Money, access and politics

This as a threat to democracy: the rich and powerful have access to politicians that few members of the public do. Many decisions are made based on this access rather than for the common good.

There are many reforms that would take this constant need for more and more money for election campaigns out of the system. Certainly, we could follow the lead of such countries as Canada and limit the amount of money spent on each campaign (for a summary of the latest law change in Canada see here). We should also ban donations from corporations and unions and limit the amount individuals can give to the parties and candidates.

Free air time for political messages should be available - encouraging the political parties to give the public useful information. These measures work in Canada, and they can work here.

Earlier this month I attended a forum at the NSW Parliament House on reform of the electoral funding in Australia. This useful event was attended by leading academics and politicians from various political parties from across Australia. Many of these topics were discussed.

However, the important issue is not talking but engaging the public in an active and dramatic way, so they can see the need to change our electoral funding system. If this happens, there will be a groundswell of public opinion demanding change. This can come about by good investigative reporting by journalists in our national media and online journals that can publish immediately and reach a large audience.

Until the public demands changes, I believe we will continue in the old ways of money influencing political decisions to the detriment of the common good.