Majority of Australians want Albanese to close secret political donations loopholes

Australians believe the government is prioritising the views of big business over ordinary people and want the Albanese Government to close secret donation loopholes, according to new polling commissioned by the #OurDemocracy campaign.

This week, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) is expected to release its final recommendations on reforms to how elections are conducted and funded.

Despite being elected promising a new kind of politics, people in Australia still think the government has work to do on integrity measures. 72% of people think the government should close loopholes that allow for secret donations to infiltrate our political system.

In the year of the last federal election, ‘dark money’ (donations with no disclosed source) reached a record breaking $119m. Between the major parties, 40% of the money they received was hidden in this way.

Clancy Moore, CEO of Transparency International Australia says:
“The Labor Government must pass comprehensive transparency reforms before the next election. Despite being elected promising a new kind of politics, people in Australia still think the government has work to do on integrity measures.

We encourage the Albanese government to take this great opportunity to make our elections and our democracy more transparent and fair.”

Ray Yoshida, Campaigner at Australian Democracy Network says:
"This is the next big test on integrity for Prime Minister Albanese.

“In a cost of living crisis, a clear majority of Australians think the government is putting the interests of big business ahead of the interests of ordinary people. Australians are tired of secretive donation loopholes which allow for industries like tobacco, gambling and fossil fuel companies with deep pockets to buy a seat at the table with decision makers.

Alice Drury, Acting Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre says:
“Australians are fed up with the status quo. Prime Minister Albanese must close the loopholes which mean that politicians prioritise the people with the biggest bank balance, instead of those with the best ideas. We need a level playing field.

“It’s time to stop the influence of big money on Australia’s democracy and to put the voices of ordinary Australians first.”

Over half the people polled expressed that they would view leadership on closing donation loopholes positively, with only 8% viewing it negatively.

#OurDemocracy is a broad civil society coalition advocating to end excessive corporate influence in federal politics.

Appendix - Polling data

Polling conducted by YouGov of a Nationally representative sample of 1064 Australians aged over 18 between 17-21 November 2023, with the following questions:

1. In making decisions that affect the living standards of Australians do you think that generally speaking Australian Governments are more influenced by the interests of:

Big business - 76%
Ordinary Australians - 24%

2. Under Federal Government law there are loopholes that allow political donations to be made in secret that would otherwise not be made. This is currently being reviewed by a committee of members of parliament.

Which would be closest to your view:

It is more important that loopholes that allow for secret donations be closed - 72%
It is more important that most MP’s reach a consensus of rules regarding political donations - 28%

3. If the Government acted to close loopholes that allowed secret donations would it influence your view of the Prime Minister’s performance on integrity in politics?