Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Birmingham. Minister, Mr Ed Killesteyn used to be responsible for policing our donation laws when he was commissioner of the Australian Electoral Commission. He told the ABC yesterday that our political donation laws are some of the 'worst in the world'. He said the rules do very little to make sure voters know who is funding political parties and how much donors are giving. Of anyone out there, you'd think he would know how bad things are. Is he wrong?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lambie for her question. I don't agree with the assessments that have been made. Yesterday we saw the disclosure of donations across the Australian political landscape, and they provide a high level of transparency around major donations that are made directly to political parties and, in doing so, serve to give, and should give, the Australian people and the public confidence around that donation system.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, a supplementary question.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, it was only yesterday that Australians found out about money that could have gone into the coalition's bank accounts over 19 months ago. Do you believe that voters think that delay passes the pub test?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that many things exercise the minds of many voters, and we've canvassed some of those during question time today. I think, first and foremost at this time, health and employment considerations exercise the minds of voters. But in relation to political donations, we have a system where they are reported both by the donor under certain requirements and by the recipient under certain requirements. It's an important check and balance, and yesterday was an example of how it works.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lambie, a final supplementary question.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When money changes hands between political parties and political donors in Queensland, Queenslanders hear about it in seven days, and voters find out about political donations in 21 days during an election in New South Wales or Victoria. But federal political parties can drag their heels for more than a year before they have to tell voters about where their money has come from. Why are the expectations for political parties so much lower in federal parliament than they are in every state except for Tasmania?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The arrangements that are in place and which have been reformed occasionally over the years in different ways are arrangements which do provide for the publication of details. I see across today's media that there is scrutiny given to that. All members of political parties are aware that such donations will be published and the donors who make those donations are aware that they will be published. In doing so, as I said, that gives transparency across the system and ensures our democracy, which is a free democracy in which people are free to engage—including to give money as part of that process.

If there are any areas where there might be, arguably, a lack of transparency it's probably in relation to some of those non-political party entities—those like GetUp or others—whose funding sources— (Time expired)