Disinformation group Advance Australia has been pouring advertising money into supporting the Liberals in the Dunkley by-election. Its funding includes over $1 million from a company whose ownership structure may be illegal. Anthony Klan reports.
Despite their claim to be a ‘grassroots’ movement of ‘ordinary Australians’, Advance Australia is bankrolled by a handful of wealthy families and individuals. According to the annual disclosure by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 1 February 2024, the largest donation to Advance Australia was $1.025M, but the AEC does not know the legal source of those payments.
The payment was also the second biggest individual political donation in Australia in the financial year.