Wesfarmers, Cotton On Group, National Retail Association and the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees Association (SDA) have given a total of $1.1 million to the Australian Labor Party in the 2021-22 financial year, with the SDA sharing the vast majority of this with $1 million split between two separate receipts.
The news comes as the Australian Electoral Commission released the FY2021-22 annual disclosure returns for Australia’s political parties, third parties, donors and members of parliament. The period covers the previous Australian Federal Election, won by the ALP in May last year.
Wesfarmers contributed $110,000 to the ALP, with another contribution of the same amount given to the Liberal Party of Australiuain the same financial year. Its receipt for this is not listed a donation, but as an ‘other receipt’, which the Australian Electoral Commission defines as “a receipt that does not meet the definition of a donation.”
The NRA also sent money under ‘other receipt’ of $1,600 to the ALP, and as well as the $1 million donation by the SDA, the union also sent money under other receipt of $1,100.
Cotton On Group donated $10,000 to the ALP.
For the disclosed period, the ALP received the second-highest amount of monetary contribution to a total of $58,295,245. This is double the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia, who received $23,219,760 and $2,945,180 respectively.
The highest collector of monetary contribution was the United Australia Party, with a total receipt contribution of $116,857,807.