Some Nationals disgruntled by Labor’s electoral spending caps as crossbench fury grows (18 Nov 2024)
Article summary: The Albanese government’s electoral reform bill has sparked significant backlash from independents and minor parties, who accuse Labor and the Coalition of a bipartisan effort to lock out smaller political players. The reforms propose stricter donation and spending caps, including a $20,000 annual donor limit and an $800,000 electorate campaign spending ceiling, alongside increased public funding for elections.
While the government claims these changes aim to curb the influence of wealthy donors and strengthen public trust, critics argue the legislation favours entrenched major parties and reduces competition. Independent MP Kate Chaney has been a prominent voice of dissent, saying the major parties are “relying on the increasing disengagement of the public” and leveraging “the complexity of this bill, the crowded media space” to “[rush] it through to get away with the only path they’ve got left to arrest the trend of declining support for the sclerotic leadership the two parties offer to the public.”
Chaney’s motion to send the reforms to an inquiry for deeper scrutiny was defeated, with 50 votes against 14, as Coalition MPs abstained. Following this, she joined 11 crossbench MPs and senators in condemning the legislation as a “blatant attempt to lock out political competition.”
Chaney emphasised: “We will not be hoodwinked by this blatant attempt to lock out political competition.” The reforms would increase public funding to $5 per vote and provide administrative funding of $30,000 per MP and $15,000 per senator. Critics, including Nationals Senator Matt Canavan, have raised concerns about these measures centralising power in party head offices, limiting local campaign autonomy, and disadvantaging minor players.
Labor insists the reforms will ensure transparency and equity by removing the influence of big money, with Assistant Minister Pat Gorman stating they will create a system where elections are “a contest of ideas, not bank balances.” However, this justification has done little to quell crossbench outrage.
Senator Jacqui Lambie derided the major parties’ actions, saying they “have their snouts in the trough so far that they’re blowing that many bubbles I could jump in and have a bubble bath,” while Independent MP Andrew Wilkie labelled them “self-serving political dinosaurs.”
The proposed reforms, which will take effect in July 2026 if passed, also grant major parties the potential to earn an additional $82.7 million in public funding and $16.5 million in administrative support by the 2028 election, assuming vote shares remain consistent. Critics argue this further entrenches the dominance of the major parties, with Greens Leader Adam Bandt noting that Labor’s refusal to allow an inquiry undermines the government’s claims of transparency.
