Tasmania has the weakest donation laws in the country. We are the only State without a State-based legislative framework for donations.
On statewide radio this morning, former Labor Premier and mouthpiece for Federal Hotels, Paul Lennon, called for real time disclosure of political donations.
Even Paul Lennon, having left public life where he was the beneficiary of corporate donations, now gets it.
Mr Lennon has a well known track record of working on behalf of the most influential industries in Tasmania, both inside and outside of Parliament.
If Paul Lennon can see the need to for disclosing political donations, it’s obvious how are far behind the eight ball Tasmania really is.
Lowering the threshold for donations disclosure is critical, but they should also be seen in real time.
Labor’s draft Bill fails to deliver real time donations disclosure. It contains a provision for a 30 day donations disclosure timeframe.
30 days is about your average campaign length. If Labor is serious about making sure voters knew who is giving how much to which political party, they would have drafted legislation with 7-14 day donation disclosure thresholds.
Tasmanians deserve to know who is writing cheques, and why, before they cast their vote on election day.
We also need donation and expenditure caps, bans on corporate donations and donations from foreign interests, and public funding for election campaigns.
The Greens have an oxygen clear and consistent policy on political donations. Unlike Labor and the Liberals, we don’t take corporate donations and we disclose personal donations over $1,500 in real time.
