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The Greens would push to ban corporate and property developer donations to political parties if they achieved balance-of-power status again after October's poll. Donations from property developers - chief among the Greens' concerns - continue to be made to both ACT Labor and the Canberra Liberals this year. Such donations would be expressly forbidden in the Greens' policy, mirroring a ban in effect in NSW since 2009. They also want to stop parties taking money from any other corporation or organisation, saying it would return the ACT to a 2012-2014 regime that allowed donations only from individuals listed as residents on the electoral role. Donations from individuals would be capped at $5000 in the Greens' policy, something that would directly affect the party, which had at least three people give more than that amount last financial year. A more immediate and comprehensive disclosure of donations should also be made available, the Greens say. Greens candidate for Ginninderra Indra Esguerra said she hoped the reforms would be part of any balance-of-power deal with Labor, should it occur. "We managed to have it in 2012, it was a completely workable system," she said. "People are getting a little bit wary of the developer donations, I think it would be easier to stand up with a clear conscience and say we don't take developer donations." At least seven property developers have purchased special memberships with the ACT Labor party in the past 12 months, giving them discounted access to fundraising events. The Canberra Liberals have taken thousands of dollars in donations from property developers, including a number based in Sydney, but deny transferring any of the money back to the NSW branch. Within the last two weeks, a donation of $1000 was made from Woodhaven Investments Pty Ltd, a local developer. In 2014, the government scrapped its $10,000 cap on donations and quadrupled the amount of public money paid to candidates after each election, from $2 a vote to $8 a vote. Ms Esguerra said the Greens' reforms would ensure that money did not buy influence in the ACT Legislative Assembly. "Property developers do not give hundreds of thousands of dollars to political parties for fun, they do it because it's worth their while," she said. The Greens currently have a donations reference group which assesses individual donations. Any that is deemed to be inappropriate is rejected. The vast majority of their donations are from individuals. "We need to avoid the US presidential style system, where the most connected candidate wins," Ms Esguerra said. She said the current reporting regime created a delay between the donation and its entry on the public register. "It means there's a lag, so I think what we need is a system where people can see within a few weeks where there's been a donation," Ms Esguerra said. At their campaign launch last month, the Greens also pledged to push for an ACT-style anti-corruption body, similar to NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption.

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