On 14 June 2025, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese toured Amazon Web Services’ headquarters in Seattle alongside the company’s CEO, Matt Garman, who announced a $20 billion plan to build datacentres in Melbourne and Sydney. The visit was closely followed by Amazon disclosing its largest ever payment to an Australian political party: a $46,500 contribution to the federal Labor party on 28 June. This payment was part of a broader pattern of financial support, with Amazon having made 34 payments totaling approximately $38,800 to both Labor and Liberal party branches over six years.
Although these payments are legally permissible and not deemed donations under Australian electoral law but rather “other receipts” due to their classification as membership fees for party fundraising vehicles such as the Labor Business Forum, they have drawn renewed scrutiny. The forum provides access to ministers and members of parliament, raising questions about the timing of these payments, which often coincide with sizable government contracts and announcements.
In 2024, the Albanese government sealed a $2 billion deal with Amazon Web Services to build three confidential datacentres intended to store sensitive intelligence agency data. Notably, eight days before this contract was publicized, Amazon disclosed a $33,000 payment to the Labor party, soon followed by an additional $33,000 payment less than six weeks later. According to Australian Electoral Commission records, Amazon has paid over $200,000 in fees to the Labor Business Forum since mid-2021. Amazon also contributed $38,100 to the New South Wales Labor party and $37,400 to the state Liberal party between 2021 and 2025 during ongoing efforts to establish seven new datacentres around Sydney.
An Amazon spokesperson denied any connection between the payments and government investments, emphasizing that participation in fundraising forums predated these announcements and dismissing suggestions of strategic timing.
Similarly, in New South Wales, Macquarie Technology Group has made a series of payments to the state Liberal party, coinciding with key phases of its datacentre projects. In March 2022, three days before former Prime Minister Scott Morrison officially opened a new five-storey datacentre in Sydney’s northwest, Macquarie disclosed a $3,000 donation to the NSW Liberals. Previous payments totaling $15,000 were also recorded earlier that year. The company was actively pursuing expansions such as the IC3 Super West datacentre, which benefited from state government planning reforms designating datacentres as “state significant developments,” allowing ministerial approval and bypassing local council processes.
In October 2022, Macquarie paid nearly $2,000 for a lunch meeting with then-Labor Ryde mayor Jerome Laxale and present-day Labor leader Chris Minns. While Laxale did not have a direct role in assessing planning applications, the City of Ryde itself has expressed growing concerns about the proliferation of datacentres within its jurisdiction, citing strain on electricity and water resources. The municipality, home to at least 12 existing or proposed datacentres, communicated these worries during a parliamentary inquiry earlier this year.
Since 2000, Macquarie has reported payments totaling $2.2 million to Liberal and Labor state and federal branches. The company maintains that its political contributions do not influence planning decisions.
Transparency International Australia has criticized the industry’s influence on politics, with CEO Clancy Moore characterizing datacentres as an emerging sector employing longstanding lobbying methods, including financial contributions for political access. As community opposition rises over rapid datacentre expansion and associated environmental impacts, the intersection of political donations and industry lobbying remains under close observation.