Cap on election spending needed to restore democracy
Leading civil society groups say caps on election spending are vital to restoring democracy and achieving greater political equality.
In a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, 12 civil society organisations representing interests ranging from environmental protection to gun reform call for a cap on the amount of money political parties, candidates, campaigners and third parties can spend on elections.
The issue was highlighted in the last federal election after Clive Palmer’s reported $60 million spend, which is double the combined projected expenditure of the Australian Labor Party and Liberal Party combined.
Alice Drury, Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, said:
“Without spending caps, our election debates are dominated by those with the biggest bank balance, not those with the best ideas. Australians are fed up with the status quo – election campaigns should be a time when people with important things to say on matters of public interest can be heard, not just those with enough cash to buy a national platform.”
“Our constitution protects Australians’ equal opportunity to participate in our representative democracy, yet billionaires can and do use vast sums of cash at election times to buy space that is completely out of reach to the rest of us.”
According to a 2018 survey, Australians’ satisfaction with democracy has plummeted from 86 per cent in 2007 to just 41 per cent in 2018. Of all reforms put to survey respondents, the most popular option, with 73% support, was reform that limits how much money can be spent in an election and donated to political parties.
Jolene Elberth, Democracy Campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said:
“What the 2019 Federal Election made clear was just how far behind our federal political finance regime is in regulating money in the political system, leaving vested interests to use their oversized wallets to influence election outcomes.”
“The Federal Government’s regulation of money in politics is extremely weak when compared with other democracies – like the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada – and even many Australian States and Territories.”
Dr Mark Zirnsak, social justice spokesperson from the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania, said:
"Spending caps for political parties and their associated entities frees them from spending their time chasing donations. Spending caps also frees them from owing favours to large donors. Political candidates can then focus more on talking about the issues that matter to the citizens that might vote for them."
New South Wales, Tasmania and the ACT all limit the amount that can be spent during elections.
The group further states that the following reforms are critical for a robust democracy:
caps on donations to political parties and candidates;
increased transparency and regular disclosure of donations, and;
better regulation of lobbying and a national integrity commission to expose corruption and misconduct.
Read the submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters Media here.
Media contact:
Michelle Bennett, Communications Director, Human Rights Law Centre: 0419 100 519
