In a discussion paper for the Audit, The Forthcoming Queensland Election, Scott Prasser looks at this year’s state election, including the state of the parties and the current electoral geography. “If the Liberal National Party wins the forthcoming Queensland state election it will be a major watershed for state and national politics,” he writes, “not unlike the times when the National–Liberal Party Coalition reduced Labor to only 11 members in the 1974 State election and set the scene for the eventual demise of the Whitlam Labor federal Government.”
Victoria Police E-crime raided the offices of the Age in Melbourne on 15 December 2011 seeking documents relating to the newspaper’s alleged illegal access to the state Labor Party’s voter database. At issue is whether accessing the database was justified as part of an investigation of parties’ use of the electoral roll and other means to assemble dossiers on voters. The Audit has discussed the controversy involving political databases as long ago as 2004 – see Peter Van Onselen’s paper, Political Databases and Democracy. The Australian Law Reform Commission has examined the issue in its 2008 report For Your Information, Australian Privacy Law and Practice.
The Senate Finance and Public Administration Committees is inquiring into the operation of the Lobbying Code of Conduct and the Lobbyist Register. Submissions are sought by 27 January 2012, and the reporting date is 1 March 2012.
The Victorian premier, Ted Baillieu, announced a new code of conduct covering political party fundraising and the activities of lobbyists on 30 October. The Audit’s Joo-Cheong Tham comments on the code in Inside Story. Although the code states that “Corporate fundraising events can no longer promote privileged access to decision-makers or Ministers,” the Age reports that “Melbourne business figures have been offered the chance to spend an extra 15 minutes meeting with energy and gaming minister Michael O’Brien in a ‘boardroom’ discussion at a Liberal fundraiser for an extra $200.” Question about the apparent inconsistency, state Liberal Party director Damien Mantach said, “The event is in two parts, offered to all invitees. With dozens of people attending the first part of the evening it is clearly consistent with the code.”
The federal parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has been asked to examine the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Maintaining Address) Bill 2011. The Bill seeks to amend the Commonwealth Electoral Act to allow the Australian Electoral Commissioner to directly update an elector’s enrolled address following the receipt and analysis of reliable and current data sources from outside the Australian Electoral Commission. The committee invites interested people and organisations to make submissions by Friday 27 January 2012.
A NSW parliamentary select committee is examining the provisions of the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Bill 2011, which bans political donations from corporations and trade unions. Closing date for submission is 11 January 2012. Constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey discussed the bill with Peter Mares on ABC Radio National’s The National Interest.
