Additional comments by the Australian Greens

1.1For many years, the Greens have championed reforms to clean up our democracy, including getting big money out of politics, exposing hidden money that is never declared, preventing misleading campaigns, removing barriers to running for election, and addressing the ‘incumbency advantages’ that stack outcomes in favour of the two-party system.

1.2The 2022 election made it abundantly clear that the public wants those things too. We saw the lowest vote share for the big parties in 75 years, and we saw a parliament that's more diverse than ever.

1.3Any legislation to deliver electoral reforms must ensure it strengthens democracy, not just the political fortunes of the big parties.

1.4The Greens additional comments to the earlier JSCEM interim report outline issues regarding campaign finance, the definition of gift, incumbency advantages and barriers to participation that were not sufficiently addressed. We are disappointed there has not been more progress on refining proposals relating to these matters over the last six months through the JSCEM process.

1.5These brief additional comments highlight issues specific to the final report to be addressed in implementing the recommendations, as well as further matters to be considered to achieve genuine campaign finance reform.

Recommendation 1

1.6The Australian Greens welcome this review, and would like to see any review also consider the role of proportional representation in our Parliament, given that one in three voters selected someone other than Labor or Liberal as their first preference vote in the 2022 federal election.

Recommendation 2

1.7The Australian Greens support an increase in the representation of ACT and NT in future elections. The model in the main committee report is one of several options to achieve this outcome and we are open to continuing to explore these options.

Recommendations 3 & 4

1.8The Australian Greens welcome the recommendations relating to First Nations enrolment. These are sensible recommendations that mirror the amendments we put forward to the Referendum Machinery Bill. It is disappointing that this work was not undertaken in time for the recent Referendum, and we strongly urge the Government to implement these recommendations before the next election.

Campaign finance reform & Government response to interim report

1.9The Greens want to see genuine reforms, not rorts that lock in major party advantages.

1.10This JSCEM process has provided a partial pathway to developing legislative reforms that could genuinely improve our democracy before the next election.

1.11But there is still significant work to do to ensure our electoral system is transparent, political advertising is not misleading and to find ways to prevent a single donor dominating the political landscape as Clive Palmer has done in 2019 and 2022.

1.12It was also extremely disappointing to see the Government response to the interim JSCEM referred to bipartisan rather than multi partisan consultation.

1.13The public won’t accept any attempts to rig the electoral funding system for the major parties, at the expense of other parties and candidates.

1.14Any reform which limits donations to anyone who challenges Liberal and Labor, while protecting the establishment parties’s sources of income, will be seen for what it is - a complete stitch up, undermining our democracy, and the public’s expectation of fair play.

1.15The community understands that secret sources of dark money from big corporations and billionaires is dodgy. They rightly conclude that the reason that politicians in charge can’t solve the problems we face is because they have been bought off and sold out. And they understand that any proposal that means that if you’re already elected you get a hefty envelope full of cash, but if you’re trying to get elected, your donations are heavily restricted is not a reform, it's a rort.

1.16It is a rort, not a reform to outlaw all kinds of grassroots funding while allowing Labor and the Liberals' corporate and billionaire funding to flow through backroom loopholes.

1.17Any reform that means a corporation can continue to buy five $10,000 tickets to a Labor or Liberal dinner party and this is NOT considered a donation is a rort.

1.18If there’s one rule for the establishment, the bipartisan establishment, with payments via slush funds, or business forum memberships, or cash-for-access dinners and another rule for everyone else, then it’s a rort.

1.19The Greens are up for genuine electoral reform, but teaming up to do a dirty bipartisan deal would be an attack on representative democracy.

1.20We now wait for more information and for the Government to decide which way it wants to go - bipartisan backroom deals, or genuine multi-partisan improvements that strengthen our democracy, not weaken and undermine it.

Senator Larissa Waters

Greens Senator for Queensland