Victoria tightens its political donation laws
Last week, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews put forward a raft of proposed reforms designed to shake up the state’s political donation system, and deliver greater transparency to the people.
The reforms would include a ban on foreign donations, a lower disclosure threshold (down from over $13,000 to $1000) and a $4000 cap on donations over a 4-year parliamentary term. The Premier says that the changes would be “tough [but] important,” while opponents argue that they amount to an attack on democratic freedom of expression.
Ken Coghill is an Associate Professor at Monash University and a founding member of the Accountability Round Table, a group which promotes open and accountable government in Australia – he joined Breakfast to explain what the proposals are, and what they mean for Victorian elections, the public, and the rest of the country.
