The Greens’ bill to strengthen political donations transparency and democracy has passed the second reading debate and committee stage in the Legislative Council, in a big win for Tasmanian voters. The bill is set to become law after a procedural third reading vote on 1 April.
This bill will require donations over $1000 to be declared, within a monthly period. It is a significant step towards ensuring Tasmanians know which corporations and other vested interests are trying to buy their politicians.
The Greens have been fighting for these changes for years, but despite opposition from the major parties, we’ve never given up. It’s a testament to what the Greens can achieve for Tasmanians in a balance of power Parliament.
The Liberals and Labor have been able to keep secret the millions that they rake in in political donations every year for far too long. Over the past five years, it’s $18 million the source of which is hidden. That’s a huge amount of money, donated to buy political favours.
Secret political donations have a corrupting influence on Tasmanian politics. They result in worse outcomes for the Tasmanian people and environment. No where is that more obvious than at this minute in the waters of southern lutruwita / Tasmania, as salmon farms continue to vomit thousands of tonnes of dead and diseased fish in our near pristine, public waterways.
The Liberals have deliberately kept Tasmania’s donations laws the weakest in the nation. The Liberals’ changes would have left donations under $5000 unavailable to the public, and donations only disclosed six monthly.
Now, the major parties’ corporate donations, and the deals that go with them, will be brought into the sunlight. The Greens extend our sincere thanks to Labor and independent members of both houses for supporting this important reform for political transparency.
This reform is a critical first step to improve political transparency in lutruwita / Tasmania. We won’t stop here – the Greens will continue to advocate for other necessary democratic reforms, like caps on expenditure and banning donations from corrupting industries like big salmon, developers and the pokies lobby.
