Mining billionaire warns government against pursuing laws that would prevent him from continuing to spend millions in support of his electoral ambitions
has warned Labor against legislating electoral spending and donation caps, accusing it of attempting to “silence the diversity of ideas in this country”.2022 election by the joint standing committee on electoral matters
“It can’t only be rich people who can afford to run and fund electoral campaigns,” he said, citing Clive Palmer’s $117m spending at the last election. “The more advertising dollars that are spent, the greater the chance of media surviving and journalists keeping their jobs,” Palmer told Guardian Australia.“Limiting the flow of ideas reduces people’s ability to choose.In February 2023 the high court ruled that the New South Wales cap of $20,000 on electoral spending before a byelection was unconstitutional. The NSW government conceded the cap was set too low, after a state committee recommended the cap be raised to $198,750.