Politicians will face spending caps for the first time under significant changes to political donation and spending laws to be introduced to Parliament next week. Labor has branded the move a once in a generation reform, but crossbench politicians say it will only benefit the major parties.
Minister for Trade Don Farrell at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, September 17, 2024. NO ARCHIVINGThat's Special Minister for State Don Farrell, announcing Labor's plan to limit political donations and spending on political campaigns.
While no draft legislation has been made public, the government has sketched out a plan to limit donor spending to $20,000 per candidate per year, and introduce a cap on campaign spending for the first time, at $800,000 per candidate, and $90 million for political parties. Real-time donation disclosures will be required for the first time as an election approaches, and the disclosure limit would be slashed from almost 17-000 to just 1-thousand dollars."The Australian electoral system should not work on the basis that the only people that can get in to Parliament are people who are sponsored by billionaires."In a statement, Mr Palmer promised to challenge the laws in the High Court, saying they impede on freedom of speech.
The teals have also raised concerns about the additional money set aside for major parties to run national campaigns, as well as a lack of scrutiny over the legislation - with the government hoping to pass the bill through parliament within the fortnight.
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