What is a campaign donation return?
A campaign donation return is a record of donations or gifts, including in-kind support, during the donation period (section 3 of the Local Government Act 2020).
The return is supplied to candidates as a form, enabling candidates to fill in details of donations or gifts they have received above the $500 threshold, as applicable under section 306 of the Act.
Candidates must also disclose if they have not received any donations or gifts.
You can download an Election Campaign Donation Return form here.
Examples of completed Campaign Donation Return forms can be found on the following page of this fact sheet.
Submitting a return
Candidates must submit their completed return to the council’s Chief Executive Officer within 40 days after election day – by 11:59pm on Thursday 5 December 2024 – even if they were not elected and/or did not receive gifts.
You should receive a blank form and submission instructions before Election Day, and also receive a reminder to submit your return during the 40-day submission period.
Each individual candidate must submit a campaign donation return.
What happens if I don’t submit a return?
Submitting a return is a legal requirement and your responsibility as a candidate.
Failure to submit, or providing false or misleading information on a return, can result in prosecution and fines of more than $11,855 (as of 1 July 2024).
What details must my return contain?
All fields must be filled out and the declaration signed by you.
If you received no gifts, you can indicate this in the “Details of Gifts” section by writing “No disclosable gifts” in the table provided.
What is the Local Government Inspectorate?
The Inspectorate, led by the Chief Municipal Inspector, is the integrity agency for local government in Victoria and investigates alleged offences under the Local Government Act 2020, including the enforcement of electoral offences.
The Inspectorate will be monitoring the submission of campaign donation returns by candidates and may prosecute any candidate who fails to comply with section 306 of the Act.
Examples of Campaign Donation Return forms
When completing their own Campaign Donation Return forms, candidates should refer to the below examples of correctly completed forms for assistance.
Please note that candidates must include their own personal information in all sections and sign and date the forms themselves.
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