Australia is on the cusp of major campaign finance reforms to eliminate large-scale monetary influences in federal election campaigns. A committee appointed by Special Minister of State Don Farrell is set to endorse caps on political donations and individual electoral expenditure. They also seek to ban false information in political advertising. While the interim report may not specify the cap figures, it’s expected to back the outlined changes in principle. Amid this, the Centre for Public Integrity, Australia’s leading anti-corruption think tank, emphasizes the significance of this overhaul. Catherine Williams, the centre’s research director, points out that this inquiry marks the first real chance in over 15 years to mitigate the undue influence of wealth in Australian politics, championing transparency, integrity, and capped donations. However, some concerns persist about the potential impact of these caps, especially on independent candidates. State-level caps exist, but at the federal level, donation and spending are unlimited.
This is a summary of “Major overhaul looms to keep big money out of politics” published in SMH on June 10, 2023, written by Paul Sakkal. Read it in full here.