From the Sunday Age this morning:
A Labor source said the reforms to boost the taxpayer-funded contribution were needed because political parties around the country ”are broke”.
”It’s being put in high-minded terms, but Labor federally is $8 million in debt, and Rudd refuses to fund-raise. State branches are also in a parlous state.”
Indeed. I fear that academic supporters of electoral law reform are being taken for a ride, providing ‘high-minded’ justifications for electoral law reforms that are, as they almost always are, grubby exercises in partisan self-interest.
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Also in the Sunday Age, Chris Berg emphasises that big government is the root cause of the political donations issue.
Andrew Norton 
Heaven forbid that they should actually roll up their sleeves and go out to sign up new members! Easier simply to treat the Commonwealth Treasury as a party political slush fund.
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