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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 6 Hansard (15 June) . . Page.. 1902 ..
MR RUGENDYKE: "Big parties' ploys not in our interest." Yes. And look at the cartoon-"Tender-ness"-the big grubby developer, I think it is, who has been given a government contract in response to the little brown paper bag with a political donation in it. Who knows how many $1,500 donations come in week after week, as often as they like. They are probably direct debited from the big account into the electoral funding account.
The story on the front page is also very good, under the headline "Major parties do deal on cash". Yes, they have, haven't they? But whose advice ought we take on this occasion? Mr Stanhope will be interested in this. Let's listen to the advice of someone who should know, talking about the Commonwealth legislation that we are aspiring to. The front-page story reads:
Also this week, the Commonwealth laws which the two major parties in the ACT are seeking to replicate have come under attack.
From whom? Listen to this, Jon:
Responding to a Sydney Morning Herald investigation into party donations, federal Labor Leader Kim Beazley said the Commonwealth laws had 'flaws and faults'.
And we are copying it. He also says:
A Labor government would close loopholes allowing political parties to take millions of dollars from anonymous donors.
Hear, hear! Congratulations, Mr Kim Beazley. A wise sentiment. A wise sentiment, indeed. Enough said. He has summed it perfectly, hasn't he? The Labor members upstairs will be glued to their TVs, listening to the good news about Mr Kim Beazley. They are too embarrassed, apart from the Leader and Deputy Leader, to come down here into the chamber. But they are listening; they heard it.
Kim Beazley knows, but also an ordinary punter-just one. This lady, a student, copied to us an email message to the Chief Minister. It is important. Let me quote:
Dear Chief Minister,
In case you mistake me for a very young uni student who could be too easily dismissed from your considerations, I am not. I am an elector, a ratepayer, and a Senior citizen, thoroughly disgusted with the proposed Lib/Lab legislation you intend to put into place to make it ever harder for genuine Independents to get elected into the Assembly. The electorate is not as dumb as you seem to think. Do you people take the "Yes, Prime Minister" series as your bible??
The overall reputation of politicians is at a record low, marginally above the dung heap, and your current actions are not helping. Your excuses beggar belief. To say that the ACT must change its electoral rules merely to fit in with the Commonwealth's is ridiculous-to follow that logic through to its natural conclusion is to say we (and Tasmania) must be compelled to dump the Hare-Clark system, simply because the Commonwealth does not use it.
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