Independents To Force Action On Gambling, Lobbying Laws

Independents are pressing hot-button concerns such as prohibiting gambling ads, opening ministerial journals to the general public and curbing the impact of political lobbyists.


Crossbenchers have laid out a list of essential priorities if they're re-elected into a hung parliament, informing a transparency forum they'll require the government to act on the mainly untouched problems.


Reforming lobbying, allowing the national anti-corruption commission to hold public hearings, producing a whistleblower security authority and having truth in political advertising laws are amongst the targets for crossbench MPs.


This included Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Monique Ryan, Andrew Wilkie, Kate Chaney and Senator David Pocock.


Ms Steggall pointed to consumer defenses against deceptive and deceptive ads, comparing it with no truth in political advertising laws.


"It resembles we do not value our ballot rights the exact same method as we value our consumer rights," she said.


Senator Pocock called lobbying laws "an outright joke", stating 80 percent of lobbyists weren't covered by the standard procedure and there were no real penalties for misconduct.


The and Dr Ryan have actually pushed in parliament for laws that would open ministerial journals so the public can learn about ministers meeting lobbyists.


Ms Spender also called a total restriction on betting ads after Labor shelved strategies to act.


"This is a contest between beneficial interests who are winning to date, versus community interests who understand that this requires to be prohibited and I will fight for that," she stated.


Ms Spender is likewise battling the Australian Electoral Commission for more transparency over its findings that a person individual was responsible for sending some 47,000 unauthorised pamphlets targeting her in her electorate of Wentworth.


The commission said the person acted alone, had no link to a political celebration or prospects objecting to the seat and it was considering whether to promote civil charges for breaking electoral law after the May 3 election.


Ms Spender revealed concern about keeping the identity hidden, asking "how can citizens consider the source if the AEC will not recognize that source", in recommendation to the laws requiring authorisation for transparency functions.