A clear majority of Australians rate banning misleading political advertisements (85%) and establishing a national anti-corruption commission (79%) as important initiatives for the incoming government, according to a new poll on Australians’ political integrity priorities.
When asked to rank the most urgent integrity reforms for the new government to tackle, a code of conduct, truth in political advertising and a national integrity body topped the list.
The YouGov poll, conducted in the week before the election for the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Democracy Network, found a large proportion want the new government to make political donations transparent (69%), make ministerial diaries public (68%), limit the amount spent on political advertising (67%) and cap political donations from individuals or companies (66%).
“Australians are ready for change,” said the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Democracy Campaigner Jolene Elberth.
“Reforms like a federal integrity body and donations disclosure are ready to go, right now. We urge the Albanese Government to enact these reforms without delay.
“Donations transparency, truth in political advertising and a code of conduct have been examined in previous parliaments and draft legislation exists and can be enacted quickly.
“A healthy democracy is key for unlocking progress on all the issue we care about – from action on climate change to improving our health care system.”
Saffron Zomer, Executive Director of the Australian Democracy Network, said the new Parliament has a clear mandate to enact long-awaited integrity reforms.
“The new government has promised to introduce a national integrity commission, which is a great step forward, but reform shouldn’t end there.
“This polling shows broad support for a suite of reforms to improve the integrity of our political system, which is exactly what our democracy needs.
“No single reform will bring integrity back to Australian politics – we need a suite of changes, including political donation caps and lobbying transparency, to address each aspect of this complex problem.”
YouGov conducted the poll of 1,031 adults between 17 and 20 May 2022.
