23 November 2024

The Major Parties' Secret Electoral Reforms

You wouldn’t believe it, but the two major parties have been acting a lot like a duopoly this week…

Last Friday, the government announced a 200 page electoral reform bill, which will effectively leave Independents high and dry while benefitting both major parties.

The government intends to pass this really important legislation during these final two weeks with no scrutiny – no parliamentary inquiry, no external review.

Key changes include capping election spending limits at $800,000 per lower house candidate and $90 million for the political parties' federal campaigns.

This massively disadvantages Independents, particularly new candidates who are trying to get a seat at the table.

This week, I reintroduced my Private Member's Bill – the Lobbying (Improving Government Honesty and Trust) Bill, better known as the #CleanUpPoliticsAct.

I answered a question from my fellow community Independent MP Helen Haines on this bill in Question Time, leaving both sides of the aisle surprised! Usually only Ministers answer questions in Question Time, but parliamentary rules allow any Member with legislation before the House to be asked a question. It’s a little known strategy which has only been used twice before in this century. (The crossbench likes to keep the parties on their toes).

We need to regulate lobbying to prevent corrupt behaviour by lobbyists and public officials. That’s why I asked the government to tell my electorate how it intends to shine a light on the relationships between ministers and vested interests.

Special Prospecting Authority Permits

The people of Kooyong have made clear their support for environmental protection and strong action on climate change. I introduced my Private Member’s Bill to abolish special prospecting authority permits for seismic blasting. Seismic blasting involves firing an air gun under the sea every 15 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in search of oil and gas beneath the seabed. The sound from this blasting can be louder than an atomic bomb, causing injury and death to marine life. If passed, my Private Member’s Bill would put an end to these permits.

My next Community Forum: Housing and Planning

Australia has a housing crisis. We need more housing in Kooyong, but many locals have come to me with their concerns about the potential impact of the state government’s proposed new activity centres in Hawthorn, Glenferrie, Auburn, Camberwell, Toorak, Hawksburn, Armadale and Malvern. For this reason, I’ve decided to host a community forum where we can talk about these issues and hopefully address some of them. I'd love to see you there.

I’ll be joined by Peter Mares, former ABC journalist, researcher and academic who has written extensively about the housing crisis in Australia, along with other guests.

6:30 - 8pm, Monday 2 December

Malvern Town Hall: Banquet Hall, 1251 High Street, Malvern

Click here to secure your spot at my upcoming Housing and Planning Community Forum.