Government's Electoral Reform Initiatives

The government is introducing new electoral reforms aimed at preventing large financial contributions from wealthy donors to political campaigns, particularly to avoid a system similar to that seen in the United States. Key aspects of the proposal include capping total campaign spending at $90 million for federal elections and imposing an $800,000 limit on spending at the local electorate level. These changes seek to enhance transparency in electoral funding by reducing individual donation limits to $20,000 and increasing public funding for political parties based on the votes they receive. Although the reform is positioned as a move towards fairness, it disproportionately affects independents and smaller parties by constraining their financial capabilities compared to well-established major parties like Labor and Liberal, which can leverage broader campaign resources without the same restrictions.