Keeping political parties honest

Cleaning Up Political Donations

History shows that power, politics and money go hand in hand.

Ever since partisan appeals were etched in the walls of ancient Greece, elections have cost money, and ever since the first political donation changed hands, money has been used to influence electoral outcomes and the process of government.

The Australian Democrats have a long and proud history of demanding openness and accountability in party finances. We strongly oppose the suspect fundraising practices of the major parties which allow the identities of large donors to be concealed.

The Democrats believe that:

• political parties should be required to return donations from trusts, clubs and foundations if they do not fully disclose the true source of the donation;
• donations from overseas entities (but not individuals) should be banned;
• a ceiling of $100 000 should be placed on the amount of money any corporation or organisation can donate to a political party;
• any donation over $10 000 should be disclosed quarterly (instead of annually) to the Australian Electoral Commission for publication on the AEC website;
• companies or organisations that make political donations should be required to disclose the donations to their shareholders or members.

We have consistently and persistently moved amendments in the Senate to address the deficiencies in our funding and disclosure laws. We are the only party committed to changing the politics of party financing.

The Democrats have determined that, until legislative reforms take place, we will voluntarily disclose all donations above the legal disclosure level (currently $1500) on our website on a quarterly basis, rather than leaving it to the Electoral Commission’s annual report.

Making Political Parties Accountable

Branch-stacking and preselection abuse occur in many political parties. Internal corruption thrives in political parties because of a lack of transparency and accountability. The Australian Democrats believe that political parties must be made accountable.

Political parties are absolutely integral to Australian society and economy. They wield enormous influence over the life of every Australian, yet they are among the least regulated of all Australian organisations. There are none of the very proper and necessary safeguards for political party regulation that are in place for corporations under the Corporations Law, for instance.

This lack of regulation belies the millions of dollars in public funding received by political parties and the enormous public power they exercise.

The Democrats believe that:

• The Commonwealth Electoral Act should require standard items to be set out in a political party’s constitution, in a similar manner to the Corporations Law requirements for the constitutions of companies. The mandatory provisions will require parties to meet minimum standards of accountability and openness in their internal procedures;
• Many constitutions are currently secret. All political party constitutions should be lodged with the AEC and be made available for public and media scrutiny;
• Important ballots, including preselection ballots, should be able to be overseen or be conducted by the AEC to ensure proper electoral practices are adhered to;
• The AEC should have greater powers and resources to give closer scrutiny to branch stacking and preselection abuses.

Making Political Parties Democratic

Some political parties in Australia, including the Australian Labor Party, have internal voting systems that give some members (and even non-members) greater voting power than other members, resulting in gerrymandered conventions, delegations and ballots.

‘One vote one value’ is a fundamental democratic principle recognised by Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It should be mandatory within political parties. This long-standing Democrat policy was recently endorsed by the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.

Labor MP Carmen Lawrence has spoken out against the position in her own party:

If one vote one value were universally respected in political parties then most undemocratic and manipulated preselections, delegations and ballots would no longer be possible.

The Democrats are the only party committed to changing politics by requiring political parties to meet minimum standards of internal democracy and accountability.