Political finance disclosure: party and donor annual returns 2002-03

The Australian Electoral Commission made public the 2002-03 annual disclosure returns for political parties, associated entities and donors on 2 February 2004. A month later, the Senate resuscitated an inquiry into the disclosure of donations to political parties and candidates. In this Research Note Sarah Miskin provides a guide to the returns, noting: the total receipts, payments and debts for the larger parties; how this compares to the 2001-02 totals; the difference within the receipts between 'donations' and 'other receipts', and how this complicates the calculation of total donations to political parties; and the limitations of the information supplied in donor returns.