Disclosure and funding

Reportable political donation disclosures

On this page

• What is a political donation disclosure
• When to make a disclosure
• How to make a disclosure
• Lodging a valid disclosure
• Disclosures from multiple electoral participants
• Amending a disclosure
• Extensions of disclosures

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What is a political donation disclosure

The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 requires certain electoral participants to make a declaration that accompanies the disclosure of reportable political donations made or received during a relevant disclosure period. The electoral participants who may be required to make a donation declaration and disclosure are:

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

Note: an electoral participant may qualify as more than one of an associated entity, third-party campaigner, or significant political donor.

A reportable political donation is a political donation worth $1,000 or more (either as a single or an aggregate amount within a year) to an electoral participant. This may include donations of money, the use of facilities, provision of services, or the payment of electoral expenditure on an electoral participant’s behalf.

A relevant disclosure period refers to either the election campaign period of an election, or the remainder of the year outside of the election campaign period. If you would like more information about election campaign periods for either House of Assembly or Legislative Council elections and by-elections, please refer to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s Financial disclosures policy.

When to make a disclosure

Please click on the applicable section below to see the required timeframes for making a reportable political donation disclosure.

How to make a disclosure

The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 requires the disclosure of reportable political donations to be accompanied by the Reportable political donation declaration form. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission also provides a reportable donations  template to help agents making a disclosure and as a guide to what information must be included.

The following information must be disclosed for each reportable political donation, and included alongside the declaration when it is submitted to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission:

• the registered party, member, candidate, associated entity or third-party campaigner to whom (or for whose benefit) the donation was made
• the date the donation was received or made
• the amount of the donation
• the donor’s name
• the donor’s address, which will be either
  • their residential address (for individuals or unincorporated bodies), or
  • their registered or official office address (for incorporated bodies)
• the relevant business number (if any) of the donor, if the donor is not an individual
• if the reportable political donation is an aggregate of smaller donations, details that separately identify each political donation that was aggregated to meet the reportable threshold of $1,000, and
• copies of receipts or acknowledgements issued for the relevant reportable political donations from the electoral participant’s receipt and acknowledgement book.

If a reportable political donation relates to any reportable loan that is made or received during a relevant disclosure period, its disclosure must include:

• the amount of the loan
• the name and address of the person making the loan
• the terms and conditions of the loan, and
• the total loan repayments made under the loan during the relevant disclosure period.

Lodging a valid disclosure

Electoral participants who are ready to submit their reportable political donation disclosure to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission must ensure that they lodge a valid disclosure.

A valid disclosure lodgement includes three components:

1. a Reportable political donation declaration form completed by the relevant party agent or official agent
2. an itemised list of all reportable political donations being disclosed, including the required details for each donation (this template may be used), and
3. a copy of the corresponding receipt/acknowledgement issued or received for each donation disclosed.

The Commission checks all disclosures lodged to ensure they are valid. A valid disclosure lodgement is published to the Commission’s website as soon as practicable after it is determined to be valid, or within 7 days of a valid lodgement.

The Commission recommends disclosing early and often during election campaign periods, where significant political donations must be disclosed within 7 days of the donation being made or received. This allows agents to rectify any invalid lodgement and ensure that a valid lodgement is made within the required 7 days.

Disclosures from multiple electoral participants

If a House of Assembly or Legislative Council member is a registered candidate for a future election, their party agent or official agent is only required to make one declaration and disclosure for any reportable political donations received by the member/candidate.

If an electoral participant qualifies as more than one of an associated entity, third-party campaigner or significant political donor, their official agent may lodge one declaration and disclosure in relation to all reportable political donations made or received by that participant.

If a party agent is required to make declarations and disclosures for both a registered party and any endorsed members or candidates during the same relevant disclosure period, their party agent may lodge one declaration and disclosure as long as they separately identify the disclosures for each electoral participant.

Amending a disclosure

The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 allows for a party agent or official agent to amend a donation declaration and disclosure, in case a disclosure error needs to be corrected. To alter, omit, add or substitute any information declared in a disclosure, lodge a Reportable political donation amendment form with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission as soon as possible after an error has been identified.

Extensions for disclosures

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 donation declaration and disclosure for reportable political donations made or received outside the election campaign period. If an extension is required, a party agent or official agent should contact the Commission as soon as possible before the due date to discuss their circumstances.

Extensions are not available for reportable political donations received during an election campaign period.  

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