2. Donations to third parties
The political donation caps only apply to money flowing to political parties and candidates, not to third-party groups, which are required to register if they plan to sink more than $6000 into the fight.
This is how details in the graph below can occur, with groups related to the coal sector tipping some $2.2 million into three such third parties running various anti-Labor campaigns statewide or in key seats.
This link has given Labor ammunition in its attacks on the LNP, which it has accused of wanting to wind back the coal royalty tiers increased in 2022, which have netted the state billions.
LNP leader David Crisafulli has promised not to tinker with the tax (his campaign costings are expected on Thursday) in a first term of government, but has not ruled out changes beyond that, and has vowed to consult the sector (which he claims Labor did not).
3. Potential spending on both sides
OK, this one isn’t a chart, yet, but let me explain. The law changes put per-seat and statewide election spending caps on political parties, essentially limiting them to a maximum of $14.5 million.
The changes were heavily criticised by the LNP for the ability of the dozens of Labor-aligned or affiliated unions to register as a third party, allowing each to drop up to $1.03 million since April.
While donations are largely updated on the Electoral Commission of Queensland website in real time, party and third-party spending summaries have to be lodged within 15 weeks of polling day.
The state branch of the Australian Services Union, which goes by the name Together, is likely to be the biggest spender on the Labor side. “We’ll spend $1 million,” secretary Alex Scott told me.
Together kick-started its campaign even before the capped period began. The Electrical Trades Union, with a reheated “Not 4 Sale”, and the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union are both running anti-privatisation campaigns.
And the peak Queensland Council of Unions might spend $500,000 itself, taking the movement’s total to about $2.5 million, general secretary Jacqueline King said.
And an asterisk
Several unions, but not all, also pay affiliation fees to Labor that sit outside the donation and election funding system, reportedly worth a tad over $1.5 million this year.
The government, held by Labor, can, and has, also funded ads promoting some of its recent measures.
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University of Queensland professor Graeme Orr, whose expertise covers political and election laws, pointed out that all parties are also eligible for public funding of a portion of their campaigns.
He said political donations often favoured power in the form of incumbent parties, or those looking likely to form government, and ideology – the latter tending to be those “well-off”.
While he believed this election with its first full-use of the new laws “has been a foregone conclusion for so long it’s not a good test”, he did not think it seemed an “unfair” campaign.
