CATHY McGowan splashed $80,000 more on being re-elected the member for Indi than she did on winning the seat from the Liberal Party in 2013.
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The independent MP had a $203,748 war chest of donations for July’s federal election compared to $136,956 for her first shot at Indi.
Data released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday shows Ms McGowan’s election spending.
It shows Ms McGowan spent: $77,605 on radio and television advertising.
$65,986 on print adverts.
$42,735 on campaign items such as voting cards.
$8872 on direct mailouts.
$17,270 on poll research.
In 2013, Ms McGowan spent $41,409 on radio and television and $47,965 on print.
Ms McGowan had 1490 individual donors for the 2016 campaign compared to 1120 in 2013.
She noted her funding differed to the union-assisted Labor Party or the business-affiliated Liberal Party.
“It was money from the local community – there was no big unionists and there was no big tobacco company or multinationals,” Ms McGowan said.
“Many of them got involved in the volunteer activity, so not only did they give their money, they gave their time.”
The spending of Indi party candidates Sophie Mirabella (Liberal), Eric Kerr (Labor), Jenny O’Connor (Greens) and Marty Corboy (Nationals) is not outlined in the latest AEC data.
However Mr Corboy’s return does state he spent $6089 on print advertising and $4389 on campaign material.
He said that was generated in Indi and he was pleased to nab 17 per cent of the vote on a shoestring campaign compared to Ms McGowan.
“Ours was a very basic campaign based on signage and me getting out and about everywhere, I covered over 40,000 kilometres in a short period of time,” Mr Corboy said.
“We knew we were lacking in the money department and we knew that when we went into the race.”
Ms O’Connor said she had $1500 from the Greens’ head office and raised $10,000 from within Indi.
“It was very clear that there was a vast difference in funding between different candidates and I think the results speak for themselves,” Ms O’Connor said.
Liberal Democrat Indi candidate Tim Quilty, who was elected to Wodonga Council in November, spent $1832 on broadcast advertisting and $2968 on campaign material.
Like Indi, details of the spending by major party Farrer candidates remains under wraps.
However few contenders if any in Australia are likely to beat the low mark seat by independent Brian Mills who declared his total gifts or donations to be $6.