Reported donations to reach $1 billion in 2015-16

The Greens’ Democracy for Sale project has completed an overhaul of their donations data search engine, available at DemocracyforSale.net, and published analysis on all payments made to political parties since 1998. They say the grand total of reported payments made to political parties since 1998 will reach $1 billion in the 2015-2016 year.

Greens spokesperson for democracy Senator Lee Rhiannon said, “Hidden among this data could be many more donations scandals, and more nefarious relationships between vested interests and political parties.

“The scandals that dog government and opposition frontbenches year after year are not random indiscretions from ‘bad apples’; they are the product of a system which encourages a cosy relationship between vested interests, wealthy donors and political parties.

“Democracy for Sale is about trying to illustrate that bigger picture. While we have donations laws in this country that allow enormous sums of money to flow from vested interests into the coffers of political parties, our democracy is severely compromised.”

You can download the full report here.