Telethon 2025: Call centre was hot all weekend with community contributions hitting all-time high

West Australians have dug deep into their pockets to help make this year’s Telethon the “best ever”, with the money raised through donations by individual members of the community soaring to an all-time high.

While major cheques from the big side of town helped reach the astonishing biggest ever total of $90.16 million — another record was broken by families at home making donations via the call centre and online.

More than 15 generous donations to the PerthNow Call Centre were $10,000 or more, with the two largest donations worth $30,000 each.

The number of donations from outside WA also hit a record high, increasingly significantly on last year, with those interstate able to watch the 26-hour broadcast on 7flix for the first time or stream it on 7plus.

Donations also rolled in from as far away as Hong Kong, Lithuania and India.

And the weekend’s celebrity power also helped, with the call centre experiencing a notable spike when stars, particularly Ronan Keating and Ben Cousins, were taking calls.

Heartwarming messages were left by many donors, including one from a former patient at Perth Children’s Hospital, who said “thank you to the neurosurgeons who did my brain surgery, and to all the doctors and nurses at PCH who looked after me this year”.

“You all helped me get better, and I’m so grateful. I wouldn’t be here following my dreams without you,” they said.

As well as setting a new fundraising record, the Telethon broadcast was watched by more people than ever before reaching 1.242 million people across the country.

The Telethon finale had a total TV audience of 246,000, up 37 per cent from last year, with the 7plus audience increasing by 111 per cent year-on-year

Across the entire broadcast, the total TV audience grew by 24 per cent on last year, while the 7plus audience saw an increase of 102 per cent.

Telethon chairman Richard Goyder said this year’s Telethon was the “best ever” and revealed donors had even walked up to him to personally donate bags of cash.

Mr Goyder said donations were up over the past two years, which said “a lot”.

“It says that people trust Telethon, they trust where their money is going, and they know that every dollar they donate is going to some organisation that’s supporting our kids and their families,” he said.

“We are building a culture of giving in this State, which is not easy to build, but I think Telethon is building that sense of community, and people doing it together.

“Yesterday there were people walking up to me with bags of money and cash and saying, ‘can you give this to the right person?’

“It’s amazing.”

Mr Goyder said his highlight of the weekend was watching Little Telethon Star Jordan Blair sing a charming rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody with Australian Idol star Rob Mills.

He thanked the “Telethon army”, and said the fundraising spectacle was a big part of WA’s DNA.

“Hopefully (West Australians) feel pride in being part of something which I think is an incredible movement, which supports the kids in WA and their families who need it,” he said.

“One of the great powers of Telethon is it doesn’t matter whether you contribute $5 or $50 or $5000 or $5 million, it all goes to organisations that need help.

“In Western Australia, we’ve got capacity to do incredible medical research that will make the lives of our kids, particularly those that we highlighted over the weekend, better than it otherwise would have been.”

And while Mr Goyder said there was no expectation to beat this year’s astonishing record, he said “you don’t bet against the Western Australian community”.

“The support we get from the government, from the corporates, and the really wonderful philanthropists, there’ll be a lot of people going to beat this year’s total next year,” he said.

“What I do know is Telethon next year will be equally amazing because of the support it gets from the Telethon army in the State of Western Australia.”

Seven West Media chair and Telethon trustee Kerry Stokes said Telethon was “more than a fundraiser”

“It’s a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together as a community,” he said.

“It has changed the outlook of everyone in this State towards disadvantaged people. It’s beyond a charity – it’s the way the state sees itself,” he said.

“Telethon is a tradition that continues to inspire year after year, and it holds a special place in the hearts of all Western Australians.”

Seven West Media WA chief executive and Telethon trustee Maryna Fewster said Telethon was “a beautiful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together as a community, and it continues to be one of the greatest examples of community spirit anywhere in the world”.

Premier Roger Cook said the new record was a testament to “both the kindness of WA and the efforts of the whole Telethon team”.

“There are 90 million reasons why I am Australia’s proudest Premier today,” he said.

“Western Australia’s reputation as the giving State has been showcased once again, with another record set at Telethon.

“Once again, our generosity was led by everyday Western Australians, families digging deep and giving what they can, whether that was $5 or $500, to help our most vulnerable — sick kids.”