“Crikey! What a great website for NSW election news,” says an email, steering us through to, er, a political party’s propaganda pages.

“It’s the brand spanking new website for the NSW Greens,” the message continues. “I don’t know how they managed to give it such a professional look considering they do not distort democracy by taking corporate donations.”

Well, they do. Just take a look at their own sanctimoniously titled Democracy for Sale website where these interesting line-items appear:

  • 2004/05 Greens NSW Financial/Investments/Insurance St George Bank Ltd $3,056.00
  • 2004/05 Greens NSW Financial/Investments/Insurance St George Bank Ltd $2,100.00
  • 2004/05 Greens NSW Financial/Investments/Insurance St George Bank Ltd $1,646.00

Curiously, last year Green Senator Kerry Nettle put out a media release bagging the big four banks over their fees and charges. St George comes in at number five.

CORRECTION: Greens NSW Media Worker Eleanor Gibbs writes, “The amounts referred to from St George Bank, by Mr Kerr, are interest payments on our bank balance. The Greens NSW do not take donations from banks or other corporations.”