Money can't buy you love, but a donation in politics might get you some recognition

Three cheers for Macquarie Group's chutzpah - explaining this week why it donated nearly $200,000 across the political divide. "We're just supporting the political process," said a spokeswoman, Lisa Jamieson. To think that we had assumed Macquarie and the other donor banks, including Westpac ($120,000), ANZ ($100,000) and the Commonwealth Bank ($25,000), were depositing a down payment on a big "thank you" for borrowing the government's triple-A rating and the deposit guarantee when times were tough.

Oiling those squeaky wheels of government

This week's funding disclosures draw attention to the rationale behind corporate donations to political parties.