Fed: James Hardie a small player in political donations

AAP General News (Australia)
08-11-2004
Fed: James Hardie a small player in political donations

By Krista Hughes, Economics Correspondent

CANBERRA, Aug 11 AAP - As political donors go, James Hardie is a tadpole in a very big pond.

Over the last four years, it has made $247,500 in political donations - the majority
of it to the Liberal Party, both federally and in NSW.

This compares to a $200,000 gift to the Liberals from Frank Lowy's Croissy Pty Ltd in 2002-03.

Ethanol giant Manildra made $360,000 worth of donations in the same year, eclipsing
James Hardie's $81,550 - and that was the embattled building products supplier's most
generous year.

Big business donations make up about 80 per cent of the income of the main political
parties, donation records filed with the Australian Electoral Commission show.

A breakdown of James Hardie's donations reveals $124,000 in contributions to the Liberal
Party since 1998-99, $93,500 to the ALP, $15,000 to The Nationals and $15,000 to the Australian
Democrats.

The ALP has returned the $77,500 donated to the federal and NSW branches of the party
since 2001. Over the same period, the Liberal Party received $74,000.

The picture is clouded by the fact some donations are listed twice, like two donations
of $20,000 to the NSW branch of the Labor Party in 2002-03, one from James Hardie Australia
and one from James Hardie Industries.

A Labor Party spokeswoman said there was just one $20,000 donation.

AAP kmh/sw/was/rgr/de

KEYWORD: JAMES HARDIE DONATE

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