The Australian Government's foreign aid agency, formerly known as AusAid gave $3.5M to the Labor Party, The Greens and the Liberal Party in the 2012/13 financial year.

Why?

Yesterday the Australian Electoral Commission released the 2012/13 annual financial disclosure returns by political parties.

Here is the first page of the Labor Party's return for 2012/13.

You'll note that the "Australian Agency for International Development" is listed as giving $2,200,000 in 4 x $550,000 donations to Labor, listed as "Other Receipt" in Labor's returns.   That's for one year, FY 2012/13.   From a total of $13.8M that Labor received, $2.2M came from AusAid - or just on 1 in every 6 dollars.

Here is Labor's return.

But it's not just Labor that received big money from the Australian Agency for International Development - here is the AEC page showing where it spent our money in 2012/13.

$2.2M to the Labor Party

$.22M to the Greens

$1.1M to the Liberal Party

Just on $3.5M from the "Australian Agency for International Development" to 3 Australian domestic political parties with Labor taking double the amount the Liberals received and the Greens 10% of the Labor share.

So what is the "Australian Agency for International Development".  You might know it by its more familiar name, AusAid.   And it doesn't have any of its own money to hand around - it's funded by your taxes!

The AusAid annual report for 2012/13 is here.

AusAid's financial statements are here.

The relevant ministers for the 2012/13 year are listed here - Bob Carr leading the push.

I could find no details listed on the AusTender site for Labor, Liberal or The Greens parties having won contracts to deliver foreign aid services for our Foreign Affairs Department.

Can anyone enlighten us as to why our foreign aid agency made these donations?