This Quick Guide summarises the complex funding and disclosure laws federally, and in each Australian state and territory. These laws regulate who can make and receive political donations, how and when those donations must be disclosed, how much money political parties can spend for their election campaigns, and the amount of public money they receive to fund their election campaigns and general operations.

This document does not attempt to capture every nuance of each system and is not a substitute for legal advice. The laws occasionally change, and the guide only reflects the laws at the time of publication. Only laws covering state/territory and federal elections are considered.

While most relevant legislation refers to donations to political parties as ‘gifts’, the terms ‘donation’ and ‘gift’ are used interchangeably in this document reflecting their popular use. Gifts can take the form of money but may also include the provision of goods or services for free (or in-kind) such as providing rent-free accommodation. Volunteer labour is usually not considered to be a gift and is generally not regulated under these laws.

The analysis separates out donations and electoral expenditure, and public funding. Appendix A provides details of the regulatory settings and thresholds for each jurisdiction and a link to the relevant legislation. Indexed amounts are per the last advice published by the relevant electoral commission.

The quick guide has been updated to reflect new legislation since the November 2018 version.