Half of Climate 200-backed independent candidates declare donations ahead of 2025 election

Half of Climate 200-backed independent candidates declare donations ahead of 2025 election

Political funding body Climate 200 is bankrolling up to 75 per cent of campaign costs for several independent candidates this election.

Analysis by the ABC suggests 19 candidates being backed by Climate 200 have on average received about 40 per cent of their donations from the donor organisation.

In a landscape where donations are normally shrouded in secrecy during the campaign, declaring in real-time is a significant nod to transparency.

Climate 200, which describes itself as a "crowd-funded initiative" committed to "restoring integrity to politics", supported the election of several "teal" independents in 2022.
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The group, which has insisted its support comes with "no strings attached", made $5.96 million in declared donations in 2022, according to disclosure documents made public after the May poll.

This year, Climate 200 has ramped up its support for a larger swathe of candidates across the nation.

The disclosed value of Climate 200 donations, which only accounts for roughly half of the candidates it is supporting this federal election, exceeds $3 million.

The value of donations differed vastly from candidate to candidate, ranging from $15,000 through to more than half a million dollars.


The ABC approached all 35 candidates Climate 200 has listed publicly as beneficiaries of its fundraising.

Just over half, or 19, were willing to provide information about their donors and the value of donations.

The remaining 16 either refused to provide the information, or did not respond to questions from the ABC.


Teal MPs, from left, Allegra Spender, Monique Ryan, Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink, Kate Chaney, Zali Steggall, which Climate 200 backed ahead of the 2022 election. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Federal election rules currently only require donations above $16,900 to be declared after the election.

Laws passed in February and to come into effect next year, tighten the rules around disclosing donations and introduce caps on donations.

These new changes will lower the disclosure threshold to $5,000 and require donations to be declared within seven days during the election period — a window that narrows to 24 hours in the final stretch.
Wannon independent among biggest donation recipients

Among the Climate 200 candidates to revealed the source of their donations, is Alex Dyson, contesting the seat of Wannon in Victoria's south west.

On his website is a regularly updated breakdown of all donations above $1,000 to his campaign, as well as some, but not all, smaller amounts.

"I want to be upfront where I'm getting my money from," Mr Dyson told the ABC on a visit to Colac, on the eastern edge of the sprawling electorate he hopes to represent.


Alex Dyson is running for the seat of Wannon in Victoria. (ABC News: Matt Holmes)

Of the Climate 200 candidates being open about the source of donations, Mr Dyson's the second biggest beneficiary.

He's had $486,000 directed his way by Climate 200, accounting for 43 per cent of his declared kitty.

That's up from $64,000 in 2022.

"I come from a non-political background and I found the murkiness of politics really, really disturbing. It's one of the reasons I really wanted to run," Mr Dyson said.

"I want to be the change that I want to see in politics, I don't want to just follow the rules because they're in the best interest of the politicians."

It's the third time Mr Dyson's contested the formerly safe, now marginal, Liberal seat currently held by Shadow Immigration and Citizenship Minister Dan Tehan.
Declarations 'advance integrity'

Teal MP Zoe Daniel, who holds the Melbourne bayside seat of Goldstein, tops the list for declared Climate 200 donations.

Her campaign's received $546,000, which represents 28 per cent of her recorded donations.

Ms Daniel's website states "to maintain integrity all donations of $1,000 or more … will be disclosed in near real time".

Donors to Ms Daniel contributing less than $1,000 can opt to remain anonymous.


Following Ms Daniel and Mr Dyson is another Victorian, Deb Leonard, who has been handed $476,400 for her campaign in Monash, east of Melbourne.

They're followed by sitting teals Kate Chaney from Curtin in Perth with $394,000 and Allegra Spender in Sydney's Wentworth who has received $289,000 in Climate 200 funding.

Teal independent Monique Ryan, who was elected in 2022 with the help of Climate 200 funding, was among the candidates who declined to reveal how their campaign was being funded.

