Labor leader Bill Shorten has repeated calls for a lower threshold on disclosing political donations amid reports his party is considering making sweeping changes to the system if it wins government.
Under current arrangements, donors giving $13,000 and above must be identified but Labor wants the threshold dropped to $1000 which would match party rules.
‘We need to put more transparency into the system and I am not waiting for the Liberal Party or the Nationals to get their act together,’ Mr Shorten said.
‘That’s now the system we use at federal Labor. We’re practising best practice.’
According to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, the ALP is weighing up a range of models including one capping donations at $4000, which would impact large corporate donors and unions.
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It’s also reportedly considering distributing public election funding given to political parties based on the number of seats won, rather than the number of votes received as happens now.
Mr Shorten didn’t confirm discussions within the party, preferring to focus on the already announced policy to lower the disclosure threshold.
‘I think the next area for electoral reform is lowering the threshold above which you had to disclose who has given you money,’ he said.
