Mark McGowan wants transparency in donations from developers

WA Labor Premier Mark McGowan has responded to calls for his government to ban political donations from property developers by promising more transparency.

WA Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: Colin Murty

West Australian Labor Premier Mark McGowan has responded to calls for his government to ban political donations from property developers by promising more transparency.

The perceived influence of prominent Perth business figures on the WA government has become a theme of the state election campaign and property developers who publicly support Labor have benefited from the state government’s building stimulus packages during the pandemic.

There is no suggestion the developers or Mr McGowan have acted inappropriately, but former WA Labor premier Brian Burke on Thursday urged Mr McGowan to take action over the perceived influence of property developers. Mr Burke was jailed in the fallout of the wild WA Inc days of the 1980s when the state government got into bed with business.

“It will always be an issue and I think the government would be wise to adopt the same prohibition that they have in NSW and Queensland,” Mr Burke said.

Mr McGowan responded by saying WA Inc was “obviously a different era” and pointed to Labor’s plan to ensure political donations are revealed almost in real time, foreign donations are banned and the introduction of a spending cap during election campaigns. The legislation appears to have been aimed at least in part at Clive Palmer, who has previously run newspaper and television ads in WA in the past.

“We brought legislation into the parliament last year to provide for transparency, to cap spend by people like Clive Palmer and to ensure there was no foreign donations. And the Liberal party blocked it. The Liberal party voted against it and they blocked it in parliament. So our record is clear we are strong supporters of reforms that enhance transparency in our donation process,” Mr McGowan said.

Asked again if he would ban donations from property developers, Mr McGowan said: “Transparency is the main thing and that is what we want to achieve. Full transparency. So people know who contributes to political parties during campaigns”.

“What I am saying is we need total transparency so the people of Western Australia understand who contributes to political parties we ban foreign donations and we also ensure there are spending caps to stop people like Clive Palmer trying to buy elections,” he said. “We will bring back in very, very strong legislation to deal with donations, in particular in the area of transparency spending caps and banning foreign donations.”

WA Liberal leader Zak Kirkup, whose party has tried to win back the support of business ­donors who appear to now favour WA Labor, has said no one should be banned from making donations.