TRANSCRIPT
A fiery clash in the halls of Parliament…
FARRELL: "The transparency..."
STEGGALL: "The only people that participate in elections will be union members."
FARRELL: "That is completely untrue," he said. "Unions are subject to exactly the same rules."
STEGGALL: "Or members of the Labor party."
FARRELL: "Stop changing your story.”
…over changes to Australia’s electoral rules - capping election spending and limiting political donations.
Independent MP Zali Stegall accusing the government of looking after major parties.
“This is Coles and Woolies writing the rules for themselves, plundering the public purse to make sure there's plenty of money to pay for the elections and the lies they will continue to tell you.”
Labor and the Coalition striking a deal to cap campaign expenditure at $800,000 per electorate.
Whilst registered political parties can spend up to $90 million nationally for general advertising that doesn't include a candidates name.
Zali Steggall says it will change the outcome of elections.
“This election 2025, is ultimately going to be, if we can't repeal this legislation, the last competitive election where there will be a capacity for independents to come and challenge incumbents in seats.”
Something Special Minister of State Don Farrell denies.
“There are no secret loopholes in this legislation. This is the most transparent electoral reforms that has ever occurred in this country. And the whole process pushes downward pressure on the cost of elections so ordinary Australians have a chance to be elected, not those candidates that are supported by the billionaires and the millionaires.”
The least contentious part of the bill is changes to donation disclosures.
Dropping the threshold from $16,900 to $5,000.
And instead of being published annually, information about donations will be published within weeks most of the time, and within days as the election draws nearer.
Chair of Transparency International Australia AJ Brown welcomes that part of the bill.
“That's a really important, positive reform, which obviously everybody should welcome. The trouble is that the rules around political donations, the level of the caps on political donations and expenditure, and the gaps and the loopholes in those rules create a whole lot of questions.”
The changes will limit what can be donated, and what can be spent.
An individual will be able to donate $50,000 to a party branch each year, totaling $450,000 if they donate to each branch in each state and territory.
Those donating to multiple parties will be capped at $1.6 million in total, with a $250,000 limit in each state and territory.
Senators will be able to spend $200,000 per electorate in their state for their campaigns, equivalent to a $600,000 cap for the ACT and $9.2 million for NSW.
Dr Brown says there are areas missed by the legislation.
“The new laws won't cover the schemes that the major political parties have for raising funds by selling access to fundraising events that give access to government ministers, for example. That money is basically government time being sold to political being given to political parties to sell to raise money for political campaigns. And it's a major type of loophole which is not being captured in the definition of gifts.”
It’s not just Zali Stegall that’s upset – the cross bench have called the legislation a major party stitch-up after debate was limited to 2.5 hours before a vote was forced.
Teals vowing to repeal the laws if they're in the balance of power after the next election, before the changes come into effect until July 1, 2026.
