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Australia

Advance and GetUp Report Donations Totalling $13.2M

Both progressive advocacy groups filed financial reports showing donation income in the most recent financial year, with Advance's figure falling sharply from the previous year.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Philanthropy

Bold vector editorial illustration of two glass jars of gold coins side by side, the taller one fuller, evoking a comparison of two funding totals.
Advance's donations fell to AU$7 million in the latest financial year from AU$12.9 million the previous year, while GetUp's rose to AU$6.2 million, according to filings with the corporate regulator. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Advance reported donations of AU$7 million and GetUp reported AU$6.2 million in the last financial year, according to financial reports filed with the corporate regulator. Advance's donations fell from AU$12.9 million in the 2024-2025 financial year, which included the May 2025 federal election.

Why it matters

The figures show how donation income for political advocacy groups in Australia can swing sharply between years, particularly around election cycles. GetUp's donations rose above its 2025 election-year level, while Advance's fell, highlighting the uneven pattern of funding across the sector.

Advance's AU$7 million in donations is its second-highest reported since 2021-22, down from AU$12.9 million the previous year. GetUp's AU$6.2 million is its highest since 2022-2023, when it received AU$6.7 million.

The players

Advance

Advance is an Australian political advocacy group formed in 2018 in response to the campaigns of GetUp.

GetUp

GetUp is an Australian progressive advocacy organisation known for its online campaigns and community-funded activism.

The details

Advance and GetUp disclosed their donation totals in financial reports filed with the corporate regulator for the 2025-2026 financial year. Advance, formed in 2018 in response to GetUp's campaigns, attached a statement to its report.

Timeline

  1. 2018: Advance is formed in response to GetUp's campaigns.

  2. 2022-2023: GetUp receives AU$6.7 million in donations.

  3. May 2025: The federal election is held during the 2024-2025 financial year.

  4. 2024-2025 financial year: Advance reports AU$12.9 million in donations.

  5. 2025-2026 financial year: Both groups report donations in their latest filings.

Political Context

The 2024-2025 financial year included the May 2025 federal election, a period when Advance's donations reached AU$12.9 million. GetUp's latest donation figure exceeds its 2025 election-year level, suggesting that election timing does not uniformly drive donation income across the two groups.

Donation fluctuations can affect how much campaigning and advocacy activity these groups are able to fund in a given year. Readers following Australian political debate may find the year-to-year swings useful when comparing organisations' financial capacity.

The takeaway

Donation totals for advocacy groups can change considerably from one financial year to the next, so single-year figures are best read alongside earlier reports. Checking several years of filings gives a clearer picture of a group's funding trend.

Further reading

For more on giving trends across the country, see Philanthropy.

Source note: This article includes information reported by POLITICO.

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