Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank all those in this chamber who have contributed to the debate on the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Annual Disclosure Equality) Bill 2021. The bill will ensure greater transparency in the disclosure of electoral donations by: extending foreign donation restrictions to parliamentarians for the full length of their term in office, rather than just the period they are a candidate for the election; requiring parliamentarians who directly receive donations for the purpose of incurring electoral expenditure or creating electoral material to lodge an annual return to the AEC each financial year; and extending the period for which a person is taken to be a candidate by an additional six months for the purpose of disclosure period for the candidate and Senate group returns and for restrictions on receiving foreign donations. This will support the continued integrity of the electoral system by ensuring that Australia's world-class electoral funding and disclosure regime is consistent and continues to provide transparency for Australian voters.

I thank my colleagues for their contributions, and I commend this bill.

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