LEGISLATION banning lobby groups from making donations of more than $3,000 per electoral term, will limit pharmacists' from supporting political causes, Queensland Senator, James McGrath, says.
Introducing the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Banning Dirty Donations) Bill 2022, Greens Senator Larissa Waters, said the legislation was designed to curb the influence of "dirty industries with a track record of seeking to influence decision-makers through donations", including "big pharma".
"These industries are not donating millions of dollars because they believe in the institution of strong democracy," Waters said.
"They are donating because it gets results for them."
However, McGrath described the proposed legislation as puritanical, suggesting the Greens "want to ban stuff that they don't like".
"The Greens want to stop people from giving money to political parties if they are involved in the sale, marketing or distribution of pharmaceutical products," he said.
"The Greens want to stop community pharmacists - those people who do so much for the health and wellbeing of Australians.
"They want to stop that evil industry of pharmacy from getting involved in the political process by supporting a political cause.
"We're saying to those people, 'You're not worthy of participating in Australia's democracy, because we don't like you.
"Quite frankly, you should go to a pharmacist and get some medication to stop you from writing such rubbish... this is just bonkers stuff."
Independent ACT Senator, David Pocock, voiced support for the Bill, saying the $3,000 per person per term limit on donations would create a "fairly level playing field", having noted that four of the last five Federal elections had been won by the party with the "biggest war chest".
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