Electoral Funding Act 2018

Disclosures are to be made in a declaration lodged with the Electoral Commission in a manner and form—

determined by the regulations (if any), and

subject to the regulations, approved by the Electoral Commission.

Without limiting subsection (1), the regulations or an approval by the Electoral Commission may make provision for an electronic or internet-based system of lodgment of declarations of disclosures.

A declaration lodged under this section must be accompanied by the documents and information prescribed by the regulations.

A declaration lodged under this section in relation to a relevant disclosure period or a half-yearly period is to contain a statement to the effect that all disclosures required to be made in relation to the period—

have been made, and

are true and correct.

A declaration is required to be lodged under this section in relation to a relevant disclosure period or half-yearly period even if it does not contain any disclosures.

For the purposes of this Act (including this section and sections 14, 22 and 141)—

the declaration is taken to be the making of a disclosure required by this Part, and

the time required by this Part for lodging the declaration is taken to be the time prescribed by sections 15 and 16 for the making of disclosures under this Part.

The regulations may provide for a single declaration of disclosures by the following—

a person or other entity who, in a relevant disclosure period or half-yearly period or in relation to any particular political donations or electoral expenditure, qualifies as more than one of the following—

an associated entity,

a third-party campaigner,

a major political donor,

a party agent of a registered party in relation to—

the party, and

elected members, candidates and groups of candidates who are members of the party, and

associated entities of the party.

Disclosures in a declaration lodged under this section are required to be vouched for in the manner prescribed by the regulations.