Malcolm Turnbull is the prime minister of Australia and the country's wealthiest politician.
He believes that troubles the federal opposition leader.
"I'm my own man and Bill Shorten hates that. He hates that. He goes out there every day and he attacks me for having done well, paid tax, made a quid, bought a nice house. He calls me 'Mr Harbourside Mansion'."
Mr Turnbull has admitted donating $1.75 million of his own money to the Liberal Party during last year's federal election campaign.
His revelation came in an ABC interview just hours after calling for a more transparent political donations system in a speech to the National Press Club, and after months of dodging journalists' questions of whether he had propped up the party financially in the lead up to the vote.
"I've put my money where my mouth is. I've contributed my money - my after-tax money - to the Liberal Party, standing up for the values that I believe are critically important for Australia's future. I can't be bought by anyone."
Large political donations are legal in Australia and Malcolm Turnbull admits it is the biggest donation he has ever made to his party.
He concedes it is the largest political donation by an individual in Australian history, exceeding the $1.6 million given to the Greens in 2010 by internet entrepreneur and founder of the website Wotif, Graeme Wood.
But the federal opposition says Mr Turnbull basically bought himself more time in power.
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek told the ABC it is extraordinary the amount was kept secret for so long.
"If Malcolm Turnbull thinks it's fine to buy the prime-ministership, why wasn't he prepared to be upfront with the Australian people when he made this donation and just be frank about it? If he thinks it's a good thing to be able to put $1.75 million on the table and buy the election rather than convince the Australian people with his ideas, and with his argument to vote Liberal then he should have been upfront from the beginning."
The donation has been defended by the prime minister's colleagues, including the Treasurer Scott Morrison.
That's a grubby political smear from a grubby political hack of a party of hacks led by Bill Shorten. The prime minister has always invested in causes he believed. I've known the Prime Minister for almost 20 years and he and Lucy have been generous and humble contributors to many great causes."
Labor has long required its state and federal MPs to donate between four to six per cent of their taxpayer-funded salaries back to the party.
It claims not even that surpasses Malcolm Turnbull's recent donation, although SBS News has found the collective practice raises at least $2.3 million per year.
Politicians can donate to a political party and claim it on tax, but like other donors any contributions above $13,000 have to be publicly declared.
Labor is calling for that threshold to be reduced to $1,000.
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