Greens MLC Mark Parnell has called on all political parties and candidates standing at the 2010 state election to publicly reveal before Election Day who is paying for their campaigns.

The SA Greens have published online a list of all donors (over $1,500) to the party over the last 12 months, and will update this list right up until the day before the state election.

“South Australian voters have a right to know who is paying the bills for each party’s election campaign,” said Greens MLC Mark Parnell.

“Yet under the current rules we don’t find out who has given what money to federally registered parties until February next year - and in the case of state registered parties and independents we never find out. (more…)

The Greens have criticised the narrow scope of the ICAC investigation into the circumstances surrounding the allegations contained in the McGurk tape.

“The inquiry has been a narrow exercise that examines a recorded conversation between a dead lender of last resort and a property developer,” said Sylvia Hale MLC, Greens Spokesperson for Planning.

“What it has failed to examine is the corrupting potential of political donations and access to senior government figures by developers and their lobbyists. (more…)

Greens spokesperson for Planning, Sylvia Hale MLC, today expressed her disappointment at the ICAC’s refusal to investigate the murky dealings
surrounding the sale of the Unions NSW Pittwater retreat at Currawong.

“In September 2005 the Minister for Lands, Tony Kelly, made an unconditional offer of $12.5 million to Unions NSW to buy the Currawong site and add it to the adjoining Ku-ring-gai National Park,” said Ms Hale.

“The then Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, and Minister Kelly, were reported to favour the purchase but it was strongly opposed by Michael Costa, the Treasurer at the time. In November 2005 the government’s offer was withdrawn. (more…)

The crisis in Australia’s electoral funding and disclosure system is set to worsen now that the Rudd government has abandoned passing reform legislation before the next election, predicted NSW Greens MP and donations spokesperson Lee Rhiannon today. (http://bit.ly/8wDOLf)

“Labor’s betrayal on campaign finance reform will only amplify the political donation crisis that is undermining Australian politics,” said Ms Rhiannon.

“Special Minister of State Joe Ludwig has failed to follow through on the clear commitment of his predecessor John Faulkner that the reforms would be passed before the coming federal election.

“The public is deeply concerned about the corrupting influence that corporate donations have had on our system of democracy, and they expect change. (more…)

The Australian Greens today called on the Federal Government to vigorously pursue negotiations with the incoming Japanese Government over continued whaling operations in the Southern Ocean.

“Although diplomatic efforts undertaken by Minister Peter Garrett have thus far been rather unproductive, we now have a fresh opportunity with
a new Japanese Government in place,” said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.

“While the Democratic Party of Japan’s policy on whaling is not dissimilar to the previous government, they have made some policy commitments to stamp out corruption and taxpayer money waste in the whaling industry. This is an opportunity to effect real change. (more…)

The announcement today by new Planning Minister Kristina Kenneally that developers will be required to disclose their political donations when they submit development applications is “too little, too late” according to NSW Greens planning spokesperson Sylvia Hale.

The new laws are to take effect from 1 October 2008.

“This announcement is a desperate band-aid to try to staunch the bloodletting predicted for Labor at the tomorrow’s Council elections,” said Ms Hale.

“ICAC recommended this a year ago but the government has waited until the afternoon before the council elections to implement ICAC’s advice.” (more…)

Launching The Greens revamped donations website today, www.democracy4sale.org, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has vowed to continue the Greens donations research project to expose the rorts that are plaguing NSW politics.

The Greens donations website www.democracy4sale.org now includes local government donations and Council donations case studies.

“One week out from the Council election we are still in the dark about who is funding the campaigns of Council election candidates,” said Ms Rhiannon. (more…)

Planning Minister Frank Sartor’s decision to overrule independent advice and approve a major residential development at Catherine Hill Bay continues the pattern of the Labor government favouring the interests of party donors.

Electoral Funding Authority figures released today reveal that Rosecorp, the developer behind the Catherine Hill Bay proposal, has made payments of over $219,000 to the NSW ALP since the commencement of the project’s planning and while the project was being considered for approval by Planning Minister Frank Sartor.

“Minister Sartor has a record of overruling or ignoring independent advice from expert panels and his own department when making decisions that have resulted in big financial windfalls to ALP donors,” said Sylvia Hale, NSW Greens MP and planning spokesperson.

“Approving Rosecorp’s development at Catherine Hill Bay is the latest in a series of highly questionable decisions by this
Minister. (more…)

NSW Greens MPs are supporting a call for a parliamentary inquiry into Frank Sartor’s new planning Bill, describing the Bill as having potentially devastating consequences for the state’s environment and heritage and being an open invitation for corruption of the planning system.

“This Bill will affect billions of dollars of developments. It will affect the rights and the amenity of every citizen in this state,”
said Greens MP and planning spokesperson Sylvia Hale.

The government today refused a Greens motion to release the submissions that had been received about the planning changes.

Ms Hale referred to a report of the cross-party Legislative Review Committee that raised significant concerns with the planning Bill including that it would trespass on individual rights to have views heard and represented, procedural fairness, access to justice and may erode the rule of law and individual property rights. (more…)

It was a bad day for the planning system in state parliament as Minister Sartor introduced new pro-developer laws into the Lower House at the same time as the major parties combined in the Upper House to bury a Greens Bill banning political donations from property developers.

“Once again the Labor Party has shown that it is addicted to donations from property developers and that it will repay those donations with pro-developer laws,” said Sylvia Hale, the NSW Greens MP and planning spokesperson. (more…)