How much political parties received in the 2020-21 financial year

Judy Augustine | Mercury Newspaper | 2 February 2022 

Tasmania’s rules around political donations are once again under scrutiny after the amount received by Tasmania’s major parties was revealed by the Australian Electoral Commission on Tuesday.

Currently parties are only required to disclose individual donations of over $14,300.

Figures on the Australian Electoral Commission website reveal the Tasmanian division of the Liberal Party received $3.4m in donations, but only disclosed $260,000 in the 2020-21 financial year.

Among the donations and receipts, the party received $25,000 from Australian Pathology, $16,500 from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and $50,000 from a Richard Smith from Victoria.

The Tasmanian branch of the Labor Party received $1.17m but only disclosed $180,160.

Donations included $103,750 from Erin Bromfield, $35,253 from the Health and Community Services Union and $25,000 from Bti Pty Ltd, which runs the Sky Bus.

Meanwhile, the Tasmanian branch of the Greens received $877,047, disclosing $219,613, $165,116 from the Australian Greens and $54,497 bequest from the estate of Elspeth Hope-Johnstone.

The State Government is in the process of political donation reforms, with the final report of the Electoral Act review released in February last year.

Under the proposed reforms, donation of more than $5000 would need to be disclosed and donations would be declared every six months at minimum.

Independent member for Nelson Meg Webb said an urgent update was needed on the reforms

“Following the controversial 2018 election, Tasmanians were promised state political donations reform,” Ms Webb said.

“After yet another election, Tasmania remains the only State or territory without its own comprehensive disclosure legislation covering both Assembly and Legislative Council elections.

“We urgently need an update on the status of the 2021 Electoral Disclosure and Funding Bill 2021 Exposure Draft … and a commitment from the Premier that legislation will be prioritised in the first session of parliament this year.”

Ms Webb said the majority of disclosed donations were from industries that stood to gain from government policy.

Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor said proposed changes would not be enough to strengthen laws.

“The Gutwein Government’s much delayed proposal, on the other hand, only sets the disclosure threshold to $5,000, and sets no donation cap or expenditure cap,” Ms O’Connor said.

“The Liberals’ bill would still leave Tasmania with the weakest political donation laws in the country.”

A government spokesperson said a five-week consultation period on the draft Bills concluded in September and a bill would be introduced to parliament this year.

“The reforms will increase transparency and fairness and is the right thing to do, to ensure that the public continues to have faith in the outcomes of elections into the future,” the spokesperson said.

Read Meg’s Submission to the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Bill 2021 Exposure Draft

See more of Meg’s recent media.