Radical campaign laws hit the ground running

The New South Wales election marked the culmination of a brave, new experiment in campaign financing: for the first time, campaign spending by political parties and candidates has been capped, while donations have also been reined by tough, new parameters. The campaign financing laws are an Australian-first and are expected to be used as a model for reform elsewhere in Australia. The reforms were brought in by Labor with Greens support so it\u27s perhaps not surprising that the NSW Coalition is not entirely happy. The Opposition argues that controversial \u27third party\u27 campaign restrictions were designed specifically to favour union involvement. There have also been mutterings from ALP candidates in vulnerable seats, who have found that the new laws mean they can no longer count on some extra TLC from party central to sandbag their margins. But whatever its drawbacks, the NSW campaign legislation is setting the agenda for reform across Australia. Guests Anne TwomeyAssociate Professor, Sydney University Law Schoo