Agree with most of this, but would allow larger donations from australian nationals be they individuals or corporation, always providing it was all out in the open and never ever part of lobbying for preferred outcome! We are after all a democracy, or claim to be?

Yes, I think almost every thinking Aussie has had an absolute bellyful of electioneering advertising, confected outrage and simple siemon slognizing?

But instead could be accorded free time on our Aunty to make their case/debate the issue, where speaking for the other side needs to be outlawed! Public involvement could include an OLO type facility that could enable thinking electors to can the bell/ask pertinent questions of participants, modeled on a moderated, civil, Q+A format/town hall style debate?

The only difference I'd insist on would be soundproof chambers for the participating pollies and genuine automatic electrically operated time limits on evocation and answers! I would want to listen to a reasoned informed debate, not bombastic bellicose bullying and endless interruption; and or, point making repetition! And to conclude, no sir, secret political donations can never ever be justified!
Alan B.

Yeah, your right Max.

Talk about Kevin Rudd sacking a Labor

(that is ALP) Minister who (Rudd believed) got too close to China.

On account of undeclared trips to China paid for by Chinese...?

see http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8745

If anything Labor's pretensions to comradely Internationalism gets Labor Ministers into trouble http://www.smh.com.au/national/defence-leaks-dirt-file-on-own-minister-20090325-9ahq.html?page=-1 .

plantagenet you must be a liberal party staffer, its the only sensible way to attribute your bias.
The funding declarations show that both major parties are getting funding from overseas.
Also both major parties have had to sack or demote members for relationships with overseas interests.

There should not be a limit to donations however as others have said all should be public and timely. Currently they have a long lag time.

I like AlanB's idea of time on the ABC, i would extend it to all government advertising, would save around $1billion dollar per term.

Giday Cobba

If only I was a "liberal party staffer". Then I'd be getting a huge payrise to the Canberra average wage of $86,791* :)

No, I am but a simple (albeit honest) arms business investigator, sometimes of use to the Aus and US govs.

* http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-offers-the-top-average-advertised-salaries-on-seek-20160519-goytb4.html

the abc/sbs is given over a billion dollars a year to promote progressive dogma. That is a far more serious issue than people giving away their hard earned cash.

The last election was the most pathetic and probably the most expensive Australia has ever seen.

It could also be said politicians in Australia are the most pathetic and probably the most expensive Australia has ever seen.

Elections (and politicians) are now based on saturation advertising, sloganism, appeals to emotion (but not thinking), sloganism, name calling, sloganism, telling half-truths, sloganism, misinformation and hiding information, sloganism, catch phrases, sloganism and finally ....sloganism.

None of this is worth anything, and political parties are not worth anything, and no donations to any political party should occur.

Important piece, directed at a hopeless systemic distortion which drives us ever-nearer to the US lobbyocracy. With so much paid-for self interest, Australian democracy is being bought off!

If we look at the US. Political donations are there simply for corporations to manipulate the political system. An incorporated body can't vote. So they get there through the back door. No donation is given without a prior thought of giving an advantage. No matter how small the donation. A bigger worry is when overseas corporations start with the donations to effect the election. I'd go as far as saying that all major Australian corporations are now owned by the US. If they start to donate (and they do) then advantage is given from outside of Australia. International interference of our political system is both possible and probable.
The basic question in the light of advantage: "is this democratic?".
The answer has to be no. As not all people can give the same amount of advantage. The most democratic way is simply to ban donations. Political advertising can be given almost free by SBS and the ABC. Everybody has free access to these organizations. To view policy announcements etc. Administrative expenses can be met using an allowance system. From the moment the election is called commercial enterprise should be banned from any mention of political based rhetoric. Then we should look at banning lobbyists. For the same reasons.
Obviously all this is pure fantasy, as our American masters would never allow that to happen. Labor is these days "owned" by the US democrats and Liberals is "owned" by the US republicans. You can see it in there policies. It's not an accident that there policies are basically identical. Australia, democratic and free?

There will never be democracy while the present system of bribes is allowed to continue.
We are in a state of government by donations and if it continues we will have complete government by corporation.

Some of me mates av been asking questions:

Just regarding the possible imminent demotion of Senator Leyno's Senate colleague Labor Senator Sam Dastyari.

Note on:

= 26 August 2016 I flagged (at http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=18476#328355 ) the habit of Labor members of Parliament receiving Chinese money including travel money:

"...Posted by plantagenet, Friday, 26 August 2016 12:21:23 PM
Yeah, your right Max. Talk about Kevin Rudd sacking a Labor (that is ALP) Minister who (Rudd believed) got too close to China.
On account of undeclared trips to China paid for by Chinese...? see http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8745
If anything Labor's pretensions to comradely Internationalism gets Labor Ministers into trouble http://www.smh.com.au/national/defence-leaks-dirt-file-on-own-minister-20090325-9ahq.html?page=-1 ".

The above was 5 days before the Chinese money to Senator Sam Dastyari Affiar become public, on:

= 31 August 2016
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-30/senator-sam-dastyari-under-fire-after-chinese-donor-foots-bill/7799608 .

Planta the Prescient? Maybe!