Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The minister did not answer the question, for the obvious reason that no company can reasonably make a donation to a political party on its own behalf if it is going to disadvantage shareholders. That would be unethical. Of course there are strings attached when political donations are made. The minister must think that we are in some way or other unaware of how the world works if he thinks we believe that political donations are given without the expectation that they will buy political influence. That is why we oppose the proposals, that is why we think that Canada has gone a much healthier route and that is why we know the government wants to go in this direction, so that it can cover up massive donations flowing into its coffers that have strings attached and that create the potential for quite substantial corruption resulting from the process. This legislation is, as other speakers have said, one of the biggest attacks on democracy in this country since Federation. We are not exaggerating about that; it is very dangerous and insidious legislation, if you believe in a healthy democracy.