The Labor and Liberal parties are set to rebuff a Greens proposal to revamp political donations laws in Victoria by banning contributions from property developers.

Sam Hibbins, Greens candidate for the tightly-contested seat of Prahran, said he will refuse any money from property developers and called for such donations to be banned.

“Voters have lost confidence in the planning system,” he said. “Too often decisions are made by the [government] that favour big developers over local residents.

“In order to restore trust and integrity to the planning system and to give residents confidence in the planning system, it’s important we ban developer donations.”



Hibbins said a 92-metre development on Chapel Street, in Prahran, was approved by the state government against local wishes. The developer, Michael Yates, made a $25,000 donation to the Liberal party in 2011-12, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.



Victoria has relatively relaxed rules around political donations, with only amounts over $12,400 needing to be declared and no caps on the amount given to parties.



In NSW, there is a $5,000 cap in donations to parties, with amounts over $1,000 requiring disclosure. There is also a ban on developer donations in NSW, while in Victoria the only restrictions are around donations from casino and gaming licenses.



But the Labor and Liberal parties are not ready to commit to any change in donation laws following the November 29 state election.



A spokesman for the Victorian Liberals would only say the party “always fully adheres to the requirements of the Australian Electoral Commission disclosure regime.



“We work closely with officials at the AEC and VEC to ensure we are fully compliant and responsive.”



Labor has yet to formally put forward a position on the issue but party sources say there is no appetite for reform in the area.



Peter Allan, an independent candidate for the Northern Metro region, has put forward a 10-point “Code for Clean Politics” that would ban all corporate donations to political parties to prevent democracy being “hijacked by corporate donors who are getting special treatment against the interests of the community”.



The major parties’ relationships with big businesses have come under the spotlight this week after an associate of gambling magnate James Packer told Daniel Andrews, the Labor leader, that Packer will “kick every goal he can for you” if Labor wins power.



Packer, who heads Crown casino, has sought to distance himself from the comments, saying they “don’t represent my views”.



“I do not intend to get involved in this or any election,” Packer said in a statement. “Crown will continue to work with whichever government the public elects in the best interests of our Melbourne resort and our thousands of employees.”



Crown was recently handed an extension to its gambling license to 2050, along with up to $200 million compensation if future anti-problem gambling laws affect the company’s profits.



On Tuesday, Andrews told the ABC: “I met James Packer years ago in terms of my role in public life and his role in the biggest single site employer in the state, it’s an important professional relationship, nothing more than that.”



Denis Napthine, Victoria’s premier, said: “I’m not interested in the views of billionaire casino owners, particularly one who lives in NSW and who doesn’t even have a vote in the election. I’m not interested in his political views.”

