How many donations have Liberals and Labor revealed in 2021 election campaign?
The Liberal and Labor parties both pledged to voluntarily reveal donations of more than $5000, but 10 days into the election campaign, just how much have they actually declared?
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UNDER voluntary pledges to be more transparent during the election campaign, not a single dollar of donations has been declared by either major party.
Premier Peter Gutwein promised to reveal all donations made to his party of more than $5000 within two days of the donation being made. Labor matched the pledge.
Neither party has disclosed a single donation so far.
Tasmania has the laxest rules in the nation for electoral donations, defaulting to the weak federal arrangements, which set a $16,500 threshold for annual public disclosures.
The voluntary arrangements agreed to by the major parties are still weaker than those in place in any other state — and are not retrospective.
The Liberals had promised to introduce a lower threshold for donations, shorter timelines for disclosures and public funding for elections to reduce reliance on donations.
Labor has proposed an even stricter plan with disclosure of all donations over $1000 within 30 days.
The reforms were put on hold when the election was called.
The major parties’ ability to attract donations far outstrips that of smaller parties and independents.
Poker machines were the hot-button issue of the 2018 election and the focus of anger over secret donations since.
The Liberals outspent Labor four-to-one in the 2018 state election thanks to a tsunami of donations, notably from the gambling industry.
Laws setting out the state’s future poker machine rules are expected to be debated later this year.
Independent MLC Meg Webb said nobody wins from keeping the handbrake on donation reform.
“It’s beyond the pale that in the absence of donation reform, both major parties were prepared to send Tasmanians to the polls next month hiding secret deals with the industry that bankrolled the last election,” she said.
“A healthy democracy requires honest and ethical behaviour from those seeking to represent their community. On that measure, Tasmania’s democracy is looking very poorly indeed.”
Independent candidate for Clark, Kristie Johnston, also said the current arrangements weaken democracy.
“Our community are no fools,” she said, “The community knows there are far too many loopholes.
“Sadly, we have a history in our state where elections can be bought and controlled by big business, anonymous donors, and faceless individuals.”
Independent candidate for Clark Sue Hickey has lashed her former party’s donations pledge as “a sham”.
The Greens disclose all donations over $1500. The party’s donations page was last updated on Wednesday and lists six donations from individuals..
Greens Lyons candidate Liz Johnstone said the current arrangements stunk.
“Pokies barons are clearly doing deals and investing in Liberal and Labor to get a return – support for poker machines throughout our communities,” she said.
Liberals’ ‘tricky’ donation proposal under fire
THE state government’s new proposal to declare political donations above $5000 is “unenforceable”, rife with loopholes and fails to account for funds from 2018 to now, an election funding reform spokesman has said.
Roland Browne was among the first people to call for an election inquiry in 2018, but he said Tasmania has little to show since that time with the source of about $7.5m in Liberal Party donations since the last election still unknown.
He said Tasmanians would be “none the wiser as to where the money is coming from” regarding both historic and future donations.
“This voluntary disclosure regime is not going to work because there’s no compulsion for people to comply with it,” Mr Browne said.
“You can have multiple donations of under $5000. There’s no prohibition on anonymous donations, there’s no prohibition on overseas donations.”
Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor said the government’s new donation rules were “pretty cute” but failed to show where the majority of both Liberal and Labor Party donations were coming from.
“The Premier is being tricky about electoral donations,” she said.
“While he’s announced donations of over $5000 to the Liberal Party will be declared within two days, millions in undisclosed donations have flowed in to Liberal coffers over the past three years.
“Australian Electoral Commission returns since the last state election show a massive $10.2 million in undisclosed donations to the major parties. Tasmanians have a right to know where that money came from.
“The Liberals’ amount of undisclosed donations over the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 financial years sits at $7.5 million.
“When Tasmanians go to the ballot box on 1 May, they will be in the dark about Labor and the Liberals’ corporate backers.
“If Peter Gutwein wants Tasmanian voters to take him seriously on donations transparency, he should reveal details of the vast stash that’s already in the party account for this campaign.
“We also expect Labor to do the same. “
She said the Greens have voluntarily disclosed their donations for the past four years in real time while the Liberals were “bankrolled to victory in 2018 by the gambling industry”.
“Tasmanians have a right to know where that money came from, which corporates are donating to the Liberal party and what they expect in return,” she said.
But Mr Peter Gutwein reiterated his support for the new system.
“We’re going to have the most transparent election campaign that we’ve ever had in Tasmania,” he said.
“There’ll be a cumulative cap in place that’s in line with the current Commonwealth level.”
Mr Browne called on the government to enact a disclosure model similar to Queensland’s legislation “with some refinements to take it a little bit further”.
Queensland has capped donations at $1000 and banned anonymous donations and contributions from property developers.
“One day before the (last) election, $57,000 was donated to the Liberal Party, and that was disclosed as a result of the Commonwealth Funding Regime,” he said.
“It can only have come about as the result of a deal.
“We need election campaigns that are publicly funded and where the sources of the money, especially corporate interests in Tasmania like forestry, fishing, mining and gaming, are disclosed clearly so people know who is buying votes and buying elections in this state.”
Of the $1.93m in donations the Tasmanian Liberals received in 2019-20, the origins of $154,959 were disclosed, with big pharmaceutical players and alcohol and gaming bodies revealed to be key donors.
Self-inflicted minority triggers early election
IT started over coffee with Sue Hickey and ended with a visit to the Governor – Premier Peter Gutwein will send Tasmania to an early election on May 1.
Although an election was not due until March next year, the Liberals’ self-inflicted minority government was Mr Gutwein’s trigger to go early.
“I did this because Tasmania can’t afford the uncertainty of minority government. Now more than ever we need a strong, stable, majority government,” he said.
Speculation around an early election escalated during the week after Mr Gutwein visited former Speaker Ms Hickey to inform her she would not be re-endorsed by the Liberals.
That speculation ended at 10.30am yesterday when Mr Gutwein arrived at Government House for a short visit to request of Governor Kate Warner that an election be held on May 1.
Fronting the media soon after with Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Mr Gutwein said Tasmania needed certainty and stability.
“While COVID is not over yet and many Tasmanians are still getting back on their feet, our economy is growing again, we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and job numbers are back at pre-pandemic levels,” he said.
“Tasmanians have shown great courage, resilience, compassion and kindness over the past year. We are in a good place but there is a long road ahead and Tasmanians need certainty.”
Mr Gutwein will be hoping to emulate the thumping election wins of interstate governments riding high on tough responses to COVID-19.
In Western Australia and Queensland, where governments took similarly rigid stances on lockdowns and borders, incumbent premiers have tightened their grip on power.
The most recent EMRS state voting intentions poll had the Liberals as the party of choice for 52 per cent of respondents, with Labor on 27 per cent.
Premier Peter Gutwein was preferred premier for 61 per cent of respondents with Rebecca White favoured by 26 per cent of respondents.
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“My team and I have been decisive and we have held firm during the COVID-19 crisis and together with Tasmanians we have helped Tasmania become one of the safest places in the world. On the other hand Labor are indecisive and have no plan,” Mr Gutwein said.
In the absence of promised donation reformS, Mr Gutwein said the Liberal Party would disclose donations over $5000.
Mr Gutwein said all current Liberal Lower House MPs would contest the election, with further candidates to be named in the coming days.
Former Mining Minister and Braddon MP Adam Brooks has reportedly put his hand up to run again for the Liberals.
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