Parties and Candidates

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Category: Parties and Candidates

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Overview

The Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Act 2024 introduces advance payments for political participants who lodge a section 130PF certificate. These reforms apply from 1 July 2025 and are part of broader changes to South Australia's electoral funding framework.

Quick links

👉 Advance funding - House of Assembly elections (article)

👉 Advance funding - Legislative Council elections (article)

👉 Election Funding - Advance Funding Guide (PDF, 388KB)

Eligibility

Advance public funding is available to:

  • Candidates
  • Groups
  • Registered political parties
  • Independent members.

Important: An agent must apply before polling day. Funds are deposited into the state campaign account, not to individuals.

Payment structure

Advance funding is paid in 2 instalments:

  • Payment A: 60% of the notional amount (or set amount if not recontesting).
  • Payment B: 20% of the notional amount (or set amount if not recontesting).

How it’s calculated

Funding is based on estimated entitlement under section 130P, using either:

  • Previous state election results (notional amount), or
  • A set amount fixed by legislation.

Different formulas apply for House of Assembly (HA) and Legislative Council (LC) elections.

Lodging a section 130PF certificate

  • Must be lodged after the capped expenditure period begins and before polling day
  • Once lodged, the certificate cannot be withdrawn
  • Late lodgement may result in no advance funding, but you may still qualify under section 130Q(3)(b) if a section 130Q certificate is lodged within 14 days after polling day.

Payment timing

  • Payment A – paid as soon as reasonably practicable after the section 130PF certificate is lodged.
  • Payment B – paid as soon as reasonably practicable after the writ is issued*.

* For entitled candidates and groups, Payment B is triggered by the nomination of the candidate(s), not the issue of the writ.

Late lodgement

If the certificate is lodged after the writ but before polling day, Payment A and B are combined.

Use of public funding

Funding can be used for campaign-related costs such as:

  • Production, display, and distribution of electoral matter
  • Stationery and postage for electoral matter
  • Mobile phones used primarily for campaign purposes
  • Employing staff during the capped expenditure period
  • Office accommodation and associated expenditure (other than the headquarters of a registered political party)
  • Advertising (production, distribution, publishing).

Prohibited: General administration or operational costs unrelated to the campaign.

Early payment of certain advance funding

Under Section 130PD of the Electoral Act 1985, certain political participants may request an early payment of a portion of their advance public funding before the capped expenditure period begins.

👉 See advance funding early payment page for more information

Deductions and repayments

Advance public funding received for both House of Assembly and Legislative Council elections is deducted from the final public funding entitlement under section 130P of the Electoral Act.

You may need to repay advance funding if:

  • No candidates are nominated
  • Candidates don't meet vote thresholds
    • HA: Must receive at least 4% of first preference votes
    • LC: Must receive at least 2% of first preference votes
  • Overpayment occurs.

By-elections

Advance public funding is available in a House of Assembly by-election, but only under strict conditions.

👉 Learn more on our advance funding for HA by-elections page

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Details
Category: Parties and Candidates

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

Eligibility

A party is eligible for annual payments if:

  • It is an entitled registered political party for at least 12 months during the full calendar year of expenditure, and
  • It is not receiving administrative funding.
Note: A registered party is considered eligible if it has been registered for 12 months or more as of 1 January and remains registered for the entire calendar year.

Funding amount

Eligible parties may receive up to $20,000 per year (indexed from 2026), based on actual policy development expenditure.

Important: This funding must not be paid into a state campaign account and cannot be used for political or electoral expenditure.

What qualifies as policy development expenditure

Expenditure may include activities such as:

  • Hosting conferences, seminars, meetings, or similar functions where party policies are discussed.
  • Providing information about party policies to members and supporters.
  • Conducting research for the purpose of developing party policies.

How to claim

Eligible parties can submit a claim to the Electoral Commission of South Australia within 30 days after the end of the calendar year to which the expenditure relates.

Details
Category: Parties and Candidates

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Definition 

A nominated entity is an organisation formally appointed by a registered political party to act on its behalf in relation to its financial or administrative activities.

Under the Electoral Act 1985 (the Act), each political party may appoint up to 2 nominated entities, provided they meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Act. These criteria relate to the entity's legal status, governance, and its formal relationship with the party.

Eligibility criteria

Under Division 2A of the Act, an organisation can only be appointed as a nominated entity if it meets the eligibility requirements. An entity is ineligible if any of the following apply.

  • It is not an associated entity of the political party.
  • It is already a nominated entity of another political party.
  • The entity, or any of its officers (as defined in the Corporations Act 2001), has been convicted of offences under this Act or under Part 20 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.
  • The political party has already appointed 2 other nominated entities.

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Appointment and registration process

Under Division 2A of the Act, the appointment of a nominated entity follows a formal process:

  • Party's agent provides written notice to the Electoral Commissioner.
  • Supporting documents are submitted, including a declaration of eligibility.
  • Appointment takes effect once details are entered into the register.

Revocation and removal

  • Appointment may be revoked by the party's agent.
  • A nominated entity may resign by written notice.
  • The Electoral Commissioner must remove an entity if it ceases to be associated or if convictions apply.
  • Removal from the register automatically ends the appointment.

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Register of nominated entities

The register is published online by the Electoral Commissioner and includes:

  • The name of each nominated entity
  • The address of the entity
  • The political party it is associated with.

