Investigation: how political donations protect a cosy loophole for Australia’s plutocrats

Australia’s “cardboard king” and the country’s third-richest person, Anthony Pratt has donated more than $9.1 million to the major political parties over the past two decades. Some 65% ($6 million) went to the Coalition and its associates and 34% ($3 million) went to Labor.

Analysis by Michael West Media found that this breakdown – one-third to Labor, two-thirds to the Coalition – is typical of political party payments from billionaires over a 20-year period.

Over the years, Pratt has enjoyed the political privileges that such donations afford. One is that ten of his companies are part of an elite group that fall under the “grandfathered exemption”, that is the list of 1,119 “Dark Companies” which are exempt from…