11 May 2021
The Legislative Council has backed a Green amendment requiring candidates standing for local council to disclose any donations they have received to electors before they vote.
“Electors have a right to know whether or not council candidates are being bankrolled by vested interests,” SA Greens’ spokesperson for local government, Robert Simms MLC said.
“It’s not sufficient to disclose this information after the election, electors should get this information before they cast their vote so that they can make an informed choice. This is a simple transparency measure that would really enhance local democracy.”
Under the existing rules Council candidates are required to disclose any donations received within 30 days of the outcome of the election. Under the Greens plan, council candidates will be required to make an additional disclosure before Election Day within 7 days of lodging their nomination.
The Greens also pushed to require candidates to disclose any political party memberships before the election. This was opposed by the Labor and Liberal parties however the Government gave the Legislative Council an undertaking that it intends to pursue this through regulation.