Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Cleaning up Political Donations) 2022

# Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Cleaning up Political Donations) Bill 2022 ## What it does This bill tightens rules around political donations to Australian parties and candidates. It lowers the threshold for when donations must be publicly disclosed, requires donations to be reported in real-time rather than waiting for periodic reports, and introduces new restrictions on who can donate and how much can be spent on elections. ## Why it matters Right now, political donations under $13,800 stay hidden from public view—meaning voters can't see who's funding their politicians. This bill aims to shine a light on political money flowing through the system, making it harder for undisclosed donations to influence politics behind closed doors. ## Key details - **Disclosure threshold drops from $13,800 to $1,000**: Any donation over $1,000 must be publicly reported (instead of staying secret) - **Real-time reporting**: Donations will need to be disclosed as they're received, not collected and reported months later - **Additional restrictions**: The bill also includes new rules on prohibited donors, caps on donation amounts, caps on election spending, and tougher penalties for breaches - **Starts 1 July**: The law takes effect on the first 1 July after it passes Parliament