Basil Zempilas, the Opposition Leader of Western Australia (WA), has criticized WA Labor state secretary Mark Reed over a $6600 donation from charity Ruah Community Services to attend one of Labor’s fundraising events. The donation raised concerns among opposition members and the Greens about the ethics of charities spending money on political access. Zempilas called for Labor to return the funds, emphasizing that it is "shameful" for a charity to donate to a political party. Meanwhile, Reed defended the acceptance of such donations by stating that they comply with disclosure requirements set by the WA Electoral Commission.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-13,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In late 2023, Ruah Community Services, a charity focused on homelessness and domestic violence, donated $6600 to the WA Labor Party for access to one of its fundraising events. This donation has sparked controversy, with opposition leader Basil Zempilas calling on Mark Reed, the state secretary of WA Labor, to return the money. The donation was made despite over 84% of Ruah’s revenue in 2024-25 coming from government grants. Critics argue that charities should not spend crucial funding for political access, citing concerns about potential breaches of charity regulations which prohibit supporting specific political candidates or parties. The Greens and the opposition have also questioned the ethics behind such donations, suggesting it undermines the integrity of both the charity and the political party involved.
Written for “Political Donation Controversy” on 2026-10-13,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 75797: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-13
Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas has challenged WA Labor state secretary Mark Reed to pay back a $6600 donation from homelessness and domestic violence charity Ruah.
asserted
Zempilas → challenge → charity
Ruah Community Services disclosed the “gift” to WA Labor last month, which the party confirmed was the ticket price to attend one of its fundraising events.
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party → disclose → events
More than $38 million of Ruah’s $45 million in revenue in 2024-25 came from grants, including from the WA government.
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million → come → government
The donation drew the ire of the opposition and the Greens, which both questioned why a charity would spend crucial funding to pay for access to government ministers through the Labor events.
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charity → draw → events
Zempilas called on Labor to pay the money back.
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Zempilas → call → money
“I am stunned that there has been a donation go from Ruah to the WA Labor Party.
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donation → stun → Party
But I am even more staggered that the WA Labor Party has accepted that money from a charitable organisation,” he said.
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he → accept → organisation
“Have they totally lost their moral fibre?
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they → lose → fibre
Are they totally bereft of any direction and knowing what is right and what is wrong?
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what → know → direction
This is a charity, and they are somehow being asked to donate money to the WA Labor Party to have access.
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they → ask → access
“I met with Shelter WA yesterday.
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I → meet → WA
I didn’t charge them any money to come in and discuss the issues that are a priority for the social services sector, and I meet with a whole range of those in this community space all the time.
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I → charge → space
It is shameful that WA Labor has accepted money from a charity.
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Labor → accept → charity
“The first thing Mark Reed should do today is refund that money to Ruah ...
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Reed → do → Ruah
how many meals could it provide for those that Ruah provide homelessness services for?
uncertain
Ruah → provide → services
How much shelter could it help accommodate?
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it → help → shelter
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission warns against donating to political parties and attending political fundraising events “because the charity will run the risk of being found to have a purpose of supporting a particular candidate or party.”
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charity → warn → candidate
Ruah was approached for comment, but chief executive Debra Zanella previously told The West Australian the donation was appropriately disclosed.
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donation → approach → Australian
“The payment indicated represented a purchase of tickets to an event, where we advocated for the clients and communities we serve,” Zanella said.
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Zanella → indicate → clients
Reed did not respond to questions about Zempilas’ challenge to pay back the money.
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Reed → respond → money
He said the party’s schedule of events was open to the full spectrum of businesses and entities from across WA and interstate.
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schedule → say → WA
“WA Labor complies with the WAEC’s disclosure requirements,” he said.
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he → comply → requirements
Ruah was at the centre of a political fight between the Cook Government and Zempilas in his previous role as Perth lord mayor, when the City of Perth shut its women’s shelter in East Perth in 2023 and the charity attempted to open a new centre in Northbridge.
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charity → shut → Northbridge
Ruah received $10.7 million in the May budget for crisis accommodation.
uncertain
Ruah → receive → accommodation
Planning Minister and Perth MP John Carey defended charities paying to attend Labor fundraisers, saying when he worked for Pew Charitable Trusts before entering politics, he attended a Liberal business forum with former premier Colin Barnett.
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he → defend → Barnett
“Ultimately, that is a decision for each of those organisations,” he said.
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he → say → organisations
“I understand why Basil is being so hyper about this, he really dislikes Ruah.
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he → understand → Ruah
He shut down the women’s shelter.
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He → shut → shelter
“He was humiliated as part of that, and quite frankly, he has an ideological hatred of Ruah.”
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he → humiliate → Ruah
The Aporia
