The State Government has reintroduced its Political Finance Bill for the full disclosure of political donations.
Parliamentary and Electoral Reform Minister Geoff Gallop said in the Legislative Assembly today that five amendments proposed in 1991 had been included in a new and complete Bill for 1992.
He said the changes followed acceptance by the Opposition in the Federal Parliament of full disclosure requirements under new Commonwealth laws.
"The Government wants the State law about disclosure of political donations to be as comprehensive as possible and as consistent as possible with the Commonwealth law," Dr Gallop said.
"Accordingly, the new amendments include widely accepted reforms of the disclosure aspects in the Commonwealth's Political Broadcasts and Political Disclosures Act."
Dr Gallop said the amendments to make the WA laws consistent with the Commonwealth proposals included:
· closing a loophole that could allow a person (other than a party, candidate or group) to avoid disclosure by spending the money on an election held outside the current disclosure period;
· making it an offence to hinder a person from making a political donation or exercising other political rights.
"The other WA proposals go further than the Commonwealth law," Dr Gallop said.
"We shall be closing a loophole in the Commonwealth law which allows a person to avoid disclosure of donations they have received if the money is passed on to a political party for a 'non-election' purpose.
"Acceptance of any substantial gift by a political party from an unidentified donor is banned under the proposed WA legislation. The Bill proposes similar rules for everyone by making it unlawful for a person to use money for a political purpose if the donor is unidentified."
Dr Gallop said the adoption of the WA legislation would provide the State with Australia's most comprehensive disclosure laws.
Political parties would be required to lodge annual returns with the Electoral Commission which would detail the donations received.
Non-party groups, candidates and 'other' persons would disclose donations they had received in post election returns.
Members of the public would be able to scrutinise the returns after they were received by the Electoral Commissioner.
The Electoral Commissioner would be required to report to the Parliament each year on the operation of the disclosure provisions.
The legislation provided for prosecution of offences by substantial fines and the issue of search warrants.
The Minister said bi-partisan support of the Political Finance Bill would bring the sources of political funding in Western Australia completely into the open.
