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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 9 Hansard (7 September) . . Page.. 2972 ..
MR CORBELL (continuing):
means of which people can make a donation of $250 apiece to help raise funds for the Liberal Party. This is a very convenient mechanism. Unlike the Labor Party that discloses its sources of support, predominantly from trade unions and the registered clubs, the 250 Club allows very wealthy individuals to make repeat donations of $250 on each occasion and the Liberal Party does not have to disclose where that money comes from.
It is a bit like the Greenfields Foundation. Do you remember the Greenfields Foundation? It was established by the federal Liberal Party. The Greenfields Foundation was a separate company established by the Liberal Party to try to get around federal electoral law in relation to disclosure. They had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to disclose their record when it came to the Greenfields Foundation and who actually lodged moneys there. I know that the government does not like this issue. I know that the government finds this a little bit embarrassing. They are not squeaky clean on this.
Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I take a point of order. This is a debate about ACT electoral laws. The Greenfields Foundation does not operate, as far as I am aware, in the ACT. I ask Mr Corbell to be relevant to the matter under debate.
MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.
MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, there is no point of order. This is about drawing the comparison. This bill says nothing about poker machines either, but you let Mr Moore get away with that. Mr Speaker, the fact is that the Liberals have an appalling record on this type of issue. They are far from squeaky clean. Yes, the Electoral Commissioner has put forward a proposal, but it is up to this place to decide the most appropriate mechanism and the Labor Party says raise the bar for everyone. Make everyone accountable in the way that Independents are at the moment. The Labor Party members are prepared to disclose every cent of income received. I would hope that all other members are prepared to do the same.
MR BERRY (11.37): Like everybody else in this place, particularly those of us who are members of political parties, I conform with the law of the day, the Electoral Act. I have set out returns in relation to these matters in the past. I must admit that I have never focused on what has been discovered, a playing field that needs levelling. I was quite interested to see the Attorney-General come forward with a bill. We discovered later that he brought it forward because he was requested to do so by the Independents.
Mr Rugendyke: By the Electoral Commissioner.
Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I take a point of order. The Electoral Commissioner raised the matter, not the Independents.
MR BERRY: I can only go by what was reported in the paper.
Mr Quinlan: The Independents must have raised it with the Electoral Commissioner.
MR BERRY
: Somebody raised it with the Electoral Commissioner, and in due course the Attorney-General brought the matter forward. It seems to me to be a bit quirky. I am a little surprised that the Independents did not bring the legislation forward themselves.
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