In early February, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) released data showing how much political donations Australian political parties or candidates received in the 2022-2023 financial year, as well as who made the donations. The report said that a total of $240.7 million in donations were received by the major political parties.

Donors give funds to political parties that support their stance on particular issues. One of the top donors was Marcus Catsaras, a strong advocate for action on climate change and the chief investment officer of StepChange in Tokyo. He gave $1 million to Climate 200 in a bid to influence policies favoring renewable energy.

Climate 200 is an initiative dedicated to supporting political leaders with a strong commitment to science-based action to climate change, as well as advancing respect for women. It was established when some Australians realized that they did not want the government to take a step back on climate issues. Between 2009 and 2018, these people witnessed how the Renewable Energy Target was scaled back, the carbon price was abolished, and ministers mocked climate change, and decided that they wanted change. The establishment of Climate 200 was an attempt to put the right people in the parliament and drive political change toward climate change action, integrity in office, and gender equality.