[Greens-Media] Greens donations research expands to other states - South Australia joins Democracy4sale.org

[Susie Gemmell]

Media Release
18 August 2009

Greens donations research expands to other states - South Australia joins Democracy4sale.org


NSW Greens MP and donations spokesperson Lee Rhiannon today congratulated her South Australian Greens colleague Mark Parnell MLC for launching the South Australian section of the Democracy4sale.org donations website, and foreshadowed that more states will be added to the Greens donations database in the near future.

"I am thrilled to welcome the South Australian Greens to the Democracy4sale.org campaign website that exposes the corrupting influence of corporate donations on our democracy," said Ms Rhiannon.

"The Greens donations research project commenced in 2002 in NSW to lift the lid on donations, and the campaign's success has helped make donations a hot national issue. 

"The SA donations are sourced from political party disclosures to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and sorted into industry donor categories to see which industries are buying influence with the major parties.

"In NSW the Greens have tried to reform the state's donations laws but the major parties have always voted together to block our legislation.

"I wish the South Australian Greens every success with their amendments to the Electoral Act when parliament resumes in September.

"In coming months the Greens' Demcoracy4sale.org preject will be adding other states to our website, allowing the public to see how much the big corporate donors are handing over in donations to politicians and political parties across the country. 

"The campaign to ban corporate donations has reached the national stage and we want to allow people from across Australia the opportunity to scrutinise their state's donations on our user friendly website," said Ms Rhiannon.


For more information:  Lee Rhiannon - (02) 9230 3551, 0427 861 568
Go to www.democracy4sale.org 



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Susie Gemmell
Adviser, Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon (Mon-Thur)
Macquarie St, Sydney 2000
Tel: +61-2-9230 3551 Fax: +61-2-9230 3550
Mobile: 0431 458 102
Email susie.gemmell at parliament.nsw.gov.au
http://www.leerhiannon.org.au
http://www.democracy4sale.org/ 
http://twitter.com/leerhiannon