Greens in push to tighten electoral donation laws

The Greens have announced moves to strengthen Tasmania’s electoral donations laws, which would include banning certain industries from making financial contributions to politicians, ahead of the first sitting week of parliament since the March election.

Speaking in Hobart on Montions, day, Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said Tasmania still had the weakest donation laws in Australia, and that the state needed up-to-the-minute information about how much money was being paid to the state’s elected representatives, and from where the money was coming.

“It’s so important that we have a cap on political dona that we ban a range of corporations from making donations to politicians, and that we have real-time disclosure of when people are paying parties and independents money,” Dr Woodruff said.

“We know that transparency and integrity are so important, and right now the Tasmanian Electoral Commission is preparing changes to their practices so they are in place for the laws that were passed in November.

“We want to make sure that this legislation is improved, so that we have the best laws that we can in Tasmania, and that’s why we need to bring this on and debate it at the first opportunity.”

Dr Woodruff said her party would move to ban those industries which she described as having undue influence over the Tasmanian democratic system from being able to donate money to individual candidates, politicians, or parties.

The Greens leader said gambling companies, property developers, and industrial fish farmers were all in her party’s sights when it came to the “distortional” impact they exerted on Tasmania’s body politic.

“Tasmanians just need to know who is paying the piper,” Dr Woodruff said.

“These are some of them are the biggest corporations on the planet in their particular area, and who pay money to politicians to get an outcome.

“They do it all around the world, and Tasmania is not immune.”