Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

(1) That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee into the Political Influence of Donations, be established to inquire into and report, on 15 November 2017, on the following matters:

(a) the level of influence that political donations exert over the public policy decisions of political parties, Members of Parliament and Government administration;

(b) the motivations and reasons why entities give donations to political parties and political candidates;

(c) the use of shell companies, trusts and other vehicles to obscure the original source of political donations;

(d) how to improve the integrity of political decision-making through our political donations regime and the public funding of elections;

(e) any other related matters

(2) That the committee consist of seven senators, two nominated by the Leader of the Government in the Senate, two nominated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, one nominated by the Leader of the Australian Greens and two nominated by minority groups and independent senators.

(3) That:

(a) participating members may be appointed to the committee on the nomination of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, the Leader of the Australian Greens or any minority party or independent senator;

(b) participating members may participate in hearings of evidence and deliberations of the committee, and have all the rights of members of the committee, but may not vote on any questions before the committee.

(4) That the committee may proceed to the dispatch of business notwithstanding that not all members have been duly nominated and appointed and notwithstanding any vacancy.

(5) That the committee elect as chair a member nominated by the Leader of the Australian Greens and, as deputy chair, a member nominated by the Leader of the Opposition.

(6) That the deputy chair shall act as chair when the chair is absent from a meeting of the committee or the position of chair is temporarily vacant.

(7) That the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, may appoint another member of the committee to act as chair during the temporary absence of both the chair and deputy chair at a meeting of the committee.

(8) That, in the event of an equally divided vote, the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, have a casting vote.

(9) That the committee, and any subcommittee, have power to send for and examine persons and documents, to move from place to place, to sit in public or in private, notwithstanding any prorogation of the Parliament or dissolution of the House of Representatives, and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings, the evidence taken and such interim recommendations as it may deem fit.

(10) That the committee have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members, and to refer to any such subcommittee any of the matters which the committee is empowered to consider.

(11) That the committee be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and be empowered to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee with the approval of the President.

(12) That the committee be empowered to print from day to day such documents and evidence as may be ordered by it, and a daily Hansard be published of such proceedings as take place in public.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting this motion as it duplicates the work already underway by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. Following the 2016 election, the Special Minister of State referred a range of issues to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. The inquiry's wide-ranging terms of reference include donations to political parties and other political entities. The government looks forward to receiving the JSCEM's report on these matters.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition will be supporting this motion. In doing so, we do need to pay regard to the work of the members of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, who have put in significant work on the issue of political donations, amongst many other issues. The issue of political donations has been at the forefront of Labor's policy agenda and we have legislation before the parliament that seeks to improve transparency and accountability regarding donations. This select committee, although focused on an issue of JSCEM, is targeted at political donations, an issue of utmost importance for the Australian community and one that does deserve specific focus.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion, as moved by Senator Di Natale, be agreed to.