Santos, Nine and big banks paid tens of thousands for pre-election political access

Analysis of donation disclosures suggests about 114 companies and lobby groups may have purchased business forum memberships worth $4.7m

Fossil fuel giant Santos, two of the major banks and Nine Entertainment were among the big corporates that paid tens of thousands of dollars to mix with Labor and Liberal politicians through party business forums in the lead-up to the 2019 federal election.

The major parties have long relied on business forum and observer programs as a significant source of funds, selling memberships and subscriptions to companies in exchange for access to events, special policy briefings and boardroom meetings.

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from World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2SBQ6Y7