Australia’s ruling party has proposed moves to ban billionaires from buying elections.
Following Elon Musk’s sizeable donations in the US election and rumours that he is considering a substantial donation to Reform UK in Britain, Australia’s Labor Party has announced plans to cap donations to prevent a similar picture from unfolding there.
While no draft legislation has been made public, the government has sketched out a plan to limit donor spending to $20,000 per candidate per year and introduce a cap on campaign spending for the first time.
It’s a move that Don Farrell, the special minister for state, said will keep big money out of politics.
“The Australian electoral system should not work on the basis that the only people that can get in to Parliament are people who are sponsored by billionaires”, he announced.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has also been rubbing shoulders with the right-wing Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who has provoked controversy over moves to set up asylum centres in Albania.
Posting on X, Micah Erfan noted: “Y’all do realize that the fact a random unelected private citizen is able to book 1 on 1 meetings with world leaders is a serious condemnation of the amount of poltical power we’ve allowed a small group of oligarchs to accumulate in our society.”
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