New political donation disclosures have revealed who funded local councillors’ election campaigns with a few surprises, including one mayoral candidate raking in more than $50,000 in donations – including money from a Chinese business executive connected to the Landbridge Group – while the other Darwin mayoral candidate claimed no donations at all; meanwhile a disgraced former Labor powerbroker appeared more times than any other donor on different lists and one councillor had a former chief minister’s father kick in for his successful run.

The disclosures were released by the NT Electoral Commission on Thursday afternoon, in accordance with disclosure laws that came into effect in July 2022, requiring all local government candidates to disclose any donations of $200 or more and loans of $1500 or more.

It is the first time council candidates have had to disclose their donations, with the deadline to report to the NTEC by November 3.

The disclosures show failed Darwin mayor and former Labor minister Kon Vatskalis raised much more money than all other council candidates across the Northern Territory combined.

Mr Vatskalis declared a total of $52,150 in donations, led by a $9,800 donation from a man named Peter McInnes from Valla Beach, SA and a $9,500 donation made by Shane Jones of Oakhurst, SA.

The disclosures show Mr Vatskalis also received a $5,000 donation from former Labor chief minister Paul Henderson on July 30.

That $5,000 figure was also donated separately by both the Jape family and developer Ross Finocchiaro. Builder George Kamitsis’ company Habitat NT also contributed to Mr Vatskalis’s unsuccessful mayoral campaign, kicking in $4,000.

Former chief minister Michael Gunner’s former chief of staff and Territory Labor powerbroker Alf Leonardi – who was found in a damning 2021 ICAC report to have “breached the public’s trust” over a corrupt deal to build the Darwin Turf Club a $12 million grandstand with taxpayer cash – gave Mr Vatskalis a $1,000 donation on July 1.

That donation was matched by Chinese business executive Cheng Xiang, the current executive director of Landbridge’s Darwin Port operations, who also separately donated $1,000 to Mr Vatskalis.

Other NT Electoral Commission records show Mr Cheng and Darwin Port chief executive Peter Dummett contributed $2,000 each to Territory Labor at last year’s NT general election.

DCOH, which was given the contract to build the controversial new Darwin Council headquarters, did not appear on Mr Vatskalis’s list of donors, nor did its director Shane Dignan.

Leonardi and other Labor figures heavily involved in Darwin Council elections: Disclosures

Mr Leonardi not only contributed to Mr Vatskalis’s campaign, he also gave successful council candidate Patrik Ralph two $500 donations, the disclosure returns show.

Mr Ralph, a Waters Ward councillor and the youngest member of council at 22, also declared a $2,000 donation from Zip Print.

Richardson Ward councillor Jimmy Bouhoris declared only one $2,000 donation given to him by former chief minister Natasha Fyles’s father Andrew Fyles. Ms Fyles resigned as chief minister in December 2023 following an undisclosed shares scandal.

Fellow successful Richardson Ward councillor Shani Carson declared two donations totalling $1,200 – a $1,000 donation from Philip and Bronwyn Carson and $200 from Keely Quinn.

Former Waters Ward councillor Mirella Fejo, who was first appointed to council in February following a resignation but who lost during the August election, disclosed one $2,500 donation from Robert King of Driver during the election campaign period.

Unsuccessful Chan Ward candidate and son of Territory Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Clarence McCarthy-Grogan, declared a total of $4,200 in donations from three separate contributions made by his mother over a span of two weeks in late July and August.

Current Darwin Mayor Peter Styles did not file a disclosure return with the NTEC by deadline. He is currently part of a police investigation into allegations he and his campaign team produced fraudulent how-to-vote cards in the lead-up to the Darwin council election.

No Palmerston Council candidates filed disclosure returns.

Only one Alice Springs candidate declared donations to the NT Electoral Commission, with successful Mayor Asta Hill disclosing a $5,382 donation from the NT Greens.

The only other local council candidate in the Northern Territory to file a donation return was unsuccessful Litchfield Council South Ward candidate Beckie Kernich, who declared a $465 donation from 2022 NT Australian of the Year winner and former Palmerston councillor Rebecca Forrest.