Labor and Coalition Strike Deal to Rewrite Election Funding Rules

Independent and crossbench MPs warn the new law favours major parties while limiting independent challengers.

A voting booth for the Brisbane City Council election in Calamvale in the south of Brisbane, Australia on March 16, 2024. Daniel Teng/The Epoch Times

The Electoral Reform Bill is now law. In a significant turn of events, Labor reached an eleventh-hour agreement with the Coalition to pass the bill in the Senate late on Feb. 12, followed by approval with amendments in the House of Representatives early on Feb. 13.

This marks the first time Australia has imposed both fundraising and spending limits at the federal level.