In Parliament today, Abigail contributed to a debate, condemning the undue influence of corporate donations on politics and calling for urgent action to curb the power of big money in shaping political decisions.
Abigail said:
I speak on behalf of The Greens in debate on the motion. Although the motion is quite silly, I thank the Hon. Chris Rath for bringing an important debate to this place about the influence of money on politics and political parties. At a time when both of the old mainstream parties are ganging up at a Federal level to distort electoral funding and donations laws to suit themselves, and bizarre billionaire‑backed fringe parties are pledging to flood the upcoming election with tens of millions of dollars of advertising, it has never been more important to shine a light on the ways that money can influence and distort political processes. That is what the major parties are looking to do. Rather than improve their policies to improve their falling popularity, Labor and the Coalition are agreeing on rigging the system to lock out their competitors. I am proud to be a member of The Greens, a party that has campaigned for decades to get the influence of big money out of politics and for improved transparency.
Only a few weeks ago, the latest donations data was published by the Australian Electoral Commission, which clearly shows the stranglehold that big business has over the major parties. Corporate donations to both Labor and the Liberals over the past 10 years have now totalled $260 million, with both major parties pocketing more than $8.5 million in the past year alone—and that is just federally! That is money from coal and gas, supermarket giants, property developers, the private health industry, banks and consultants. Is it any wonder, with all that grubby corporate money sloshing around the big parties, that we are in the situation that we currently find ourselves? The simple fact is that billionaires and big business have never had it better. They buy political influence, they do not pay their fair share of tax and they drive emissions through the roof, all while the cost-of-living and inequality crisis is leaving households at breaking point. Is it any wonder, when Coles and Woolies are bankrolling the major parties, that grocery bills keep going up and the Government is totally disinterested in stopping the community from getting gouged?
It was reported today that Federal Labor's so-called business forum was charging $110,000 per ticket so that corporate elites could personally lobby the senior echelons of Labor Ministers. That is a lot of money for dinner, no matter how rich you are. One has to wonder what those companies and the mega wealthy anticipate they are getting in exchange. The Liberal Party likes to point the finger at Labor for taking affiliation fees but, as the saying goes, when you point one finger, there are three fingers pointing back at you. The Liberal Party, under Peter Dutton, is being bankrolled by the fossil fuel industry, with Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting giving $500,000 to the Liberals while Rio Tinto and BHP both gave half a million dollars to the Liberal donation laundering vehicle called the Cormack Foundation.
We need to urgently work to reduce the corrupting influence of big business and corporate donations on our democracy and demand a politics that puts people first. The Greens will reduce the influence of big money in politics. We deserve a Parliament that will work for us, not for whoever pays the most. I would love it if the Labor Party in this place actually did stand with the unions and the working people of the State.
Read the full debate in Hansard here.
19 February 2025