Banks have continued to donate to Labor despite the party's pursuit of a potentially brand-damaging royal commission, but the big four still channelled more funds to the Coalition.
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The Coalition, which has fought back against a banks royal commission, received $352,000 in total from the big four, higher than the $310,00 the banks gave the ALP.
Westpac gave $87,000 to the Liberal Party, compared with $81,000 to Labor in 2015-16, according to the Australian Electoral Commission's annual returns released on Wednesday.
The major parties will be looking to alternative big-business donors, with Westpac, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and NAB vowing to stop the practice in 2016.
NAB, which donated $91,000 to the Liberals and $72,000 to the ALP, said it "recognises that it has an important role to play in the Australian political process and in the development and promotion of policy".
But it added the bank had stopped donations to political parties so it could focus on supporting the community directly.
The 2016 total was already down on the previous year, when the big four gave $520,000 to the Liberals and Nationals and $236,000 to the ALP.
Australia's biggest miners have also pulled back from political donations, with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto not submitting a return to the AEC.
Oil and gas companies continued to donate, with coal seam gas and liquefied natural gas outfit Santos giving a combined $125,000 split equally.
Woodside donated $123,500 to the ALP and $126,980 to the Liberals.
Chevron, which has developed the world's biggest LNG terminal off the coast of Western Australia, gave $15,500 to Labor but gave $39,000 to the WA Liberal Party.
Some of the biggest pockets in the business world looked past the major parties, with Flight Centre founder Graham "Skroo" Turner continuing his financial support for Sustainable Australia, a micro-party formerly known as the Sustainable Population Party.
Mr Turner gave Sustainable Australia $212,000 via his personal company Gainsdale, while his fellow Flight Centre founder Geoff Harris gave the party $220,000 via his company 26 Summers.
Mr Turner said he donated to the party because he and his wife were interested in wildlife preservation and land rehabilitation, and they believed overpopulation was one of the main causes of unsustainability.
"Unsustainability is not just about population, but overpopulation is the main cause of the destruction, of course, and that's why we're interested in Sustainable Australia," Mr Turner said.
Mr Harris' former wife, Susan, pledged $300,000 to Sustainable Australia.
J.J. Richards & Sons, the largest privately owned waste management company in Australia, donated $25,000 to the Australian Liberty Alliance, whose policies include fighting the "Islamisation of Australia".
Ramsay Healthcare remains a big Coalition donor, giving $45,000 to the federal divisions of the Liberals and Nationals.
Frank Lowy's Westfield Corporation gave $160,000 to both sides. Village Roadshow donated $636,000 to the two major parties, with $325,000 going to the Liberal Party.
In the casino sector, Star Entertainment, owner of Sydney's Star Casino and Jupiters on the Gold Coast, gave $44,00 to the Liberals and $33,000 to Labor.
James Packer's Crown Resorts gave combined donations of $60,000 to the Liberals in WA, where his company owns the Burswood casino.
