Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024

The majority voted against amendments introduced by Curtin MP Kate Chaney (Independent), which means they failed. These amendments would have removed schedule 4 and schedule 7 from the bill.

What do schedules 4 and 7 do?

According to the bills digest:

Schedule 4—Expenditure caps

Establishes annual caps on electoral expenditure incurred by prescribed persons (including registered political parties, candidates, Members of the House of Representatives, and Senators). There is an overall Federal cap, as well as Division and Senate caps.

Schedule 7—Administrative assistance funding and election funding

Amends a range of funding arrangements, including establishing a framework to provide quarterly administrative assistance funding to registered political parties and independent Members of Parliament, increasing election funding payable (from currently $3.346 to $5 per vote), and establishing advance payment of election funding to incumbent persons.

Amendment text

(1) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 5, column 1), omit “to 4”, substitute “and 3”.

(2) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 8, column 1), omit “Schedules 6 and 7”, substitute “Schedule 6”.

(3) Schedule 4, page 95 (line 1) to page 129 (line 8), omit the Schedule.

(4) Schedule 7, page 169 (line 1) to page 188 (line 29), omit the Schedule.