What changed

Funding and disclosure reform is arriving in federal politics in two stages. Legislative changes made by the Electoral Reform Act 2025 are overhauling the Commonwealth funding and disclosure scheme. Transitional Rules, which bridge the existing framework and the new one, have applied since 1 July 2026. The new obligations take full effect on 1 January 2027, and so do the penalties for not meeting them.

Who is affected

Anyone with obligations under the current Commonwealth funding and disclosure scheme is affected. That includes registered political parties, candidates, associated entities, significant third parties and donors.

When it starts

The Transitional Rules have been in force since 1 July 2026. The new obligations and their penalties begin on 1 January 2027. That is also when you can start lodging real disclosures in the new Funding and Disclosure (FAD) System.

What funding and disclosure reform means in practice

The first release of the FAD System is already open, so you can get to grips with it before the deadline. You can create an account, ask for it to be linked to an entity, and draft example donation disclosure notices, either online or by bulk upload. You can also save and review those test notices. The AEC says it will add more features over time, but you can’t lodge actual disclosures until after 1 January 2027.

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General information only, not legal advice. Check the official source before acting.
Source: Australian Electoral Commission. Licence: CC BY 4.0.