| APPEA | 12,350 | NA | |
| Asciano | 22,000 | NA | |
| Aurizon Operations Limited | 11,000 | 22,320 | |
| Caltex Australia Limited | 12,500 | 20,912 | |
| Chevron Australia Pty Ltd | 21,500 | 45,208 | |
| Energy Developments Limited | 6,600 | 5,000 | |
| Minerals Council of Australia | NA | 6,700 | |
| Northern Oil | 3,850 | NA | |
| Origin Energy | 40,260 | 55,710 | |
| Qld Resources Council | 5,500 | NA | |
| Santos Limited | 29,260 | 35,321 | |
| South32 | 2,500 | NA | |
| St Baker Energy Innovation Fund | 2,200 | NA | |
| Sunset Power International Pty Ltd | 3,500 | NA | |
| The Chamber of Minerals & Energy of WA | 2,000 | NA | |
| Wesfarmers Limited | 33,000 | NA | |
| Woodside Energy | 110,000 | 135,500 | |
| TOTAL | 321,320 | 326,671 | |
|
LIB
|
Chevron Australia Pty Ltd | NA | 25,210 |
| Energy Developments Pty Ltd | NA | 318 | |
| Minerals Council of Australia | NA | 31,945 | |
| Origin Energy | NA | 33,539 | |
| Santos Limited | NA | 35,725 | |
| Wesfarmers Limited | 150,000 | 165,000 | |
| Whitehaven Coal Limited | NA | 30,000 | |
| Woodside Energy Limited | 110,000 | 127,700 | |
| TOTAL | 260,000 | 449,437 | |
|
NAT
|
Aurizon Holdings Ltd | NA | 6,600 |
| Caltex Australia Limited | NA | 5,130 | |
| Chevron Australia Pty Ltd | NA | 11,810 | |
| Minerals Council of Australia | NA | 18,700 | |
| Origin Energy | NA | 12,925 | |
| Santos Limited | NA | 28,670 | |
| Woodside Energy Limited | NA | 16,600 | |
| TOTAL | NA | 100,435 | |
| TOTAL FOSSIL FUELS | 581,320 | 876,543 |
[/x_accordion_item][/x_accordion][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_inset=”0px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_inset=”0px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ _label=”Hey big spender!” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h4″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false”]Money well spent?[/x_custom_headline][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text _order=”0″ class=”cs-ta-justify”]
Despite the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) describing these payments as donations, companies have long claimed that they pay to attend to functions hosted by political parties.
At its AGM in October 2017, the board of Origin Energy were asked why it pays more to attend political functions than its ASX peers, and why it can’t influence policy outside of such events. Chairman Gordon Cairns responded that the state of energy policy today was largely due to their influence, and it was “money well spent”!
Given that Australia’s energy policy is nothing short of a train wreck, Origin Energy taking credit for it speaks volumes about the intention of its political lobbying.
[/cs_text][cs_text]
[x_video_embed type=”16:9″][/x_video_embed][/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_inset=”0px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_inset=”0px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ _label=”Party vs Donor Disclosures” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Why the discrepancies? [/x_custom_headline][cs_text class=”cs-ta-justify” style=”margin-top:15px;”]
Australia’s political disclosure laws are drastically inadequate, so much so that in 2018 they were the subject of a Senate inquiry. The consequences of our pathetic legislation are many:
- Delayed reporting: learning about donations up to 18 months after they’re made
- Party and donor returns not reconciling
- Lack of standardisation of donor names
- Donations hidden in associated entities
All of these issues contribute to the growing distrust that Australians have in our political system. It must be asked whether companies are making donations for access to politicians or to influence policy outcomes?
[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” separator_top_type=”none” separator_top_height=”50px” separator_top_inset=”0px” separator_top_angle_point=”50″ separator_bottom_type=”none” separator_bottom_height=”50px” separator_bottom_inset=”0px” separator_bottom_angle_point=”50″ _label=”Full Lists” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h4″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false”]How do the numbers compare to previous years?[/x_custom_headline][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” _label=”New Item 2″ style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text class=”cs-ta-justify”]The tables below contain all the donations we were able to compile for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years.
