Aussie electoral funding caps not in time to stop Trumpist tycoon

Changes to scale back, boost transparency of donations to apply only after 2025 polls

- Jonathan Pearlman

Australian mining tycoon Clive Palmer — a colourful figure known for his big-spending political ventures — has opted for a pun-intended name for his reinvented political party, the Trumpet of Patriots, for the 2025 federal election.

The name references his admiration for the populist, anti-migrant, pro-fossil fuels policies of US President Donald Trump.

Mr Palmer, who is worth an estimated A$23 billion (S$19 billion), is expected to spend more than A$100 million on advertising ahead of the election, due to be called within weeks and held in May. His party's website states: "Australia needs Trump-like policies, which only Trumpet of Patriots can deliver."

Australians have become all too familiar with the sudden barrages of advertising that promote Mr Palmer's latest party ahead of federal elections.

In 2022, his party, then called the United Australia Party (UAP), won just one seat, in the Senate — or Upper House — after spending more than A$116 million on election advertising. In contrast, the Liberal-National Coalition, which won 73 seats, spent about A$132 million in the 12 months before the election and Labor, which won 92 seats, spent about A$116 million.

The UAP MP, Mr Ralph Babet, who was censured by the Senate in November 2024 for posting homophobic and racist comments on social media while celebrating Mr Trump's election win, has been known as "the A$100 million man".

Mr Palmer himself previously sat in Parliament — and once famously fell asleep in the Chamber — but later opted to avoid standing again and instead back other candidates.

This phenomenon of wealthy Australians giving millions to political parties and candidates is set to be scaled back under dramatic changes to Australia's electoral funding laws.