Bill
Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Banning Dirty Donations) Bill 2026
before parliament, as at 2026-05-14.
- Sponsor
- Hodgins-May
- Portfolio
- Not recorded
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2026-02-04
- second reading — 2026-02-04
- second reading — 2026-05-14
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2026-02-04.
The bill would ban political donations from specific industries and lower the cap on other donations.
It would make it illegal for prohibited donors, including property developers, tobacco companies, banks, and others, to give donations, with penalties of up to two years in prison or fines.
The annual gift cap would be reduced to $1,000, and the definition of 'gift' would include subscription and membership fees for federal purposes.
- Prohibits donations from industries such as property development, tobacco, banking, liquor and gambling, pharmaceuticals, mining, and defence.
- Imposes a cumulative donation limit of $3,000 per election term from any source.
- Extends the definition of 'gift' to cover subscription and membership fees used for federal purposes.
- Reduces the annual gift cap to $1,000 and sets by-election and Senate-only caps at $3,000.
- Creates offences for making or accepting unlawful donations, with penalties of up to two years imprisonment or fines.
- Allows the Commonwealth to recover unlawful donations as debts.
Political parties, candidates, associated entities, significant third parties, and donors from the banned industries.
Sources
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