Major political parties are accused of using secretive investment vehicles to funnel millions of dollars into their election campaigns ahead of a high-stakes High Court challenge to be heard early in the 2026 election year.

Fresh court documents, filed on Monday, expose the vast war chests of Victoria’s major parties, whose multimillion-dollar fundraising arms are shielded from donation caps through a special exemption in Victoria’s electoral laws.

Two independent candidates – Paul Hopper, who contested the Werribee byelection in February , and Melissa Lowe, who ran as a “teal” independent in the seat of Hawthorn in 2022 – are seeking to have this exemption removed, and argue it gives Labor and the Coalition an unfair edge over independents and newer parties, and breaches the implied

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