Independents To Force Action On Gambling, Lobbying Laws

Independents are pushing hot-button concerns such as banning gambling advertisements, opening ministerial journals to the public and suppressing the influence of .


Crossbenchers have actually outlined a list of key priorities if they're re-elected into a hung parliament, informing a transparency forum they'll force the government to act on the largely untouched problems.


Reforming lobbying, allowing 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 customer securities against misleading and deceptive ads, comparing it without any fact in political marketing laws.


"It resembles 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 code of conduct and there were no genuine penalties for misbehavior.


The senator and Dr Ryan have pushed in parliament for laws that would open ministerial diaries so the general public can learn about ministers meeting lobbyists.


Ms Spender also called a total ban on gambling ads after Labor shelved strategies to take action.


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


Ms Spender is likewise battling the Australian Electoral Commission for more transparency over its findings that one person was accountable for sending some 47,000 unauthorised handouts 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 promote civil penalties for breaking electoral law after the May 3 election.


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