1 February 2008

The 2006/07 annual financial disclosure returns from political parties, associated entities and donors have been released for public inspection.

The annual returns are on the Australian Electoral Commission’s website at http://fadar.aec.gov.au/

The returns for the 2006/07 financial year include 49 political party returns, 218 associated entity returns and 194 donor returns. 

For the first time, people who engage in political expenditure are required to lodge a return.  Fifty-one political expenditure returns have been lodged for 2006/07.

Total receipts disclosed by political parties in the 2006/07 financial year were $127,218,316.76 compared to $74,556,334.55 for the 2005/06 annual returns.

For associated entities, the total declared receipts increased from $113,397,256.91 in 2005/06 to $637,938,063.70 in 2006/07 – largely as a result of the increase in the number of associated entities.

At this time last year, the AEC had received 80 political party returns, 89 associated entity returns and 317 donor returns. 
The increase in associated entity returns since last year can be attributed to the broadening of the definition of associated entity to include trade unions affiliated with the Australian Labor Party. 

The decrease in donor returns is a result of the new increased disclosure threshold (more than $10,300 for 2006/07) applying for the full financial year.  During the 2004/05 financial year, the last to use the old threshold, there were 1,286 donor returns. In 2005/06, when the new threshold applied for half the year, the number declined to 317 donor returns.

Attached is a fact sheet showing the basic disclosure requirements. 

Media contact:
Sasha Nimmo
Media Unit
Ph: 62714419

Phil Diak
Director Media
Ph: 0413 452 539

Disclosure fact sheet

The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 requires that registered political parties, associated entities, donors to registered political parties and people who engage in political expenditure furnish returns to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) each financial year. 

These returns are made public in February the following year. 

Political parties must submit returns containing the following information:

• the total of receipts received during the financial year;
• the total expenditure for the financial year;
• the sum and details (date and source) of all receipts over the threshold; and
• the sum and details of any debts as at the end of the financial year that exceed the threshold.

Associated entities must submit returns containing the following information:

• the total of receipts for the financial year;
• the total expenditure for the financial year;
• the sum and details (date and source) of all receipts that exceed the threshold;
• the sum and details of any debts as at the end of the financial year that exceed the threshold; and
• the sum and details of any capital contributions that exceed the threshold each financial year.

Where the sum of a donor's contribution to a political party is more than the threshold, the donor must submit a return that details:

• the sum and details (date and recipient of the donation) of each ‘gift’; and
• the sum and details of any ‘gifts’ received by the donor that have been passed on to a political party or associated entity, or to another donor for the purposes of being passed on to a political party or associated entity.

Note that receipts include ‘gifts’ (donations) and other receipts such as returns on investments or sales of assets.  Parties and associated entities are given the option of distinguishing between ‘gifts’ and other receipts in their returns.

Note also that donors are not required to make a return where they have received some consideration for their ‘gift’.  Most usually, this involves the provision of a meal or a networking opportunity at a fund raiser.

Where a person has made expenditure on the following activities the sum of which is in excess of the threshold, they must complete a return detailing expenditure in each of the activities, if any:

• public expression of views on a political party, candidate in an election, member of the Federal Parliament or an issue in a Federal election by any means;
• printing, production, publication, distribution or broadcast of any material that is required by section 328 or 328A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 or subclause 4(2) of schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to include an authorization; and
• carrying out opinion polling or other research relating to a Federal election or the voting intentions of electors.

Where a person is required to lodge a political expenditure return, and that person received a gift or gifts in excess of the threshold that went towards this expenditure, the person must disclose the sum of the gift, the source of the gift and the date on which the gift was made.

Note: The threshold for the 2006/07 financial year returns was 'more than $10,300.'