$129.6 million in political donations with zero paper trail — that's 31% of everything the major parties raised

In 2024-25, major political parties reported $417.2 million in total receipts — but $129.6 million (31%) came from undisclosed "dark money" sources that cannot be traced to individual donors in AEC public records.

AEC Transparency Register 2024-25 data, analysed by Michael West Media and Crikey:

- Total major party receipts: $417.2M (up 58% from 2022)

- Undisclosed / dark money: $129.6M (31% of total)

- Minerals Council of Australia: $1M directly to Liberal Party

- Coal Australia: $5.15M to "Australians for Prosperity" lobby group (aligned)

- Alcohol and gambling sector donations doubled to $5.5M — during the period when harm reduction policy was being debated

None of this dark money was visible to the public until 9 months after the election in which it may have influenced outcomes.

New donation disclosure rules (legislated 2025) lower the disclosure threshold and require real-time reporting — but don't take effect until July 2026. Until then, the dark money system continues unchanged.

Sources:

- Michael West Media: https://michaelwest.com.au/political-donations-money-doesnt-buy-you-happiness/

- Crikey: https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/02/03/major-parties-over-130m-dark-money-donations/

- AEC Transparency Register: https://transparency.aec.gov.au/AnnualPoliticalParty