Media Release

14/08/2017: ALL political donors will be required to sign a Statutory Declaration (Stat Dec) confirming they are Australian-citizens if an Electoral Amendment introduced by KAP Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter today passes through the Parliament.

The Electoral Amendment (Banning Foreign Political Donations) Bill 2017 will ban donations to Australian political parties and candidates from foreign sources and proposes to amend the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to make it unlawful for a political party or candidate to receive a donation from a “foreign person”.

The Bill amends Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie’s Bill and adds an additional requirement for donors to sign a ‘Statutory Declaration’ declaring Australian citizenship.

Mr Katter said the public is seriously concerned about the large foreign donations to Australian political parties and candidates and that the Bill is necessary to bring Australia into line with international best practice.

He also said that the major parties need to be held accountable for selling out Australia to foreign investors.

“A quarter of Australia's land mass is owned by foreign investors.

“Who are the supine people in Cabinet that agreed to this? Who are the backbench that did not raise it in the party room? Are we, the people on the crossbench, the only people that oppose the sell-off of our nation?

“On numerous occasions I have said that if the sale of an asset brings to us markets that we don't have, if it brings technology that we don't have, and if it brings capital that we don't have, then there may be some case for it. I emphasise 'maybe'.

“But foreign investors own arguably all the water that's available; they own all the land; and they own the ports. Well, what do we Australians own?

“Future generations will call on the people in this place—not the people on the crossbench, because we have tenaciously and unitedly fought the fight—but the people on left and right side; the people that have sold this country out and sold it off”.

If the Bill passes, a Stat Dec will be required to be provided at the time of the giving of the donation.

##ENDS##