A March election would usually be a distant memory by August. But not so in Tasmania, where anger over the 2018 campaign remains white-hot. A group of community activists will tap into that sentiment on Wednesday, launching a novel concept in a state with the weakest political donations laws in the country – fed up over a lack of political transparency, the group will hold its own inquiry into the 2018 state election.
“We really are concerned that our democracy has been sold,” said Amanda Sully, an environmental campaigner. “Because Tasmania is such a small place, if you throw in a few million dollars, which big corporations can easily afford, we’re a very cheap state to buy. We think this is what we’ve just witnessed.”
Months after Will Hodgman’s Liberal government was re-elected, claims of so-called “dirty money” continue to hang over the parliament.
Under existing laws, political donations data will not be released by the electoral commission until next year.
Full Article: Election rejection: Tasmanian activists launch inquiry into 2018 result | Australia news | The Guardian.