$200k donation further insight into murky world of political fundraising

Responding to revelations that Reg Grundy made the $200k donation to the Free Enterprise Foundation, Greens spokesperson for democracy Senator Lee Rhiannon said:

"Was it the ‘Wheel of Fortune' or ‘Sale of the Century' when the Free Enterprise Foundation tried to quietly bring in $200,000 from Monte Carlo?

"While the donation of $200,000 is legal it has provided further insight into the murky world of Liberal fundraising and the lack of transparency in regards to political donations.

"Questions need to be asked about the nature of this donation. Was Mr Grundy advised by senior Liberals to avoid being linked to their party by donating to the Free Enterprise Foundation?

"FEF has come to the attention of ICAC as a body used to disguise donations.

"The Liberals might feel right at home with last century Grundy game shows - Celebrity Squares, Going for Gold, and Wheel of Fortune - but they are out of step with standards needed for 21st century politics.

"The Grundy story comes hard on the heels of other bad look Liberal fundraising stories.

"Few weeks ago news broke that Hockey's fund raising arm, North Sydney Forum, selling access to the Treasurer.

"Last week my office provided details of over $70,000 in donations from Group Colleges Australia, a private company set to benefit from the Coalition's radical reforms to higher education.

"As the Liberal Party political funding embarrassment unfolds, it is even more crucial now that a national ICAC is established.

"We need national uniform electoral funding laws that require a ban on all donations from corporations and other organisations, strict limits on donations from individuals and caps on election expenditure.

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