Glossary - Electoral disclosure and funding Tasmania

Disclosure and funding glossary

The Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 and the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Regulations 2025 use a number of terms for Tasmanian parliamentary elections. Use the glossary below as a quick-reference guide to the language of the Act and Regulations.

Term	Definition
Administration Fund	Public money the Tasmanian Electoral Commission administers to eligible registered parties and independent House of Assembly members for administrative expenditure.
Administrative expenditure	Expenditure that a registered party or House of Assembly member incurs: for their administration or management of operational activities for conferences, seminars or meetings where policies are being created or discussed providing information to the public about themselves providing information to registered party members or supporters, or the supporters of independent House of Assembly members auditing their financial accounts on equipment and training to ensure compliance with the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 on reasonable remuneration for their staff undertaking activities in this list on reasonable expenditure for equipment or vehicles used for undertaking activities in this list on office accommodation and equipment for staff.
Associated entity	An entity that is significantly linked to a registered political party for a Tasmanian parliamentary election. This means an entity that is any of the following: is controlled by one or more party operates wholly or substantially to benefit one or more parties is a financial member or has voting rights in a party (whether directly or via another person acting on their behalf).
Campaign account	A separate bank account used solely for incurring electoral expenditure or receiving political donations for a Tasmanian parliamentary election. The account must be with an authorised deposit-taking institution, and be denominated in Australian dollars.
Candidate	A person who is registered or nominated as a candidate for a Tasmanian parliamentary election, or a person incurring electoral expenditure or receiving political donations in anticipation of becoming a candidate for a Tasmanian parliamentary election.
Deputy registered officer	A person who may perform the duties of a political party’s registered officer.
Disclosure	An itemised account of electoral expenditure incurred, or political donations made or received, which is required to be made by electoral participants to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission relating to parliamentary elections in Tasmania. Disclosures are made publicly available via the Commission’s website.
Election campaign period – House of Assembly	General election: begins on the earlier of either the day on which the dissolution of the House occurs, or the day 6 months before the last day by which the election must be held, and ends 30 days after polling day. By-election: begins on the day the by-election writ is issued and ends third days after polling day.
Election campaign period – Legislative Council	Periodic election: begins on 1 January of the year the election is held and ends 30 days after polling day. By-election: begins on the day the Council seat becomes vacant and ends 30 days after polling day.
Election campaign return	A financial disclosure made by electoral participants after an election campaign period. It includes the itemised disclosure of electoral expenditure incurred, and all political donations made or received during the election campaign period.
Election Campaigns Fund	Public money the Tasmanian Electoral Commission administers to eligible registered parties and independent House of Assembly candidates for electoral expenditure.
Election expenditure – Legislative Council elections	Expenditure that relates to promoting or procuring the election of a Legislative Council member or candidate, and is incurred by (or with the authority of) the member or candidate within the election campaign period.
Election expenditure limit – Legislative Council elections	A cap on the amount of election expenditure that may be incurred by a member or candidate in a Legislative Council election.
Electoral participants	Any person, group of people or other entity who either incur electoral expenditure, or make or receive political donations. They can be political parties, members of parliament, candidates, intending candidates, associated entities, third-party campaigners, political donors, party agents or official agents.
Electoral matter	Any matter that is communicated for the dominant purpose of influencing the way electors vote in an election. Communicate means to print, publish, display, distribute, produce or broadcast via any means (including electronically or online).
Electoral expenditure – House of Assembly elections	Expenditure incurred for the dominant purpose of creating or communicating electoral matter in relation to a House of Assembly election.
Endorsed candidate	A candidate that is endorsed by a registered party in a Tasmanian parliamentary election.
Fundraising contribution	An amount paid by a person as a contribution, entry fee or similar to entitle them or another person to obtain a benefit from a fundraiser.
Gift	Any disposition of property made for no or inadequate cost, in money or money’s worth, and can include gifts-in-kind (e.g. the provision of accommodation, vehicles, computers or other equipment, for no or inadequate cost, for election campaign purposes).
Loan	Any of the following: an advance of money a provision of credit or any other form of financial accommodation a payment of an amount for a person, if there is an obligation to repay the amount a transaction which, in substance, effects a loan of money.
Official agent	An official agent is registered by an independent House of Assembly member or candidate, Legislative Council member or candidate, associated entity, third-party campaigner or significant political donor to act on their behalf in disclosure and funding matters.
Party agent	A party agent is registered by a political party to act on theirs and their endorsed candidates’ behalf in disclosure and funding matters.
Political donation	A political donation is a gift made to, or for the benefit of, a political party; or a gift made to a member, candidate, associated entity, or third-party campaigner for an election.
Political party	A group of people that exists for political purposes, and includes any Tasmanian branch of a federal political party.
Prohibited political donation	A political donation is prohibited if it is: from a foreign donor, to a registered party, member, candidate or associated entity, for $1,000 or more from a registered party, endorsed House of Assembly member or candidate, or associated entity, to an independent House of Assembly member or candidate a cash donation of more than $100, or not receipted per the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 and regulations.
Receipt and acknowledgement book	Also known as the “receipt book”. This is a book of triplicate receipts, required by the Regulations, that must be used by a party agent or official agent to receipt monetary reportable political donations, or acknowledge non-monetary reportable political donations. An electronic alternative to the receipt book may be used, but must be approved by the Tasmanian Electoral Commission prior to use.
Register, or public register	A list maintained by the Tasmanian Electoral Commission of electoral participants that the Electoral Act 2004 or the Electoral Disclosure and Funding Act 2023 requires to be publicly registered. For example, the Register of Associated Entities.
Registered officer	A person whose responsibilities include the maintenance of their political party’s registered information with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission and the nomination of the party’s endorsed parliamentary candidates.
Report, or public report	A list of all financial disclosures or claims for public funding made to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission by eligible electoral participants. For example, the Election Campaigns Fund claims report.
Reportable political donation	A political donation of either $1,000 or more as a single donation to an electoral participant, or combined multiple donations totalling $1,000 or more to the same electoral participant within a financial year.
Significant political donor	A donor who makes a reportable political donation to or for the benefit of an electoral participant; may be a corporation, an unincorporated group, or an individual.
Third-party campaigner	An entity that incurs more than $5,000 of electoral expenditure during an election campaign period for a House of Assembly election. May be a corporation, an unincorporated group of people, or an individual, but cannot also be a registered party, member, candidate or associated entity for an election.