Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

It is the reality of Australian politics that campaigning is an expensive business. Unless you go down the path of banning television and radio advertising, the fact is that communicating our messages to the Australian people does involve raising substantial sums of money, and both parties—when in government or in opposition—do seek to raise the funds to ensure that we can communicate our messages. As I say, on both sides of politics it is a fact that senior figures in respective parties attend fundraising functions. I think it is quite wrong to represent that as ministers selling their time. It is proper and within the rules that have been established for parties to raise funds, and the Democrats do it by making senior spokespersons available to attend fundraising functions where Australians are prepared to contribute to the party of their choice and, in so doing, to have access to the representatives of those parties. But, of course, we make our time available for free all the time, and that is true of all politicians.

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.