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

I beg to differ. I think groups like the Exclusive Brethren have been sailing very close to the wind—and I will be interested to see what inquiries discover there—by advertising for Prime Minister Howard in Bennelong and Parramatta and elsewhere, including in South Australia and statewide in Tasmania, without furnishing a return. It may be that their members somehow, magically and independently, decided to spend the tens of thousands of dollars involved in that, but I will be interested to see whether they put in returns. What we do know is that $1 million was spent by that organisation in New Zealand against the Labour Party and the Greens. It is insidious, as that almost got to an election without being known. If you are going to have large amounts of money like that coming, with very big strings attached, from concerted efforts by organisations, it should be well and truly on the public record. The problem with this legislation is that it is going to allow an enormous increase in the donation potential to political parties, and the government is doing this because it sees it has most to gain from it not being on the public record. That is a formula for corruption. We strenuously oppose it and we think the government should think again.