Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Di Natale, as you know I was absent from the first sitting week. But I did witness the discussions over the last fortnight. I am glad that you draw a distinction between the events of the last fortnight that led to the then Manager of Opposition Business standing down and the issue of donations, because there is, of course, a distinct difference. There is a distinct difference between any member of this place receiving a personal contribution for a personal debt and the donations that go to political parties. That has been litigated and discussed at great length. I think the public attention has been drawn to that very important distinction.

On the issue of donations, Senator Di Natale, if there is an issue with our political donations regime, I am not one of the people that says it is rife with problems. I am a believer that people who want to make a contribution to our political process should be able to do so. I am believer that that is a form of their freedom of expression and that that is partaking in democracy. But, Senator Di Natale, to stand up and ask about donations when you yourself, in a radio interview last week, were corrected by your own party when you said there should only be people making donations from the electoral roll. Your own party then corrected you by saying that you do not want to ban corporate donations. You want to ban corporate donations as long as they are for-profits. It is okay for unions to make donations and contributions; it is okay for you to have the latest single contribution in Australian history—one in which you did not live by your own rules and you did not disclose until after the 2010 election, and it was described by the donor as a great return on investment. You, Senator Di Natale, do not have a great deal of credibility when you say, 'The people that donate to me get one set of rules, but if you are a for-profit corporation you, somehow, should have less ability to participate in our political system.'