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Darren Churchill ACT- Media Release: 26th February, 2010: Proposed police powers laws labelled “Draconian” by Democrats
- Media Release: 22nd January 2010: ACT Democrats join Great Australian Internet Blackout.
- Media Release: 20th January 2010: Canberrans must have a guarantee that South Australian Movie Laws won’t be copied by ACT Assembly, say Democrats.
- Media Release: 14th January 2010: Canberrans Need Action Not Words in Opposing Internet Censorship, say Democrats
- Media Release: 02 December: Canberrans Let Down as Humphries Toes Party Line, say Democrats
- Begin Rant – Kathryn Crosby
- Begin Rant: The disenfranchised and forgotten Australians
- Begin Rant: Cheesecake and the path not taken
- Begin Rant: The dangers for rural health in Rudd’s proposed health care takeover
- Begin Rant: You really can’t get mad cow from a meat pie.
- Begin Rant: Internet Censorship reflective of Rudd’s wider control agenda
Rudd, UteGate, Turnbull, But Then Look At Phillip Morris…
For many years now the Australian Democrats have raised – inside and outside federal parliament – the spectre of political donations. Despite Australia’s own political magpie, Bob Brown of the Australian Greens, attempting to snatch this and other shiny political issues in an effort to pretend The Greens have more than a single policy, the fact remains that the big two parties in this country receive massive amounts of corporate funding. The money is used during elections for television, newspaper and other media promotion. There’s no use in the two of them picking on each other on this issue, the fact is they do.
It’s not uncommon for voters to ask Democrats candidates why we “don’t advertise more.”
The simple truth is that we rely on smal individual donations – in many cases from the candidates themselves – to run campaigns. Whereas the Liberal and Labor Parties get an all expenses, tax refundable ride courtesy of big business.
I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know. Which is what makes this whole UteGate issue, whether real, fake, alleged, contrived or concocted a total crock!
Consider this document – Click Here to view PDF – courtesy of the Phillip Morris website.
Consider now that 2008 was a low ebb in campaigning to the electorate. The federal election was back in 2007, there was only a state based election in Western Australia.
So what’s wrong?
Simply this:
Whether there was or was not impropriety in relation to a car dealer, his ute and PM Kevin Rudd or not – or whether Turnbull is grasping at straws the real issue here, the one you can take to the bank, or at least they do, is that these parties use donations from the corporate sector every year – and massively more so in a Federal election – to in turn persuade you to vote for them.
To get your attention they spend and they spend big with big media. You would be right in thinking this fundamentally undermines the basic tenets of democracy in this country. You would also be correct in concluding that they know this…
The next time you’re watching a political advertisement on TV, radio or the newspaper:
- Consider who is paying for it.
- Consider why they are paying for it.
- In the case of Phillip Morris, a historic and current Australian Liberal party sponsor, consider how they are paying for it.
Scott Kane
Member – Australian Democrats Victorian Division
Tags: australia, Australian Democrat, Australian Greens, bob brown, campaign funds, cigarette, corporate funding, democracy, election, federal, greens, labor, liberal, media advert, Phillip Morris, politic, political, political donations, rudd, scandal, senator, shame, tobacco, Turnbull, UteGate
Obama has shown the world that small donations can do more than big ones. And really, Grant’s donation to Rudd was a personal one more than a corporate one – it doesn’t even come in to the same league as the millions in corporate donations.
In reality very little about where the money comes from influences individual politicians. Most wouldn’t have the foggiest who the big donors to the party are. What does matter is the mix: if you have 500,000 donors all giving a bit you have plenty of money but too many donors to favour any one of them. If you have 10 donors giving excessive amounts of money so you don’t have to get off your butt to go and get more donors (standard fare of Aust major parties) – then you have a problem, because that is an elite enough group to give favour.
The vast majority of donors donate because they believe in and support what the party believes in and supports: not to get any favours down the line. Given the Australian Democrats strongly support openness, transparency and accountability – it seems fit to reason that supporters of the party would feel the same, and not use their donations to curry favour because they know they wouldn’t get it if the Dems live up to their promise.
However – if you don’t ask, they won’t give. I think most Democrats have got themselves tongue tied over this and just don’t ask. If you truly believe in the party then you need have faith that those who give have the same standards and values – take a deep breath and just ask ‘Will you donate to the Australian Democrats?’.
Hello Kathyn,
I would argue here that very few politicians are aware of where funding actually comes from,having spoken to some while on the campaign trail. I’m sure there are those who don’t know. I would suggest they are not the ones we usually think of when we think about “politicans”.
However… Any attempt for members of the two major parties in this country to claim no knowledge of major corporate sponsorship would be amusing at best. Given that, for example, it has not been uncommon for Phillip Morris, to feature prominantly with banners and displays leading into Liberal Party conferences. Something even the reluctant media has picked up on from time to time over the years.
In my experience – donors who are not after ‘political favors’ make donations because they share your beliefs, values and objectives.
People and businesses generally want to know these things before donating any amount – large or small.
Until the Australian Democrats actually define and communicate their beliefs, values and objectives… we can expect that honest donors will keep their hands firmly in their pockets.
Simply asking for money without communicating why just never works well.