Dirty Data: How coal and gas money fueled 2025 election campaigns
Climate Integrity is calling for an end to political donations from the fossil fuel industry as the latest Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) data shows millions of dollars from coal and gas companies and lobby groups funded election campaigns in the lead up to the 2025 Federal election.
The not-for-profit, which works to close the corporate climate integrity gap in Australia, has released a detailed analysis of the 2024-25 disclosure data, which shows the continued financial influence of fossil fuel companies over Australia’s major political parties and politicians responsible for approving fossil fuel expansion.
“It’s time to get fossil fuel money out of politics,” says Climate Integrity executive director Claire Snyder. “The climate crisis is increasing in urgency and severity, and the fossil fuel industry shouldn’t be allowed to use their profits to buy influence and delay the necessary transition away from coal, gas and oil”.
Breaking down the data
Across the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Nationals, at least $3.98 million was donated by fossil fuel companies in the 2024-25 financial year, which included the Federal Election.
The largest donors were Adani/Bravus Mining, Hancock Prospecting and INPEX, making a combined $1.51 million in contributions to both Labor and the Coalition, including to their state branches.
“These companies are not donating to state and federal political parties in a vacuum, often with major projects and deals on the line,” says Snyder. “While the disclosure data doesn’t prove direct links between these donations and government decisions, it provides context around the potential influence being sought by these companies”. For example:
Mining giant Bravus, formerly known as Adani, finalised a secretive royalty deferral deal with the Liberal National Party Queensland Government on the 19th of August 2025 after donating $621,500 to the same party in the previous financial year.
Woodside Energy donated $53,775 to the Australian Labor Party and $40,140 to the Coalition prior to the Federal Election. 25 days after the ALP won the election, Woodside received a “proposed decision” from the Federal Environment Minister approving the extension of the North West Shelf, and final approval several months later.
Tamboran Services Pty Ltd donated $169,500 to both sides of politics in the Northern Territory, and the Federal Liberal, National and Labor parties. Its associated company Tamboran Resources plans to sell fracked gas to the NT government, and develop a major LNG project at the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct in Darwin, which has been allocated $1.5 billion in equity by the Federal Labor Government.
Pro-fossil fuel lobby groups also ranked amongst the most significant contributors to the major parties, with the Minerals Council of Australia, Coal Australia and Australian Energy Producers contributing a combined $1.53 million to the Labor and Coalition.
Climate Integrity is also extremely concerned about the lack of transparency around donations to third parties, such as Gina Rinehart’s $895,000 donation through Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd to Advance Australia – a conservative activist group that has repeatedly been accused of spreading disinformation in the last Federal election campaign.
Coal-billionaire, Clive Palmer, also spent another $54 million on his efforts to influence Australian politics, including through his ‘Trumpet of Patriots’ political party.
“Unfortunately, the Federal donation disclosure laws still allow for a substantial amount of money to remain hidden from public scrutiny. It’s time the donation disclosure laws were reformed to increase transparency, further lower the donation thresholds and ban fossil fuel donations,” Snyder added.
How Labor became compromised by fossil fuel donations
Climate Integrity’s analysis shows the Australian Labor Party received more than $1.06 million in donations from the fossil fuel industry ahead of the 2025 election.
Labor also secured sizeable donations from major gas producers, including Chevron ($85,565), INPEX ($75,950), Santos ($63,200), Tamboran Resources ($55,000), Woodside ($53,775) – as well as the lobby group Australian Energy Producers ($87,450) – ahead of the election and the development of a new Future Gas Strategy that embraced Australia’s gas industry.
“Money buys influence, and the fossil fuel industry spent generously ahead of an election with major consequences for the climate. These donations buy access to ministers and shadow ministers, often those who have direct decision-making power over controversial fossil fuel project approvals,” Snyder said.
"Accepting donations from fossil fuel companies that are dependent on government approval processes for multi-billion dollar projects is a conflict of interest and begs the question, what are these companies getting in return?”
"Australian communities are suffering through another summer of extreme heat and catastrophic bushfires. Labor needs to make it clear whose interests they represent and stop accepting fossil fuel industry donations.”
The Coalition continued to benefit from fossil fuel backing
Ahead of the 2025 election, the Coalition also pocketed more than $2.92 million in donations from the fossil fuel industry.
The largest fossil fuel contributor to the Coalition was the Minerals Council of Australia (contributing $762,085 across all Coalition entities), followed by Adani/Bravus (contributing $621,500 to the LNP and $37,500 to the Liberals) and Hancock Prospecting ($204,000 to the Liberal Party).
The Coalition’s fundraising vehicles were also major beneficiaries of fossil fuel industry funding, with the Liberal Party aligned Cormack Foundation receiving $380,184 from BHP Billiton, $64,350 from coal-miner Washing H Soul Pattinson and $40,804 from Woodside Energy.
The National Party aligned fund, Laneway Assets, received more than $250,000 from fossil fuel donors, including $82,500 from Coal Australia, $50,000 from the Minerals Council of Australia and $66,000 from Tamboran Resources.
“The funds provided to bodies like the Cormack Foundation and Laneway Assets are generally channelled back into their affiliated political parties, through separate donations and expenditure on campaigning activities,” says Snyder.
Other beneficiaries of fossil fuel donations included the Jacqui Lambie Network, which received $125,000 in donations from the Minerals Council of Australia, and Katter’s Australian Party, which received $100,000 from Adani Mining.
No fossil fuel donations were reported to have been received by Labor party aligned fundraising bodies.
Other third-party groups that campaigned in support of the coal industry, or against stronger climate policies (including against Australia’s net zero by 2050 target) also received significant fossil fuel industry backing in the lead up to the 2025 Federal election, examples include:
Hancock Prospecting donated $895,000 to Advance Australia, which spread misinformation about climate policies and pro-climate action candidates.
Lobby group Coal Australia (funded by fossil fuel companies) donated a massive $3,678,067 to Australians for Prosperity, $1,083,061 to Energy for Australians and $2,363,191 to Jobs for Mining Communities – groups that have sought to build opposition to clean energy and promoted fossil fuel interests.
The donation disclosures for 2024-25 show that no fossil fuel money was received by the Australian Greens or Climate 200.
