Page 1599 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012
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I make the point that political parties regulating each other’s incomes is bound to be a fraught topic. I would like to acknowledge that we have all worked collaboratively. I look forward to discussing all the amendments with the other parties so that we can find a compromise that best reflects the expectations of Canberrans. It is an opportunity for us to redress many of the negative perceptions about politics and politicians that incidents like the one that occurred in the UK create and to prove that things are different here and we are prepared to pass comprehensive legislation to prevent those types of incidents.
I would encourage all members to have a look at the submissions to the committee inquiry. All public submissions favoured reforms and most wanted very significant reform. The Democratic Audit from the ANU in their submission to the inquiry strongly recommended that we impose caps on donations and expenditure and that they include third parties. They recommended that caps be imposed and that donations be limited to $1,000 and to individuals. Mr Tony Harris, in his submission, made similar comments and very clearly articulated the problems in modern politics that these initiatives would overcome.
I would also turn members’ attention to the New South Wales committee inquiry which received around 200 submissions from a very broad number of groups and individuals. Again, these submissions strongly support reforms.
Finally, I would like to turn to the issue of third parties. This is a very difficult area to regulate. It is challenging to balance the competing issues of preventing front organisations to get around expenditure caps and ensuring that legitimate advocacy groups can continue to participate in the electoral process.
As I said, the effect of the changes proposed in today’s bill is twofold. It not only removes the reliance on money and donations but also levels the playing field so that those who want to participate in the political process but do not have poker machines or large office buildings can have a reasonable chance of competing.
Obviously, we will not see the full impact of the bill in this election cycle. Nevertheless, I think it will have a positive impact. We will have to wait for the 2016 election to see the full impact. The Greens are very pleased to support this bill in principle today and very much look forward to working with the government and the opposition to further improve the proposed scheme.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (5.10), in reply: I thank members for their comments on the bill. The government has previously expressed its reservations about introducing caps on political expenditure and donations, on the basis that individuals and parties within the political sphere should not be subject to such restrictive financial and administrative burdens. The ACT’s electoral system has been operating effectively since its inception, and we are not a jurisdiction plagued by allegations of corruption or improper practice. However, it is clear that the Assembly is determined to introduce caps on expenditures and gifts. The government’s response to this is the bill before us today.
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