Where Do Our Campaign Donations Come From?

One of the biggest questions I get asked, apart from ‘Where will you direct your preferences?’ (hint nowhere) is ‘Where do your donations come from?’. 

I understand why this question is asked. Most of us know big business floats the major parties, but most of the time we don’t know which big business, what they get out of it, and how this impacts us. This is part of the reason why I’m fighting for strong federal integrity measures. 

For example, here are some of the big businesses that donated a collective $168 million to the major parties in 2019/2020 (not even an election year!). The United Australia Party (UAP) spent $83 million dollars at the last election. Guess who’s the leader of that party? Craig Kelly, our Federal MP. Big yikes.

So, where has the money for Georgia Steele’s campaign come from? 

So far, the Georgia Steele, Independent for Hughes campaign has raised $200,000 (as per December 31, our last financial report). 

• 10% has come from Climate200 ($20,000), an organisation designed to support political candidates committed to a science-based approach to climate change and to restoring integrity in politics.
• All other donations have been made by individuals. A number of donors work in the tech industry, including some who live in Hughes. If you’d like to read more, here’s a article written by the Australian Financial Review.
• We have received 130 donations in total, 35% of which came from Hughes locals. Our average donation from Hughes residents is $289 (total average from October, November and December donations)
• We receive donations through the Georgia Steele Campaign Registry and our website. We ask for donations on social media and at our events. People donate because they want someone elected in Parliament who stands for climate, integrity and equity. 

What do we spend the money on?

Our electorate has over 100,000 residents. Some are politically engaged, some are first-time voters, some are understandably jaded about the whole political landscape. The reality is, every single citizen over the age of 18 must vote. We want to make sure when they get to the ballot box, they are making an informed decision (and voting 1 Georgia Steele).

So how do we get there, and where does the money go?

• You may have seen our ads in the local paper The Leader – these cost thousands of dollars. EACH.
• You may have seen corflutes attached to fence posts or stickers on the back of cars or t-shirts on the backs of locals. The dollars add up.
• In order to manage 200 volunteers and 5 concurrent events, letter box drops and constituent queries, we need software. Commercial software involves subscriptions. Some, exclusively, year-long subscriptions!
• We’ve just signed the lease on an office, so that constituents can pop in and talk to Georgia directly. It is also a place where our team can meet to work and, of course, the signage is great visibility for the community.  

Right now, we’re asking 1000 people to donate $50. The great news is, we’ve already had a stack of generous locals jump on board (thank you!). You can donate $50 on the Georgia Steele Campaign Registry. We’re aiming for $50,000 by Valentine’s Day!