WHY THE NEW LAWS WERE INTRODUCED, AND THE REASON THEY DON’T INCLUDE UNIONS
Q: What are the two new laws concerning local government donations?
A: One relates to conflict of interest and councillors facing jail terms if they fail to make proper declarations. The other is about donations and banning property developers.
Q: How did these two new laws covering councils get introduced?
A: They are a response from the Labor State Government to the Crime and Corruption Commission’s report on Operation Belcarra.
Q: What was Operation Belcarra and how did that get started?
A: After the 2016 council election, the Bulletin documented 60 articles detailing how independent candidates received direct LNP funding. Others had party strategists offering advice, fellow members would doorknock and drop letters.
Q: What was the biggest example of that? A: Felicity Stevenson in Division Five and Krystyn Boulton in Division Four each received $30,000 each from the Fadden Forum operated by their former boss, Coast federal MP Stuart Robert.
Q: What about union donations?
A: Mayoral candidate Penny Toland gave evidence at a CCC hearing where she did not believe she had to declare almost $40,000 in funding from unions because she did not approve it. She was later charged with perjury but intends to fight the charges.
Q: What was the response by the government to all of this?
A: The government supported all 31 recommendations. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced real-time donation rules for both state and local governments. The new laws related to several of the recommendations. Q: What did the CCC conclude in its report specific to the Gold Coast?
A: That candidates who run for mayor need a “bucket of money” to win. It found “wealthy self-funded candidates” and those with union and political party backing had an unfair advantage.
Q: Why weren’t unions banned from donations?
A: CCC chair Alan MacSporran, QC, said: “The unions have been forever, as you know, public supporters of the Labor Party openly. Their funds are routinely disclosed. We found, as part of our investigation, no evidence that they were improperly influencing the process. What they did was transparent, part of the democratic process and not potentially corrupt in the sense that we are talking about, as opposed to the perception that is routinely recognised from developers.” A BAN on developer donations has been welcomed by leading political scientists as a step towards delivering “clean elections” for the Gold Coast.
The new laws, voted through parliament last night by the Palaszczuk Government, mean council candidates can no longer receive funds from development industry figures.
But the bill, which will likely come into effect next week once it has been given ascent by the State Government, does not exclude donations from unions.
Griffith University politics expert Dr Paul Williams said the reforms would hit hardest at the Gold Coast City Council but said he believed they would be largely welcomed by the community in the wake of the Crime and Corruption Commission’s Operation Belcarra investigation.
“Operation Belcarra cast a light on some dark corners and we will see a much healthier local government culture in coming years and decades,” he said.
“The vast majority of the community will welcome this, which will mean cleaner elections and local councils.
“It is going to hit especially hard on the Gold Coast where local government players will feel the pinch given development is such a big issue.”
LNP figures last night told the Bulletin that changes to donation laws would make it harder for some conservativelinked candidates and incumbent councillors to run again, by cutting off a major source of financial support.
“You’re going to see people