Page 2462 - Week 06 - Thursday, 10 May 2012
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This has been a win for democracy. There have been improvements to what existed before in this area. We have got some limits in there as far as donations and expenditure are concerned. We have also got limits around natural persons. This is something that the Greens have campaigned on for a long time. We are incredibly pleased and proud that we have got that win tonight on individuals donating. This takes corporations, developers and lobbyists out of the equation—
Mr Coe interjecting—
MS HUNTER: We think that is a good thing, Mr Coe. We think it is a good thing to limit it to individual people.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe, may I remind you that you are on a warning from earlier.
MS HUNTER: It is not a level playing field out there. The Greens know it is not a level playing field out there. If you have a look at our electoral returns, I think you will see it has not been a level playing field. And—guess what?—going into the future we do not have the sorts of reserves and the sorts of property that you have. But we have not come into this debate from some corner of self-interest. That is why it is a little bit hard to sit there and watch the squabbling over the money. This is about trying to move forward and get some reform in this area.
I think we have also made great improvements to the disclosure regime. This was part of the parliamentary agreement. That is something we have also achieved along the way. I think this carping and carrying on is a little bit too much. There has been some carrying on about us not being consistent with the committee report. When we go into committees, we go in as parliamentarians. We listen to the evidence put before the committee and, hopefully, in a consensual way, we come up with a report.
But guess what? Sometimes what we come up with in the report may not necessarily sit with our parties. An example I will give you was the inquiry of the JACS committee around murder. We came up with a consensus. Mrs Dunne went back to her party and came back with a different position from what the consensus report was. She was chair of that committee. I have not got up and banged on about that because—guess what?—it happens. It happens all the time. It is not unusual that when you go into a committee process you may, when it comes down to legislation and debate, have some different views that come from your party room.
I want to go back to being more positive about all of this. Yes, we will need to come back. We will need to see how all of this hangs or does not hang together after a good night’s sleep, because it has been a quite extraordinary process. Certainly, as a fairly new member of this place, it has been an extraordinary experience tonight. Again, I would like to thank everybody, including all of the advisers who have sat here on the floor with us, as well as my adviser, who shall not be named.
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