Coal Industry Lobby Group Bankrolled Attack Campaign Against Climate-Friendly Candidates
New analysis of political donation disclosures has revealed the extent to which Australia's coal industry funded attack advertisements targeting climate-conscious political candidates during the last federal election. The campaign group Australians for Prosperity, which ran aggressive online campaigns against Labor, the Greens and teal independent candidates, received the overwhelming majority of its funding from the coal industry lobby group Coal Australia.
Substantial Financial Backing from Fossil Fuel Interests
According to disclosures made to the Australian Electoral Commission, Coal Australia made political donations totalling $5,389,523 during the 2024-25 financial year. The largest recipient of these funds was Australians for Prosperity, which received $2,738,026 in direct donations from the coal lobby group, plus an additional $940,000 in "other receipts."
Australians for Prosperity declared total political receipts of $3.89 million for the financial year, meaning that funding from Coal Australia constituted approximately 94% of the group's declared political income. This substantial financial backing enabled the group to spend $414,903 on online advertisements during the election campaign, specifically targeting candidates who advocated for stronger climate policies.
Political Connections and Campaign Strategy
The campaign group maintains strong connections with the Liberal party. During last year's general election, former Liberal MP Jason Falinski served as the group's spokesperson. The current spokesperson is Caroline Di Russo, who also serves as president of the Western Australian Liberal party and appears regularly as a commentator on Sky News.
Many of the advertisements funded by Australians for Prosperity specifically targeted independent candidates who received backing from Climate 200, the political fundraising vehicle established by prominent climate advocate Simon Holmes à Court. Byron Fay, executive director of Climate 200, described the campaign as "disinformation campaigns targeting climate friendly independents" funded by millions from the coal industry.
Reactions and Accountability Concerns
Former spokesperson Jason Falinski expressed surprise at learning the extent of Coal Australia's financial contribution to the campaign group. "I knew we were getting some money from Coal Australia but I had no idea of the quantum or what the percentage was," Falinski stated. He emphasised that he would have been "concerned if my name was put on campaigns that were pro-coal or pro-fossil fuels" and maintained his support for "cleaner and cheaper energy for all Australians."
Michael Mazengarb, head of corporate accountability at Climate Integrity, highlighted significant transparency issues with the current disclosure system. "A fundamental problem is that we only get this data eight months after the election and that's too late because people have already cast their votes," he explained, describing Coal Australia's activities as a "clear attempt" to influence the federal election outcome.
Broader Political Donation Patterns
Beyond its substantial funding of Australians for Prosperity, Coal Australia also made direct donations to political parties totalling $239,650, with the majority flowing to conservative political organisations. The Nationals received $131,000, Queensland's Liberal National party obtained $84,500, and the federal Liberals were given $10,000. By comparison, Labor party branches across federal, Queensland and Western Australian levels received just $12,500 combined.
Industry Perspective and Energy Debate
Coal Australia, which launched in 2024 and describes itself as funded by membership fees from coal producers, suppliers and customers, defended its political engagement. Chief executive Stuart Bocking stated the organisation aims to "give a voice, not just to our coal mining communities, but to every Australian household and business that now opens their power bill with a sense of genuine trepidation."
Bocking argued that the national debate around coal had been "distorted by ideology and glib sloganeering" and maintained that coal would remain part of Australia's energy mix "until at least 2049." He framed the organisation's political activities as contributing to democratic discourse, stating: "Democracy thrives on voters getting a cross-section of information to ensure we have sensible policy settings based in fact and reality, rather than hope and ideology."
Australians for Prosperity, in a statement responding to the electoral commission disclosures, emphasised that it had received funds from "more than 420 donors across Australia" and that this reflected "the scale of support behind a movement focused on lifting living standards and restoring economic opportunity." However, the disclosure data reveals that despite this claim of broad support, the overwhelming majority of the group's funding originated from a single industry source with a clear interest in energy policy outcomes.
