Existing reform proposals – like public funding, donation caps and spending caps – have not only failed to rein in the influence of big money, but actually concentrated political and financial power.

Australia needs an electoral system with a level playing field for all candidates, transparency so we know who is funding political actors, truth in political advertising and limits on the financial power of vested interests. The question is how to balance these competing goals while preserving freedom of political communication and robust elections.

Join Kate Chaney MP, the independent member for Curtin, and Bill Browne, Director of the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program, to discuss what’s needed to ensure Australian elections are fair and transparent while guaranteeing a diversity of voices can contest elections.

Speakers

Kate Chaney MP | Independent Member for Curtin

Kate Chaney MP was elected to the seat of Curtin in 2022.

She is Western Australia’s first female Independent Federal Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives.

Bill Browne | Democracy & Accountability Director, the Australia Institute

Bill Browne is Director of the Democracy & Accountability Program at the Australia Institute.

His diverse areas of interest include the use of opinion polling, forecasting to predict policy outcomes, truth in political advertising reforms, digital technology and the role of the states and the Senate in Australian democracy. Prior to coming to the Australia Institute, he worked as an environmental, social, governance (ESG) analyst.