2011-12 annual financial disclosure returns released today

The 2011-12 annual financial disclosure returns from political parties, associated entities, donors and third parties who incur political expenditure are now available for public inspection.

The annual returns are available on the on Annual returns website. This website provides images of the original returns, some analysis and a data export function to enable users to undertake additional analysis of data.

The total figures disclosed in the 2011-12 annual returns are provided below in the high level summary tables together with a breakdown showing the total amounts disclosed by the major party groups.

Editor’s note

Further information about basic disclosure requirements follows and can also be found on the financial disclosure page.

For media enquiries, contact the AEC media unit on 02 6271 4415 or email media@aec.gov.au.

High level summary of 2011-12 financial disclosure returns

Note: A federal election was held in the 2010-11 financial year

Political Parties - Receipts

Party	Receipts 2009–10 $	Receipts 2010–11 $	Receipts 2011–12 $
ALP	36 426 857	83 271 496	49 562 954
Liberal	41 037 133	104 664 091	55 057 913
Nationals	5 675 019	14 050 444	8 181 710
Greens	3 982 385	13 119 481	4 273 859
Others	4 595 405	13 323 376	7 959 163
Total	91 716 799	228 428 888	125 035 599

Political Parties - Payments

Party	Payments 2009–10 $	Payments 2010–11 $	Payments 2011–12 $
ALP	32 653 512	87 899 788	44 948 873
Liberal	34 945 836	108 054 765	40 723 725
Nationals	4 924 853	13 493 122	6 927 840
Greens	4 382 449	10 497 330	3 701 838
Others	4 147 174	11 182 652	8 353 200
Total	81 053 824	231 127 657	104 655 476

Political Parties - Debts

Party	Debts 2009–10 $	Debts 2010–11 $	Debts 2011–12 $
ALP	11 865 291	16 374 462	11 944 930
Liberal	11 992 769	15 471 399	15 061 789
Nationals	1 065 889	2 905 147	1 292 864
Greens	459 772	845 999	517 473
Others	1 697 475	2 273 974	2 558 315
Total	27 081 196	37 870 981	31 375 371

As at 31 January 2013 the AEC had received 69 political party returns with total receipts* of $125,035,599 disclosed by political parties for 2011-12. This compares to 67 political party returns with total receipts of $228,428,888 reported for the 2010-11 financial year.

Associated Entity Returns

Receipts 2009-10 $	Receipts 2010-11 $	Receipts 2011-12 $	Payments 2009-10 $	Payments 2010-11 $	Payments 2011-12 $	Debts 2009-10>$	Debts 2010-11 $	Debts 2011-12 $
703 685 874	792 347 329	804 412 044	687 737 692	784 920 993	767 064 136	110 350 216	127 673 629	123 413 594

Donor Returns

2009-10 $	2010-11 $	2011-12 $
13 320 136	29 235 467	12 751 191

Political Expenditure Returns

2009-10 $	2010-11 $	2011-12 $
27 944 362	39 508 576	19 447 720

*Note: 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.

Financial disclosure facts

The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 requires registered political parties and donors to registered political parties, associated entities and third parties who incur political expenditure to furnish financial disclosure returns to the AEC covering each financial year.

These returns are made public in February the following year.

Political parties must submit returns containing the following information:

• the total sum received during the financial year
• the total expenditure for the financial year
• the total debt outstanding at the end of the financial year
• the sum 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 sum received during the financial year
• the total expenditure for the financial year
• the total debt outstanding at the end of the financial year
• the sum 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 the sources of any donations to political parties that exceed the threshold each financial year and are made from capital contributions.

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.

Where a person has made political 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.

Candidates and Senate Groups not endorsed by a political party must disclose the total donations received and the sum and source of donations over the threshold, as well as expenditure in the categories above. Gifts received by candidates and Senate Groups that are endorsed by a political will be reported in the political party return for the 2011-12 financial year.

Media contact

Phil Diak | Director Media
AEC, Canberra
02 6271 4415
0413 452 539