Over $1M from gambling organisations donated to major political parties – Why is this allowed?

Over a million dollars from gambling organisations has been donated to the major political parties in the last financial year, raising the question: why is this allowed?

We looked into the donation declarations from politicians on the AEC website and found some interesting numbers.

Every year, the Australian Electoral Commission publishes donation declarations from politicians and parties across Australia.

This year’s report revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from companies such as Sportsbet, Tabcorp, and The Lott. Groups like the Australian Hotels Association contributed over $480,000, while Clubs Australia and NSW combined donated around $183,000.

This influx of cash comes at a time when Australians lose approximately $25 billion a year on gambling.

According to a report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, gambling-related harm remains a significant issue. Meanwhile, Guardian Australia reports that over the last 10 years, donations from gambling groups to political parties have skyrocketed by 600%.

Greens Senator Mareen Faruqi has accused the major parties of lining their pockets with donations from the gambling industry. Yet, in the end, it is up to the parties to decide whether or not to take the cash.

For example, The Nationals accepted $100,000 from tobacco giant Philip Morris in March last year, and the Katter Party in Queensland received $48,000 from the Shooters Union over the past year.

If you want to see where the money for all political parties comes from, you can quickly find out via the AEC’s Transparency Register.