The Special Minister of State,who is responsible for electoral laws,went beyond his previous in-principle support for campaign finance reform to confirm he would seek to legislate a cap on political donations and seat-by-seat spending this year to have them in effect by the next election.
Chaney,who won the WA seat of Curtin previously held by former foreign minister Julie Bishop,said the financial curbs “could entrench the major parties and reduce competition in our political system”.
“At the last election,a third of Australians voted for minor parties or independents. People don’t want to see big money changing policy or election outcomes,but they also want to know they’ve got a choice of candidate and it’s expensive to get the message out,” Chaney said.
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While the size of the caps are yet to be determined,Farrell argued laws tostop billionaire Clive Palmer spending $120 million on a single election were imperative and would also capture outfits like unions and GetUp.
“I’d hope to get consensus on that. I’m trying to be optimistic here[and] bring back a bill that has all of those things and has the support of the other parties,” he said.
“The intent is to improve transparency in the Australian political process,and as part of that exercise to ensure that ordinary Australians can continue to participate in the electoral process. And that can’t be determined by your wealth,but by your enthusiasm for Australian democracy.