Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will raise national political donations reform at a leaders' dinner before Friday's Council of Australian Governments meeting, amid a donations row that has drawn in two of his frontbenchers.
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But the issue will not be on the official agenda, despite a request from Premier Mike Baird seven months ago.
Mr Baird wrote to then prime minister Tony Abbott in August, asking that "co-ordinated national reform of election funding laws" be put on the December COAG agenda.
It was raised informally at the leaders' dinner, but not officially discussed.
A spokesman for Mr Turnbull confirmed the issue would be raised by him at the leaders' dinner before Friday's meeting.
As COAG chairman, Mr Turnbull controls the agenda. It is understood the intention is for the issue to be on the agenda as early as the next meeting.
Mr Baird committed to push for national reform after it was recommended by the Schott panel that advised the government on overhauling election funding in NSW.
The panel recommended a national regime based on NSW laws, which feature a public donation disclosure threshold of $1000 and caps on donations and expenditure.
Federally, donations below $13,000 do not have to be disclosed and there are no caps.
Last week, the NSW Electoral Commission announced it was withholding $4.4 million in public funding to the NSW Liberals until the party formally discloses who donated $693,000 to it via the Free Enterprise Foundation before the 2011 state election.
The commission found NSW Liberal officials deliberately used the FEF to "channel and disguise donations by major political donors, some of whom were prohibited donors".
It relied on evidence by officials to the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 2014 and "through them" evidence of the "involvement" of then NSW Liberal finance committee members, including cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos.
Senator Sinodinos has criticised the Electoral Commission's report as "flawed" and asked that his name be removed from it.
Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that another former finance committee member, assistant cities minister Angus Taylor, discussed the FEF with fundraiser Paul Nicolaou at the time.
Mr Taylor insists "there was always the expectation that all donations would be disclosed and be compliant".
