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Democracy·Elections

Australia's high court strikes down Victoria's political donation laws over unconstitutional exemptions

Wednesday, 15 April 2026, 04:07 · 1 min read

Australia's High Court has unanimously struck down Victoria's political donation laws, ruling that they unconstitutionally favoured the major parties. The laws, introduced in 2018, capped donations at A$4,970 per individual per electoral term but included an exemption for funds channelled through "nominated entities" — a mechanism available only to Labor and the Liberal-National coalition. The court found the entire framework impermissibly burdened the constitution's implied freedom of political communication, going beyond what the plaintiffs — two independent candidates — had originally sought by invalidating not just the exemption but the donation and spending caps altogether. The ruling carries significant implications ahead of Victoria's November state election and puts similar campaign finance laws at the federal level and in South Australia under scrutiny.

Sources
The GuardianHigh court scraps Victorian political donation laws that created loophole for Labor and Coalition ↗︎
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