Voters stitched up, says Chaney (14 Feb 2025)
The Liberal and Labor parties have combined to pour $140million of public money into their federal election war chests to starve out independent candidates by denying them the same largesse.
“It’s a stitch-up,” said Kate Chaney, the community independent for Curtin.
The new law was rushed through the Senate on Wednesday night.
“They clearly don’t want any scrutiny on it,” Ms Chaney said.
“It’s a travesty.
“These are massive changes about who gets into parliament.”
Major parties knew their share of the vote had dropped alarmingly in a generation, from 98% to 67%, and they had done nothing to address their decline, she said.
Now they were trying to financially squeeze out future competition from the wave of voters electing independents like her, and making taxpayers foot the bill.
“They can’t agree on how to address housing or tax reform or cost of living, but they can agree on this, which I think speaks volumes,” Ms Chaney said.
“The new laws will ask taxpayers to pay more for less choice,
“It means major parties will get nearly two and a half times their 2022 funding by the 2028 election.
“In a cost-of-living crisis, I think it does not sit well, and it doesn’t do anything.”
The new laws were passed under cover of imposing spending caps to prevent billionaires such as Clive Palmer from buying votes.
“If we have caps, they just need to make sure that there’s a level playing field,” Ms Chaney said.
Each party advertising itself in general terms after the coming election can spend up to $90 million, but named candidates can spend only $800,000 in each of their seats.
And the Liberal and Labor parties will each have an additional $140million of public money to spend at the next election, due in 2028. The difference is that the parties can spend $90million each on ads that say “Vote Liberal” or “Vote Labor” provided they don’t mention the individual candidate.
Independent candidates have no party so they will have no ability to spend this money, their spending capped at $800,000 per electorate.
The Liberal Party expects to spend more than $1million in Curtin this year. Ms Chaney spent more last election.
The taxpayers’ money comes from an increase to $5 per primary vote received, up from the present $3.50.
“If they use their money strategically, which of course they will do, they can outspend independents in contested seats and harvest money from unwinnable seats,” Ms Chaney said.
“They then get $5 per vote, which they can shift to a contestable seat next time.
“Obviously they’re not going to put the whole $90million into my electorate, but they could.
“I could probably start a party and then be able to spend up to $90million. “It is really complicated, and I think the major parties are relying on that.
“Certainly, by pushing it through fast and not having an inquiry or any public scrutiny on it, they think after they push it through and people will just move on.
“The Centre for Public Integrity is calling this an affront to our democracy.
“Australians want to have more choice in future elections. They need to send a clear message to the major parties in the only language they understand, which is votes.
“This is the opportunity now, at the next election to say: ‘We don’t like you reducing our choice while paying more.’
“By continuing the trend away from the major parties we are saying: ‘We think we can be represented differently by someone who’s focused on the community, not focused on the self-interest of the parties’.”
Greens leader Adam Bandt said the “backroom deal lets them accept even more money from polluters, big banks and billionaires.
“When fewer voices can be heard, democracy suffers.”
Ms Chaney said prime minister Anthony Albanese’s Teal invitation to The Lodge on Tuesday night had no agenda, and no suggestion of a postelection deal with independents was raised by either side.
