A FEDERAL ICAC could be part of a Labor push for anti-corruption reforms, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has drawn both sides of politics into its tainted web, and prompted discussion on both the South Australian ICAC’s procedures and the possible need for a national commission.

In Adelaide yesterday Mr Shorten called on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to work with Labor to increase transparency, particularly on political donations.

Asked whether those reforms could include a national ICAC, Mr Shorten said: “We’re not ruling it out. We want to have genuine anti-corruption reforms that would be bipartisan.”

Yesterday Treasurer Joe Hockey rejected claims that he was “for sale” after claims that people paid membership fees to a fundraising body to gain access to him. He is now taking legal action.

“Accusations made in Fairfax Media today are both offensive and repugnant,” he said in a statement.

The NSW ICAC has raised serious questions about how money flows from corporations and individuals through fundraising bodies and into Government coffers.

Yesterday, Mr Abbott said all political parties had to raise money and selling tickets to events with ministers was a typical way to do that.

“The alternative to fundraising in this time honoured way is taxpayer funding and, a time when we’re talking about very tough budget indeed, the idea that we should scrap private fundraising and fund political parties through the taxpayer I think would be very, very odd,” he said.

Mr Shorten said the NSW ICAC had exposed “toxic corruption” and that Labor was in favour of greater transparency, and in lowering the thresholds for the disclosure of donations.

When in power, Labor was aiming to reduce the threshold to $1000, then compromised and settled on a threshold of $5000. However, that reform was thwarted and only disclosures over $12,399 have to be declared. However, federal Labor voluntarily discloses donations over $1000.

Mr Shorten said they also try to trace money donated through third parties “back to the source donor”.

Labor’s fundraising arm, Progressive Business, is selling tickets for a dinner with Labor MPs including Mr Shorten for $13,000 for a table of 10.

Mr Shorten spent time yesterday with Opposition education spokeswoman Kate Ellis and local MP Tony Zappia at Roma Mitchell College in Gepps Cross.

He was asked whether he would block the proposed “deficit levy” or tax on higher income earners that is being considered by the Government.

He said he would never support increased income taxes and would not let Mr Abbott “off the hook” on it. However, he did not specifically say he would block it.

“We are not going to support people who go to work, who work hard, having to pay even more taxes,” he said.

“There is no Budget emergency in the short term which would justify Tony Abbott breaking his election promises in eight days’ time (at the Budget), and Labor will hold them to account and we will fight by hook or by crook to stop Tony Abbott from breaking his promises.”

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