Senator John Faulkner
19/2008
18 June 2008
The Rudd Government’s plan to inject greater integrity in our electoral laws has been stalled because the Opposition has sent the urgent Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Political Donations and Other Measures) Bill 2008 to a Parliamentary Committee until 30 June 2009.
No genuine review or consultation on this Bill could possibly require a full year or more. The issues are straight-forward. The problems are clear and the Bill contains the solutions, ready to start on 1 July this year.
In delaying this Bill’s passage by at least a year, political donors will continue to be able to hide their identities while donating up to $10,500 to candidates or political parties (or far more if they exploit a loophole by donating to state branches of the same political party).
The Bill would reduce the donation disclosure threshold from the current $10,500 to $1000, reversing the previous Government’s efforts to cover up donations of thousands of dollars.
In 2004/05, when the threshold was $1,500, 1286 donor returns were lodged. In 2006/07, with a disclosure threshold of $10,300, the number of returns submitted plummeted to just 194.
The Government believes the community has a right to know who is giving what to whom. By delaying the Bill, donations will be kept hidden in the shadows.
The delay also allows candidates and parties to continue to be able to make a profit from public election funding. It is extraordinary that the Opposition is prepared to allow this rort to continue, and are not willing to vote with the Government to close this practice down.
Other urgent reforms which have also been sent to legislative limbo include:
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