This register promotes transparency and accountability in political party operations, particularly in relation to financial disclosures and campaign expenditure.

Political party Party address Nominated entity Entity address
Australian Labor Party - SA Branch 141 Gilles Street
ADELAIDE SA 5000		 ALP Holdings Pty Ltd 141 Gilles Street
ADELAIDE SA 5000
Liberal Party of Australia (SA Division) Level 1, 104 Greenhill Road
UNLEY SA 5061		 The Liberal Foundation Inc. Level 1, 104 Greenhill Road
UNLEY SA 5061

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Details
Category: Parties and Candidates

The Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Act 2024 has introduced major reforms to the Electoral Act 1985, effective from 1 July 2025. These changes are designed to strengthen transparency, accountability, and fairness in South Australia's electoral system. Use the links below to explore how the reforms affect candidates, parties, and the electoral process.

Electoral reform

South Australia's electoral laws have been updated under the Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Act 2024.

Reform highlights

ECSA hosted an info session on how the reforms affect parties, candidates, donors, and the electoral process.

Guidance and support

Find practical guidance and tools to help you meet your obligations.


Need help?: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Details
Category: Parties and Candidates

A person who is a candidate for election to an office of a council must lodge the following returns with the Electoral Commissioner:

CAMPAIGN DONATIONS RETURN - all councils including the City of Adelaide

Candidates (for all councils including the City of Adelaide) must lodge a campaign donations return with the Electoral Commissioner.

Candidates must lodge 2 returns:

For a periodic election:

  • the first campaign donation return must be lodged with the returning officer in the period between 22 to 28 days after the close of nominations
  • the second campaign donation return must be lodged within 30 days after the conclusion of the election.

For any other type of election (supplementary, etc.):

  • the first campaign donation return must be lodged with the returning officer in the period between 8 to 14 days after the close of nominations
  • the second campaign donation return must be lodged within 30 days after the conclusion of the election.

The return must disclose:

  • the total amount or value of all gifts received during the disclosure period
  • the number of people who made those gifts
  • the amount or value of each gift
  • the date on which each gift was made
  • details of persons and organisations (donors) providing those gifts.

The campaign donations return need not set out any details in respect of:

  • a private gift made to the candidate
  • a gift with an amount or value less than $500
  • a gift already disclosed in a large gift return

If a candidate is not required to provide any details in a return, the campaign donations return must still be lodged and include a statement to the effect that no gifts of a kind required to be disclosed were received.

LARGE GIFTS RETURN - all councils including the City of Adelaide

All candidates (for all councils including the City of Adelaide) must lodge a large gifts return if they receive a gift or gifts from a donor in excess of $2,500.

The Acts prescribe different times that the large gifts return must be lodged, but during the election year, a large gift return must be lodged within 5 days of receipt of the large gift.

The return must disclose:

  • the amount or value of each gift received
  • details of persons and organisations (donors) providing those gifts
  • the date on which each gift was made.

Two or more gifts (excluding private gifts) made by the same person to a candidate during the disclosure period are to be treated as one gift.

A large gifts return need not set out any details in respect of a private gift made to the candidate. A gift to a candidate is a private gift if it is made in a private capacity to the candidate for their personal use and the candidate has not used, and will not use, the gift solely or substantially for a purpose related to the election.

Large gifts returns should be lodged with ECSA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE RETURN - City of Adelaide only

Candidates for City of Adelaide elections must lodge a campaign expenditure return, in addition to any campaign donation return or large gift return.

A campaign expenditure return must be lodged within 30 days of the conclusion of the election and set out all details of campaign expenditure in relation to the election incurred by or with the authority of the candidate.

If a candidate does not incur more than $500 in campaign expenditure, they may lodge a ‘NIL’ return.

The types of expenditure defined as campaign expenditure are set out in section 25(2) of the City of Adelaide Act 1998 and they include items such as:

  • the broadcasting of an electoral advertisement
  • production and display of an electoral advertisement
  • production of material requiring the author or printer of the material to be displayed in accordance with section 27 LGEA 1999
  • consulting and advertising agency fees
  • production and distribution of electoral material.

Disclosure requirements previous elections

Offences

See section 85 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 and section 29 of the City of Adelaide Act 1998. It is an offence to fail to lodge a return within time, to lodge a return containing false or misleading information, or to supply information that is false or misleading to another person for a return. The maximum penalty is $10,000.

Public inspection of returns

The Electoral Commissioner is required to publish all returns within prescribed times on a website maintained by the returning officer. Campaign donation returns and large gift returns disclosed by candidates standing in council election are available on each candidate's online profile.

* The above link will take you to our council elections results site. Each candidate's return is accessed via their profile by selecting the blue button beside the relevant donation return.

Records

See section 89 of the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999 and section 33 of the City of Adelaide Act 1988. A person must take reasonable steps to retain all records relevant to a return and keep these for at least 4 years after the date of which the relevant return is required to be lodged. The maximum penalty is $5,000.

More information

Disclaimer: The information provided above is general in nature. Candidates and others should refer to the specific wording of the Act and Regulations and seek independent legal or other advice on any issues of interpretation that may arise.

  1. Compliance audits
  2. Indexed amounts
  3. Disclosure returns
  4. Associated entities

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