The latest Australian Electoral Commission figures on political donations show Tasmania remains a cellar dweller when it comes to disclosing the source of electoral funding.
To Tasmania’s great shame, the AEC figures show the state branch of the Liberal Party disclosed the source of just 7.6 per cent of its annual receipts, or $260,000 out of $3.4 million. State Labor did a little better, disclosing 15.4 per cent.
Despite promised reform, Tasmania still has the weakest political donation laws in the country and it remains a national embarrassment.
The fact is that Tasmania needs at least a $1,000 disclosure threshold, real-time reporting of donations, a cap on the gross amount of donations from any one source during an electoral cycle, and a definition of “donation” that includes any money or activity that materially benefits any party or candidate.