Time to take the cash out of politics

Jack Lang was on the mark. In the human race, he advised, always put your money on self-interest; you can be sure it's the only starter always trying. Lang's aphorism, forged in the cauldron of political fisticuffs and intrigue back when he ruled NSW, is no more true than in his chosen field. Occasionally the political master class is presented with an opportunity where self-interest is served by doing the right thing, where levelling the race track not only serves the national good but its own, too. One such opportunity is repair of the mire that is our laws governing electoral donations, and their associated link to the ever-spiralling price of effective competition in election campaigns, now costing taxpayers and candidates perhaps $100 million each federal outing - the equivalent of $7 for each vote on offer, writes David Humphries.

SMH 18 Jan 2008