This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Government & democracy
Political parties, state party branches, candidates and some campaigners would have to report donations above the disclosure thresholdThe minimum donation amount that triggers reporting under the rules discussed on this page. within five business daysThe short reporting window this bill would have required after a donation was received., instead of mainly relying on yearly reporting.
Annual reporting left political donations above the disclosure thresholdThe minimum donation amount that triggers reporting under the rules discussed on this page. hidden until long after they were received. This bill requires parties, candidates and some campaigners to report those donations to the Australian Electoral CommissionThe federal body that receives political donation reports and publishes them for the public. within five business daysThe short reporting window this bill would have required after a donation was received. for faster public disclosure.
Australia’s federal donation rules largely relied on annual returns, so voters at the 2022 federal election could not see many donations until months later, a lag that critics linked to weak transparency and falling trust in government. The bill responded by proposing five-business-day disclosure to the Australian Electoral CommissionThe federal body that receives political donation reports and publishes them for the public., and although it was later removed from the Notice PaperThe Parliament list of business to be considered; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being progressed., the push for faster reporting carried into broader electoral finance negotiations that produced a major donations and spending overhaul in 2025.
The main reservation recorded here is not opposition to faster disclosure itself, but that donation reporting can still be inaccurate or gamed if parties and donors classify payments inconsistently or route money through arrangements that blur what counts as a donation. in publicly available sources here, support for real-time disclosure was clear in debate, while criticism was limited to broader transparency and implementation risks raised in public reporting rather than direct parliamentary opposition to this bill.
Rebekha Sharkie MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Centre Alliance, some crossbench members.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
204 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Political parties, state party branches, candidates and some campaigners would have to report donations above the disclosure thresholdThe minimum donation amount that triggers reporting under the rules discussed on this page. within five business daysThe short reporting window this bill would have required after a donation was received., instead of mainly relying on yearly reporting.
Donation reports would have to be lodged within five business daysThe short reporting window this bill would have required after a donation was received. after the money or gift is received, giving the public much faster visibility of political donations.
Each donation report would have to identify who gave the donation, what was given, its value, when it was received, and who received it.
People or organisations that fail to report these donations on time could be fined 60 penalty unitsA standard way Australian law measures fines, so the penalty can be set without naming a dollar amount each time. or three times the value of the donation.
The Australian Electoral CommissionThe federal body that receives political donation reports and publishes them for the public. would have to publish these donation notices on its Transparency RegisterThe public register where the Electoral Commission would publish donation notices so voters can see them sooner. as soon as reasonably practical after receiving them.
The Bill amends the Act to require the agent of a registered political party, agent of a State branch of such a party, a significant third party (campaigner) or a candidate to advise the electoral commission of any gift or gifts received by the political party, branch, candidate, or third party (if any part of the gift or gifts is used for certain electoral purposes by the third party) which total more than the disclosure threshold during the financial year.Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Real Time Disclosure of Political Donations) explanatory memorandum
The notification must occur within five business days of receipt of the donation.Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Real Time Disclosure of Political Donations) explanatory memorandum
The notification must include the identity of the person or entity who made the gift, the amount of the gift, a description of the gift, the date on which it was received, and the name and address of the party, branch, significant third party or candidate which received the gift.Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Real Time Disclosure of Political Donations) explanatory memorandum
A failure to provide notification to the electoral commission in the above circumstances results in a penalty of 60 penalty units or an amount that is three times the value of the donation. This penalty is consistent with other penalties set out in Division 4 of the Act.Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Real Time Disclosure of Political Donations) explanatory memorandum
Item 5 amends subsection 320(1) to provide for notices provided to the electoral commission to be published on the Transparency Register as soon as reasonably practicable after giving the notice.Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Real Time Disclosure of Political Donations) explanatory memorandum
Context
Australia’s federal donation rules largely relied on annual returns, so voters at the 2022 federal election could not see many donations until months later, a lag that critics linked to weak transparency and falling trust in government. The bill responded by proposing five-business-day disclosure to the Australian Electoral CommissionThe federal body that receives political donation reports and publishes them for the public., and although it was later removed from the Notice PaperThe Parliament list of business to be considered; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being progressed., the push for faster reporting carried into broader electoral finance negotiations that produced a major donations and spending overhaul in 2025.
OECDThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, cited here for evidence about trust in government in Australia. reports trust in government at an all-time low in Australia
The bill’s proponents used the OECDThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, cited here for evidence about trust in government in Australia. finding as evidence that weak integrity and transparency settings were making it harder for governments to carry public confidence.
Hansard ↗2022 federal election exposes the delay in donation disclosure
Speakers backing the bill said voters in the 2022 election still had to wait about nine months after polling day to see many reportable political donations under the annual reporting system.
Hansard ↗Bill introduced to require near real-time donation reporting
The private member’s bill was introduced proposing that parties, candidates and some campaigners report donations above the threshold within five business daysThe short reporting window this bill would have required after a donation was received. instead of mainly through yearly returns.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Parliamentary committee backs lower thresholds and real-time disclosure
A parliamentary committee recommended public reporting of donations above $1,000 in real time, showing the idea had moved beyond the original private member’s bill.
Australian Financial Review ↗Bill is removed from the Notice PaperThe Parliament list of business to be considered; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being progressed.
The bill did not proceed further after it was removed from the Notice PaperThe Parliament list of business to be considered; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being progressed. under SO 42, leaving its five-business-day disclosure model unpassed at that point.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Government pursues a deal for faster disclosure before the next election
Reporting showed Labor was seeking reforms to cut the disclosure thresholdThe minimum donation amount that triggers reporting under the rules discussed on this page. to $1,000 and introduce real-time donor reporting ahead of the coming federal poll.
Australian Financial Review ↗Major parties strike a broader electoral funding reform deal
Labor and the Coalition agreed on a wider overhaul of donation disclosure and election spending rules, carrying forward the broader push for quicker visibility of political money.
Australian Financial Review ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main reservation recorded here is not opposition to faster disclosure itself, but that donation reporting can still be inaccurate or gamed if parties and donors classify payments inconsistently or route money through arrangements that blur what counts as a donation. in publicly available sources here, support for real-time disclosure was clear in debate, while criticism was limited to broader transparency and implementation risks raised in public reporting rather than direct parliamentary opposition to this bill.
No significant public case against the bill itself is recorded so far.
Loopholes and messy reporting could blunt the reform
A practical concern is that faster reporting may still miss the real flow of money if payments are described as fees, receipts, services or other commercial arrangements rather than donations. That points to a drafting and enforcement risk: without clear definitions and strong compliance, the bill could improve speed without fully fixing hidden or disputed political funding.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Sharkie supports the bill and urges the House to pass it because real-time disclosure would give voters timely information about who funds candidates and parties and strengthen trust in democracy.
Read in Hansard ↗Haines strongly supports the bill and says she is proud to second it, because she wants political donations disclosed in real time at a lower threshold to improve transparency and public trust.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
2 speakers · 2 support
“I therefore call on all members in this place to support this bill, and I would like to give my remaining time to the member for Indi, who is seconding my bill.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I second the motion. I'm pleased to support the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Real Time Disclosure of Political Donations) Bill 2023 moved by the member for Mayo. I back her in completely on this. Political, parliamentary and public service integrity is fundamental to the strength of our Australian democracy. The transparency of election campaign financing is key to its vitality and integrity.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
Removed from the Notice PaperThe Parliament list of business to be considered; if a bill is removed from it, it is no longer being progressed. in accordance with (SO 42)
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
