Election spending hit a record high in 2022. Now, a joint parliamentary committee has recommended reforms to reduce the electoral influence of donors with deep pockets.
Election spending reached a record $440 million in 2022, according to an analysis from the Centre for Public Integrity.The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has recommended reforms to reduce the influence of wealthy donors.The Centre for Public Integrity says there's been a "substantial increase" in the power of large donors.
So does big money wield significant influence in Australian politics, and should we be concerned about the state of our democracy?Political donations refer to funds donated to a political party or candidate, usually in the lead-up to an election. The average cost per independent win has risen from $106,055 in 2001 to just over $1.1 million in 2022, representing an increase of 947.5 per cent, the Centre said.
Their analysis found that the top five donors to the Coalition contributed $118.8 million, or 22.6 per cent of their total donations in the same period.Almost a quarter of political donations come from 'handful' of sources as Anthony Pratt tops listThe Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has been investigating potential reforms to funding, donations and transparency. The committee released its interim report on Monday.
Recommendations included lowering the donation disclosure threshold from $15,200 to $1000 and introducing real-time disclosure requirements.
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