The Australian Electoral Commission has disclosed political donations for the 2020-2021 financial year showing that $959,155 was donated to the three major parties from fossil fuel companies, $80,000 more than was donated the previous year.
This saw the Liberal Party receive the majority of the donations, totalling $506,810 with the Labor party receiving $392,354. Woodside was the largest fossil fuel donor, giving $232,350 to the Liberal and Labor parties.
End political donations
Following these revelations the climate action group 350.org Australia has called for an end to political donations from fossil fuel companies.
‘Gas companies are some of Australia’s biggest political donors and are the recipients of massive public subsidies from the Government. It’s clear that money is talking,’ said 350 Senior Campaigner Shani Tager.
‘There should be no room for fossil fuel companies in our politics but instead they’re bankrolling the major parties to try and shore up their future.
‘Companies like Woodside Energy are trying to buy support for their controversial gas projects like the disastrous Scarborough project in WA.
‘It’s time for all parties to rule out donations from fossil fuel companies so that community voices can be heard, and we can get on with addressing the climate crisis.
‘Communities across the country want our government to be taking action on climate change, but instead they’ve been rolling out the red carpet for their gas industry donors, who are holding back meaningful action at every turn.’
In the 2020-21 financial year, fossil fuel donations included:
I call for an end to donations from pharama companies that push vaccines. We should stop them from funding our television networks too.
These political donations are chicken feed compared to the incentives like directorships and lobbyist positions the politicians themselves can get with these companies when they retire from politics. All perfectly legal yet morally corrupt. And in addition to their generous parliamentary pension.
Whoa Greg. don’t tell the peasants how the bribery works. They might stop believing everything.
Besides the big money is in 15min speaking engagements for $200,000 and Million dollar “Consultant” jobs where they just fill out a questionnaire once a year.
Quite right gentlemen, the article only covers ” disclosed political donations”. Back-handers, brown-paper bags, elaborate junkets and ‘conferences’ and the captured votes of their workforce and dependents, are also routine. As politicians are fond of bragging ,they don’t do the job for the paltry million dollar salaries and lifelong super benefits. The ‘peasants’ are quite aware of all these corrupt practices that grease the wheels of industry, however when they see it can also lead to an Order of Australia ( for service to the Mining industry ) it may seem pointless to point out the “bleeding obvious” and call out the whole country as deranged and beyond redemption.
Cheers, G”)
The greasy hand society is a kick in the head we’ve lived with over & again.
Can’t stop ’em either.