The declarations reveal Tink was Climate 200’s ‘top teal’,receiving more cash from them ($808,411 of $1.8 million received in donations) than any other candidate. Chaney ($786,532 of $1,333,093) received the second-highest contribution from Climate 200.

Climate 200’s biggest misses were Carolyn Heise,who received $465,816 from the organisation to contest the seat of Cowper in northern NSW. She didn’t win the seat but reduced incumbent Pat Conaghan’s two-party preferred margin by about four per cent to 52.3-47.7.

The group spent $302,483 on independent candidate Georgia Steele in Hughes,the Sydney seat previously held by Liberal defector Craig Kelly. She won only 14 per cent of the primary vote and finished a distant third to new Liberal MP Jenny Ware and Labor candidate Riley Campbell.

After Climate 200,Spender’s biggest donor’s included William Taylor Nominees ($100,000),Keldoulis Investments ($80,000),Nicholas Fairfax ($50,000),a member of the family that once owned this masthead,and Alex Turnbull ($25,000) the son of former prime minister and member for Wentworth Malcolm Turnbull.

Ryan’s other major donors after Climate 200 included LB Conservation ($100,000),Brian Snape ($50,000) and Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes à Court – once a supporter of Frydenberg – who personally donated $20,000.

In 2019,Frydenberg defeated achallenge from Liberal-turned-independent Oliver Yates,who spent $483,804 – less than one-fifth of Ryan’s 2022 outlay. Yates’ wife Jacqueline also donated $20,000 to Ryan’s campaign.

The spending by independent MPs and candidates at the 2022 election makes up 10 of the top 11 spots for outlays by an independent at any election. Steggall’s $900,000 spend on her successful campaign to oust Tony Abbott in 2019 is the only entry in the top 11 not from 2022.

In comparison,businessman Clive Palmer spent about $83 million on United Australia Party candidates at the 2019 election,while Liberal donations topped $165 million and Labor received $126 million.

The number of independent MPs in the lower house grew from three to 10 at this year’s election,doubling the previous record of five crossbench MPs in 1996. The Greens also gained three seats to have four MPs in the lower house.

Candidates and unendorsed Senate groups are required to disclose the total donations they receive to fund their campaign,the number of donors and details of donations over $14,500 from a single source.

Donors must report donations totalling more than $14,500 made to an individual candidate or member of a Senate group.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weeklyInside Politics newsletter here.