Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Banning Dirty Donations) Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 will be amended to ban political donations from eight industries—property developers, tobacco, banking, liquor and gambling, pharmaceuticals, mining, defence, and their representative organisations—because these sectors are seen as having used donations to improperly influence government decisions. All other donations will be capped at $3,000 per election term, regardless of source. The changes also close a loophole by requiring disclosure of membership and subscription fees paid to political parties. These amendments aim to restore public trust in Parliament by reducing the influence of wealthy industries on politicians' decision-making and ensuring elected representatives prioritise the public interest over donor interests.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause