Political funding in Australia is governed by different rules for state (some of which do not require disclosure) and federal governments. And both levels suffer significant weaknesses.
The UK has limits on expenditure by political parties and third parties, and doesn’t allow paid advertising in electronic media at all.
Reuters
Our political donations disclosure regime is so opaque, we don’t really know who’s paying how much and what they get in return. But the lengths players go to hide donations gives cause for suspicion.
Australia’s two major political parties are highly dependent on contributions from business by the standards of other rich democracies.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Every time there’s a scandal involving political finance, politicians from unaffected parties talk about the public’s outrage. But how much do people actually care?
The struggle for political equality has shaped Australian democracy. This is undermined by a fragmented political donations system that can be easily evaded.