The recent report from Australia’s Electoral Commission report has revealed that our two major parties received a combined total of $177 million dollars in political donations last year.
Vast as this sum is, it is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, when it comes to the total amount LNP and Labor received, since many donations remain ‘exempt’ from Australia’s disclosure obligations and therefore hidden.
Anthony Whealy QC, Chair of the Centre for Public Integrity said this week:
“The federal disclosure scheme is misnamed — it is a non-disclosure scheme with MORE THAN A THIRD OF POLITICAL FUNDING SHROUDED IN SECRECY”.
In 2019 the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) reported that since 1999, the major parties have received MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN UNDISCLOSED INCOME.
The same report found that in 2018-19, the Liberals declared income was $165 million and Labor’s was $126 million.
Over the two financial years between 2015 and 2017, both parties received more than $100 million in donations from undisclosed sources.
That’s about 40% of the Coalition’s income over two decades and about 28% of Labor’s income over the same period, or 36% of total party financing.
IT’S ALSO $100 MILLION IN DONATIONS THAT NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT – either where it came from, who it came from or what strings were attached to it when it was given.
As the Human Rights Law Council reported on Tuesday:
“As well as favourable treatment, these monies buy access to politicians that ordinary people would never get. And by hiring ex-politicians and advisors, they’re able to build strong connections to power”.
According to preliminary research by the ANU, 56% of registered lobbyists in Australia are former politicians or government officials.
In Queensland there are around 170 registered lobbying firms, with the top 10 firms winning over 70 per cent of all lobbying contacts.
Eight of those top 10 firms employ former politicians, advisers, or ex-government officials.
Lobbying, it seems, has become an extremely lucrative, multi-billion-dollar business in Australia.
This revolving door between politics, public administration and private entities is rife with ‘conflict-of-interest’ problems that are not subject to any kind of official scrutiny, restriction or oversight.
The extent to which this is exerting ‘undue influence’ over governments and their decision-making, can only be imagined.
The irreparable harm it has done to public trust in the integrity of Australian governance, however, is beyond question.
Though hardly a beacon of democracy, Canada has laws banning politicians and high-level public servants from working as a lobbyist for five years after leaving office.
Compliance is rigorously overseen by an independent Integrity Commission with power to impose huge fines, damages, termination or reduction in a government pension, for any breaches.
Australia should do the same.
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