Nine months after the 2022 federal election, voters finally get a look at how much the parties spent and who funded their campaigns.

Data released today reveal Australia’s political parties collectively spent a whopping $418 million in the year leading up to the federal election.

Money matters in Australian elections because it helps spread political messages far and wide. But political parties remain highly dependent on a small number of powerful individuals, businesses, and unions, to fund their campaigns. In the shadowy world of donations and lobbying, this dependence creates enormous risks of private influence over public decision-making.

Read the full article on The Conversation.