Parties and Candidates

Details

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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. 

Related information

Resources that support this page include:

👉 Advance funding - House of Assembly elections (web page)

👉 Advance funding - Legislative Council elections (web page)

👉 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  • Once lodged, the certificate cannot be withdrawn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

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

For full instructions and legislative references, see the Policy Development Funding Guide.

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

Overview

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.

Notification form

Agents must complete the State Campaign Account Notification form to register account details with the Electoral Commission. The form is available via the link below and must be lodged before the account can be used for deposits or expenditure.

👉 To access the form, visit our Resources Page.

Key requirements

  • The state campaign account must be established with an authorised deposit-taking institution (ADI).
    A list of ADIs can be found on the APRA Register of Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions.
  • Must be registered with the Electoral Commission
    • The Electoral Commissioner maintains a register of state campaign accounts and your account must be listed on the register before it can be used.
    • Agents are responsible for providing account details, including the name and account number, the agent responsible for the account and any other details required by the Electoral Commissioner.

Money that must be deposited

  • Public funding payments
  • Donations received (unless unlawful, not electoral donations or excluded by regulation)
  • Funds for political expenditure or reimbursement
  • For mixed-purpose payments, only the portion for political expenditure must be deposited.

Money that must not be deposited

  • Administrative or policy development payments
  • Transfers from federal campaign accounts under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

Note: If money is mistakenly deposited, it is not an offence, as long as the agent takes reasonable steps to withdraw it immediately upon becoming aware of the error.

Details

On this page:

Forms and Guides - Election

These forms and guides support the nomination of candidates and the lodgement of voting tickets for the 2026 State Election. They outline the requirements for both House of Assembly and Legislative Council candidates.

House of Assembly
Forms
Guides
Legislative Council
Forms
Guides

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Forms and Guides - Compliance

Used for registration, funding, disclosure, and ongoing obligations under the Act.

Forms
Guides

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Information sheets and infographics

Additional forms and guidance materials are currently under development and will be published here as they are finalised.

If you are unable to locate a specific form or have urgent compliance requirements, contact the Compliance Branch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 08 7424 7400.

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