The Government’s proposed electoral reforms represent a fundamental change to the way our democracy functions. It is crucial that these changes are properly scrutinised, and not rushed through in the dying days of this term of Parliament. 

It is clear we need changes to remove big money from politics, to bring transparency to donations and level the playing field. I know voters are sick of seeing excessive amounts of money spent on election campaigns and as a longstanding campaigner on integrity, I have called for real-time disclosures, spending caps and other measures that improve the transparency of our democratic system.  

Such reform is long overdue and something that I, and many other crossbenchers, have been pushing for. 

But legislation introduced in the final sitting weeks of the year, after months of negotiations behind closed doors between the major parties, raises suspicious that these reforms will benefit the major parties’ self-interest at the expense of others. 

With speculation rife over many months about this reform, the Special Minister of State has refused to provide an exposure draft, in complete contradiction to his statement that its contents should not be a surprise. 

If a deal is done behind closed doors between the Labor Party and the Coalition, any attempt to push changes through the parliament without due diligence or the opportunity for significant scrutiny should ring alarm bells in the minds of all Australians. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. I call on the government to delay its legislation until a parliamentary inquiry has allowed for full scrutiny of their proposed legislation, including the increase in public funding that the two major parties are proposing and impact on the taxpayer. This will also provide the opportunity for consultation and feedback from the public and experts. 

These changes will present a significant change to the way Australians participate and support candidates that align with their values. The Australian public should get the chance to see these changes scrutinised in the Parliament, to truly have confidence they are serving our nation’s interest, not the interests of the major parties. 

Anything less is an absolute affront to the integrity of our democracy that these reforms should strive to protect.