We're standing at a decisive moment in the history of Australian democracy - and there's a big reform agenda that we have the chance to make reality - if we act before Thursday.

Nearly a year ago, GetUp launched a campaign to reduce the undue influence of political donations on our democracy. Almost 30,000 GetUp members signed the petition and since then we've been working with the country's best experts and academics to brief politicians from all sides of Parliament on the issue.

Now, we have a unique opportunity. The Independents holding the balance of power in the lower house are passionate about forging a different kind of politics in Australia. They've expressed interest in serious reforms to strengthen our democracy and political processes - including reforming political donations law.

We've secured meetings this Thursday to present GetUp's petition to senior officers from across the political spectrum including the Independents - can you add your name before the deadline?

Click here to sign the petition to end large-scale political donations.

Our democracy should not be for sale - but right now the people we've elected to govern us take money from those who stand to gain from government policy and contracts. When corporations and other organisations donate large sums to political parties it undermines public confidence in the integrity of those parties and candidates and can lead to perceived conflicts of interest, if not conflicts themselves.

This Thursday is the next big moment in our campaign. It's time to support the Independents as they pursue reforms that will restore faith in our political system, like ending large-scale corporate influence. The more voices they have behind them, the more chance that Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott will both commit to reforming political donations law.

Sign the petition to end corporate influence on politics.

Here's to a new chapter in Australian democracy.

With hope,
Simon Sheikh
National Director, GetUp

P.S. All of the large countries with parliaments based on the Westminster model - India, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia - now have hung Parliaments. We're seeing interesting opportunities arise in other countries to achieve long-sought after democratic reforms, and here in Australia we have an opportunity to strengthen our own democracy by ending large-scale political donations. Click here to sign the petition.