Responding to the publication of the Political Finance report, published today by the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption, Dr Susan Hawley, said:
“The government must urgently get on with the job of putting these crucial recommendations into the Representation of the People Bill. Only by doing so will it ensure political finance rules are fit for purpose to prevent our elections being skewed by foreign interference.
From imposing an immediate ban on political crypto donations to more stringent donor declaration requirements, it’s really encouraging to see such an influential parliamentary committee come out and call for so many of the measures we have recommended to prevent illicit finance and malign foreign interference from polluting and undermining our democracy.
It’s also very positive that the committee has picked up on Spotlight’s long-standing recommendation to establish a central Political Finance Law Enforcement Unit to close the enforcement gap as well as to beef up the criminal deterrent when it comes to breaches to electoral law”.
