Public election funding payments for the 2020 ACT Legislative Assembly election announced

Published 11 Dec 2020

Six registered political parties and one non-party candidate have been paid public election funding following the October 2020 ACT election, the ACT Electoral Commissioner, Mr Damian Cantwell AM said today.

A registered political party is eligible to receive election funding for the votes obtained by its endorsed candidates who together polled at least 4% of the total number of formal first preference votes cast in an electorate.

A non-party candidate is eligible to receive election funding if he or she polls at least 4% of the total number of formal first preference votes cast in the relevant electorate.

“ACT Labor, the Canberra Liberals and The ACT Greens, all reached the 4% threshold in each of the five electorates” Mr Cantwell continued, “with the Belco Party (ACT) also reaching the threshold in Ginninderra. Similarly, the Canberra Progressives reached the threshold in Kurrajong and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) received more than 4% of the vote in Yerrabi. Ms Fiona Carrick, a non-party candidate, achieving the required votes in the electorate of Murrumbidgee.”

“For the October 2020 election the rate of public election funding was calculated at $862.105 cents per eligible vote,” Mr Cantwell said. “Public funding payments totalled $2,097,949.76 across the six parties and the one non-party candidate.”

“No party or candidate is obliged to accept public funding,” Mr Cantwell said.

The calculated amounts paid to each entity are set out below:

Entity Amount of public election funding
Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) $877,847.04
Belco Party (ACT)$45,381.21
Canberra Progressives$21,949.19
Democratic Labour Party (DLP)$21,699.18
Liberal Party of Australia (A.C.T. Division) $784,920.74
The ACT Greens$313,538.97
Ms Fiona Carrick - non-party candidate$32,613.43
 $2,097,949.76