Sean Johnson

Senior officials in federal government departments accepted more than 1,000 gifts and benefits worth more than $540,000 in total from external parties in the 2025 calendar year, including dinners, sports and conference tickets, airline lounge memberships, transport and flight upgrades, Crikey can reveal.

The major political parties hoovered up at least $130 million in donations and other funds from undisclosed sources over the past financial year, an analysis of party returns for 2024-25 released yesterday by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) reveals.

Ever heard of the minister for justice who murdered a man he believed was his mistress’s lover? Prior to this, he was strongly suspected of having a hand in the untimely deaths of at least two political opponents. Or what about the MP who killed his de facto wife at a baby’s birthday party, the deputy mayor who shot dead his elderly mother, and the prisons minister who took bribes to let prisoners out of jail early?