Independents To Force Action On Gambling, Lobbying Laws

Independents are pushing hot-button problems such as banning gambling advertisements, opening to the general public and curbing the impact of political lobbyists.


Crossbenchers have outlined a list of crucial top priorities if they're re-elected into a hung parliament, telling a transparency forum they'll require the government to act upon the mainly unblemished issues.


Reforming lobbying, allowing the national anti-corruption commission to hold public hearings, producing a whistleblower security authority and having reality in political marketing 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 indicated customer defenses against misleading and deceptive ads, comparing it without any truth in political marketing laws.


"It's like we do not value our ballot rights the exact same way as we value our consumer rights," she stated.


Senator Pocock called lobbying laws "an outright joke", saying 80 per cent of lobbyists weren't covered by the standard procedure and there were no real charges for misbehavior.


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


Ms Spender also called an overall ban on gambling advertisements after Labor shelved plans to act.


"This is a contest in between beneficial interests who are winning to date, versus community interests who know that this needs to be banned 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 person was accountable for sending out some 47,000 unauthorised handouts targeting her in her electorate of Wentworth.


The commission stated 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 penalties for breaking electoral law after the May 3 election.


Ms Spender revealed issue about keeping the identity concealed, asking "how can voters think about the source if the AEC will not determine that source", in referral to the laws needing authorisation for transparency purposes.