[Peetwo]

Money and Influence
By Quentin McDermott, Peter Cronau, Shaun Hoyt
Updated May 24, 2016 10:21:00

Money and Influence (Greg Nelson ABC)

• Video: Interview with Keith Mason, QC (Four Corners)
  

Monday 23 May 2016

Money and Influence: the shadowy world of political donations.

"We have a system where giving money can influence outcomes and that's a soft form of corruption."

As we head into the third week of the election campaign, Four Corners investigates just how transparent the political parties really are when it comes to revealing who their donors are and what is expected in return.

"What's at stake is simply the quality of our democracy and the ability of people to have faith in their political institutions."

It's a world that operates far from public view with a patchwork of donation laws around the country. A variety of methods are used to keep the identities of donors secret, leaving voters hard pressed to find out just who is funding whom.

"Those sort of enterprises are very useful to people because they enable money to be channelled into political interests without full disclosure and in circumstances where the public can't clearly see that there may be an outcome by virtue of those donations."

Reporter Quentin McDermott, talks to influential figures operating in this world, who speak candidly about their experiences.

"I've spent a significant part of my life raising money in this way...(It) will always be a serious accident waiting to happen." Fundraiser

"I think we were fairly standard in terms of organisations that were seeking to curry favour with our political masters...I think it was fairly plain that that bought access." Donor

"I don't think he gave out of the goodness of his heart, that's for certain." Politician

And in an exclusive interview with Four Corners, the regulator withholding more than $4 million dollars of funding destined for the Liberal party breaks his silence.

Show transcript

Show background information

 Basically put when it comes to the murky world of political donations and the spectre of 'soft corruption', they are all at it...

 Coming back to the bizarre REX 250K donation to the federal ALP, when REX repeatedly made claims of a deep loathing of the Labor party and it's former miniscule for non-aviation Albanese, I came across another interesting tit-bit some 6 months after the VH-NGA ditching at Norfolk Island. In reference to this link - HERE - of the official opening of the REX affiliated AAPA (Australian Airline Pilot Academy) on the 27 May 2010.

Take note slide one..



{ P2 comment: Why does that date ring a bell??}

Next slide, Albo rubbing shoulders with those damn Tories :



Next slide Albo giving the thumbs up.. :



And Albo on the official opening plaque :



All very interesting, totally smacks of cronyism but are REX simply doing what most successful businesses would do in their position, i.e. seeking political favour? 

Hmm...I suddenly remembered why that date rings a bell...

From the 2nd supplementary submission by CASA to the Senate PelAir cover-up inquiry, Albo's anointed one, McComic attempted to throw the Murky handpicked Muppet Beaker under the bus (note the date): 


Coincidence maybe but what would the chances be that Albo & Sharpie, the very next day, would not have discussed the potential PR disaster if the so called independent ATSB were to point out systemic failures from both the operator & the regulator in their final report??

Two years later REX was to give the highest political donation in their history (250K), not to the Nationals but to the ALP??  Yeah right - BOLLOCKS!


MTF...P2