Many of Australia’s top corporations were the largest donors to the Yes campaign for the Voice referendum in 2023, new data has shown.
The Voice was a contentious initiative by the Labor federal government to embed a permanent body into the Constitution that would have had the power to advise the Parliament and government on issues affecting Indigenous people.
Despite the heavy support of the government, large corporations and the media, the initiative, which was estimated to cost Australian taxpayers $450 million (US$292 million), was overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of voters with a national 60-40 percent vote.
According to AEC data, most of the donations made during the referendum flowed into the Yes campaign, with the largest amounts coming from major corporations.
Specifically, lobby groups with ties to the Yes campaign received over $60 million compared to less than $20 million in the No campaign.
The biggest donor was the Paul Ramsay Foundation, contributing over $7 million to the Yes campaign, followed by Givia Pty Ltd ATF Yajilarra Trust with a $4.45 million donation.
ANZ Bank donated $2.5 million, petroleum producer Woodside contributed $2.1 million, Commonwealth Bank $2.05 million, and Westpac Bank $2.04 million.
Conglomerate Wesfarmers and two mining giants, Rio Tinto and BHP, donated around $2 million each, followed by the charitable group the Snow Foundation ($1.75 million) and supermarket chain Woolworths ($1.56 million).
Other major donors to the Yes campaign were Telstra ($1 million), the Myer Foundation ($400,000), and flag carrier Qantas ($373,000).
In comparison, one of the biggest donors to the No campaign, the B Macfie Fund, donated $800,000.
Other significant contributors on the opposing side were fund manager Simon Fenwick, Harbig Properties Pty Ltd, and Riley Street Car Park Pty Ltd, who donated $250,000 each.
Despite the significant gap in funding, the Yes campaign failed to influence public opinion on the Voice.
At the time, Mr. Dutton said that the Voice was not in Australia’s best interests and urged companies not to follow the pro-Voice trend.
It is worth noting that AEC data only covered donations over $15,200, and those made more than six months before the referendum occurred were not required to be disclosed.
