Greens accused of hypocrisy in taking $30K political donation

The Greens have been accused of hypocrisy after accepting nearly $30,000 in political donations from one of South Africa’s wealthiest people in an environmental fight against a gas producer.

The party accepted $29,000 in donations from NT cattle giant Rallen Australia Pty Ltd and its property arm Amanzi Property Group Pty Ltd last fiscal year, despite the party’s claim that it does not accept money from ‘big corporations’.

Rallen Pty Ltd is a Johannesburg-based company backed by one of the richest men in South Africa, Giovanni Ravazzotti, who is reportedly worth around $400 million according to Forbes.

The Greens’ website states that ‘money should not be able to buy political influence, access or policy results. The laws on political donations need to be sanitized.’

Australian Election Commission rules state that any individual donation to a political party of more than $14,500 must be disclosed. However, the internal policy of the Greens is to declare any donation of more than $1,500 during a 12-month period.

The donations came just months before a Senate committee hearing in October where Green senator and committee chair Sarah Hanson-Young accused gas company Tamboran Resources of trying to threaten and intimidate Rallen.

Cattle giant Rallen Australia Pty Ltd owns large cattle stations in the NT and donated $29,000 to the Greens last fiscal year

Sky News reported that the donations came just months before a Senate committee hearing in October where Green senator and committee chair Sarah Hanson-Young accused gas company Tamboran Resources of trying to threaten and intimidate Rallen.

Ms Hanson-Young told Sky she was unaware of the donations when she questioned Tamboran Resources managing director Joel Riddle at the October 10 hearing.

“I was not aware, nor was my staff aware, of these donations until today,” he said.

‘Thank you for bringing them to our attention. I have written to the Committee to inform its members and will ensure that the matter is noted in the report of the investigation.

Senator Hanson-Young said she was unaware of Rallan’s donations until questioned by the media today.

Rallan has been involved in legal disputes with Tamboran Resources over access to the Tanumbirini station in the Northern Territory’s gas-rich Beetaloo basin.

Between 2018 and 2020, Rallen purchased five cattle stations in the Northern Territory worth more than $140 million and has since been involved in efforts to fight the development of the onshore gas industry.

Asked by Sky why the company had donated to the Greens, Rallen Australia co-director Pierre Langenhoven replied: ‘Aren’t we allowed? So it’s OK. OK, thanks’, before hanging up.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ms Hanson-Young for comment on this story.