Changes to electoral laws to restrict signage outside polling stations, restrict political donations and election expenditure, and increase public funding of elections are being considered by State Parliament.
Proposed laws now being considered by a parliamentary committee would also clarify conflict of interest requirements to be observed by Cabinet ministers and local councillors.
Comments about these proposed laws can be submitted to Parliament’s Economics and Governance Committee by 9th January 2020.
Political donations
Under the proposed changes to Queensland’s electoral laws, there will be limits to how much a single donor can gift to parties, candidates and third parties involved in state election campaigns.
The proposed donation caps were explained by Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath in her speech to Parliament on 28 November:
“The bill imposes caps on donations to limit potential for improper influence by political donors. Registered political parties will only be permitted to accept $4,000 of political donations from a single donor over an entire parliamentary term. A single person or entity is permitted to donate up to $6,000 per parliamentary term to a candidate. Donations made to candidates of the same political party will of course be aggregated to prevent circumvention. That means that should a donor choose to donate to several candidates of the same party these collective donations cannot exceed the $6,000 cap. A donor is also permitted to donate $4,000 to third parties. Donors will not be permitted to make donations to more than six third-party campaigners. The donations caps will be indexed after each general election. The caps will apply to those political donations intended by donors to be used for state electoral purposes.”
Penalties for various offences in relation to political donations caps are proposed, up to 200 penalty points (currently $26 690.00).
Public funding
The Government proposes to almost double the amounts which political parties and candidates receive as public funding, as part of the proposed electoral laws being considered by the Parliament.
For each eligible formal first preference vote a political party will receive $6.00, up from $3.14. The payments to independent candidates will increase from $1.57 per vote to $3.00 per vote.
The threshold for a candidate getting public funding will be reduced from 6% to 4% of the formal first preference vote .
More money will be paid out to political parties for “policy development” with the total pool of funding being increased from $3 million to $6 million per election.
Expenditure caps
The proposed electoral laws will include caps on election spending.
For each seat candidates of a political party will be limited to $92,000 and independent candidates will be limited to $87,000.
Registered third parties will be limited to a cap of $1,000,000 overall and $87,000 for any particular electorate.
Signage at State elections
The proposed new electoral laws will make it illegal to display election advertising such as plastic bunting within 100 metres of a polling place.
The laws allow very limited exemptions. Each candidate will be allowed to have two signs (900mm by 600mm) within the 100 metres restricted signage area.
The laws will clarify that candidates and their supporters can still have election advertising displayed on clothing such as shirts and hats. They may also have election advertising on items such as umbrellas, portable shade structures, and small items such as badges, pens and stickers.
Putting a banned item in the restricted signage area will be an offence with a maximum penalty of 10 penalty units (currently equal to $1,334.50). Electoral Commission staff will be empowered to remove the offending items.
Integrity reforms
The proposed electoral laws legislation also includes laws about disclosure of conflicts of interest which will apply to both Cabinet ministers and local councillors.
- Dishonest conduct of Ministers (creating offences for Ministers who fail to disclose conflicts of interest or update their register of interests with dishonest intent to obtain a benefit for themselves or another person, or cause detriment for another, with penalties of up to 2 years imprisonment), and
- Dishonest conduct for councillors and other local government matters (including introducing new offences relating to a failure to comply with particular conflict of interest or register of interest requirements, changes to processes for dealing with conflicts of interest, and other administrative arrangements).
Have your say about law changes by 9th January 2020
Legislation to restrict election signage at polling stations and to change the rules for funding and expenditure of election campaigns is part of the Electoral and Other Legislation (Accountability, Integrity and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2019 which is currently being considered in an inquiry conducted by State Parliament’s Economics and Governance Committee.
More detailed information about the proposed legislation is available in a
Brief to the Economics and Governance Committee
The Committee has invited submissions which can be made until 12:00pm (noon) on 9th January 2020.
Anyone making a submission should read:
Submissions should be addressed to:
Email: egc@parliament.qld.gov.au
Committee Secretary
Economics and Governance Committee
Parliament House, George Street, Brisbane Qld 4000
Redlands2030 -27 December 2019
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3 Comments
As usual the proposed legislation is “all lights and movement” but no substance. Why the difference between Party candidates and independents. In reality parties have way more fund raising power/options and access to dodgy avoidance. I contend that each candidate should be limited to a government audited $6,000! No private funds.
Please excuse my cynicism, but I don’t recall reading anything in the proposed legislation preventing multiple donations to the same political party from Management of a Company, Board or Unions.
How unfair political parties get $6 first preference and Independents get $3. Why should tax payers fund these election campaigns. When a member of Parliament is on $200,000 cant they put some money aside each month towards their next campaign, Councillors have to manage this way. Poor old Taxpayers hit again only to be stuck with the same elected members many milking the bucket.