ALP still seeking political donations from tobacco companies

THE Labor Party has continued to seek political donations of up to $102,000 from a major tobacco company, as recently as this week, despite a ban.

THE Labor Party has continued to seek political donations of up to $102,000 from a major tobacco company, as recently as this week, despite a ban.

The embarrassing revelation comes in the same week federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon was forced to apologise for sending a fundraising request to the same company in 2005, a year after Labor banned tobacco company donations.

She dismissed the issue as part of the tobacco industry's campaign against plain packaging legislation and highlighted how the Liberal Party still accepted donations from the industry.

Most of the six newly revealed letters were sent by Sports Minister Mark Arbib when he was secretary of the NSW ALP. They invited a senior tobacco executive to spend up to $15,000 on tickets to fundraising functions.

Current NSW secretary Sam Dastyari wrote to the executive at Philip Morris this month offering a $5000 place at a Business Dialogue and Country Business Forum.

The letter arrived at Philip Morris on the same day that Ms Roxon apologised after the ABC revealed she had sent a similar request to the same company.

"As a Business Dialogue and Country Business Forum Partner," this week's letter says, "you can attend a series of events that will help your organisation build links with the Labor Party and network with senior members of the business community."

An accompanying flyer includes photos of senior Labor figures, including Treasurer Wayne Swan, Finance Minister Penny Wong and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. It spruiks "private meetings with federal ministers and NSW shadow ministers, briefings, private lunches and drinks".

The other five letters obtained by The Weekend Australian all came after the ALP's 2004 donation ban. They are invitations to a NSW cabinet dinner in June 2006 at $500 a head or $15,000 for a VIP table; a similar budget function in 2007; a "Labor Business Dialogue Forum" in August 2007; a "Business Dialogue" in June 2007; and a "Kevin 07 Election Dinner" in September 2007.

The "Kevin 07 Election Dinner" again offered a VIP table for $15,000 and said: "All funds raised on the night will go to Labor's Federal Election Campaign."

The 2007 "Business Dialogue Forum" invitation listed a price tag of $5000, scheduled a function hosted by Ms Roxon, then the opposition health spokeswoman, and included her photo. A separate letter to join a "Business Dialogue" in the same year listed membership rates ranging from $12,000 to $102,000.

It is understood Philip Morris has not attended any of the functions and no money has changed hands. The latest letter included a form asking any donors to declare that they were not "prohibited donors" including property developers or tobacco companies.

Mr Dastyari said the letter was an "accidental error".

"The NSW Labor Party does not accept donations from tobacco companies - the application form to join Business Dialogue clearly states this," he said. "Unfortunately, it appears an out-of-date database has inadvertently been used."