New laws tackle foreign political meddling

WHAT THE NEW LAWS INCLUDE:

Foreign influence transparency scheme

* New register of people or entities who (acting on behalf of a foreign state, person, company or political organisation) seek to affect the Australian political system, the outcomes of Australian elections, or the decision of a government authority.

* Similar to the existing lobbyist register.

* Failure to disclose ties will be a criminal offence.

Foreign interference offences

* New offences created in criminal code for covert conduct intended to serve the intelligence objectives of foreign actors.

* Acts of foreign interference.

* Modernise existing crimes of treason to bring them into line with contemporary international humanitarian law.

* Expand existing crime of espionage to have a broader definition now including possessing or receiving information as well as being caught in the act of passing it on.

* Makes it an offence to solicit or procure a person to engage in espionage, and to prepare or plan for espionage.

* New offence of unlawful foreign interference, designed to cover other conduct harmful to Australia's national interest or security or that is designed to influence the political processes or a government decision.

Political donations

* Ban foreign donations to all categories of political actors, including parties, candidates or significant campaign groups.

* Introduce new class of "political campaigner" for organisations that spend more than $100,000 on political purposes over the past four years, or which spend $50,000 or more where that is at least half their annual budget. These will also be banned from taking foreign donations.

* Does not prevent charities from receiving and using foreign donations for non-political activities, or from engaging in political activities as long as the money spent on that is raised in Australia.