sparking concerns among independents the major parties will collude to protect their interests by preserving the two-party system.
With the government planing to legislate either later this year or early next year, campaign donation reform was discussed on Tuesday afternoon in a private meeting between the teal independents, Senate crossbencher David Pocock, and Special Minister of State Don Farrell.Sources said the discussion centred on areas of agreement between participants, namely plans by Labor to reduce from $14,500 to $1000 the threshold for donations which must be publicly reported under election law.
The spending by the teals was funded by a combination of individual donations, plus a $6 million donation from campaign group Climate 200.The Liberal Party, which needs to contest all 151 seats, complained it could not possibly match such spending. Labor, too, fears similar campaigns in its inner-city seats after the Greens made inroads at the last election.
Plans to cap spending were not spoken about in detail at Tuesday’s meeting, but one source said the teals left the meeting with the view the new laws would “try to stop any further growth of the crossbench”.Before last year’s Victorian election, the Labor government introduced a donation limit of $4320. The Teals did not win a seat.
is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence.