776. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Electoral Affairs:
I refer to the Labor Party’s “Disclosure and Democracy in the Digital Age” and its 2017 commitment to undertake an inquiry into third party donations.
(1) Has any such inquiry been undertaken?
(2) If yes to (1), will the minister please table that report?
(3) If no to (2), why not?
(4) If no to (1), will the government renew their commitment to undertaking such an inquiry in the future?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(4) The McGowan government is taking decisive action on electoral reform, with the Electoral Amendment Bill 2020 being debated in the Legislative Assembly today. This bill will increase transparency, improve disclosure laws and restore balance and fairness to the political process, giving Western Australians confidence in the democratic system. This will include a cap on expenditure by third parties.