Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

Very briefly: I am not in a position to either confirm or deny what is in the Citizens Electoral Council’s returns, other than that I am advised that the Australian Electoral Commission does an audit and checks up to ensure that those moneys that are asserted to be received are in fact accounted for. There is a very similar allegation to the one that Senator Carr is making against the Citizens Electoral Council, although not that the money is being received overseas. A similar criticism was made by a columnist in the Hobart Mercury about the Greens. Supposedly they have about $750,000 of undisclosed moneys. What I say to that is that the chances are that they are small donations, small contributors, that do not have to be publicly disclosed. Of course, that is why Senator Hutchins made his comments during the second reading debate. I am advised that the Electoral Commission does undertake audits. If there were the suggestion that all this money was coming from overseas in large lumps then undoubtedly there would be the requirement that they be disclosed.

Question put:

That the amendment (Senator Murray’s) be agreed to.