Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

This issue was certainly the subject of discussion with a range of member organisations, and, yes, we have increased the amount of money that they are going to be able to spend on the election process. But the key here, Senator Waters, is that at the moment there is no limit. They can spend as much as they want, and many of them do. The billionaires spend an awful lot of money on elections. At the last election we saw Clive Palmer spend $117 million.

To the extent that we are capping the ability of these organisations to spend money in elections, we are putting downward pressure on these organisations and their ability to spend money in the election. At the moment, there is no restriction. Nothing at all restricts those companies from spending as much as they like. We have capped the spending of these organisations.

You don't want money going to gambling organisations or fossil fuels companies, and you don't want donations from them. For the first time in the electoral history of the federal parliament, we are capping the spending of those organisations which you say you don't like. We are treating them the same as all other organisations, but we've finally put a cap on their spending. I am disappointed that the Greens haven't come on board to support that legislation, because for the first time we are putting downward pressure on the ability of all of these organisations to spend money in the electoral cycle.