The political donations that fund election campaigns can introduce a conflict between the financial interests of political parties, and their assessment of the national interest in policy making. This submission argues that publishing timely information about larger donors is an important public check on this conflict. And we recommend going further to introduce an electoral expenditure cap, which would reduce the influence of money in politics and the incentive to chase more donations.

Further detail about the need for and nature of these reforms is provided in our 2018 Grattan Institute report, Who’s in the room? Access and influence in Australian politics.

Download the submission

Kate Griffiths

Chief of Staff and Budgets and Government Deputy Program Director
Kate Griffiths is Grattan’s Chief of Staff and the Deputy Program Director of the Budgets and Government Program. Kate completed her Masters in Science at the University of Oxford as a John Monash Scholar and holds an Honours degree in Science from the Australian National University.

While you’re here…

Grattan Institute is an independent not-for-profit think tank. We don’t take money from political parties or vested interests. Yet we believe in free access to information. All our research is available online, so that more people can benefit from our work.

Which is why we rely on donations from readers like you, so that we can continue our nation-changing research without fear or favour. Your support enables Grattan to improve the lives of all Australians.

Donate now.

Danielle Wood – CEO