Dirty data: How coal and gas money fuelled 2025 election campaigns
By Claire Snyder
With latest political donations disclosures released this week, Climate Integrity’s Claire Snyder takes a look at how the fossil fuels industry continues to buy up influence on both sides of politics.
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As Australians swelter through another summer of heatwaves and devastating bushfires, the latest political donation data shows that fossil fuel companies driving that damage are still donating millions to the political parties deciding whether their next projects go ahead.
Climate Integrity’s analysis of the 2024-25 disclosure data shows that yet again, fossil fuel companies ranked amongst the largest donors to the major political parties. Across the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Nationals, at least $3.98 million was donated by fossil fuel companies in the 2024-25 financial year, which included the Federal Election.
Money buys influence. With the climate crisis escalating, it’s time Australia put an end to fossil fuel profits bankrolling election campaigns to win political favour and protect business models. We can’t afford further delays in the transition away from coal, gas and oil – nor the erosion of public trust from such blatant conflicts of interest.
Many of the companies donating have major projects and deals on the line. For example, mining giant Bravus, formerly known as Adani, donated more than $600,000 to the Liberal National party of Queensland in FY24-25. In August 2025, the company secured a secretive royalty deferral deal with the LNP Queensland Government.
Meanwhile, Australia’s largest oil and gas company, Woodside, donated $53,775 to the Australian Labor Party and $40,140 to the Coalition prior to the 2025 Federal Election. Just 25 days after the election, the government conditionally approved extending the company’s North West Shelf LNG plant out to 2070.
Tamboran Services Pty Ltd donated $169,500 to both sides of politics in the Northern Territory, and the Federal Liberal, National and Labor parties. Its associated company Tamboran Resources plans to sell fracked gas to the NT government, and develop a major LNG project at the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct in Darwin, which has been allocated $1.5 billion in equity by the Federal Labor Government.
Pro-fossil fuel lobby groups, including the Minerals Council of Australia, Coal Australia and Australian Energy Producers also ranked amongst the most significant contributors to the major parties – with those three groups contributing a combined $1.53 million to the Labor and Coalition parties in 2024-25.
Of course, this disclosure data does not prove direct links between these donations and government decisions. But it is reasonable to ask; why are these fossil fuel companies donating? And in what other realms, be it business or politics, would it be acceptable for decision-makers to accept money from project proponents?
Despite the Australian Labor Party’s outspoken support for better climate policy - and its Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, signing an explicit declaration at COP30 to transition away from fossil fuels, as well as signing on as “President of Negotiations” for COP31 – the ALP received more than $1.06 million in donations from the fossil fuel industry ahead of the 2025 election.
This included securing major donations from big gas producers like Chevron, INPEX, Santos, Tamboran Resources, Woodside, as well as the lobby group Australian Energy Producers. After the election, the new Labor government developed a Future Gas Strategy that embraced the gas industry’s expansion vision.
According to recent analysis by World Weather Attribution, the severe heatwave in south-eastern Australia in early January 2026 – which led to dangerous fire weather, health impacts, pressures on hospitals, impacts on wildlife – was made five times more likely due to human influence on climate change. The industry driving this damage should not be able to buy their way to a seat at the decision-making table.
It’s time to get fossil fuel money out of politics. Australians need confidence that decision-making is occurring free from the influence of fossil fuel companies.
About the author
Claire Snyder
Claire is the Executive Director of Climate Integrity, a not-for-profit advocacy group championing science, transparency, accountability and justice in corporate transitions to net zero. She is an expert in net zero integrity and corporate accountability in Australia.
Glad to see this being called out, well done!! Our climate (and future) deserve better.