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Our
system of political donations is in urgent need of reform - huge
donations from powerful organisations and individuals are undermining
and damaging our democratic process.
ASH supports the call for reform of
Australia's system of political donations and electoral funding -
especially to prevent the tobacco industry exerting unhealthy influence
on legislation and policy at the cost of public health. Tobacco
companies seek to bend decision-making to their deadly ends - by their own donations and
using related entities.
While
countries like NZ, Canada and the UK have acted to limit election
funding, Australia has lagged behind. Our parties are engaged in an
increasingly US-style fund-raising race which puts commercial interests
ahead of evidence-based policies and community support.
Legislative
reform is long overdue. ASH is
joining other public interest groups in calling for more transparency,
an end to organisational donations, caps on individual donations, and
limits on electoral spending.
On this page you'll find:
NEWS
RESOURCES
TAKE ACTION:
Send
emails to national leaders calling for reform
NEWS
Coalition parties criticised for
accepting tobacco company donations
February 2012: The Liberal and National
parties have been criticised for continuing to accept tobacco company
donations. Latest Australian Electoral Commission figures show the Coalition
parties accepted over a quarter of a million dollars in 2010-11 from Philip
Morris and British American Tobacco. Tobacco companies and tobacco-funded
organisations also spent over $13m on campaigns against the Australian
government's plain packaging legislation. Sydney
Morning Herald 1/2/12
AEC
disclosure site Attorney-General Roxon release 1/2/12 (not yet online) Tasmanian
Greens release 1/2/12
ASH and other health organisations have
called for an end to tobacco company political donations and reforms to
restrict their use of third parties to channel donations.
Earlier ASH-Heart
Foundation-ACOSH-PHAA release 8/8/11
These donations should not be accepted from companies
that have a long history of interfering in health policy - currently suing the Australian Government.
Tobacco
industry's Plain Pack Attack
Tobacco
donations to continue with no agreement for reform
December 2012: "Disappointing"
and "a missed opportunity" best describe a federal
inquiry report into funding of political parties and election campaigns. The
Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' 30 recommendations don't
include banning corporate donations or capping party
financing. The report offers minor reforms in transparency and accountability, including
lowering the disclosure threshold
from $11,500 to $1,000 pa; but includes two dissenting reports and no real
agreement on how to fix the problems. Jurisdictions
including NSW have acted to ban donations from
tobacco, alcohol, gambling and property development industries - but agreement
between the major federal parties has proved "a bridge too far".
JSCEM
report, Dec 2011
NSW Premier urged to give back tobacco donations
November 2011: NSW Premier Barry
O'Farrell is urged by the ALP Opposition to hand back almost $60,000 the
Liberal/National parties received in tobacco company donations just before
the were outlawed by new legislation. ALP
media release 8/11/11
Present system
"fails smell test": ex-Liberal Minister, fundraiser
August 2011: Ex- NSW
Minister and former key Liberal Party fundraiser Michael Yabsley tells
Paul Barry current political donations system is "out of
control" and "fails the smell test". Recommends banning
organisational and capping individual donations. Power
index interview, 17/8/11
What was Bronwyn Bishop smoking?
August 2011: ASH supports
reform in testimony to a federal parliamentary inquiry into political
donations - and runs up against ferocious opposition from Liberal Party
warhorse Bronwyn Bishop. Croakey
health blog, 15/8/11
transcript
9/8/11
Mrs
Bishop in similarly vitriolic form at August 8 hearings vs the Public Health
Association, reported in
Sydney
Morning Herald 9/8/11
RESOURCES
ASH
Australia media releases
Ending
tobacco-linked political donations long overdue ASH
and partners, 8/8/11
NSW
inquiry told: time to reform political donations ASH,
3/3/08
ASH Australia
submissions and testimony
ASH
testimony to House of Reps Joint Standing Committee hearing, August 2011
ASH submission to House of Reps Joint Standing Committee inquiry, June 2011
ASH
submission to NSW Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee, NSW 2009
ASH
submission to Federal Green Paper on Political Donations, 2009
ASH
has also made submissions and/or appeared at political
funding/transparency inquiries in Queensland and Victoria.
Australian
Electoral Commission
The AEC administers national
election funding and financial disclosure, returns published online.
States and Territories also have their own electoral
authorities and all provide annual donations returns above certain levels
depending on legal requirements.
Australian
Parliament, Joint Standing Committee On Electoral Matters Inquiry Into
The Funding Of Political Parties And Election Campaigns,
2011
Site
including submissions and hearing transcripts
ASH submission, June 2011
Democracy4sale
Greens NSW website including news, developments and tool for searching
political donations (Federal, NSW and SA) under names, parties and
categories of donor.
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
World Health Organization treaty ratified by Australia and committing us
to taking comprehensive action to prevent tobacco industry interference
in health policy.
See
Article 5.3 and guidelines at FCTC
site
Lobbyists'
register
To improve transparency, the Australian
Government established this
register of lobbyists and lobbying code of conduct in 2008.
Political
donations WA
Site maintained up to 2006 by then
Australian Democrat Senator Andrew Murray. A bit dated but contains some
useful data specifically relevant to WA.
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