Changes to Local Electoral Bill to further improve transparency

Local Government Minister Chris Tremain says changes to the Local Electoral Amendment Bill (No2) through a supplementary order paper tabled in Parliament yesterday will further increase transparency and accountability in local authority elections.

“The changes will affect donations through pooled funds such as trust funds or where there is a fundraising collection for a candidate’s campaign. They will bring the rules for these donations into line with those for parliamentary candidates, already tested at the 2011 general election.

“There will be a new requirement for local authority candidates to disclose whether a donation is made up of pooled funds and the name and address of any individuals contributing more than $1500. It will also mean a candidate can’t accept an anonymous contribution of more than $1500.”

“I am pleased to see that this supplementary order paper will have widespread support in the House.  It closes a loophole in the original Bill and will improve the final legislation.

“The public rightfully expects high levels of transparency and confidence in the conduct of all public elections. For this reason the Government is keen to progress this Bill in time for the next local authority elections on 12 October.”