Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Special Minister of State, Minister Farrell. Prime Minister Albanese made big promises about transparency and accountability before coming into government, but we have been waiting over two years and, despite what Labor keeps telling the media, we are yet to see any electoral reform legislation from this government. The Greens have been calling for changes to our donation laws for decades, and in this parliament Labor has a crossbench ready to progress genuine electoral reform. Minister, will you keep your election commitment to improve our democracy, or will you instead stitch up a deal with the LNP to benefit the flagging two-party system?

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

Thank you, Senator Waters, for your very important question. You're correct. The Prime Minister did make undertakings to improve transparency and accountability in our electoral system. As you would be aware, a process was gone through in the relevant committee to examine a variety of proposals with respect to electoral reforms, and they did include aspects to deal with accountability and transparency and also regulating the amount of money that can be spent on the Australian electoral system.

It's true that we have not yet presented that legislation to the parliament, but one of the things I've tried to do, over the period that we've been in government, is to consult with all of the parties. We've certainly been doing that with you, Senator. We've had direct, personal meetings on these issues, and your leader and his relevant staff have also been involved in all of those negotiations. I'm very happy to talk to anybody in this place who wants to discuss electoral reform.

It has taken longer than I would've liked, but sometimes in this place, to get the best results, you do have to take longer than you otherwise would like. In politics—

Yes, that's true. You can laugh, Senator Cash, but politics is the art of the possible. I continue to have hope that, through the lengthy discussions that I'm involved in, we'll get a result on— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, first supplementary?

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Fossil fuel companies and their lobbyists are donating millions to both big parties, and, in return, the Albanese government continues the bipartisan tradition of giving $10 billion of public money every year in fossil fuel subsidies, turbocharging the climate destruction. Will you ban donations from fossil fuel corporations and other sectors with a track record of buying influence, so that politics can work for the public interest and not the highest bidder?

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

Thank you, Senator Waters, for your first supplementary question. Senator, I reject the premise of your question. The High Court routinely makes it very clear that organisations in this country are entitled to make donations to political parties.

My objective, in all of the discussions that I'm involved in at the moment, is to try and put downward pressure on the amount of money that's being spent by rich actors in the political process. I think we have one opportunity to do this. The idea that, at the last federal election, somebody like Clive Palmer could spend $117 million— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, second supplementary?

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're in an election season, and we've already seen widespread mis- and disinformation campaigns. South Australia and the ACT already have truth-in-political-advertising laws, which are generally supported and have reshaped electoral campaigning in those jurisdictions. Will the Albanese government work with the Greens and the crossbench to deliver truth-in-political-advertising laws?

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

Thank you, Senator Waters, for your second supplementary question. As you know, I have been meeting with you, Senator Waters. It's not as if there haven't been meetings. I routinely meet with anybody in this place who wants to have a discussion about electoral reform. The other Senator Pocock is not in the room, but he grabbed me the other day. He said, 'Don, can I talk about this?' and I stopped and talked to him about it. The parliament has a range of political actors, and my job is not just to talk to the Greens or elements of the crossbench; my job is to talk to the whole parliament, including my own colleagues here, who all have used— (Time expired)