Consistent with federal electoral law, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) publishes details about donations candidates receive above the disclosure threshold.
The AEC publishes election returns 24 weeks after polling day and annual disclosure data on the first working day in February each year. This is when full details of funding to the David Pocock Party will be published.
However, with the publication of election returns taking place on Monday 7 November, two of the larger donors to Senator Pocock’s campaign have chosen to voluntarily disclose their donations ahead of the required disclosure timeframe.
Senator David Pocock has welcomed this disclosure and again thanked all of the supporters who gave their time and financial support, large and small, during this year’s federal election.
“We made history at the federal election, giving the ACT an independent voice standing up for our community in the parliament for the first time,” Senator Pocok said.
“That would not have been possible without the support of people right across the ACT.
“The more than 2,200 Team Pocock volunteers who gave their time to the campaign are a huge part of the reason I am sitting in the Senate today pushing for the best outcomes for our community.
“But campaigns also need funding to succeed and every single person who donated to the campaign made a difference. I thank all of them for their generosity.
“Details of some larger donors to my campaign were also disclosed today, and I thank them for their contribution and support of the vision we had to help build a better future.”
Senator Pocock also pointed to his recent submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters underscoring the need for electoral reform, including on donations.
“I look forward to working through the current parliament to progress reforms so that we can have a much more timely and transparent political donations framework,” Senator Pocock said.
“There is a lot of work to do to bring electoral laws in line with community expectations on everything from truth in political advertising to adequate and fair representation for the ACT and NT.”
As outlined during the campaign, the David Pocock Party received funding from Climate 200. The ACT had the highest number of donors to Climate 200 of any electorate at 1,596. In total, the disclosures show 11,200 Australians donated a total of $13 million to support 23 community backed candidates. The David Pocock Party also received individual campaign donations from Boundless Earth ($50,000 donation) and Mr Rob Keldoulis ($224,000 donation) among many others who will disclose in line with the AECs disclosure requirements.
Full details of donations to the David Pocock Party will be published by the AEC in accordance with the requirements of the Electoral Act on 1 February 2023.