Local Government Electoral and Other Legislation (Expenditure Caps) Amendment Bill 2022

Overview

This bill introduces spending caps for Queensland local government elections to create fairer campaigns. It limits how much candidates, political parties, and third parties can spend on advertising and other campaign activities, and requires detailed disclosure of campaign finances.

Who it affects

Candidates for mayor and councillor positions must stay within spending limits and keep detailed financial records. Political parties and groups of candidates can pool their caps for coordinated campaigns. Community groups and other third parties campaigning during elections must register if they spend more than $6,000.

Key changes

• Mayoral candidates in Brisbane limited to $1.3 million in campaign spending; councillor candidates limited to $55,000 per division. Outside Brisbane, caps scale based on the number of enrolled voters
• Third parties must register with the Electoral Commission of Queensland if they spend more than $6,000 on local election campaigns; unregistered third parties are capped at $6,000
• Political parties and groups of candidates can pool their individual expenditure caps to run coordinated campaigns
• Campaign spending period runs for approximately seven months before quadrennial elections, with strict record-keeping and disclosure requirements
• Serious penalties introduced for exceeding caps, including fines up to 1,500 penalty units or 10 years imprisonment, plus recovery of twice the unlawful spending