Research published by The Australia Institute today confirms what we already knew – public money for political donors is a shady practice, and it should be banned.
The Greens Fairer Grants and Government Contracts Bill would ban political donations for 12 months before and after any contract tender or application was made, putting an end to political donors from being awarded Commonwealth contracts, including the likes of Big 4 consulting firms.
As stated by Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters
“Money shouldn’t be able to buy government contracts, development approvals, political access or political influence. That’s not a controversial statement, it’s common sense.
“Today’s polling confirms 74% of Australians support banning political donations from organisations that receive funding from government contracts, including 80% of Coalition voters and 70% of Labor voters.
“Trust in politicians and our democracy remains at an all time low, however today’s polling shows that trust in the Australian Public Service is more than twice the level of trust in private consultants.
“Australians deserve a well-resourced public service that is not hollowed out by voracious private contractors, and that is making decisions in the interests of the community, not vested interests and big donors.
“Corporations should not be able to further entrench their power and influence over government, and their profit margins, by making political donations, and certainly not when they are tendering for a government contract.
“The Greens have been campaigning for decades to clean up our democracy. It’s time for Labor to come to the table and work with the Greens to ensure politicians work in the public interest, not the interest of their donor mates.”
