Page 1598 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012
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political process as part of the freedom of expression and participation in the political process. Nevertheless, I agree that any limitations can be balanced against other rights and legitimate ends according to the process set out in section 28 of the Human Rights Act.
Turning to the details of the bill, the Greens strongly support the initiatives in the bill. We have a number of amendments, most notably, to limit donations to individuals and prohibit corporations from making donations. The bill covers the ground paved by the first round of New South Wales reforms made in the wake of the local council corruption scandals. We disagree on the particular application of a couple of the provisions but agree in principle that the bill deals with the fundamental issues of donations and expenditure to and by political parties, candidates and third parties that participate in the electoral process. Imposing caps on donations and expenditure is, of course, vital if we are to achieve the desired outcomes.
The bill also provides for increased public funding for parties and greatly improves the disclosure regime. I understand that some in the community may be concerned at public money being spent on the administration of political parties. Whilst I recognise the concern, on balance I think it is a much better outcome for the community and worth the cost to ensure that we minimise the extent that wealthy individuals and corporations can exert disproportionate influence on the political process—or a perception of doing so.
On the disclosure scheme, the Greens are very pleased the proposal is for a seven-day disclosure requirement during the capped expenditure period. This will ensure that voters can make an informed decision when they go to the ballot box and that they know where the respective parties are getting their money from. Again, this is something the Greens have worked very hard on over many years. I would again recommend that everyone in the community have a look at the democracy for sale website to see just where political parties get their money from currently.
We have the benefit of being able to look at other jurisdictions for variations that may improve the operation of the act. These are both Australian and international jurisdictions. We are certainly not the only ones who experience problems created by the federal system. I would like to make particular mention of the New South Wales and Queensland schemes, which, while they have imposed a level of administrative difficulty, have by all accounts been quite successful in achieving many of their goals. That is not to say that they cannot be improved. The amendments that I will be moving attempt to build on other Australian experiences, particularly in New South Wales.
The proposals in the bill are not as expansive as those implemented in other jurisdictions. Mrs Dunne referred to this in her speech. Whilst on the one hand simplicity is a good thing, we have to be careful that we are not so timid as to frustrate the underlying issues that we are attempting to resolve. As a member of the JACS committee and part of its inquiry into campaign finance, I can say that the issues are extraordinarily complex. The scenarios and implications that have to be considered in formulating a response to deal with the issues are very challenging. Nevertheless, the Greens believe we should be ambitious in what we attempt to achieve. This should be seen as an enormous opportunity to improve the quality of our democracy.
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