Greens spokesperson for democracy Senator Lee Rhiannon has commented on reports that Senator Sam Dastyari’s Register of Interests reveals that a private education provider donated money to cover costs when the Senator exceeded his publicly funded travel allowance. 

“For an overseas donor like Top Education Institute, a private education provider based in Sydney, to be giving money to a Senator to cover his travel costs is questionable behaviour. 

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (18:36): Today, the first day of the new parliament, it is timely to remember Labor's confected hysteria about Senate voting reforms. Remember the night of the Senate sleepover: Labor heavyweights told us that the Senate would be purged, that the poor would suffer, that democracy would be trashed and that crossbenchers would become a threatened species in this chamber. And the cruelty of it all would not stop with the make-up of the Senate. Labor senators told us that voters themselves would suffer.

The ICAC Spicer Report into corrupt political donations puts the spotlight on the need for a National Anti-Corruption Commission and electoral funding reform, Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon said.

Operation Spicer investigated Liberal Party campaign donations funnelled between different arms of the party at the time Cabinet Secretary, Senator Arthur Sinodinos was the NSW party treasurer. 

MEDIA RELEASE

26 August 2016

The latest disclosure that one overseas donor has given millions of dollars to the Liberal, National and Labor parties puts the heat on MPs to disclose what was expected in return for these massive political donations, says Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon.

Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon has said that Labor’s concern about the potential for overseas political donors to use their money to buy influence should equally apply to wealthy Australian companies that bankroll parties.

“While the former Treasurer Wayne Swan’s call for a debate on overseas political donations is a start this approach does expose Labor’s failure to end the corrupting influence of political donations whatever the source,” Senator Rhiannon said.

Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon has commented on reports about donations from Chinese businesses and lobbyists to both major parties. 

“The latest reports about millions of dollars in overseas donations flooding into the Coalition and Labor parties highlights the urgent need for a ban on donations from overseas businesses and donors.

Senator Lee Rhiannon has responded to reports that a man was unable to vote in the federal election because there was no stationary polling booth at the hospital he was staying at. 

"It is not good enough to have a mobile polling booth for people in hospital that only does single visits as it means patients have a narrow opportunity to vote.

The Turnbull $1 million donation to bail out the Liberal Party on the eve of the election is further proof that current electoral funding laws need a major overhaul to stop rich individuals buying their way into power, Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon said. 

“In the 2013 election Clive Palmer donated millions of dollars to his own party and now the Prime Minister is using his personal wealth to win power,” Senator Rhiannon said. 

New research by the Greens Democracy4Sale Project reveals that the motorway lobby has donated more than $13 million to the Liberal, National and Labor parties over 15 years.

CMIC, also known as Leightons, was the second biggest donor of the companies analysed handing over more than $3.3 million to the major parties.

The Greens are calling on the Prime Minister and the opposition leader to back the formation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission in the wake of the Obeid criminal conviction and the resulting vindication of the role of the NSW ICAC.

Greens Grayndler candidate Jim Casey and Greens democracy spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon are working closely together on the Greens campaign for a national ICAC.