A campaign group that attacked Labor, the Greens and teal independent candidates at the last federal election was almost entirely funded by a coal industry lobby group, analysis of political disclosures reveals.
Australians for Prosperity received $3.89m in total political receipts in the last financial year, according to disclosures made to the Australian Electoral Commission, of which $3.68m came from Coal Australia.
Coal Australia was launched in 2024 and its website says it is funded by membership fees from coal producers, suppliers and customers.
Electoral commission disclosures show Coal Australia made $5,389,523 in political donations in the 2024-25 financial year.
The biggest recipient was Australians for Prosperity, which received $2,738,026 in donations from Coal Australia as well as $940,000 in “other receipts” from the coal group.
During the last federal election, Guardian Australia analysis showed the group spent $414,903 on online ads attacking the Greens, independents and Labor.
Australians for Prosperity has strong links to the Liberal party. The former Liberal MP Jason Falinski was the group’s spokesperson during last year’s general election and the current spokesperson is the Western Australian Liberal party president, Caroline Di Russo, an occasional guest and commentator on Sky News.
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In a statement after the electoral commission disclosures were released, Australians for Prosperity said it had received $3.89m in total receipts in 2024 and 2025 “from more than 420 donors across Australia” and this reflected “the scale of support behind a movement focused on lifting living standards and restoring economic opportunity”.
But the donations and other receipts from Coal Australia make up about 94% of the group’s declared political income.
Falinski said he was no longer involved day to day with the group and said he was “surprised” most of its funding had come from Coal Australia.
“Maybe I should have asked more questions,” he said.
“I knew we were getting some money [from Coal Australia] but I had no idea of the quantum or what the percentage was.
“I would have been concerned if my name was put on campaigns that were pro-coal or pro-fossil fuels because I am not in favour of sectorial interests. I’m in favour of cleaner and cheaper energy for all Australians. I’m not willing to say I support coal if it is more expensive and dirtier than other forms of energy.”
He said the campaign was run independently and had “no direction from anyone” and that he had “no contact or discussions” with Coal Australia.
“Our campaign was about prosperity and improving the choices Australians had and promoting policies to promote opportunity, not restrict it,” he said.
Many of the group’s adverts attacked independent candidates backed by funding from Climate 200, the group founded by the climate advocate Simon Holmes à Court.
Byron Fay, the executive director of Climate 200, said Australians for Prosperity had “received millions of dollars from Coal Australia to run disinformation campaigns targeting climate friendly independents in the lead-up to the last election”.
Di Russo did not answer the Guardian’s questions about the funding, but said the group “was founded on a simple proposition: Australians deserve a nation where they can keep more of what they earn, families can get ahead and government gets out of the way”.
“That is what we stand for. That is what we will continue to stand for,” she said.
Coal Australia also declared $239,650 in donations to political parties, most of which went to the right side of politics. The Nationals received $131,000, Queensland’s Liberal National party got $84,500 and the federal Liberals were given $10,000.
Some $12,500 was split among the federal, Queensland and WA branches of Labor.
Michael Mazengarb, the head of corporate accountability at Climate Integrity, said the disclosures showed Coal Australia involved in a “clear attempt” to influence the federal election.
“A fundamental problem is that we only get this data eight months after the election and that’s too late because people have already cast their votes,” he said.
Coal Australia’s chief executive, Stuart Bocking, said the organisation “aims to give a voice, not just to our coal mining communities, but to every Australian household and business that now opens their power bill with a sense of genuine trepidation”.
He said the national debate around coal had been “distorted by ideology and glib sloganeering” and said coal would be part of Australia’s energy mix “until at least 2049”.
“Democracy thrives on voters getting a cross-section of information to ensure we have sensible policy settings based in fact and reality, rather than hope and ideology,” he said.
