Just how committed to transparency and accountability are Tasmanian local government candidates? This is a question many voters must be asking themselves when they visit the donations disclosure website http://www.fundinganddisclosure.org.au/ .
The NGO Funding & Disclosure says that all candidates have been invited to take advantage of this opportunity.
It’s easy to do: download two forms from the site, fill them in and send them off.
Some high profile candidates are very supportive of this initiative and have jumped at the chance but others are becoming conspicuous by their absence.
Spokesman for the group Pat Synge explains, “Some seem unable to fill in the simple forms.”
They send in emails saying they haven’t received any donations. We can’t use that because we have to comply with the requirements of the Local Government Act and ensure that any information we publish is accurate and authorised.
“It’s hard to imagine that any candidate for local government cannot fill in a couple of one page forms. As one bureaucrat commented to me ‘welcome to my world’ ”.
He goes on to say that some seem to find it’s simply too much work.
“Just yesterday I received an email from a candidate saying: ‘Thanks for contacting me. Although I’m strongly in favour of increased political funding transparency, I won’t be accepting your invitation this time.
“There are already enough forms to fill in. Thanks for your work in this area’. What to make of this from someone with their hand up for election who claims to “strongly support” something? What efforts will they make for the community if they are elected?”
One candidate’s response was verging on abusive, “What right do you have to take this unilateral decision to ask candidates to declare their donations? I demand all details of your organisation”.
“It seems likely that this candidate will not be disclosing. And the law says that that’s OK – Tasmania is the only state in Australia that has no disclosure requirements.
It is interesting to note that, at the time of writing, not one Green candidate has disclosed despite full disclosure being Green policy. ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ comes to mind.
This is the first time such an initiative has been undertaken in Australia and it will be interesting to see how it pans out. It has certainly raised the profile of political donations disclosure and perhaps this is why there are so many reluctant candidates.
The next election that F&D are will be working on is the NSW by-elections which have been brought on by the failure of the previous sitting members to disclose illegal donations.
Interesting.
• Advocate: Squibb receives fine, still to stand A DEVONPORT alderman can still stand for deputy mayor after he had convictions recorded for four breaches of the local government act and was fined $500 in the Devonport Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Alderman Warren Squibb appeared before magistrate Michael Brett in the Devonport court for facts and sentencing, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of participating in a meeting of a council during discussion or voting relating to a matter in which a close associate had an interest. … Character references included those from Labor leader Bryan Green and Aldermen Leon Perry, Justine Keay, Grant Goodwin and Lynn Laycock. Defence counsel said Alderman Squibb has already been punished by negative media coverage which had tarnished his reputation.
