Xenophon calls for urgent donations reform

Revelations the coalition received donations from a gambling lobby while crafting poker machine policy highlights the need for reform, Nick Xenophon says.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has called for reform of political donation laws amid revelations a coalition frontbencher received $20,000 from the gambling lobby while crafting the coalition's poker machines policy.

Senator Xenophon questioned why Clubs NSW would have made donations to Liberal frontbencher Kevin Andrews, whose Victorian electorate of Menzies is 750km away from the lobby group's headquarters.

"I'm not sure why they bothered because it seems the coalition has been doing the bidding of the poker machine lobby for quite some time before these donations were made," he told AAP from Bangkok on Monday.