Steggall, Scamps, Ryan: Teal trio don't practise what they preach on donations

Mercury

01-05-2025

Three Teal independents who have campaigned for real-time disclosure of donations are not telling voters about who is giving them money and how much.
While some Teals are voluntarily publishing details of financial support ahead of the election, the political finances of Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps and Monique Ryan will remain shrouded in secrecy for months.
With support from the Coalition, the Albanese government passed reforms in February this year that will deliver real-time disclosure – but not until July 2026.
'Australians are still left in the dark at this election,' Grattan Institute deputy program director Kate Griffith said.
During debate on that legislation, Mackellar Teal Dr Scamps described the move to real-time disclosure as 'welcome', but also said the changes 'should have been done much earlier so that they could have been applied to the next election in 2025'.
However, unlike some other Teals, Dr Scamps is not disclosing her donations in real-time during this campaign. Her spokeswoman said Dr Scamps had no comment.
In 2024, Ms Steggall backed a 'fair and transparent elections' bill put up by fellow Teal Kate Chaney of WA. The bill called for real-time disclosure of donations.
Yet Ms Steggall still does not publish donations in real-time; Ms Chaney does, even though her bill did not become law.
Ms Steggall told this masthead: 'I strongly support reforms to donation transparency including real-time disclosures. However, until the long-overdue reforms take effect, and all candidates are held to the same standard, I will comply with the current legal requirements.
'In the current political climate, where disclosures can be weaponised without equivalent scrutiny of major parties or candidates, fairness and consistency must underpin reform.'
Dr Ryan said in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the 2022 poll that 'when Australians vote in an election, they should be able to know who has funded the candidates they are considering'.
'The fact that this is not currently the case decreases voters' faith in the transparency of the political process. Donations should be notified in real time wherever possible', Dr Ryan added.
She does not disclose donations in real time. Her office did not respond to requests for comment.
Disclosures by Wentworth independent Allegra Spender reveal former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's son Alex donated $25,000 last month – the same amount as he gave her at the last election.
Meanwhile Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel, whose website shows specifics of the cash rolling in daily, has banked $16,000 from Samuel Terry Asset Management founder Fred Woollard.
Accepting that money is in contrast to a decision of the NSW Greens, which rejected $7000 from Mr Woollard in 2022 because his fund invests in fossil-fuel businesses.
Ms Daniel's website says tech entrepreneur Anna Josephson has donated $9800 since the start of the election campaign; Ms Josephson also gave $16,000 to Ms Chaney in February.
The Australia Institute's democracy and accountability program director Bill Browne pointed to the merits of the voluntary actions of the Teals who were disclosing donations details.
'Parties and candidates can model an alternative political finance system in advance of it being adopted more broadly – that could be effective in showing that such a proposal is feasible and workable,' Mr Browne said.
The changes that will lead to real-time disclosure from July next year replace a system that permits a disclosure lag of between 15 weeks and 19 months.
Originally published as Teal trio Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps and Monique Ryan don't practise what they preach on donation transparency