An election campaign return is a financial disclosure made by Legislative Council members and candidates after an election campaign period. It includes both the disclosure of electoral expenditure incurred, and political donations made or received during the election campaign period.
An election campaign period for a Legislative Council periodic election begins on 1 January of the year the election is held, and ends 30 days after the polling day for the election. An election campaign period for a Legislative Council by-election begins on the day the Council seat becomes vacant and ends 30 days after the polling day for the by-election.
Legislative Council members and candidates are the only electoral participants required to make an election campaign return for a Legislative Council election campaign period.
Other electoral participants may be required to disclose reportable political donations made or received in Legislative Council elections.
All election campaign returns must be lodged with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission within 60 days after the day on which the result of the Legislative Council election is declared. A Legislative Council member or candidate must make their own election campaign return – not their official agent.
An election campaign return must always be made by Legislative Council members and candidates, even if there are no political donations made or received and no electoral expenditure incurred during the Legislative Council election campaign period, and even if the registered candidate decides not to nominate to run in the election.
The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 requires the lodgement of the Legislative Council election campaign return form to accompany the disclosure of political donations and electoral expenditure required in a return. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission provides a campaign return template to help members and candidates identify what specific disclosure information must be included when making a return.
The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 and the Disclosure of electoral expenditure guideline set out what must be included in an election campaign return. A return is made up of the following in relation to the election campaign period:
The Tasmanian Electoral Commission will also request a bank statement from the member or candidate’s campaign account, or any other account used to pay for electoral expenditure as part of their compliance checking of returns and expenditure limits.
The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 allows for a Legislative Council candidate to amend an election campaign return, in case a disclosure error needs to be corrected. To alter, omit, add or substitute any information declared in a return, lodge a Legislative Council election campaign return amendment form with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission as soon as possible after an error has been identified.
The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 also allows the Tasmanian Electoral Commission to consider and grant an extension of the due date for a Legislative Council election campaign return. If an extension is required, a candidate should contact the Commission as soon as possible before the due date to discuss their circumstances.
All election campaign returns are published to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s website.