Articles
Donor Industry Categories
Accounting & Advisory Firms
Accounting; accounting plus such services as provision of financial advice in areas of mergers, acquisitions, divestments, optimization and debt and equity raisings; tax advisory services and auditing services. Many advisory companies also have legal divisions which provide advice to clients.
Advertising Agencies
Advertising materials and campaigns; market research.
Advocacy/Lobby Groups
Professional political lobbyists, business organizations which lobby on behalf of the business members, and professional organizations which have as one of their roles working with governments to secure benefits for their members.
Associated Entities
Under Federal disclosure laws an associated entity is defined as “an entity that is controlled by or operates wholly or to a significant extent for the benefit of one or more political parties.” Associated entities include companies that hold assets for a political party, trust funds or fundraising organizations groups and clubs. Associated entities are required to provide the Australian Electoral Commission with annual returns.
Clubs
Registered clubs and club lobby groups such as Clubs NSW.
Computing
Computer manufacturers, software companies, internet service providers.
Consulting, Business & Management
Business and management consulting companies.
Defence Industry
Manufacturers and suppliers of military equipment and materials.
Energy Companies
Mainly involved in such activities as purchasing oil/gas/or other energy, distribution of energy, marketing of energy products, as well as exploration.
Engineering Firms
Companies involved in the practical application of science to commerce or industry.
Entertainment
Cinemas, suppliers to amusement parks, providers of sightseeing for tourist such as day cruises & Harbour Bridge climbs.
Financial/Investments/Insurance
Commercial banks, merchant banks, insurance companies, companies which mainly invest in equities, and companies owned by an individual or family that is used as an investment vehicle. If the available information in that an investment company’s portfolio is mainly in property it is coded Property, if invested in energy companies it is coded Energy, and so on.
Food/ Pastoral Companies
Companies involved in agriculture; processing of food products.
Gaming
Manufacturers of gaming machine, casinos, betting firms, race horse breeders.
Hotels
Hotels or pubs, hotelliers and hotel lobbysists such as the Australian Hotels Association.
Industrial/Manufacturing
All manufacturers of finished products not mentioned in other specific categories, heavy industrial firms.
Intra Political party
Donations made from one division of a party to another division, e.g. from the federal party to the state party head office, from a local branch to the state party office, or from sitting councillors.
Law Firms
Firms that focus on the practice of law. This category doesn’t include large companies with legal divisions attached to the company.
Media/ Communications
Newspapers, radio, television, telecommunications, publishers.
Pharmaceutical/Health
Private health companies such as those owned by Moran and Ramsay, companies which own and operate private retirement villages, pharmaceutical manufacturers, dental clinics, suppliers of medical diagnostic equipment and veterinary medical operations. If a company owns but doesn’t operate retirement villages it is coded Property.
Property
Property developers, construction companies, real estate agents, property consultants, architects, listed property trusts and engineering consultants for building projects.
Public Relations Firms
Companies which help organisations and their publics adapt mutually to each other. Major functions include research, planning, communication dialogue and evaluation.
Religious Groups
A small number of donors which includes churches, synagogues, Buddhist organizations and certain Eastern sects.
Resource Companies
Mainly involved in exploration and the extraction of minerals or other resources.
Retail & Service Companies
Companies which sell products directly to the public or offer services such as restaurants, hair cutting, funeral arrangements and so on. A very small number of organizations provide care and/or money for individuals.
Tobacco/Alcohol
Production of tobacco product, distillers, breweries and wineries.
Transportation
Companies that move people or freight from one location to another. Airlines, shipping and bus companies, such as Qantas and P & O, are included in this category. Owners of the infrastructure which is used by transport companies, such as Sydney Airports Corporation and Hills Motorway, are coded under Property.
Unions
For donations to the ALP and smaller parties, the different branches of each union were combined to show total figures where possible.
Waste/Water Management
Disposal and treatment of waste, treatment of water and wastewater.
Wholesale, Import/Export
Distribution of products to retailers, importers and exporters of products.
Other Political Party
Money transferred from one political party to another. Transfers from one division to another division of the same party are included in
Intra Political Party.
Possible Associated Entity
associated with a political party - due to some loopholes in what is an associated entity, these items are under investigation and are thought to be an associated entity
Political Party Affiliates
These are organisations which are associated with a political party but not classified as an Associated Entity by the Australian Electoral Commission. Such organisations typically are located in the party's main office and share a common postal address. They funnel considerable money into the party's coffers.
Sitting Member of Parliament
Sitting members of the Federal and State Parliaments at the time of the donation.
Individual
Although some people have prominent business connections, they donate as individuals. Other people also donate to parties of their choice. Sitting members of the Federal and State Parliaments have been excluded in our analysis.
Non Categorised
Companies for which information is not available, those still being categorised
