Political parties in WA will be forced to disclose donations daily during elections, as the Cook government toughens campaign finance laws.

September 20, 2023

West Australian political parties will have to disclose donations each day during a state election instead of annually, as the Cook government reforms campaign finance laws.

The amendments also apply to candidates for any donation more than $1000 from the issuing of the writs to the close of polls, with disclosure rules relaxed to weekly outside of that period.

Expenditure caps for election campaigns and a ban on foreign donations will also be introduced, in a bid to provide more transparency about the flow of money into politics and boost public confidence in the election process.

Premier Roger Cook said the changes would mean WA had the nation’s most rapid disclosure requirements, along with Queensland.

“We made a commitment to ensure transparency, integrity and accountability in the political process,” he said on Wednesday.

The ban on foreign donations would prevent foreign interests undermining WA’s democracy and the expenditure cap would ensure elections were fairer, the premier said.

The proposed reforms will also require third-party campaigners and how-to-vote cards to be registered with the electoral office.

But the changes will cost taxpayers, with the rate of reimbursement for electoral expenditure set to be increased from $2.26 to $4.40 per primary vote.

The government said it would still be the lowest of any state or territory providing public funding.

Political parties will be banned from processing postal vote applications and they will not be able to distribute them unless in an approved form with applications returned directly to the electoral office.

The amendments include new offences and penalties introduced for failing to comply with disclosure requirements, expenditure caps, campaign accounts and reporting requirements.

Penalties will be boosted for existing offences.

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam welcomed the potential for greater political transparency but said the bill had been introduced with little notice and it needed to be scrutinised.

“We’d like to understand how the Cook Labor government have come up with a 95 per cent increase for political parties, how that figure has come about and why this is a priority,” she said.

“The real question is why now, this is nothing more than a political distraction from the multitude of failings that have happened under this government’s watch.”

WA Greens MP Brad Pettitt said the proposed amendments didn’t go far enough to stop corporate influence in WA politics.

“Why are we still allowing unlimited donations from property developers like Nigel Satterley and fossil fuel companies like Woodside?” he said.

“It’s also disappointing to see no action to address the revolving door of WA politicians – like Ben Wyatt and Mark McGowan – walking straight into corporate roles in the resources sector or the cash-for-access events that lock everyday Western Australians out of our democracy.”