Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Disclosure of Political Donations) 2021

# Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Disclosure of Political Donations) Bill 2021 ## What it does This bill requires political parties, candidates, and groups to publicly report large donations much faster than they currently do. Instead of waiting months to disclose who's giving them money, they'll have to report donations over the threshold within 5 business days of receiving them—as soon as the donation tips them over the reporting limit for that year. ## Why it matters Faster disclosure means voters can see who's funding political campaigns in real time, rather than after an election is over. This gives the public a better chance to understand whose interests politicians might be representing while decisions are still being made. ## Key details - **The reporting threshold**: Political entities must report gifts from the same person or organisation once they hit the existing disclosure threshold (currently $14,500 for most recipients, though the exact amount isn't specified in this excerpt) - **Timeline**: The 5 business day reporting window starts from when a donation pushes the total over the threshold, then applies to every donation after that - **When it starts**: The law comes into effect on 1 July following Royal Assent—so if passed in 2021, it would start July 1, 2022