Recently-released data from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for the 2019/20 financial year reveal that $49,550,000 – or 29.47% – of political parties’ declared income over the period is of unexplained origin (‘hidden money’). This brings the total hidden money identified over the period 1998/99 - 2019/20 to almost $1.5 billion: this equates to 34.16% of total party income, calling into question the integrity – both real and perceived – of Australia’s electoral system.

In order to enhance accountability and transparency and promote public trust in the lead-up to Election 2021, the causes of this integrity crisis must be urgently addressed. These causes include the current high threshold of $14,300 for the disclosure of donations, the fact that individual donations are not required to be aggregated for disclosure purposes, and the fact that the definition of ‘gift’ under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth) (the Act) is unjustifiably circumscribed. They also include what the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has described as the partial effectiveness of the AEC in administering the financial disclosure scheme established under Part XX the Act: as one of Australia’s key accountability institutions, the AEC requires adequate resourcing and powers in order to fulfil its mandate.