Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader, 29 September 2021

Tasmania Needs Strong Electoral Laws

Robust electoral laws are crucial for a healthy democracy, which is why the Tasmanian Greens have made a comprehensive submission to the government’s electoral reform consultation.

The 2018 State Election campaign was a stark demonstration of how Tasmania’s feeble electoral laws allow for massive distortions of our democratic processes. The Liberals have been promising proper electoral reform ever since, and now more than three years later they’ve finally put something on the table.

While the Liberals’ draft Bills show they have been dragged kicking and screaming to some modest improvements, the fact is their proposed changes would still leave Tasmania with the weakest electoral laws in the nation.

The Greens understand this is a chance to make our democracy stronger and more inclusive, and we’ve put forward a range of recommendations that would do just that.

Capping both political donations and electoral expenditure, and banning foreign donations, would finally end the dominance of corporate interests in politics, and empower everyday Tasmanians to have a genuine voice in our democracy. Making the model for public election funding fairer would make sure any Tasmanian who wants to put their hand up for Parliament can do so, regardless of how deep their pockets are.

In an age of increasing disinformation, we believe the introduction of ‘truth in political advertising’ laws is an essential step. Political parties should not be able to get away with spreading lies and deceit in their efforts to get elected.

As Tasmanians we’re incredibly lucky to live in a democracy, but we must not take this for granted. We need to look at how we can strengthen our democratic institutions and processes, and protect them from the increasing threats of vested interests and disinformation.

In the interests of all Tasmanians, we call on the government to consider our recommendations with an open mind and for them to get serious about bringing Tasmania’s electoral laws in line with the rest of the country.

Our full submission is available here: https://tasmps.greens.org.au/submission/electoral-act-review-electoral

Ella Haddad M, Shadow Attorney-General, 29 September 2021

Electoral reform must be an opportunity for genuine level playing field

The amount of donations to political parties would no longer be shrouded in secrecy, donations would be disclosed monthly and spending caps would be introduced under Labor’s proposed changes to reform of Tasmania’s lax electoral laws.

Shadow Attorney-General Ella Haddad said Labor’s submission on the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Bill contained important amendments, including:

  • Lowering the disclosure threshold for political donations from the government’s suggested $5,000 to $1,000
  • Introducing spending caps for candidates and parties for House of Assembly elections
  • Reducing the timeframe for disclosure of donations outside of an election period from the Bill’s suggested six months to one month
  • Keeping donation disclosures publicly available for at least the full period of a Parliamentary term, rather than the currently proposed six months

Ms Haddad said Labor had already put significant pressure on the Liberal Government to reach this stage where a draft Bill has now been released, but it needed to go further to address Tasmania’s political donation laws which are the weakest in the nation.

“We welcome the fact that the government has released this draft legislation but there are vast differences between Tasmania and the rest of the country in this crucial area and that has led to unhealthy election spending in the past and a true lack of a level playing field,” Ms Haddad said.

“Labor’s significant, important amendments need to be addressed before this Bill reaches the floor of the Parliament. We need to make a genuine effort to restore public confidence in the political process in this state.

“In particular, there must be spending caps on how much candidates, parties and third party campaigners can spend on House of Assembly election campaigns.

“Running for Parliament should be a right available to anyone who aspires to office.

“It should not be the domain of only those who can afford to run a campaign and, unlike the independent Member for Clark Kristie Johnston, Tasmanians want the Parliament to be made up of people who have the best ideas and not the deepest pockets.

“Elections should be a battle of ideas, not a battle of bank accounts.

“The disclosure threshold for political donations must also be lowered to $1,000 – the current disclosure level of $5,000 is far too high and Tasmania needs to be in step more closely with community expectations and transparency.

“Right now, there are no spending caps and no requirements whatsoever for candidates to report on what they spend, or to disclose the donations they receive and who they receive them from.”

Media release – Kristie Johnston MP, Independent Member for Clark, Monday 27 September 2021

Public Funding of Politicians: Taxpayer Rip-Off

The Independent Member for Clark, Kristie Johnston, has called on Parliament to throw out the Government’s push for taxpayers to fund political parties and politicians.

“This is a con job perpetrated on ordinary Tasmanians,” Ms Johnston said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a nod and a wink between the parties as all will benefit from tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars. This is a test for Labor and the Greens: will they wave it through and pocket the money too?

“Why on earth should the general public give money to politicians to run their election campaigns and pay for their party administration?”

Ms Johnston said that the popularity and relevance of the established political parties has declined markedly over recent decades. Labor and Liberal both struggle to attract paying members and donors as voters lose faith in politics and politicians. All public funding does is falsely perpetuate political parties which do not meet voters’ needs.

“Should taxpayers have to fund parties which have failed to relate to voters?

“Does anyone believe they deserve it?”

Ms Johnston said that she receives an adequate salary and allowances already, and will continue to fund her election campaigns from her own savings. She does not accept donations of any amount from any individual or entity. If this legislation is passed and she becomes eligible for taxpayer funding, she will apply it directly to community projects, programs and activities, and not to campaign or administrative purposes.