If you know of other sources for donations, please send us an email at [email protected][/cs_text][x_accordion class=”accordionDarkPurple”][x_accordion_item title=”Total donations by fossil fuel companies and lobby groups to political parties, 2015-16″ open=”false”]
| Company | Recipient | Party Disclosed | Donor Disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA Group | ALP | $10,492 | nil |
| Arrow Energy Limited | ALP | $1,200 | nil |
| Asciano Limited | ALP | $44,000 | nil |
| Aurizon Holdings Limited | ALP | $21,000 | $40,684 |
| Aurizon Holdings Limited | LIB | nil | $34,965 |
| Aurizon Holdings Limited | NAT | nil | $55,000 |
| Caltex Australia Limited | ALP | nil | $19,000 |
| Caltex Australia Limited | NAT | nil | $17,280 |
| Chevron Australia Pty Ltd | ALP | $13,200 | $44,950 |
| Chevron Australia Pty Ltd | LIB | nil | $53,365 |
| Chevron Australia Pty Ltd | NAT | nil | $19,910 |
| Energy Developments | ALP | $1,100 | nil |
| ERM Power | ALP | $1,200 | nil |
| Glencore Australia Holdings | ALP | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Glencore Australia Holdings | LIB | $15,000 | $15,620 |
| Minerals Council of Australia | ALP | nil | $4,450 |
| Minerals Council of Australia | LIB | nil | $26,600 |
| Minerals Council of Australia | NAT | nil | $2,200 |
| Origin Energy | ALP | $11,000 | $22,508 |
| Origin Energy | LIB | nil | $19,755 |
| Origin Energy | NAT | nil | $440 |
| Peabody Energy Australia | ALP | $1,650 | nil |
| Queensland Resources Council | ALP | $5,500 | nil |
| Queensland Coal Investments Pty Ltd | NAT | $55,000 | $58,000 |
| Santos Limited | ALP | $38,710 | $62,627 |
| Santos Limited | LIB | $27,500 | $63,357 |
| Santos Limited | NAT | nil | $6,600 |
| Southern Oil Refining Pty Ltd | NAT | $14,000 | $21,000 |
| St Baker Enterprise Pty Ltd | LIB | $16,500 | nil |
| Wesfarmers Ltd | LIB | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Whitehaven Coal | LIB | $22,000 | $22,000 |
| Woodside Energy Ltd | ALP | $123,200 | $123,500 |
| Woodside Energy Ltd | LIB | $125,000 | $126,980 |
On top of these company and lobby group donations, Kostas Constantinou, an Oil Search board member donated $50,000 to the Liberal party.[/x_accordion_item][/x_accordion][x_accordion class=”accordionSunsetPurple”][x_accordion_item title=”Total donations by fossil fuel companies and lobby groups to political parties, 2014-15″ open=”false”]
| Company | Recipient | Party Disclosed | Donor Disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adani Mining | ALP | $5500 | nil |
| AGL | ALP | $19,800 | $24,840 |
| AGL | NAT | nil | $2000 |
| AGL | LIB | nil | $11,200 |
| Alinta Energy | ALP | $6600 | nil |
| APA Group | ALP | $4433 | nil |
| APPEA | ALP | $18,755 | nil |
| Asciano | ALP | $44,000 | $64,000 |
| Aurizon | ALP | $25,514 | $8674 |
| Aurizon | LIB | nil | $18,260 |
| Australian Mines and Metals Association | ALP | $2000 | nil |
| Beach Energy | LIB | $55,000 | nil |
| Caltex Australia | NAT | nil | $1050 |
| Caltex Australia | LIB | nil | $23,705 |
| Caltex Australia | ALP | nil | $1650 |
| Chevron | NAT | $18,150 | $2330 |
| Chevron | ALP | $15,950 | $36,290 |
| Chevron | LIB | nil | $12,030 |
| Energy Developments | ALP | $4800 | $5900 |
| Energy Developments | LIB | $15,000 | $14,150 |
| Energy Supply Association of Australia | ALP | $8500 | nil |
| ERM Power | ALP | $4173 | nil |
| Glencore | ALP | $10,000 | nil |
| Hancock Coal | ALP | $22,000 | $22,000 |
| Hancock Prospecting | NAT | nil | $22,000 |
| Linc Energy | LIB | $25,000 | nil |
| Minerals Council of Australia | ALP | $10,000 | nil |
| Origin Energy | ALP | $49,950 | $70,380 |
| Origin Energy | NAT | nil | $5170 |
| Origin Energy | LIB | $49,950 | $57,730 |
| Qld Resources Council | ALP | $1200 | nil |
| Queensland Coal Investments | NAT | $22,000 | nil |
| Queensland Coal Investments | LIB | $16,500 | nil |
| Santos | ALP | $57,166 | $82,483 |
| Santos | NAT | nil | $23,320 |
| Santos | LIB | $27,500 | $62,939 |
| Woodside Energy | ALP | $112,600 | $111,100 |
| Woodside Energy | NAT | nil | $18,800 |
| Woodside Energy | LIB | $127,000 | $136,920 |
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