CANBERRA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The opposition Labor Party has called for action to implement a cap on political donations.
Senator Don Farrell, Labor's election law spokesperson, on Tuesday called for the government to act urgently on limiting political payments.
The call comes after former Member of Parliament (MP) Clive Palmer's mining company Mineralogy donated 75,000 Australian dollars (57,174.13 U.S. dollars) to the National Party, which forms the governing coalition with the Liberal Party.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday, Mineralogy has donated 90 million Australian dollars to political parties over the last two years, most of which went to Palmer's United Australia Party (UAP), which failed to win any seats at the 2019 federal election despite a record advertising spend.
"What I think is pretty essential given how much money Clive Palmer is putting into the electoral process are caps on donations," Farrell told the ABC.
"You cannot have a situation where Clive Palmer is funding both his own political party and the coalition, it's just unacceptable."
"We want to see public disclosure about donations and to set a limit on how much organisations and individuals can donate."
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on Monday disclosed political donations for the financial year 2019-20.
It revealed that the coalition received 69 million Australian dollars (52.5 million USD) from organizations and individuals and Labor 55 million Australian dollars (41.9 million USD).
David Littleproud, deputy leader of the National Party and minister for agriculture, defended Palmer's donation to the party, saying that he had not broken any laws.
"There are individuals of all walks of life that donate to all political parties," he said.
"What he chooses to do with his money is his business so long as it's a lawful thing." Enditem
