39. Are there limits on the amount a political party can spend?

Source: Election Funding and disclosure in Australian states and territories: a quick guide. Dr Damon Muller, Politics and Public Administration Section, Australain Parliamentary Library, November 2019.   https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1819/Quick_Guides/ElectionFundingStates

There have been many reports,  including Reports of the Federal Joint Selection Committee on Election Matters, which have recommended that limits to be imposed on electoral expenditure  by political parties in Australian national elections. Submissions to the current Committee inquiry "Inquiry into all aspects of the conduct of the 2019 Federal Election and matters related thereto" have again proposed that expenditure caps be imposed on political parties. The Committee has yet to table its Report and currently there are no  limits on the amount a political party can spend in the  Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, however such caps have been introduced by a number of Australian States and Territories.

Sources:  Report of the Joint Selection Committee on Election Matters Inquiry into the funding of political parties and election campaigns, December 2011 https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=em/political%20funding/report.htm

Submission by Professor Joo-Cheong Tam  to the Joint Selection Committee on Election Matters,  "Inquiry into all aspects of the conduct of the 2019 Federal Election and matters related thereto"  https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/2019Federalelection/Submissions