Independents To Force Action On Gambling, Lobbying Laws

Independents are pushing hot-button issues such as banning gambling ads, opening ministerial diaries to the public and suppressing the impact of political lobbyists.


Crossbenchers have actually outlined a list of key concerns if they're re-elected into a hung parliament, telling an openness forum they'll force the government to act upon the mainly unblemished problems.


Reforming lobbying, enabling the nationwide anti-corruption commission to hold public hearings, developing a whistleblower security authority and having truth in political advertising laws are among the targets for crossbench MPs.


This included Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall, Monique Ryan, Andrew Wilkie, Kate Chaney and Senator .


Ms Steggall pointed to consumer protections against misleading and misleading ads, comparing it with no reality in political advertising laws.


"It's like we do not value our ballot rights the same method as we value our consumer rights," she said.


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


The senator and Dr Ryan have actually pushed in parliament for laws that would open ministerial diaries so the general public can discover ministers fulfilling with lobbyists.


Ms Spender likewise called an overall restriction on betting advertisements after Labor shelved strategies to do something about it.


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


Ms Spender is also combating the Australian Electoral Commission for more transparency over its findings that one individual 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 candidates objecting to the seat and it was considering whether to promote civil charges for breaking electoral law after the May 3 election.


Ms Spender expressed issue about keeping the identity hidden, asking "how can voters consider the source if the AEC will not determine that source", in referral to the laws requiring authorisation for openness functions.