‘Unfair distortion’: Council body urges caution on election spending

The state’s peak local government body has called on the Queensland government to ­ensure registered third parties – such as unions – are not able to unfairly distort council ­elections.

The state’s peak local government body has called on the Palaszczuk government to ­ensure registered third parties – such as unions – are not able to unfairly distort council ­elections through spending.

It comes after the government floated new council election spending caps that would allow unions to spend millions more than mayoral candidates in Brisbane City Council polls.

Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Alison Smith said yesterday the organisation supported spending caps, as long as they enhanced the democratic process.

Under the proposal – detailed in a discussion paper – Brisbane mayoral candidates would be allowed to spend up to $250,000, while those on the Gold Coast could splash up to $222,000. But registered third parties, such as unions, could spend the combined spending cap of every mayoral election in the state, which equates to $3.8 million – and spend it all in the one local government area.

“Any changes to the way local government election campaigns are conducted should ensure fairness, transparency and accountability and should not leave the process open to unfair distortion by third parties,” Ms Smith said.

LGAQ chief executive Alison Smith

“Councils across Queensland have called for any new campaign spending cap regime to be accompanied by new laws to prevent the potential distorting influence of third parties with aligned interests.”

State Government minister Yvette D’Ath insisted that no final decision had yet been made on what the caps would be.

“The Local Government Association of Queensland and councils were well aware that we were considering this and the recommendations of the CCC,” Ms D’Ath said.

“And a discussion paper is out there now for conversation.

“But I think it’s a good thing to take money out of politics.”

Under the proposal, a mayoral candidate could pool their money with the spending caps of councillor candidates from the same political party.

But in Brisbane this would still total only about $841,000 – well short of the $3.8 million cap for every registered third party.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the caps were a massive financial gerrymander that would allow mayoral candidates to be outspent by Labor unions.

“We know that this plan is designed to influence the next election, and we know that this is not good for our democratic system,” he said.