Ahead of the 2018 Tasmanian election, the Liberal government faces pressure to introduce tough new political donation laws, going beyond the existing federal laws requiring the disclosure of individual donations worth more than $13,500. In a press release the leader of the Tasmanian Greens, Cassy O'Connor, claimed donations from vested interests had a "corrupting influence" on democracy and good governance. "Tasmania has the weakest political donation laws in the country," she said. Ms O'Connor's claim is a fair call. In 2018 Tasmania's political donation laws are almost identical to those of Victoria. Both states defer to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 in terms of regulating political donations, although Victoria goes slightly further, imposing an annual cap of $50,000 on the amount that gambling and casino licence holders are allowed to hand over under the state's Electoral Act, 2002. This amounts to a subtle distinction between the two states. However, once Victoria's promised new rules are legislated, Tasmania unambiguously will have the weakest political donation laws among the states and territories; equally as weak as the federal laws to which it defers. Those federal rules are being modified, with the Turnbull government announcing in December 2017 that it was banning donations from foreign bank accounts.
Verdict: Fair Call