Media Release 2009: Australian Electoral Commission to release 2007-08 annual financial disclosure returns

30 January 2009

The 2007-08 annual financial disclosure returns from political parties, associated entities, donors, and people who engage in political expenditure will be made available for public inspection from 9am (AEDST) on Monday 2 February 2009.

The annual returns will be available on the Australian Electoral Commission's (AEC's) website at www.aec.gov.au.

The website provides for some analysis of the information in the returns as well as images of the original returns. Improvements to the website will include a data export function to enable users to undertake additional analysis of data. Information on funding and disclosure is available in handbooks at www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/index.htm.

The AEC's subscriber update service allows for people to be advised when late returns are received and updates are made to the website. Subscribe to the service online at http://apps.aec.gov.au/subscribe/.

Below is a fact sheet providing details of the basic disclosure requirements.

Media enquiries:

Phil Diak
Director Media
Australian Electoral Commission
02 6271 4415
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 contributions 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 asked to distinguish 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 authorisation; 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 2007-08 financial year returns was 'more than $10 500'. The threshold is indexed and is adjusted on 1 July of each financial year.

For more information visit www.aec.gov.au/Parties_and_Representatives/index.htm