Voters in the dark over campaign funding
By Emma Kemp
Voters face continual uncertainty about how candidates are funding their political campaigns in the lead-up to the City of Sydney council elections this Saturday despite the new release of compulsory political donations declarations by the Election Funding Authority (EFA).
In the battle for Town Hall’s top job, the push for donation transparency is still clouded as candidates are either less than willing to declare the funding they receive, or are exploiting funding loopholes by directing money through third-party entities such as party head offices.
Dr Burgmann’s Labor running mate Linda Scott found herself in hot water last month when it was revealed she failed to declare $20,000 in donations from Labor MP Kristina Keneally during her campaign for the state seat of Sydney last year.
In another twist, Ms Keneally had accepted nearly $20,000 from the Frank Sartor for Rockdale campaign, which was funded by property developers.
Ms Scott said she understood the donations were coming from Ms Keneally’s campaign funds, and that the NSW ALP has admitted to a serious oversight in the original
return which they fully acknowledge was their mistake.
‘It is not unusual for candidates and parties to file amended returns when mistakes are made, and I understand the NSW ALP have done this,’ Ms Scott said.
‘We are committed to refusing donations from developers, the alcohol and gaming industries, from Labor Head Office and will require evidence of where monies from other candidates have come from.’
Ms Scott said she was totally committed to the transparency of electoral funding, and supported Dr Burgmann’s promise to publicly declare all donations over $200 prior to the election.
Dr Burgmann is adamant the controversy has not stained her mayoral campaign because there was ‘nothing shady about it’, especially in comparison to Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s stance on the issue, something she says is hypocritical.
In August Ms Moore (and Liberal Mayoral candidate Shayne Mallard) voted against a Greens motion that called on City of Sydney election candidates to regularly disclose political donations before the election.
At a council meeting last Monday night, Lord Mayor Moore defended her decision to accept $30,000 from lobby group Living Sydney which is largely funded by property companies including Meriton Apartments, Multiplex, Westfield and Mirvac Group.
‘I think she needs to be clearer than clear and she’s not doing that,’ Dr Burgmann said.
‘She’s attacking the other parties over donations, and implying that we’re tainted and corrupt. Quite frankly, she has to be beyond reproach and by refusing to declare donations she’s not.’
The timeline for the new rules that control electoral funding disclosure also creates problems in relation to funding transparency. The EFA dictates that the last time council candidates were obliged to lodge a declaration of campaign donations before the election was on August 25, throwing a period of three weeks in question and leaving voters in the dark about who has been bankrolling the candidates until 2009.
A Galaxy opinion poll commissioned by the Greens has recorded that 82 per cent of respondents support the banning of political parties, councillors and candidates from accepting donations from property developers.
