You may be required to register with the AEC if you incur significant expenditure in seeking to influence voters in an election, or if you have some kind of connection with a registered political party (such as being controlled by or operating for the benefit of a registered political party).
The Application for Registration as a Political Campaigner is an approved form that must be completed by any person or entity if:
Electoral expenditure refers to expenditure incurred for the dominant purpose of creating or communicating electoral matter. Further details on electoral expenditure can be found at the Electoral Expenditure and Electoral Matter fact sheet.
If you are required to be registered as a political campaigner, you must register before the end of 90 days after becoming required to be registered.
Not registering as a political campaigner will incur a civil penalty whichever is the higher of the following amounts:
The political campaigner and financial controller’s names will be included in the Transparency Register.
You do not need to register as an associated entity if you lodged an associated entity annual disclosure return for 2017-18. Your details have been automatically included on the Transparency Register.
The Application for Registration as an Associated Entity is an approved form that must be completed by any entity (except a political entity) if:
If you are required to be registered as an associated entity, you must register before the end of 90 days after becoming required to be registered.
Not registering an associated entity will incur a civil penalty whichever is the higher of the following amounts:
The associated entity and financial controller’s names will be included in the Transparency Register, as well as the names of associated registered political parties.
A person or entity that is registered as a political campaigner or an associated entity may apply to the Electoral Commissioner to be deregistered under s287M of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 2018.
An application to deregister can be made via the approved form, after which the AEC must deregister the person or entity as a political campaigner or an associated entity.
This application should only be completed if you are no longer required to be registered as either a political campaigner or an associated entity.
If you need assistance please email fad@aec.gov.au, or alternatively call the Funding and Disclosure help desk on (02) 6271 4552.
