Appeal for donation bans

Independent calls for tougher reforms

THE government’s crackdown on dodgy donations to political parties doesn’t go anywhere near far enough, according to independent MP Meg Webb.

Ms Webb’s comments come in response to the draft Electoral Disclosure and Funding Bill, which proposes sweeping reforms to political donations.

However, the bill does not ban donations from property developers, pokie barons and tobacco companies, putting Tasmania at odds with other states such as NSW.

“The draft legislation we’ve seen from the government looking to reform our political donation rules takes us from

‘far, far behind the pack’ to ‘almost catching up to the worst of the pack’,” Ms Webb (pictured above) said.

“It’s not good enough for the Tasmanian people to be wondering if a particular industry has purchased through its donations a policy outcome for itself and … vested interests.”

On this issue, Ms Webb has thrown her lot in with Labor and the Greens, which are both pushing for stricter caps for anonymous donations.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said that the “feebleness” of Tasmania’s donation laws were of direct benefit to the Liberals.

“We’ve watched successive elections being corrupted by corporate and vested interests, and we think Tasmanians want the laws cleaned up too,” Ms O’Connor said.

The Attorney-General Elise Archer said the government was working to ensure that elections would be fair and transparent for voters.

“The Tasmanian government is delivering on our commitment to introduce a fair, more transparent and modern political donation disclosure scheme in Tasmania,” Ms Archer said.

“This will increase transparency while ensuring that the public continues to have confidence in the outcomes of elections into the future.”

Electoral Funding Reform’s Roland Browne, a prominent Hobart lawyer, said that the bill was a step in the right direction.

In particular, Mr Browne said, the ban on foreign donations, the online disclosure system, and the new public funding model were welcome additions to Tasmania’s electoral system.

However, he said the Bill still left much to be desired when it came to cracking down on donations from developers, the gambling industry and other industry groups.

“We hope the Tasmanian government will hear the bell toll: no more elections dominated by money from gaming or hospitality or land developers, or secretly funded.”