Telethon 2025: Corporate and political elite show extraordinary spirit to help Telethon reach record total

Australia’s corporate, political and philanthropic elite have opened their hearts — and their wallets — to help Telethon reach another record fundraising total.
Billionaires, miners, philanthropists and other major companies joined forces with the State and Federal governments to donate tens of millions of dollars in the name of helping WA’s sick and vulnerable children.
Premier Roger Cook announced a $14 million donation on behalf of the State Government, saying it had been an “honour and a privilege” to be part of the event which was “uniquely Western Australian”.
“As a Government we want to support Telethon and all the incredible things that it does for our sick and disadvantaged kids,” he said.
Announcing the Albanese Government’s donation of $6 million, Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said he was “humbled” to be part of such an “extraordinary event”.

Mr Marles also opened up about his own “terrifying” experience of having a sick child in hospital, saying he felt “a sense of gratitude” for fundraisers like Telethon.
“My wife Rachel and I do have some experience with this and I think having a very sick child in need of acute care is terrifying,” he said.
“It is a parent’s worst nightmare, it is completely consuming. I think for parents in that circumstance, it is inevitably the darkest time that they will face.
“But for us in that moment to have the care, the treatment, the help that our children’s hospitals provide, that our paediatric services provide is a godsend and it’s completely transformational.
“You can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the country that we live in and but also when you look at an event like this you know the support that is being provided and the embrace that is there from the community that is a total blessing.”
Mr Marles said he felt “enormously proud” to fill-in for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Saturday night’s Telethon Ball, where he told the crowd it was “very humbling to be able to make a contribution of that amount to Telethon”.
The Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, led by Elizabeth Perron, donated $10 million — $2 million more than their contribution last year.
Among the other million dollar partners were BHP, with a $5.5 million donation that brought the total support the mining giant has given to Telethon over the past decade to more than $50 million.
BHP asset president Western Australia iron ore Tim Day said Telethon “shows us the best of WA — big hearts and huge generosity from across this State, bringing people together to give what they can, and do their bit to help children have a better future:.
“For decades, Telethon has brought our community together in remarkable ways – whether it’s children donating their pocket money, grandparents giving back, or small businesses making big pledges – everyone plays a part,” he said.
“We’re really proud that our support for Telethon over the years has helped kids from across the State access the care and support they need to thrive.”
Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Matthew Holcz said the miner’s contribution of $5.5 million would fund an area the company felt most deeply about — mental health.
“It’s a challenge for families right across the state particularly those in regional and remote areas where support can be difficult to access,” he said.

“And that’s something that we really want to partner and invest in. We really look to a future where every kid in WA can feel resilient and confident about their future as well.”
Mineral Resources director for people Andrea Chapman announced a $2 million donation, which brought the company’s support for Telethon over the past decade to $16.5 million.
“At MinRes, we’re just so proud to be long-term supporters of Telethon and play our part because when the WA community comes together, it’s so powerful,” Ms Chapman said.
“I’ve met so many families whose lives have been transformed thanks to Telethon and I’ve seen firsthand the impact these amazing charities are having on Western Australian families.”
Woodside donated $1.125 million to Telethon, with the company’s executive vice president technology and energy development Julie Fallon saying the multinational had not forgotten it’s Perth base.
“We are a global company but we are really proud to be Perth head-quartered, we are proudly West Australian and supporting our host communities is really important to us,” she said.
Wesfarmers donated $1.7m to the Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Disease at Perth Children’s Hospital with managing director Rob Scott saying it was, “a world-class medical institute.”
Hancock Iron Ore donated $2.5 million with sponsorship assistant Lauren Melville explaining that Telethon was “close to the hearts of many of our staff”.
“Inspired by the extremely generous philanthropy of Mrs Gina Rinehart, our staff has been doing monthly donations directly from their pre-tax salaries to Telethon which is so incredible,” she said.

Other major donors were Malcolm, Tonya and Carolyn McCusker who donated $4 million, Chevron Australia, which gifted $1.5m and the Minderoo Foundation, which gave $2 million.
Meanwhile on Saturday night, big donors dug deep with generous donations including from billionaire James Packer who rang into the Telethon Ball to gift $1 million.
But it was during the auction that it was clear those in the room were willing to dig deeper than ever before.
The mood in the room changed completely — and set the bar for the rest of the evening — when a 1kg gold bar, donated by Northern Star Resources, fetched an astonishing $480,000 after a bid by Margaret Watroba.
The gold fever led to Northern Star Resources donating a second bar which went to Warburton Group founder Tim Roberts for $520,000.
It was the second generous donation from Mr Roberts, whose philanthropic organisation Warburton Giving donated $3 million.
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