Adani donated $600,000 to Liberal National party before 2024 state election using federal ‘loophole’

Adani donated more than $600,000 to the Liberal National party of Queensland before the 2024 state election, making it the party’s largest single federal donor. But the donations were not disclosed for a year, with the Greens blaming a loophole in federal electoral funding laws that allowed it to not disclose it in real time. Queensland law requires “real time disclosure” for state-level donations, typically within seven days, but as little as 24 hours for donations made in the week before election day. Most of the money came in three large, near-identical donations; $166,667 on 13 August, and 19 September, and $166,666 on 24 October and another $100,000 on 23 October. The election was held on 26 October. Sign up: AU Breaking News email It also made four much smaller donations in the lead-up to the May 2025 federal election, with the last donation made on 12 May, 10 days after election day. All up, the company gave the party $621,500 in 10 instalments during the 2024-25 federal reporting period. The donations were disclosed through the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday 2 February 2026 – but not through the state-level disclosure system. They represent four of the top five largest donations to the party reported in the 2024-25 federal disclosures, behind only a $200,000 donation by the Morris Family Trust. Greens state MP Michael Berkman said the party had “exploit[ed] a gaping loophole in our donation laws”. “Queenslanders were robbed of the opportunity to make an informed vote, because the LNP kept this cash injection secret before the election,” he said. Berkman said: “If this isn’t an argument for banning corporate donations, like the Greens have been calling for, then I don’t know what is.” The Transparency International Australia chief executive, Clancy Moore, said donations under the federal law must be used for federal purposes and should not be used for state election campaigning, but “making a series of large donations days out from a state election could arguably be used to free up other funds”. Moore said the company had used a “massive loophole” to prevent the public from being made aware of the donations in the run-up to the state election. “The fact that a donation made for a ‘federal purpose’ to the QLD LNP so close to the state election was not disclosed under Queensland’s law is a massive loophole,” he said. “It also demonstrates the importance of forthcoming changes to the federal regime which, whilst not perfect, include greater transparency and disclosure of donations.” The Guardian understands that the donation was made to the LNP for a federal purpose under s302CA and 314B of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. New laws passed under the Albanese government to take effect in July will require more timely disclosure. An LNP spokesman said the party had “complied with all disclosure requirements”. A spokesperson for Bravus Mining and Resources said it had “met our donations disclosure obligations in line with the law”. They said the company also donated to the federal accounts of the Australian Labor party, the Liberal National party of Queensland, and Katter’s Australian party to support the democratic process and are proud to have done so. “We have not contributed to any state-based party accounts for several years.” In August the LNP and the company announced a deal to end “a lengthy legal process” regarding “a deal for the mining company to defer royalty payments” signed under the previous Labor government. Former treasurer Cameron Dick alleged in parliament last year that the deal meant a “financial windfall of at least $500m” to the company. He said the legal action that had been dropped had come about after the company refused to take out appropriate insurance to the satisfaction of Treasury, to guarantee payment at the end of the decades-long deal. The details of the agreement are largely commercial in confidence. Adani renamed its Australian branch Bravus in 2020 but the donations were made under the name “Adani mining pty ltd”.