Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just before the calling on of 90-second statements, the parliament considered a report from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters on funding and disclosure. Basically, the report is a rubber stamping of earlier recommendations that came out of a report into the conduct of the 2004 election. This report effectively rubber-stamps not only that earlier report but also the recommendations contained in the legislation recently pushed through the House of Representatives by the government. For example, one of those recommendations will increase the disclosure limit required with respect to donations by companies and individuals from $1,500 to over $10,000. This will lead to huge amounts of money being hidden from public scrutiny. We will see donors who donate significant amounts of money, particularly to the coalition, being able to hide the money trail. The coalition will be able to gain huge amounts of money without there being proper public disclosure.

It is a disgrace. It is an example of the way the government work—continually trying to hide what they are about from the people of Australia while raking in the money in order to work on the next election without properly disclosing why they are getting that money, where they are getting it from and who is donating it. The government are making these changes now after repeated attempts previously— (Time expired)