KEY POINTS:
Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson wants complete disclosure of the names and amounts of all political donations under the reforms being considered at present by the Government.
He even raised the possibility of banning private funding altogether in favour of state funding, despite the Government admitting this proposal was a dead duck at present.
Mr Wilson's idea of full disclosure, in an article he released yesterday, goes further than the proposal on the drawing board, which is to reduce the disclosure regime from its present thresholds of $10,000 for political parties and $1000 for candidates, to $5000 and $500 respectively.
"At the very least the identity of all political donors and the amounts donated should be publicly available,"Mr Wilson wrote.
"And it is difficult to see why the campaigns of political parties should be privately funded, with the corresponding advantage (and risk of undue influence) to parties backed by corporates and millionaires."
Unions were open about their political activity.
The CTU is organising public forums to discuss election funding, and its Auckland one on May 1 will feature Nicky Hager, author of the book on National's bid for power in 2005, The Hollow Men, and Auckland political scientist Ray Miller.
Mr Wilson said he accepted the need for non-party campaigning, which includes union campaigns, to be subject to limits - $60,000 per group is being proposed.
Meanwhile the New Zealand First caucus meeting in Wellington yesterday formally rejected state funding.
Leader Winston Peters said the disclosure rule had to be tightened "as this has been seriously abused". But it was up to parties to "earn their support".
