Associated entities
Associated entities of groups of candidates
Under the Local Government Electoral Act 2011, a group of candidates and its associated entity are treated as 1 entity. An associated entity of a group of candidates is any entity which:
- is controlled by a group of candidates
- operates wholly or to a significant extent for the benefit of a group of candidates
- operates for the dominant purpose of promoting a group of candidates.
For any gifts or loans made and electoral expenditure incurred, associated entities are required to meet the same real-time disclosure obligations as their group of candidates. Electoral expenditure incurred by an associated entity counts towards its group’s expenditure cap.
Associated entities must use the dedicated campaign bank account of their group of candidates for a local government election. An associated entity’s record keeping requirements are the same as its group’s.
More information for groups of candidates and their associated entities about gifts and loans, incurring electoral expenditure, financial disclosure, compliance, and record keeping can be found by using the tabs above. The below fact sheet provides a more detailed funding and disclosure overview for associated entities and information about what is not an associated entity of a group of candidates.
Links to further information: