Money flowing to Universities Australia
$37,367,518 flowed to Universities Australia (2018-19 to 2020-21) from 77 sources; $30,668,955 as donations, $0 public funding. Sources merged and classified, with flows through associated entities.
Key facts
- How much money has Universities Australia received? Universities Australia reported $37,367,518 in receipts between 2018-19 and 2020-21, from 77 sources. $30,668,955 (82%) was donations and $0 (0%) was public funding.
- Where does the money flowing to Universities Australia come from? The largest non-government sources were University of Melbourne ($1,361,788); The University of Sydney ($1,317,852); Monash University ($1,283,129).
- Does money reach Universities Australia through related companies or trusts? The AEC returns show no significant routes through related companies or trusts.
What the money is made of
| Donors - organisations | $29,451,332 | 79% |
| Government & tax | $5,501,485 | 15% |
| Donors - individuals | $1,217,623 | 3% |
| Business & financial income | $1,197,078 | 3% |
How the money flows
Left to right: original source, any associated body it passed through, then this recipient. Band width is the dollar amount; steps before the last are estimates. Public funding, bank and government income is grouped, and small sources are combined into "Other sources".
Who is behind the money
"Direct" is what the AEC return shows this body receiving from that source. "Via associated bodies" is an estimate of money that reached this body through another recipient (for example a company that received from the source, then passed money on).
| Origin | Type | Direct | Via associated bodies (est.) | Total | Main route |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Education, Skills and Employment | Government & tax | $3,608,000 | – | $3,608,000 | |
| University of Melbourne | Donors - organisations | $1,361,788 | – | $1,361,788 | |
| The University of Sydney | Donors - organisations | $1,317,852 | – | $1,317,852 | |
| Monash University | Donors - organisations | $1,283,129 | – | $1,283,129 | |
| The University of Queensland | Donors - organisations | $1,157,885 | – | $1,157,885 | |
| Department of Social services | Government & tax | $1,117,195 | – | $1,117,195 | |
| Queensland University of Technology | Donors - organisations | $884,880 | – | $884,880 | |
| The University of Western Australia | Donors - organisations | $858,441 | – | $858,441 | |
| Curtin University | Donors - organisations | $846,732 | – | $846,732 | |
| Macquarie University | Business & financial income | $839,908 | – | $839,908 | |
| University of Technology Sydney | Donors - organisations | $838,965 | – | $838,965 | |
| Western Sydney University | Donors - organisations | $799,146 | – | $799,146 | |
| The University of Newcastle | Donors - organisations | $789,062 | – | $789,062 | |
| La Trobe University | Donors - organisations | $787,858 | – | $787,858 | |
| Deakin University | Donors - organisations | $758,929 | – | $758,929 | |
| Swinburne University of Technology | Donors - organisations | $756,299 | – | $756,299 | |
| University of Tasmania | Donors - organisations | $747,017 | – | $747,017 | |
| University of Wollongong | Donors - organisations | $743,431 | – | $743,431 | |
| University of South Australia | Donors - organisations | $739,819 | – | $739,819 | |
| Griffith University | Donors - organisations | $730,500 | – | $730,500 | |
| Charles Sturt University | Donors - organisations | $722,743 | – | $722,743 | |
| Australian Catholic University | Donors - organisations | $706,125 | – | $706,125 | |
| James Cook University | Donors - organisations | $692,571 | – | $692,571 | |
| Flinders University | Donors - organisations | $692,225 | – | $692,225 | |
| Victoria University | Donors - organisations | $674,414 | – | $674,414 | |
| Edith Cowan University | Donors - organisations | $674,402 | – | $674,402 | |
| CQUniversity | Donors - organisations | $663,708 | – | $663,708 | |
| Department of Education and Training | Government & tax | $660,000 | – | $660,000 | |
| The University of Southern Queensland | Donors - organisations | $638,792 | – | $638,792 | |
| The Australian National University | Donors - organisations | $638,460 | – | $638,460 | |
| University of Canberra | Donors - organisations | $624,797 | – | $624,797 | |
| Federation University Australia | Donors - organisations | $620,357 | – | $620,357 | |
| Charles Darwin University | Donors - organisations | $618,497 | – | $618,497 | |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | Donors - organisations | $612,871 | – | $612,871 | |
| Southern Cross University | Donors - organisations | $605,753 | – | $605,753 | |
| Murdoch University | Donors - organisations | $595,167 | – | $595,167 | |
| UNSW Sydney | Donors - individuals | $579,353 | – | $579,353 | |
| The University of Adelaide | Donors - organisations | $555,746 | – | $555,746 | |
| RMIT University | Donors - organisations | $554,116 | – | $554,116 | |
| Bond University | Donors - organisations | $513,894 | – | $513,894 |
Funding tree
Largest direct sources. Open an entry to see who funded it (estimated, same financial years).
- Department of Education, Skills and Employment $3,608,000
- University of Melbourne $1,361,788
- The University of Sydney $1,317,852
- Monash University $1,283,129
- The University of Queensland $1,157,885
- Department of Social services $1,117,195
- Queensland University of Technology $884,880
- The University of Western Australia $858,441
- Curtin University $846,732
- Macquarie University $839,908
- University of Technology Sydney $838,965
- Western Sydney University $799,146
Where this body sends money
| Recipient | Relationship | Years | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party (ALP) | 2014-15 | $11,500 |
By financial year
| Year | Donations | Transfers | Public funding | Business & other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | $8,008,516 | $0 | $0 | $2,697,548 | $10,706,064 |
| 2019-20 | $9,345,720 | $0 | $0 | $2,705,214 | $12,050,934 |
| 2018-19 | $13,314,719 | $0 | $0 | $1,295,801 | $14,610,520 |
About this data
Returns report yearly totals, not individual transactions, so amounts passing through related bodies are estimated by apportioning what an intermediary passed on across the sources that funded it that year. Names are merged only when the spelling clearly refers to the same body, so one entity can still appear under more than one name. Donors are organisations or individuals giving money; public funding is paid by electoral commissions; business and financial income is bank interest, payment processors and similar; transfers are money moved from a related party body, company or trust.
Source: Australian Electoral Commission, Transparency Register annual returns (Detailed Receipts, Associated Entity Returns, Party Returns). Not an official AEC publication. Updated 13 October 2026. See the About popup for what we add and for licensing.