"We don't have a live donation tracker," Dr Ryan's team told the ABC in response to questions about Climate 200 donations.


Dr Ryan is listed as a recipient of Climate 200 funding on its webpage.

"We're looking forward to the government facilitating a means of transparent live declarations by all federal incumbents and candidates," Dr Ryan's spokesperson said.

"Pending that, donations will be disclosed in our AEC election and annual returns as currently mandated."
Funding transparency a 'disinfectant' against corruption

Centre for Public Integrity director Joo-Cheong Tham said voters were entitled to know how political candidates were funded.
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"The question about transparency of funding should be asked of every single party or candidate in terms of informed voting, addressing corruption," he said.

Professor Tham, who is also an academic at the University of Melbourne Law School, said there was an added impetus for organisations like Climate 200, and the candidates it funded, to be transparent about donations.

"For those who commit, and seek to be elected on the platform integrity, I think they're rightfully held to higher standards," he said.


Professor Joo-Cheong Tham says donation transparency is important. (ABC News: Andy Ware)

Professor Tham said large donations posed a valid concern when it came to integrity, regardless of whether they're to major parties, minor parties or independents.

"Especially when the party or candidate is dependent on a single or limited number of sources … I think the concern of corruption and undue influence is a very valid one," Professor Tham said.

"Whether it be Climate 200 or in the case of the major parties various industries they rely upon, the fossil fuel industry, the banking industry.
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"The fear here, especially with large amounts, is that there is some kind of quid pro quo that might be quite subtle. Transparency is an important disinfectant to that particular risk."

Monash University political scientist Zareh Ghazarian agreed with Professor Tham that real-time reporting of donations made sense for candidates pledging to restore integrity to politics.

"In doing so, they're assisting in transparency, and they're allowing people to observe what sort of resources they're collecting and what sort of sources these are coming from," he said.

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Real-time donations disclosure could 'influence' future voting patterns

Unlike some of the candidates it funds, Climate 200 does not openly declare where its donations come from in real time.

On its website, Climate 200 lists the names of some donors, but not the details of who has donated how much and when.

The ABC sent questions to Climate 200 and its founder Simon Holmes à Court.

A spokesperson acting on behalf of Climate 200 and Mr Holmes à Court declined to make any comment on the record, instead offering an unquotable background conversation.


Simon Holmes à Court is the founder of Climate 200.

"Groups like Climate 200, as well as candidates that run an integrity platform, particularly those who commit to greater transparency in terms of funding on politics, I do believe they have an enhanced obligation to self-disclose," Professor Tham said.

"I think it's often the test of our ethical commitments, whether we live up to them when people act otherwise."

Professor Tham said the upcoming reforms to boost political donation transparency were a "move in the right direction".

"Increased transparency will have an influence in terms of voting patterns, I think, and perhaps much more so where seats are highly contested, so marginal," he said.

"It might well be that in certain cases, knowing who's bankrolling the candidate, to whom perhaps they might be beholden to, actually tips the balance in terms of how they vote."
Independent candidate calls for tech support to help with disclosure

In the New South Wales electorate of Riverina, independent candidate Jenny Rolfe has had $40,000 donated by Climate 200, telling the ABC that comprised roughly 40 per cent of her campaign fund.

She's published details of major donations, but said she hadn't revealed all donor details due to IT capacity and capabilities.


Jenny Rolfe says the AEC should help grassroots independents with donation disclosure. (ABC News: Callum Finn)

Ms Rolfe suggested the AEC could solve that problem by making available a platform to help grassroots campaigns declare donations easily.

"I think a system behind the scenes that allows candidates to be able to declare donations in real time on their platform would be very, very helpful," she said.

"It would make things a lot easier for candidates like me, who don't necessarily have the technical expertise or the funds to be able to provide that functionality on a website ourselves.

"Transparency is really important, so anything that the AEC and the system can do to enhance transparency, I think would be a positive thing."