Here’s how to fix Victoria’s political donations laws

The Supreme Court has torpedoed Victoria’s political donations scheme. In the case of Hopper and VictoriaIndependent candidates in the 2022 Victorian state election Paul Hopper and Melissa Lowe have successfully argued that the state’s donations laws are unconstitutional.

Any new political donations laws across the Federation tend to be challenged, either by political parties or candidates running for office, or by wealthy donors looking to show off their influence from their back pockets. The weapon in their arsenal is the Australian Constitution’s implied protection of freedom of political communication.