Independents To Force Action On Gambling, Lobbying Laws

Independents are pushing hot-button problems such as prohibiting gaming ads, opening ministerial diaries to the public and suppressing the influence of political lobbyists.


Crossbenchers have actually outlined a list of crucial priorities if they're re-elected into a hung parliament, telling a transparency forum they'll force the federal government to act on the largely unblemished issues.


Reforming lobbying, enabling the nationwide anti-corruption commission to hold public hearings, producing a whistleblower security authority and having fact in political marketing laws are amongst the targets for crossbench MPs.


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


Ms Steggall pointed to consumer securities against deceptive and deceptive advertisements, comparing it with no fact in political marketing laws.


"It resembles we do not value our ballot rights the very same method as we value our customer rights," she said.


Senator Pocock called lobbying laws "an absolute joke", stating 80 per cent of lobbyists weren't covered by the code of conduct and there were no real charges for misconduct.


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


Ms Spender also named an overall ban on gambling ads after Labor shelved plans to do something about it.


"This is a contest in between beneficial interests who are winning to date, versus community interests who understand that this needs to be banned and I will combat for that," she stated.


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


The commission stated the individual acted alone, had no link to a political party or prospects contesting the seat and it was thinking about whether to push for civil charges for breaking electoral law after the May 3 election.


Ms Spender expressed concern 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 requiring authorisation for openness purposes.