Rudd in new bid for donations
When Kevin Rudd used his first press conference of the election campaign on Sunday to call for volunteers and donations, it was out of unashamed necessity.
Labor insiders say expectation of a Labor wipe-out under Julia Gillard led to donations drying up.
What little money the ALP had was redirected at protecting seats higher up the electoral pendulum.
So much so that Labor candidates in Liberal-held marginal seats, such as Boothby in South Australia, had their campaign resources withdrawn completely.
Mr Rudd's resurrection improved Labor's electoral fortunes and donations trickled in again. He has held a series of "boardroom dinners" with business types, asking up to $5500 a head.
But the party is believed to be many millions of dollars behind the Liberal Party in fundraising.
Tony Abbott's three-year favouritism to win the poll has had money pouring into Liberal Party coffers, peaking with a $1 million-plus record-breaking fundraiser at Melbourne's Crown Casino last week.
Two Liberal premiers and a bevy of coalition frontbenchers joined Mr Abbott at the flash event for 1000 people. Tables fetched up to $50,000.
In WA last month, Mr Abbott helped raise $250,000 for the WA Liberals at a Crown Perth function, with some tables sold for $10,000 each. Sydney shock-jock Alan Jones headlined a separate Liberal fundraiser in Perth last month, hosted by Senator Mathias Cormann, Hasluck MP Ken Wyatt and former WA treasurer and Pearce candidate Christian Porter.
This late flurry of fundraising activity came as party strategists began fretting that the Liberal members had become complacent while Ms Gillard was prime minister, with expectations of an easy win.
In an email to members yesterday, party State director Ben Morton appealed for donations, warning victory was far from assured.
"We don't have the massive automatic support of the union movement," Mr Morton wrote. "We rely on donations. Our fundraising has been made difficult with the incorrect long-held view we would win easily and the incorrect view the WA division has enormous cash reserves. Our Federal campaign fundraising budget has not yet been met and we need your support."
A Labor strategist said Mr Rudd's call for $10 donations was as important as his call for volunteers because it was aimed at enthusing a "Rudd-mentum" that propelled his 2007 campaign.
"Giving time and giving money has the same emotional commitment - if you donated $20 yesterday, you are much more likely to defend (Mr Rudd) at the kids' footy," the strategist said.
