Our plan to clean up politics

Right now, our political system is stacked in favour of big corporate donors who buy access and outcomes through political donations and lobbying. For too long political parties have hidden the influence those large companies have on our political system.

Governments and political parties should be setting their policies based on the genuine present and future needs of all people in our community.

Instead of delivering a better future for all of us, the Labor, Liberal and National parties take millions of dollars in donations from big corporations, host secretive fundraising functions, and organise cushy lobbyist jobs for ex-politicians, with no transparency or accountability.

Corporate influence in politics is getting in the way of progress on a range of important issues, including taking action on climate change.

Unlike the major parties the Greens don’t accept corporate donations - we can’t be bought and we won’t sell our communities out.

We have a plan to return integrity and transparency to the political system and hold politicians and major parties to account.

The Greens will:

Right now, corporate influence in politics is getting in the way of progress on a range of important issues, including taking action on climate change.

Instead of delivering a better future for all of us, the Labor, Liberal and National parties take millions of dollars in donations from big corporations, host secretive fundraising functions, and organise cushy lobbyist jobs for ex-politicians, with no transparency or accountability. We know that the mining, gas and fossil fuel industries spend huge amounts of money on politics, which gives them continued influence over government decision-making.

Under current WA regulations, it is unclear which industries are donating the most money to political parties because the information is not readily available and transparent to the public.

The Greens have a plan to return integrity and transparency to the political system and hold politicians and major parties to account – something we can be trusted to do because we don’t accept corporate donations and we can’t be bought.

Western Australia currently has no legislative protection from ministers and their staff moving straight into industry lobbyist roles. Equally, we have no protection from lobbyists becoming ministerial advisors or taking up decision-making roles. This is a clear conflict of interest.

The influence of industry lobbyists turned staffers has long been an issue of concern for Western Australia due to our isolation, comparatively

smaller pool of expertise and our heavy reliance on the mining industry for our economy.

The Greens will institute a three year ban on ministers, ministerial advisors and senior public servants taking up a lobbying role in the industry they have been regulating.

75 percent of the two major political parties’ income is from mysterious sources. WA needs an urgent review into political donations so we can ensure tighter regulations and transparency around donations for political purposes.

We need real time disclosure of donations so that the public can see where all funds coming in to our political parties ultimately come from, and that people who are donating in good faith to third parties are fully aware of where their donations are actually going.

We also need transparency around who our ministers are meeting. Government is setting policy and making decisions – yet we do not know if ministers are meeting with all affected parties, or only those with the money and power to force a meeting.

The Greens will develop a regulatory framework for ensuring transparency around donations to third party political agents; require political parties report all income; and force the publication of ministerial diaries every quarter.