Mediaboss Marketing

Updated August 11, 2017 13:20:07

Labor has turned to its most powerful union for cash ahead of the South Australian election in March, while the Liberal Party is relying on financial support from two MPs and an eccentric Chinese mining magnate.

The latest disclosure returns released by the Electoral Commission show the SA Division of the Liberal Party received $1.9 million, more than double Labor's $969,000 in receipts for the six months to the end of June.

Labor's biggest donor was the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), with $238,295.07, almost twice the combined donations and affiliation fees which came from the rest of the union movement.

The SDA is the dominant union in the right-wing of Labor politics in SA, spawning the careers of Cabinet ministers such as Tom Koutsantonis, Jack Snelling, Zoe Bettison and Peter Malinauskas.

Both major parties require their state MPs to tip part of their salaries into political campaigns.

But two Liberals have made significant personal donations, beyond their MP levy.

Deputy Leader Vickie Chapman appears to have donated $20,000, in addition to the $7,493.34 contribution from her parliamentary salary.

Liberal deputy leader in the Legislative Council, Michelle Lensink, appears to have made a $10,000 donation, on top of her $5,854.20 salary contribution.

MP levy contributions from some Liberal MPs, including retiring members, have not been disclosed, indicating they are below a $5,091 disclosure threshold.

For the Liberal coffers, retired Codan founder Ian Wall and his wife Pam made a $210,000 donation in June, while AusGold Mining Group, headed by Chinese mining mogul Sally Zou, gave the party $143,664, including a single donation of $88,888 in April.

Eight is considered lucky by the Chinese.

Ms Zou has been a regular donor to the Liberals, even setting up a company called the Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation without the Foreign Minister's knowledge.

Her company ran two full-page ads in The Advertiser on Friday, including one on page three to welcome Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to Adelaide.

He is expected to attend the Liberal Party's annual general meeting on Saturday.

"Fellow Australian, Friend and Prime Minister of Our Nation," the advertisement read.

"Life is a journey down a river a current can sweep you into the path of others or take you on branches you never expected.

"Meeting people by chance can be one of serendipity, a happy surprise.

"In our years on Earth, we cannot foresee who we'll be privileged enough call our friends; such is the excitement of life."

In contrast to the Liberals, Labor's corporate sponsors were more modest.

The ALP collected $76,052.40 from its corporate fundraising arm, SA Progressive Business, which charges business for sponsorship and raises funds from event attendances.

Bank SA, a part of Westpac, gave $10,000 to the ALP just days before the Labor Government announced in the state budget the biggest banks would face a levy, expected to raise $370 million.

The money was sponsorship for a post-budget lunch featuring Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis, which bank executives later boycotted because of their fury about the planned tax.

Other Labor donors included Beach Energy, Fairmont Homes Group, SA Power Networks and Employers Mutual (EM) each $12,000.

EM manages workers' compensation claims on behalf of ReturnToWork SA, which also gave $12,000.

The Australian Hotels Association donated to both major parties $13,000 to the Liberals and $12,000 to Labor.

Neither the Greens nor the Dignity Party reported any funds above the disclosure cap.

The Australian Conservatives and Nick Xenophon's SA Best were not required to submit returns because they were not registered as parties in time to be included in that half-year.

Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, political-parties, alp, liberals, adelaide-5000, sa

First posted August 11, 2017 13:15:54

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Liberals' donations double Labor Party's ahead of SA election - ABC Online