Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Hansard source

Australians have the right to know who's funding Australia's political parties even if the parties don't want them to. I shouldn't have been surprised last week, which I wasn't; you'd think I would be surprised by this place and the greed, but here we are. We've just found out how much money everyone took from big business and corporations during the elections. We found this out eight months after the election is done and dusted, yet we're talk about transparency. This is great! Too bad for the public if there are nasty surprises. They have to wait until after their elected people get elected.

Australians deserve to know who's funding parties even if the parties don't want them to know—especially if they don't want them to. The major parties don't want you to know who's funding them. That doesn't pass the pub test. What have they got to hide? You deserve to know who is buying political influence in this place. When someone claims to be independent but then accepts thousands of dollars from big business, you have to ask: What strings are attached to that? Who are they really here to represent? We all know these donations aren't usually made from the goodness of their hearts. They always want something in return; you owe them. Candidates have got to be kidding themselves if they say those donations don't come with conditions attached. Let's be honest: no-one wants to upset the person that bankrolls their seat. Australians should know whose purse strings are backing the candidate before they head to the ballot box. The Jacqui Lambie Network released our donation information during the election, and we've got a much smaller team than they do, so why can't they do the same job? I can tell you why: we stick to our guns, and we don't take money from the big boys.

Tasmanians deserve to know that no one is buying our seats. Every donation that comes through the Jacqui Lambie Network comes from small individual donors. It comes from the little old lady on the street who gave me five bucks for a coffee. It comes from volunteers who dream of a better future for Tassie and better representation in parliament than we have now. I'm so grateful for every single person who gave me and has always given me those $5 and $10 small donations because I can tell you, they add up. I'm very grateful. Because of you, we got Tammy elected. We earned it. We didn't buy it. Tammy went out there and spent every weekend, every bit of time she had off, going around Tasmania when she could—she earned it, just like the network is supposed to.

Like everyone else, I'm sick to death of hearing about these fundraisers that buy seats for thousands of dollars in the name of fish-and-chip lunches. Let's be honest. Last year over $137 million was donated by just 10 individuals—10 people! That's 77 per cent of all political donations made in 2022. That's influence. That's ten very big influencers you have now influencing parliament. Honestly, the lengths these parties go to in order to pull the wool over your eyes about their donations is ridiculous. Currently, any donation over $14,500 needs to be disclosed. But don't worry! Have no fear, because every day you can give 14,499 bucks—every day of the year—and that does haven't to be disclosed. There's no backing it up together the next day—you can do that every day of the week if you want. If a business or union is giving lots of $10,000 to a political party, you should know about it.

It doesn't take blind Freddy to see what we need to change in donation rules around here. The major parties continue to drag their feet on it, but I will drag them kicking and screaming to get things changed. Real-time donation disclosure—and there's no excuse not to have it—lower thresholds and aggregate donations are just the tip of the iceberg, but they make a huge difference. I'm sure Australians will be very happy to see this transparency going on.

Some people have asked why there was no information on the Jacqui Lambie Network from the Australian Electoral Commission donation disclosures. I can tell you why: we don't take money from the big boys. Tasmanians deserve to know that no one is buying our seats. We've actually earned them. That's what we do. I've always promised you that, and we do that. That will never change. You will never, ever be able to buy or influence the Jacqui Lambie Network, otherwise my time in here is up.

I'm so grateful to every single person that has given us a $5 or $10 small donation because it has come from the people who really believe in what we do and know that what we're doing is right. Because of you, we got Tammy elected, and that is great. I'm very grateful for that, and we will continue on that line. We will lead by example, and hope that one day before I leave this place political donations are not sitting there to buy influence in this chamber. That is where we're at. That is a lack of trust in the Australian people. You guys are coming in for transparency and trust, and so far there's nothing about political donations—nothing at all. Seriously! Start with that. Then you start with your transparency, and you will get your trust. It's as simple as that.