Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens will be voting for these amendments from Senator Patrick and Senator Lambie to the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Annual Disclosure Equality) Bill 2021 to lower the donations disclosure threshold, because we don't think big money should be secretly running this place. I share the concern that's just been expressed about the so-called opposition not actually voting for what is in fact their policy. Now, I can't stand this government. I think their agenda is woeful; I think it hurts communities and it hurts the planet. I want a change of government. But it is very difficult when the opposition refuses to oppose and refuses to take a stand on what they say is their policy. I want you to be better. I think the whole country wants you to be better. I want to see you in government, but I want you to stand for something.

This small-target strategy just means you actually don't stand for anything, and that's not what the country needs. We've got an awful government here that's used successive bills to try to silence charities, to try to suppress candidates from running, to try to suppress voters—which, thankfully, they've now dumped, because they weren't going to get it through, because the crossbench stood firm on that. We now see a very mild amendment that just says 'disclose' all this money that's getting tipped into your coffers by big corporates; that's all it does. It doesn't even say, 'Don't take the dirty money'; it just says 'disclose' when you get it. Of course, the Greens would want it to go further, and our bill says you shouldn't be able to donate massive wads of cash to political parties, because it corrupts the system. But I'm extremely disappointed to hear that the opposition will not be voting for what is actually their own policy.

That's exactly why you need the Greens and, frankly, the crossbench in here. It looks like we'll be in a minority government after the next election, and I hope that's the case, because I want this government gone; they've been absolutely awful. But you will need the Greens and strong crossbenchers to make sure the Labor Party actually stands for something and delivers on something. They're choosing today to not even deliver on their own policy. A small-target strategy means you stand for nothing.