This paper looks at the political donations contributed by Australia's largest four consultancy groups; KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and Deloitte, and the impact their activity has had on the capability of the Australian Public Service.

Under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth), disclosures are required of political parties and donors. This analysis collates and categorises disclosures made to the Australian Electoral Commission by both donors and political parties over the period 1998/99 – 2019/2020.

Restoring integrity to Australian governance requires more than just substantive law reform, such as tightening laws that regulate lobbying and campaign finance and increasing the powers of specialised integrity institutions. It also requires the powers of the cornerstone institution of Australia’s integrity system – Parliament – to be restored.

This guide summarises the complex funding and disclosure laws federally, and in each Australian state and territory. These laws regulate who can make and receive political donations, how and when those donations must be disclosed, how much money political parties can spend for their election campaigns, and the amount of public money they receive to...

Drawing on insights from Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and Kyrgyzstan, this report connects the global decline of democracies to digital disruption and calls for strengthened regulatory frameworks along with its enforcement to prevent monied interests and hidden actors from influencing the outcome of democratic elections.