Election donations reform not on premier’s agenda, parliament hears

Parliament has been told the government is too busy dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic to look into electoral donation reforms, after minor tweaks were made last year.

• Government criticised for its slow action on donation reforms
• Secrecy corrupts politics, MP Andrew Wilkie says

THE state government is not pursuing electoral reform because it is busy with the coronavirus pandemic, Premier Peter Gutwein says.

Mr Gutwein says he hasn’t given any thoughts to a promised second-tranche of fixes to the rules surrounding electoral funding after minor reforms last year.

Tasmania has the nation’s laxest regime for the declaration of electoral donations, an arrangement that overwhelmingly favoured the Liberal Party at the last election.

The source of the most donations are never revealed.

Premier Peter Gutwein said the government has been too busy to consider electoral reforms. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Criticism of the current rules predated the 2018 poll, when then Liberal leader Will Hodgman promised action.

In state parliament this morning, Greens leader Cassy O’Connor asked the government why it had been sitting on a report into a review of the state’s electoral donation laws for the last nine months.

Premier Peter Gutwein said he wasn’t giving the matter much thought.

“I’m sure it hasn’t escaped the leader of the Greens or anyone else in this place that we’ve had a pretty difficult period,” he told parliament.

“My focus hasn’t been on a pathway to public funding of elections, which the leader of the Greens knows fully well has been the path that has occurred in every other state and territory that has moved on this matter.

“What she is asking is for publicly funded elections.

“In terms of the report, I haven’t turned my mind to it because madam speaker because what I am trying to do is to get on top of this virus and keep people safe.”

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