00:00The Victorian law, adopted in 2018, caps individual donations at just under $5,000 over four years.
00:11But the law has carved out fundraising bodies for the major parties, meaning they can avoid the cap.
00:18Lawyers for the independent candidates Melissa Lowe and Paul Hopper will tell the High Court
00:24the financial advantage allows wealthy voices to drown out others.
00:29The court will hear that places a burden on the implied freedom of political communication in the Constitution
00:36and that the law is invalid.
00:38But lawyers for the state say the law is necessary and justified to prevent undue influence and protect the system.
00:46The independent candidates disagree.
00:49The case today is really about fairness.
00:52We've heard from the people that we are trying to represent that they want us to do a good job for them.
00:58What we don't need is a rigged set of donation laws and a system that unfairly biases the major parties.
01:05We're here to stand up for democracy just at a time when everybody is voting for independent candidates.
01:12The duopoly that looks like a Coles and Woolworths of political parties trying to dominate that scene
01:19and pushing independent and pushing independent and minor parties out.
01:22The Victorian Government says the law is fair and that larger parties that might form a government need more campaign resources.
01:31The High Court is yet to say if it will hear a similar challenge to federal donation caps.
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