Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to inform the Australian people about a very important matter, and I hope people will listen to what I have to say. The Albanese Labor government is going to introduce the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024. This has only just been brought to my attention. I've had a meeting with the minister with regard to this; he was explaining to me what it means.

Most of you know that I formed my own political party in 1997. I've had the One Nation Party over that period of time—28 years—and I've led that party and been very heavily involved with it, so I know about running a political party.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, you're not even in your seat.

Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What's very important about this is people need to know what the government are planning for the Australian people and especially for the taxpayers. I'm ropeable and angry about it, and what is going to happen is so unfair.

We're going to oppose this bill that's going to be rammed through the parliament, enabling the major parties to milk the taxpayers—that's what I said: milk the taxpayers—to revive their flagging finances. I am furious at Labor's attempt to marginalise minor parties and lock in the Labor-coalition duopoly for as long as possible. I'm presupposing the coalition may support this bill. They may not; I hope they don't. But they may get the support of the Greens and some of the crossbench.

The two-party system came into place effectively in 1908, and it's been showing signs of collapse for many years now. Labor is doing everything it can to protect its privileged position as one of the two. It's a bald-faced attempt to attack significant election spenders like Clive Palmer and Simon Holmes a Court. It will be a compliance nightmare for minor parties and Independents.

Let me outline what Labor is intending. Labor's bill will reduce the political donation disclosure threshold to only $1,000. I don't have a problem with that; that's no problem at all. It was $16,000 but it's going to be reduced. Anyone who donates over $1,000 has to put their name down. An individual can then donate up to $20,000 per year every year; they can donate that money—so there is a cap of $20,000. They're going to place a $90 million cap on national election spending and place an $800,000 cap on spending in each electorate. Therefore, it is really targeting, like I said, Simon Holmes a Court and Clive Palmer. I have a problem with that, because the taxpayer will be paying for this. These are receipts that the parties put in so they can spend all this money, so that, at the end of the day, the taxpayer will be paying for it. A political party gets $5 per vote they get. The taxpayer is going to pay for this. Go your hardest, get your donations!

When I asked Senator Farrell if he will rein in the unions, because they're a backdoor third party to fund the Labor Party, he said, 'No, they're cut out.' He said they're going to stop union donations, which can be in the millions of dollars. But I've worked it out: all they've got to do is get individuals to give donations from the unions to the political parties of $20,000 each per year—so they will just pick some members out of the unions to give donations. The Greens get their donations from all their organisations that donate money as well.

The biggest point I'm making here is that each elected member of parliament is going to get paid $30,000 of taxpayers' money in compliance costs, and every senator will get $15,000 per year. The government talk about compliance costs. Let me tell you: small businesses and farmers have to pay GST, or collect GST. They have quarterly business activity statements, employment law, union delegate training, superannuation, retrenchment payments, climate reporting, supply change, emissions reductions, gender reporting, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and Indigenous relations reconciliation plans. Where is their money for compliance costs? What money do they get from the government? None. You're feathering your own bloody nests, and that's why people are fed up with the major— (Time expired)