Mining companies gave $6M to politicians — then lobbied against climate policy. The donations worked.

AEC Transparency Register 2024-25 data (published February 2026) shows:

- Coal Australia: $5,150,000 to "Australians for Prosperity" — a fossil fuel lobby group aligned with the Liberal and National parties

- Minerals Council of Australia: $1,000,000 direct donation to the Liberal Party of Australia

- Combined fossil fuel sector political donations: $6,150,000 in 2024-25 alone

These same companies and their industry groups simultaneously:

- Lobbied the federal government to delay, weaken, or abandon climate and energy legislation

- Opposed the Nature Positive Act

- Opposed the Climate Change Authority's recommended emissions targets

The alcohol and gambling sector added $5.5 million in donations (doubled from prior year) during the period when harm minimisation policy was actively debated in Parliament. Research by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) documents the correlation between donation timing and policy outcomes.

None of these entities disclosed the connection between their political donations and their lobbying activities in their AEC returns or lobbying register entries. The system is designed to make this connection invisible.

Sources:

- FARE: https://fare.org.au/alcohol-and-gambling-companies-political-donations-surge-in-election-year/

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