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Australian Federal Election Donations 2025

On 2nd February 2026, the Australian Election Commission published its annual donor list. Brethren Exposed can reveal that at least $655,000 was donated to Advance Australia by five Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members — with links to PPE contracts, Bruce Hales-audited companies and Brethren gospel hall trusts.

Source Open & Candid / Brethren Exposed
Published 2 February 2026
Category Politics
Read time 6 min
← Back to Politics
Key Figures
$655,000
Minimum confirmed donations to Advance Australia
5
PBCC members identified as donors
$700,000
Total reported by Daily Telegraph (Dean & Charles Hales)

On 2nd February 2026, the Australian Election Commission published its annual political donor list covering the 2024–25 financial year. Brethren Exposed can reveal that at least five members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church donated a combined total of at least $655,000 to Advance Australia — a right-leaning political lobby group closely aligned with the Liberal Party.

This follows reporting by the Daily Telegraph in which Dean and Charles Hales confirmed that donations had been made totalling $700,000, stating that the choice was down to individual members and that the church itself had made no donations.

The Donations

Donor State Amount (AUD)
Rod TunleySouth Australia$246,500
David SteeleVictoria$226,500
Andrew GilliesNew South Wales$145,000
Gavin GraceVictoria$18,500
Peter GraceVictoria$18,500
Total confirmed$655,000

There is a notable discrepancy in the reporting of Rod Tunley's donation: his annual return states he donated to the Liberal Party directly, yet Advance Australia shows his donation in their receipts. The full list is available on the Brethren Network database.

Donor Profiles

Rod Tunley — South Australia
$246,500 to Advance Australia
Tunley had previously donated $115,000 to the Liberal Party in 2021–22 via his company Voltex Electrical Accessories. Voltex is one of only three companies audited directly by Brethren leader Bruce Hales — a significant indicator of seniority within the community. Tunley is also a trustee of the Arthur Street Gospel Trust, a Brethren meeting room charity in the Adelaide suburbs.
David Steele — Victoria
$226,500 to Advance Australia
A new donor with no prior record of political donations. Steele is the Swan Hill-based owner of Polymaster, a water tank and chemical storage manufacturer. He is also a trustee of the Swan Hill Gospel Trust and the Prospect Hill Trust — both Brethren-linked charities.
Andrew Gillies — New South Wales
$145,000 to Advance Australia
Also a new donor. Gillies owns FVA Group, a cladding company trading under the name Fairview. He is a trustee of the Bowenfels Gospel Trust in Lithgow — a Brethren meeting room charity.
Gavin Grace — Victoria
$18,500 to Advance Australia
A new donor who has featured prominently in recent investigations. Grace is a director of PPE contract winner Westlab — one of the other two companies directly audited by Bruce Hales — and attracted attention for a multi-million dollar property purchase in North Sydney. He is also the driving force behind Connected Global, the interior outfitting business employing former Liberal Government Health Minister Greg Hunt. Grace is additionally a director of OneSchool Global Australia, the principal Brethren education charity.
Peter Grace — Victoria
$18,500 to Advance Australia
Father of Gavin Grace and owner of Westlab. Also a first-time political donor. Peter Grace is a trustee of the South Ballarat Gospel Trust, a Brethren meeting room charity.

Three of the five donors are trustees of Brethren gospel hall charities. Two are connected to companies directly audited by Bruce Hales himself. All five are first-time or returning donors to the same recipient — Advance Australia.

Open & Candid

The pattern across these five donors is striking. Each is a business owner of substance within the Brethren community. Three are trustees of gospel hall trusts — the local meeting room charities that form the administrative backbone of PBCC communities. Two are linked to companies that sit under the direct oversight of Bruce Hales as auditor, the most senior role in the Brethren business structure. The Grace family connection to both PPE contracts and political donations — alongside their employment of Greg Hunt — raises questions that remain unanswered about the intersection of the Brethren business network and Australian political life.

The total of $655,000 identified falls short of the $700,000 figure reported by the Daily Telegraph after conversations with Dean and Charles Hales, suggesting further donations may exist that we have not yet been able to confirm.

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