Funding and disclosure - political parties

Overview

The Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) provides funding to support election-related activities under the Electoral Act 1985 (the Act). This includes funding for registered political parties, independent MPs, candidates, and groups. All payments are indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Key funding streams

Registered political parties may be eligible for:

Public funding - including advance payments to support campaign activities
Administrative expenditure funding - covering operational costs, with options for one-off payments
Policy development funding - to assist in the formulation of party policies.

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

Public funding

Public funding supports registered political parties in covering costs associated with state election campaigns and by-elections.

Eligibility

To qualify for public funding:

A political party must be registered for at least 8 months prior to the election.
Funding is only available for endorsed candidates or groups who receive eligible votes (i.e. first preference votes on formal ballot papers).
The amount payable is determined by section 130P of the Act.

Funding entitlement

Public funding is calculated per eligible vote and varies depending on the party’s parliamentary representation at the time of the election. There are 2 types of entitlements: standard, for parties with at least one sitting member of parliament, and tapered, for parties without parliamentary representation.

Party status	Entitlement type	Funding rate (2026 indexed)
Party with at least one MP at dissolution	Standard	$5.50 per eligible vote
Party with no MPs at dissolution	Tapered	$6.00 per vote for first 10% of total primary votes $5.50 per vote thereafter

Important:

Funding is limited to actual political expenditure incurred.
No payment will be made without satisfactory evidence of campaign-related costs.
Payments are indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Appointing an agent

Agents manage funding and disclosure obligations and ensure compliance with the Act.

👉 See our agents page for details.

Prescribed details for returns

Under the Act, all participants required to lodge returns, including registered political parties, third parties, associated entities, and their agents, must include prescribed details to meet funding and disclosure obligations.

👉 See our prescribed details page for more information.

State campaign accounts

Required for managing donations, public funding, and political expenditure. Must be opened with an authorised bank and registered with ECSA.

👉 See our state campaign accounts page for details.

Expenditure caps

Expenditure caps apply to political participants during election periods. These rules help ensure fairness and transparency in campaign spending.

Spending limits apply from 1 July before the election to 30 days after polling day.
Participants spending over $5,000 must lodge a capped expenditure return within 60 days after polling day.

👉 See our expenditure caps page for details.

Reporting and disclosure obligations

For registered political parties, section 130ZN of the Act outlines the reporting requirements. The agent of each registered political party is required to submit a political party return at prescribed times, in a format approved by the Electoral Commissioner.

👉 See our reporting and disclosure obligations for political parties page for details.

Types of funding

Advance funding

Registered political parties may apply for advance funding before polling day by lodging a section 130PF certificate. Once lodged, the certificate cannot be withdrawn.

Advance funding is paid in instalments and calculated based on either:

Previous election results (notional amount), or
A legislated set amount (e.g. $2,500 per candidate – 2026 indexed)

Eligibility, payment structure, and repayment rules vary depending on:

Whether the party is recontesting
Whether endorsed candidates are current or former MPs
Whether the election is for the House of Assembly or the Legislative Council.

👉 For full details, see:

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 page.

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 (the Act). It is paid as a half-yearly entitlement to eligible registered political parties and independent members of parliament to assist with the reimbursement of administrative expenditure.

Funding is available to:

Registered political parties with one or more members in the South Australian Parliament (House of Assembly or Legislative Council)
Independent members of parliament.

👉See or administrative funding page for details.

Policy development funding

Policy development funding supports eligible registered political parties by reimbursing costs related to developing party policies. This funding is separate from campaign-related funding and is subject to specific eligibility and expenditure rules.

👉 See our policy development funding page for details.

View the current register of political parties

How to register a political party