Fact sheet: Administrative assistance funding

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What is administrative assistance funding?

Administrative assistance funding (AAF) provides new public funding to eligible registered political parties (RPP), independent members of the House of Representatives and independent Senators to assist with administrative expenditure.

This funding is for administrative expenses incurred by an eligible entity in preparing for and participating in activities apart from campaigning. This is generally expenditure apart from that incurred for the dominant purpose of creating or communicating electoral matter.

Who is eligible for AAF?

An RPP is eligible to receive AAF if it:

• is registered under Part XI of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Electoral Act), and
• has at least one sitting member in the House of Representatives (MP) or the Senate.

Independent MPs and Senators are also eligible.

How can AAF be used?

Administrative assistance funding can be used to fund administrative expenditure incurred by a registered political party, independent MP or Senator for their operational and management activities.

Administrative expenditure includes the following types of expenses, in certain circumstances, to the extent they are not related to electoral expenditure:

• administration or management of activities of the RPP, independent MP or Senator
• conferences, seminars, meetings or similar events at which policies of the RPP or independent MP or Senator are discussed or formulated
• auditing of the financial accounts of, in connection with, claims and disclosures in relation to the RPP, independent MP or Senator
• staff remuneration
• staff training
• equipment (including information technology equipment) or vehicles (excluding campaign vehicles which align with electoral expenditure) used by staff
• office accommodation
• interest payments on loans (to the extent that the loans are in connection with one or more of the above).

Administrative expenditure does not include:

• expenditure incurred for the main purpose of creating or communicating electoral matter (federal purpose)
• expenditure that is payable or reimbursed by the Commonwealth
• expenditure for a State or Territory electoral purpose
• matters prescribed under relevant regulation.

Payment of AAF

The AEC must make a quarterly AAF payment to the RPP, independent MP or Senator before the end of the 7th day of the month commencing the quarter (i.e. April, July, October and January).

The funding will be paid to the account nominated by the entity (which may be a federal administrative account but cannot be a federal account kept for the purpose of Part XX of the Electoral Act). For more information on federal accounts, please see: Fact sheet – Federal accounts.

The nominated account must:

• be maintained either by an RPP, independent MP or Senator
• be with an authorised deposit-taking institution (examples may include banks, building societies or credit unions)
• be kept in Australia and
• not be a federal account.

Spending and reporting of AAF

A responsible person must ensure AAF is spent solely on administrative expenditure and is reported through the annual returns reporting process.

The person or entity responsible for the annual return reporting obligation is either:

• the agent of the registered political party or
• the independent MP or Senator themselves.

Contact us

fadreform@aec.gov.au

Disclaimer: The information on this page is intended to provide general guidance only. It does not constitute legal, financial, or other professional advice. Persons and entities should seek their own professional advice to find out how the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 applies to their particular circumstances. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has made every reasonable effort to provide current and accurate information, but it does not make any guarantees regarding the accuracy, currency, or completeness of that information. Parties who wish to re-publish or otherwise use the information on this page must check this information for currency and accuracy prior to publication.