Rich lead political donations

Clive Palmer makes headlines for all sorts things, from giant mining projects to supposed investments in zeppelin companies.

But there is one story he gets involved in every year – when the list of big political donors is revealed, Palmer’s name always seems to be close to the top.

In 2009-10, records from the Australian Electoral Commission show Palmer’s mining company Mineralogy donated over $1 million to Liberal and National parties around Australia, including $500,000 to the federal wing of the Liberal Party.

But he is by no means the only rich list member on the list of big political donors.

Healthcare executive Edmund Bateman features with $250,000 donation to the Liberals, while Frank Lowy’s Westfield Group gave over $150,000 to both the Libs and the ALP.

Lang Walker gave $100,000 to the Liberals, while Rob Gerard’s family company gave $50,000 to the South Australian Liberals. James Packer’s Crown Limited and the Pratt family gave to both sides.

So why do the rich spend big chunks of money to support these political parties?

In some cases, they are genuine supporters of a political party. Palmer, for example, previously worked for legendary Queensland National premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen and is a long-time supporter of conservative politics.

In other cases, they have a point of view they want to pursue. Bateman, for example, campaigned heavily against Labor at last year’s election with his company Primary Healthcare, attacking the Gillard’s government’s record on health spending.

But in more cases, the rich are buying a seat at the table. While political donations don’t necessarily guarantee influence within political circles, they do ensure that the rich have a chance to put their point of views to party heavyweights on a range of local and national issues.

It’s a high price to pay to ensure that someone will take your phone calls, but the rich clearly see these donations as an important part of doing business in Australia – rightly or wrongly.