George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

This government is committed to ensuring that our political system is free from foreign interference and covert influence. We believe that only Australian individuals and organisations should be able to participate in Australian elections, and the government is taking deliberate steps towards banning foreign donations, having developed legislation that we will introduce into the parliament in the spring session. In addition to this the government will introduce in these sittings a transparency scheme modelled in part, as I said a moment ago, on the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act. That regime will require individuals or institutions to make a declaration if they are acting on behalf of a foreign power to influence the political processes of Australia. For the first time the public and decision-makers in government will have visibility of the level and extent to which foreign sources may be seeking to influence Australia's government and political processes.