Disclosure and funding


Campaign accounts

A campaign account is a separate bank account used for incurring electoral expenditure or receiving political donations for a Tasmanian parliamentary election. Campaign accounts are legislated by the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 and are required from 1 July 2025.

These electoral participants are required to use a campaign account:

  • registered parties and their endorsed House of Assembly members and candidates
  • independent House of Assembly members and candidates
  • Legislative Council members and candidates
  • associated entities
  • third-party campaigners.

All of these electoral participants have legislative obligations for their campaign account, as set out in the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 and its Regulations, and they must:

  • hold their campaign account with an authorised deposit-taking institution, denominated in Australian dollars
  • authorise their party agent or official agent to operate the account
  • use the account to pay for electoral expenditure, or to reimburse electoral expenditure incurred by another person, for a House of Assembly election
  • use the account to receive political donations, and
  • provide an account statement for the election campaign period when lodging their election campaign return.

Some House of Assembly participants or their agent may also authorise (in writing) another person to operate their campaign account for the payment or reimbursement of electoral expenditure.

 Campaign accounts may need to be operational prior to an election campaign period, if an electoral participant is receiving political donations before that period. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission recommends that electoral participants open a campaign account at the same time they register with the Commission.

Please click on the applicable section below to see additional legislative obligations and information for each electoral participant required to use a campaign account.

  • Registered parties

    A registered party’s campaign account must be used by both the party itself, and by the party’s endorsed House of Assembly members and candidates. As just one campaign account is used for multiple electoral participants, the party agent must keep transactional records to account for the political donations and electoral expenditure of each endorsed member or candidate.

    A party agent (or other authorised person) must use the party’s campaign account to pay for electoral expenditure in relation to a House of Assembly election, or to reimburse electoral expenditure incurred by another person for the election of an endorsed House of Assembly member or candidate – this applies to electoral expenditure incurred for the party and for its endorsed members and candidates.

    What can be paid

    In addition to receiving political donations, the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 provides further detailed advice on what can be paid into the campaign account of a registered political party:

    • political donations made to the Tasmanian branch of the party
    • political donations made to the party agent in relation to an endorsed House of Assembly member or candidate (these must be accounted for separately but must still be paid into the party’s account)
    • money paid by any endorsed House of Assembly member or candidate for the financing of their own election campaign
    • money paid via the public funding of electoral expenditure of House of Assembly parties and candidates
    • money borrowed by the party, or
    • bequests to the party.

    What cannot be paid

    There are also specific exclusions for what cannot be paid into a party campaign account:

    • political donations paid into a federal campaign account
    • money borrowed by the party at any time for a federal election
    • money paid via administrative funding for endorsed Assembly members, or
    • a party subscription, other than any amount constituting a political donation to the party.

    For a complete and detailed listing of what may or may not be paid into a party campaign account, please refer to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s Campaign accounts policy.

    The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 sets specific procedures for the allocation of campaign account funds when a candidate becomes endorsed or is dis-endorsed by a registered party for a House of Assembly election, where the candidate has already made personal financial contributions to their own campaign. Please check the Campaign accounts policy for more information.

  • Independent House of Assembly members and candidates, and all Legislative Council members and candidates

    In addition to making payments for electoral expenditure and receiving political donations, a contribution by a member or candidate to finance their own election campaign may be paid into their campaign account.

    While a Legislative Council member or candidate’s nomination may be endorsed by a registered party, they must maintain a separate campaign account that is managed by their own official agent. Endorsed House of Assembly members and candidates can refer to the Registered parties section above for more information as they are required to share a campaign account with their endorsing party.

    The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 sets specific procedures for the allocation of campaign account funds when a candidate becomes endorsed or is dis-endorsed by a registered party for a House of Assembly election, where the candidate has already made personal financial contributions to their own campaign. Please check the Campaign accounts policy for more information.

  • Associated entities and third-party campaigners

    An official agent (or other authorised person) must use the associated entity or third-party campaigner’s campaign account to pay for electoral expenditure incurred by the associated entity or third-party campaigner, in relation to the election of House of Assembly member or candidate, or to reimburse electoral expenditure incurred by another person for the election of a House of Assembly member or candidate.


 Learn more about campaign accounts by watching this pre-recorded webinar.

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