Alcohol and gambling firms donate to political parties multiple times.

Hidden Webs of Influence

Good quality information about when and how alcohol and gambling industries try to influence government decision making should be easily accessible. But in Australia, it’s not.

Hidden Webs of Influence

We mapped the network of alcohol and gambling interests in Australia and revealed a complex web of memberships and partnerships.

Double Donations

We used the latest data on political donations from the Australian Electoral Commission to show how these companies can “double donate”, or potentially donate more than twice. That’s once directly and once via their often-multiple associations.

Poor Transparency

However, recent political donation reforms will not stop these kinds of multiple donations.

Organisations and Their Networks

Understanding which companies are connected with alcohol and gambling associations can be challenging. This was immediately apparent when we mapped alcohol and gambling industry associations (such as Clubs Australia, which represents both community clubs and large pokies venues, or Alcohol Beverages Australia, which represents drinks manufacturers, distributors and retailers).

The Network of Interests

Just 75 (59.5%) of the 126 industry associations we identified disclosed their members or corporate partners. When we documented the members and corporate sponsors of those 75 associations, we found a large and well-connected network.

Transparency in Relationships

We also investigated how transparent these relationships were. We mapped disclosures about two prominent groups: the hotels associations (which represent pubs and hotels) and the clubs associations.

Conclusion

Poor transparency in these associations and political donations, and the potential for influencing public health policy on everything from gambling reform to alcohol labelling, are concerning.

Why Aren’t Recent Reforms Enough?

The most recent donation reforms mean political donations over A$5,000 must be disclosed, and these must be disclosed monthly. However, these reforms are far weaker than originally proposed (real-time reporting, $1,000 disclosure cap). This potentially allows alcohol and gambling industries to influence government and hide it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is transparency in political donations and associations important?
A: Transparency can help ensure government decision-making is not unduly influenced by vested interests.

Q: What are the potential consequences of lack of transparency?
A: The potential for influence of public health policy on everything from gambling reform to alcohol labelling.

Q: What can be done to improve transparency?
A: Better disclosure of donations, lobbyists, conflicts of interest, and more can help ensure government decision-making is free from undue influence.