Independents To Force Action On Gambling, Lobbying Laws

Independents are pushing hot-button problems such as banning gaming ads, opening ministerial journals to the public and curbing the impact of political lobbyists.


Crossbenchers have outlined a list of essential concerns if they're re-elected into a hung parliament, telling a transparency forum they'll force the federal government to act upon the mainly untouched issues.


Reforming lobbying, permitting the nationwide anti-corruption commission to hold public hearings, developing a whistleblower defense authority and having truth 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 pointed to consumer defenses against deceptive and deceptive advertisements, comparing it with no reality in political marketing laws.


"It resembles we do not value our voting rights the same way as we value our consumer rights," she stated.


Senator Pocock called lobbying laws "an outright joke", stating 80 percent of lobbyists weren't covered by the standard procedure and there were no real penalties for misconduct.


The senator and Dr Ryan have pressed in parliament for laws that would open ministerial diaries so the public can find out about ministers fulfilling with lobbyists.


Ms Spender likewise called an overall restriction on gambling ads after Labor shelved plans to do something about it.


"This is a contest between beneficial interests who are winning to date, versus neighborhood interests who know that this needs to be prohibited and I will fight for that," she said.


Ms Spender is also fighting the Australian Electoral Commission for more openness over its that one individual was accountable for sending out some 47,000 unauthorised pamphlets targeting her in her electorate of Wentworth.


The commission said the individual acted alone, had no link to a political celebration or prospects objecting to the seat and it was considering whether to press for civil charges for breaking electoral law after the May 3 election.


Ms Spender expressed issue about keeping the identity concealed, asking "how can citizens think about the source if the AEC will not recognize that source", in referral to the laws needing authorisation for openness purposes.