Transparency: It Starts Now!

Greens to reveal donations and campaign spending BEFORE residents vote in 10 September council elections.

In the last term of local government, retiring Greens Councillor Gabi Harding was too often a lone voice or leading a minority voice, in seeking more transparency in Council decision making. Picking up where Councillor Harding left off, Pat McGinlay and the other Eurobodalla Green candidates are raising the bar. The Eurobodalla Greens team have committed to telling voters about all reportable donations, and how much they will spend in our upcoming council election campaign, BEFORE residents vote on 10 September 2016.

Remarkably, while there are spending caps that limit what candidates can spend in State election campaigns, there are no limits to what candidates and their backers can spend on Local Council election campaigns. This means that those who have a lot to gain from ensuring that the ‘right’ Councillors are elected, can spend any amount to make it happen.

The Greens make the simple request that every mayoral candidate, ‘group’ of candidates and independent candidates for Councillor positions, match their transparency and reveal to voters, before the election, how much they will be spending and who is paying for their campaign.

The Greens candidates are openly and proudly members of the Greens party. Perhaps all candidates should also declare whether they are, or recently have been, members of a political party. It would also be in the public interest if they could name and declare if they are getting mentoring or advice, for any aspect of their campaign, from a political party or any other industry based or commercial organisation. This would include the Eurobodalla Shire Council through its managers or delegated staff. No obligation of course, but it could be revealing.

The Eurobodalla Greens report in good faith that their total spending for the campaign for all candidates will be approximately $8,160. This has been spent or committed to be spent on flyers and distribution, candidate registration fees, photography, incidentals allowance, corflute images and posters, proposed radio advertising and printing of ‘How to Vote’ pamphlets.

The Eurobodalla Greens report that their campaign funding has been provided by a combination of local Greens fundraising activities, (which may have included small individual donations), Greens party membership fees, and refunds from previous election campaigns by The Greens. There have been no donations from corporations or businesses or industry bodies.

The Greens team, undertake to advise the media should there be any significant change or factual correction to the above information prior to the election.