Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

and I again acknowledge that we have a Nationals senator keen to interject on this issue—is that we are starting to have a really serious breakdown in MPs who come into this place with the commitment to work for the public good. And it has been set out so clearly by the High Court. The High Court also said:

Unlike straight cash-for-votes transactions, such corruption is neither easily detected nor practical to criminalise. The best means of prevention is to identify and to remove the temptation.

That is precisely why the Greens have brought forward a series of private member's bills on this issue, and we will take it up in the JSCEM in great detail and do everything we can to advance the need for reform here.

I also want to acknowledge the words of the former Leader of the Opposition, when the Liberals and Nationals were in opposition, John Hewson. He wrote yesterday that 'the major parties know exactly what needs to be done' but they do not act because they 'each believe that they can better exploit' the current system, where political donations can be taken, 'to their electoral advantage'. It is really disturbing that you can have a former opposition leader identifying that the self-interest of the major parties in this parliament is absolutely undermining democracy because they are so hooked on taking political donations. Effectively, I would argue that Mr Hewson endorses the Greens position to cap donations and to have them declared in real time and online. Today, TheSydney Morning Herald editorial echoes these calls. It concludes:

Money should not buy access to, or influence with, public officials. The intention to evade the law relating to donations is unacceptable, even if the ICAC cannot legally call it corruption any more.

So there is momentum for change here.

As I said in my opening remarks, it is incredibly disappointing that the word 'democracy' did not figure in this major speech that supposedly is to outline the priorities of the current Turnbull government. That is why I have given over my whole speech to this issue of democracy and to the need for reform around political donations. It really goes to the heart of how we work as senators. Are we able to represent the public good or are we going to be compromised by the corporate interests who continue to attempt to—and so often do—dominate this place?