In the three years leading up to last year's election, political parties spent $880 million, up $176 million from the $704 million spent in the three years leading into the 2022 election.
The biggest spenders were the now-split Coalition parties, which spent $212 million between them. Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots spent $53 million but again failed to win a seat in Parliament.
The disclosures cover payments from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, meaning Australians have waited up to 19 months to find out about some political donations.
Key findings
- In 2024-25, the Labor Party spent $160 million, the Liberals $193 million, the Nationals $19 million, the Greens $40 million, Trumpet of Patriots $53 million and One Nation $3 million.
- By contrast, independent candidates spent $29 million at the 2025 federal election.
- Because of gaps in Australia's donation disclosure laws, numbers are not directly comparable.
- Over the three-year election cycle, party spending went from $782 million (2016-2019) to $704 million (2019-2022) to $880 million (2022-2025).
- From the middle of this year, political donations over $5,000 will be disclosed in real time (if they are for a campaigning purpose).
- Last year, Labor and Liberal voted together to increase per-vote public funding for political parties and candidates by about $41 million, of which about three-quarters of the increase ($32 million) would go to the major parties.
"Waiting up to nineteen months to find out who is funding Australia's political parties is ridiculous. Fortunately, from the middle of this year stricter donation laws mean Australians will find out about many political donations in real time," said Bill Browne, Director of the Australia Institute's Democracy & Accountability Program.
"Even with improved donation disclosure rules, there will be cash-for-access payments that Australians never find out about.
"Last year, Labor, Liberal and the Nationals voted together to dramatically increase taxpayer funding - to the extent that when the next election comes around, the taxpayer will be funding over half of the cost of major party election campaigns.
"In Australia, it's perfectly legal to lie in a political ad. And thanks to taxpayer funding of election campaigns, you could be the one paying for the ad that lies to you.
"Democracy depends on robust competition and a diversity of voices, but in Australia the playing field is tilted towards incumbents and major parties at the expense of new challengers. "Not one democracy or integrity group in Australia supported the Albanese government's rushed and unfair changes to electoral laws."
