2024 NSW Local Government elections: Political participants bulletin No.4
Bulletin No.4
Issued 24 July 2024
On this page
Candidate handbook
The Candidate handbook is available on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website and is a key resource for all participants in the 2024 NSW Local Government elections.
Candidate and participant webinars
Candidate information webinars are available on our website.
View the webinar schedule, watch recordings of past webinars and register for upcoming webinars.
The next webinar will discuss electoral material (including how-to-vote cards), compliance with electoral laws and voting options for electors. It will be held at 11am, 6 August 2024. Register for the webinar.
Nomination Online Management System (NOMS) is now available
NOMS is now available on our website. NOMS allows registered political parties and prospective candidates to prepare and upload nomination forms prior to the start of the nomination lodgement period on 5 August 2024. Although nominations can still be completed using paper forms, candidates and parties are strongly encouraged to lodge their nomination online using NOMS.
From Monday, 5 August 2024 until 12 noon, Wednesday, 14 August 2024, candidates and parties can lodge their nominations and pay the nomination deposit online.
A recording of the webinar about the nomination process and using NOMS is available on our website. For assistance using NOMS, please call our Candidate Helpdesk 1300 022 011 or email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au.
Reminder – important information on website about donation and expenditure rules
There are rules that apply to political donations and electoral expenditure, including:
- registration requirements for electoral funding purposes
- maintaining a campaign account
- issuing receipts for reportable political donations and record keeping
- caps on political donations and caps on electoral expenditure
- ban on certain types of donations and prohibited donors
- disclosures of political donations and electoral expenditure.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in fines.
Registration of candidates, groups and third-party campaigners
Candidates, groups of candidates and third-party campaigners must register for the election before being able to lawfully accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure.
Candidate registrations for the election close at 12 noon Wednesday, 14 August 2024.
Being registered as a candidate or group is a separate process to being nominated. Candidates and groups who do not register before being nominated are taken to be registered once they have been validly nominated. From that time, political donations can lawfully be accepted, and payments made for electoral expenditure for the election.
Apply to be registered as a candidate or group using Funding and Disclosure Online.
The details of registered candidates, registered groups of candidates and registered third-party campaigners are included in the registers published on our website. If the registered details of a candidate, group or third-party campaigner change, the candidate or group or official agent of the third-party campaigner must notify the NSW Electoral Commission of the change within 30 days. Update registered details using Funding and Disclosure Online.
Accepting and using political donations
It is an offence to make or accept a political donation that does not comply with the law. This includes anonymous donations, cash donations of more than $100, donations from prohibited donors, and donations from political parties (or their associated entities, or their endorsed candidates or elected members) to independent candidates or groups.
Complete and accurate accounting and financial records must be kept for political donations to be properly disclosed to the NSW Electoral Commission. A receipt must be issued for all reportable donations received, and the name and address of the donor recorded. The receipt must include a statement advising the donor of the requirements to disclose the donation to the NSW Electoral Commission. The NSW Electoral Commission issues receipt and acknowledgement books to enable receipts to be issued to donors. Contact us to obtain a receipt and acknowledgement book or email your request to fdc@elections.nsw.gov.au.
Visit our website for more information about:
Reminder regarding campaign accounts
Candidates and groups must open a campaign account before accepting $1,000 or more in political donations or incurring $1,000 in electoral expenditure. All political donations made to, or for the benefit of, a candidate or group, which are used to incur electoral expenditure, must be paid into the campaign account and electoral expenditure must be paid from the campaign account.
If a candidate or group has a campaign account open from a previous election, the account must be cleared before being used for the 2024 election. Any balance left in the account from the previous election must be dispersed in accordance with the rules, as outlined on our website.
Third-party campaigners must open a campaign account before paying for electoral expenditure incurred during the capped expenditure period (1 July 2024 to election day).
Further information about operating a campaign account is available on our website.
Electoral funding disclosure obligations as a current Councillor or Mayor
An elected member of a council must continue to submit disclosure forms every six months for political donations and annually for electoral expenditure. These disclosure forms are separate to any other disclosure forms you are required to submit if you are also a registered candidate or the lead candidate of a registered group.
For more information about electoral funding laws, including your disclosure obligations, visit our website and refer to the Electoral Funding Act 2018.