Sights set on weaker limit

Adam Holmes| Examiner| 3 February 2022  

PREMIER Peter Gutwein says the government will stick with its proposed $5000 threshold for when political donations are publicly disclosed, despite it only bringing Tasmania to the back of the pack for transparency.

The government’s proposal would bring Tasmania’s laws in line with South Australia – which has a similar disclosure threshold – but still behind all other states and territories.

According to Tasmania’s review of the Electoral Act last year, the threshold for publicly disclosing political donations is $1000 in NSW, Queensland, the ACT and Northern Territory, and indexed at $1200 in Victoria.

The level is $2500 in Western Australia, and the Commonwealth threshold which Tasmania reverts to, given it currently does not have disclosure laws – sits at $14,300.

The government promised to pass the reforms before the last state election after concerns were raised about political influence in the 2018 campaign, yet the laws were not brought forward.

Both Labor and the Greens support lowering the threshold to $1000.

But Mr Gutwein said he was sticking with $5000, and it would be “up to the Parliament” to make sure the reforms were passed before the next financial year.

“It will remain at $5000 which is slightly below, I understand, what South Australia have. That will be what will be included in that legislation,” he said.

Mr Gutwein said they would be “the strongest donation disclosure laws” in Tasmania’s history, although the state has never actually had these laws before.

When asked why he chose South Australia as the level to match – and not a state with more transparent laws – Mr Gutwein said a lower threshold could mean higher levels of public funding for political parties.

“We are a small jurisdiction and we will have a relatively high level of public funding as a result regardless,” he said.

“I think the $5000 is a reasonable starting point, and as you would well be aware, is significantly less than what currently applies.”

The $5000 threshold could face hurdles in the Legislative Council however, given Labor does not support it, and concerns were raised by independent MLCs about the influence of vested interests during the poker machine debate last year.

Nelson independent MLC Meg Webb said Tasmania should also ban political donations from property developers, gaming and liquor interests, similar to NSW laws.

“Tasmania has waited long enough for real-time and meaningful transparency over who pays what to whom,” she said.

This week, annual donation disclosures were released with Tasmanians unable to know the source of 82 per cent the Liberal Party’s income, 72 per cent of Labor’s income, and 66 per cent for the Tasmanian Greens.

Read Meg’s media release.

See more of Meg’s recent media.