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Well, the question of whether the $0.5 million was actually "spent on electioneering" is still an open one - Hanson still has to face those charges in court and will do so quite soon. There are literally dozens of minor parties that form every year and which follow the rules and contest elections. Not to mention independents and individuals. The vast majority of them follow the rules and don't end up in prison. So how does the Hanson decision "undermine our democracy"? Perhaps the electoral rules are too complex for an ordinary person to follow. That doesn't mean "democracy is undermined" - it just means that if you are thinking about forming a political party and if you are willing to accept vast amounts of taxpayer funds, then its probably a good idea to get some legal advice first. Any law student could have told Hanson that she was breaking the law. Don't believe me? Well, apparently 12 of Ms Hanson's peers managed to understand the electoral rules just fine. And I'll bet none of them had law degrees.
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