Funding and disclosure - all participants

Overview

The Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) provides public, advance, administrative, and policy development funding to support registered political parties, independent members of parliament, candidates, and groups. These payments are indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

👉 Learn more about funding and disclosure specific to political parties.

Electoral reforms

From 1 July 2025, the Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Act 2024 introduced reforms to South Australia’s electoral framework to strengthen transparency, accountability, and integrity in electoral funding and political donations.

To support stakeholders, the Electoral Commission will provide ongoing guidance to assist participants in understanding their obligations under the new legislation; however, independent legal advice is encouraged.

Public funding

Section 130P of the Electoral Act 1985 (the Act) establishes a general entitlement to public funds for:

• registered political parties
• independent members and candidates, and
• groups contesting elections.

The purpose of public funding is to assist with the costs of running a state election campaign or a state by-election.  

Important note: Registered political parties are not entitled to public funding until 8 months after their registration.

Key funding streams

• Public funding (including advance payments)
• Administrative expenditure funding (including one-off payments)
• Policy development funding.

Eligible political parties, elected members, candidates or groups may submit a claim to ECSA to receive payments under one or more of the available funding streams.

State campaign accounts

A state campaign account is a dedicated financial institution account that must be used by political participants in South Australian state elections to manage donations, public funding, and political expenditure. These accounts are required for candidates, groups, registered political parties, and third parties*.

* Third parties only need a state campaign account if they receive amounts that must be paid into one under the Act.

👉 Learn more about who needs one, what must be deposited, and how to stay compliant with electoral laws on our state campaign accounts page.

Qualifying for payment

To qualify for a payment of public funding, candidates and groups must meet minimum vote thresholds.

Candidates

A candidate qualifies for public funding if they:

• Are elected, or
• Receive at least 4% of the total primary votes in a House of Assembly election, or
• Receive at least 2% of the total primary votes in a Legislative Council election.

Groups

A group qualifies if:

• At least one member of the group is elected, or
• The group receives at least 2% of the total primary votes in a Legislative Council election.

Key definitions:

• Eligible vote: First preference vote on a formal ballot paper
• Total primary vote: Total number of eligible votes cast in the relevant electoral district.

Funding entitlement

Public funding is calculated per eligible vote and varies depending on the type of participant and their parliamentary status. There are 2 types of entitlements: standard and tapered.

Expenditure caps

Political participants who opt in to the public funding scheme are subject to limits on their political expenditure during the capped expenditure period.

Period: From 1 July in the year before the election until 30 days after polling day.

• Participants must not exceed their applicable cap.
• Penalties apply for breaches

👉 See political expenditure caps for details.

Reporting political expenditure

Participants who incur more than $5,000 in political expenditure during the capped expenditure period must lodge a capped expenditure return.

Deadline: Within 60 days after polling day.

👉 See reporting political expenditure for guidance.

Administrative funding

Administrative funding (formerly known as special assistance funding) is a form of public funding provided under Division 5 of the Electoral Act 1985. It is paid as a half-yearly entitlement to eligible registered political parties to assist with the reimbursement of administrative expenditure.

Funding is available to parties with one or more members in the South Australian Parliament (House of Assembly or Legislative Council) and independent members of parliament.

👉 Learn more about eligibility, funding amounts, and how to claim on the administrative funding page.

Advance public funding

Advance public funding is a new initiative introduced under the Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Act 2024. It provides eligible political participants with early access to public funds to support their state election campaigns.

This funding is available to candidates, groups, registered political parties, and independent members who meet specific requirements and lodge the appropriate certificate before polling day. Payments are made in instalments and are calculated based on previous election results or a legislated set amount.

Advance funding is designed to help cover legitimate campaign costs during the capped expenditure period. Strict rules apply to eligibility, timing, use of funds, and repayment obligations.

👉 Learn more about eligibility, payment structure, certificate requirements, and repayment rules on the advance public funding information page.

Policy development funding

Policy development funding provides reimbursement to eligible registered political parties for policy development expenditure incurred in a financial year.

👉 Learn more about eligibility, eligible expenditure, and how to claim on the policy development funding page. 

House of Assembly by-election

All participants may apply for public funding in a House of Assembly by-election. Funding is based on the results of the by-election. 

If an agent misses the deadline to lodge a section 130PF certificate, they may still be eligible if a section 130Q certificate is lodged within 14 days after polling day.

Period: From the day the vacancy is announced until 30 days after polling day.