Can you help counter corporate influence in our politics?
Media Release/Newsletter
14 february,2025
Late last night, the major parties teamed up to pass the controversial Electoral Reform Bill.
It shows that while they cannot agree on how to lift children out of poverty, address the cost of living, or reduce carbon emissions, they agree on laws that directly benefit them and disadvantage political rivals.
This bill will not only disproportionately benefit major parties and incumbents and narrow voters’ choices at future elections, it will do little to address the influence of corporate lobbyists in our politics. Even proposed transparency reforms were diluted to win Coalition support, meaning some cash-for-access payments will go undisclosed.
But there is a silver lining. These changes won’t apply to the upcoming federal election. It means we have a crucial three-year window to advocate for a more level democratic playing field.
That’s why this morning in Parliament House, just hours after the bill passed, we launched The Australia Institute’s Democracy Agenda for the 48th Parliament with crossbench MPs. It identifies 13 major reforms that would improve parliamentary debate, government accountability, and strengthen integrity institutions.
Our Democracy Agenda for the 48th Parliament calls for a whistleblower protection authority to defend and advise those who call out wrongdoing; truth in political advertising laws to nip misleading ad campaigns and AI deepfakes in the bud; ringfenced funding for auditors and ombudsmen; and a freedom of information system that gives citizens timely, useful information – not pages of blacked-out text.
Investing in this continued advocacy on electoral reform is critical right now, no matter who wins at the next election – and we need your help to do it.
By making a donation, you can power this work. Our supporters are the backbone of The Australia Institute’s invisible work pushing for change – research, political engagement, and educating civil society on the implications of electoral reform are only possible with your support.
Analysis funded by supporters like you shows this bill is bad for our democracy – with key aspects disproportionately benefitting major parties and incumbents, while narrowing voters’ choices at future elections. These include donation cap loopholes, spending caps that restrict independent spending but not similar spending by parties, and tens of millions of dollars of new public funding that can be spent on misleading political advertising.
No matter who wins at the next election, we need to help fix the electoral laws that are skewing the playing field and making it harder for people to have their say at the ballot box.
Last night’s outcome was not what we had hoped for – but your support over recent weeks has made a significant impact.
Widespread public concern over this bill illuminated its weaknesses and unfairnesses, and after more than 30,000 supporters like you took a stand and signed our petition, the government was forced to delay these changes after trying to rush them through late last year. This additional time allowed for a measure of genuine scrutiny and debate, and the final bill does contain welcome transparency improvements, including:
- Lowering the donation disclosure threshold from around $17,000 to $5,000.
- Introducing real-time disclosure for political donations that are spent on political campaigning.
- Closing the loophole that allowed donors to ‘split’ donations and slip them under the disclosure threshold.
So whether you signed the petition, donated to fund urgent analysis, or helped share our research, you’ve helped shine a light on the importance of fair and transparent electoral processes. We couldn’t do this work without supporters like you – thank you.
Now our fight for fair political finance reform needs to continue – and you can help.
Many political experts are now pointing to the potential for a hung parliament and a power-sharing government after the coming election, which is just months away. That means it’s more important than ever to keep integrity reforms at the forefront of the political agenda.
With your support, we can continue the fight for truth in political advertising laws, strengthening the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and pursuing a range of further reforms to ensure a fair and transparent electoral system.
Donations help us continue this vital work for Australian democracy.
Thank you again for your support. Together, we can build a stronger, fairer democracy for all Australians,
Bill Browne
Director, Democracy & Accountability Program
The Australia Institute
