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

The government opposes the Family First amendment. I am disappointed to hear that my good friend Senator Fielding repeated what he said in the second reading debate: that political parties are self-interested groups. That might be a reflection on those involved in Family First but, from my experience in the Liberal Party, those involved in the Liberal Party are civic minded. They have aspirations for the nation. They seek to serve the nation. They want to make Australia a better place because they believe in a particular world view: they believe liberalism is the way to go. I would have thought that Family First would also be full of people who are absolutely committed to this nation and believe that families ought to be put first in the conduct of the nation’s affairs. To say that they have just joined Family First out of self-interest I think does them a great disservice.

Similarly, I would imagine that there are people in the Greens who would say that certain policies ought to be pursued for the betterment of the country. Sure, we will disagree and fight passionately about those different beliefs, but just to say that people who are involved in political parties are self-interested is not a view I can share. In fact in my experience, even with Labor colleagues when we fight across the chamber, I think they are misguided but I do accept that they have more at heart than just their own short-term political self-interest as a motivating factor.

In relation to donations to political parties, we are in an interesting environment where, let us say a trade union might be able to charge—I do not know how much trade union fees are; they vary—easily $300 per annum fully tax-deductible. If you are a professional—let us say a doctor, lawyer or accountant—your fees to that professional body are completely tax deductible. You can make a contribution to the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for example, or the forest industries association, or indeed to the Wilderness Society or to the Huon Valley Environment Centre and so the list goes on. Or indeed to the RSPCA who then use that money for a political campaign. In a free and democratic country all those organisations should be allowed to actively engage.

Unlike the Greens, I happen to believe that even minority religious groups ought be allowed to be actively engaged, albeit the churches as such—I am not sure that they actually get tax deductibility otherwise people would be wanting receipts when the plate is passed around of a Sunday morning.