Labor has called on the government to release a report it’s been sitting on since December, following community consultation on donation law reform.
Shadow Attorney-General Ella Haddad said changes to the Electoral Act were promised in the leadup to the 2018 state election, but the government has failed to deliver.
“Then Premier Will Hodgman promised reform, but Peter Gutwein has backed away, saying in February only that he would ‘have a look at it’.
“The government put draft reform out for community consultation last year, and Elise Archer has had the report sitting on her desk since December. This is the hallmark secrecy we have become used to seeing from this government and this minister.
“Tasmania has the weakest political donation disclosure laws in the country, and they need to change. These broken laws need fixing to make sure the community knows who is funding elections.
“Labor currently has a out for community consultation which would address many of these issues. If our Bill passes, all donations to political parties, individual members and candidates over $1,000 would be disclosed monthly.
“We would also introduce spending caps for political parties and individual candidates – anything less will fail to meet the community’s expectation.
“Labor wants to see a level playing field for elections, and transparency for the Tasmanian public. Elections must be a battle of ideas, not a battle of bank accounts.”
Ella Haddad
Shadow Attorney-General
