Democracy for Sale

2 February 2010  Sydney Morning Herald

Adele Ferguson writes that business has always been nervous of having political donations made public.  Many companies overseas and in Australia are using other ways to influence government.  In addition to donating less than the disclosure threshold (currently $11,200 at the federal level) to avoid scrutiny, they attempt various other methods described by Ms Ferguson.

Since reform appears to be stalled at the federal level, Ms Ferguson argues strongly for improved transparency in disclosure across Australia at the state, federal and local government levels.

Here are the top 10 donors to the NSW and federal divisions of the major parties, based on the AEC data released today, 1 Feb 2010.

Media Release - 1 Feb 2010: Following the release of the latest donations figures by the Australian Electoral Commission today, which shows that donations were down last financial year, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has predicted that 2010 will see intense competition from both the major parties to attract corporate donations for their election campaigns, underlining the need for reform.

21 January 2010  New York Times

A bitterly divided Supreme Court thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century.  The court’s conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding. 

The New York Times editorial said that Congress must act immediately to limit the damage of this radical decision, which strikes at the heart of democracy.