An ACT Electoral Commission audit of donations received by various ACT political parties and associated entities during 2001/2002 has identified several donors who failed to submit a disclosure return by the due date.

Disclosure returns submitted by donors identified by the audit have now been made public, the ACT Electoral Commissioner, Phillip Green, said today.

Eight donors identified in the audit each gave $1500 or more to a political party or associated entity in the 2001/2002 financial year. Another donor gave more than $1500 in 2000/2001. Some of these donors have not been publicly identified in returns already published.

The ACT's Electoral Act 1992 requires all donors who give $1500 or more to a political party or associated entity in a financial year to submit a disclosure return. However, parties and associated entities receiving donations are not required to identify donors in their own annual returns where donors give individual amounts of less than $1500.

Donor returns for 2001/2002 were due to be submitted in November 2002.

These returns can be inspected from this site (marked as 'published 5 December 2003'): click here for 2001/2002 returns, or here for 2000/2001, or in person at the office of the Electoral Commissioner.

Disclosure returns for the 2002/2003 financial year are due to be made public on 2 February 2004.

Phillip Green
Electoral Commissioner