Policy development funding

There have been changes to Victoria's political finance laws following the passage of the Electoral Further Amendment Act 2026. For more information, see our page about the new political finance laws.

On this page:

What is policy development funding?

Policy development funding helps your party to cover the cost of developing policies. Registered political parties can get this funding each year if they do not receive other funding from us.

You may use policy development funding for:

  • office space used for policy work
  • staff who work on policy development
  • equipment needed for policy work (computers, vehicles or office suppliers)
  • interest on loans used for policy development
  • utilities for policy development
  • travel for policy work
  • advertising related to policy development
  • events and activities (conferences, seminars, meetings or sharing information with members and supporters)
  • the cost of preparing and submitting your policy development application, including staff time and audit fees.

You cannot use policy development funding for:

  • general administration costs
  • any election campaigning costs (political or electoral spending)
  • policy development costs for non- state matters, including policy development for other jurisdictions.

You cannot claim policy development costs if you can get a:

  • credit
  • rebate
  • refund
  • reimbursement, or
  • reduction in tax under any law.

Who is eligible for policy development funding?

You are eligible to receive policy development funding if you: 

  • were registered as a party for the whole calendar year, 1 January to 31 December.
  • were not eligible for administrative expenditure funding that year and did not get any public funding for an election that year or for the previous state general election.
  • submit your application and all documents within 20 weeks after the end of the calendar year by 20 May each year.

This funding is for the calendar year period from 1 January to 31 December, not financial year, 1 July to 30 June.

How much is this funding?

If you are eligible, you can receive either: 

  • a lump sum
  • a payment based on the number of first preference votes received in the previous state election. 

These amounts are indexed annually in line with the consumer price index. The current amounts are on our indexation page.

If you have spent:

  • less than your full entitlement, we will only pay for what you have spent.
  • more than your entitlement, we will only pay up to your full entitlement. 

How can I receive this funding?

To receive policy development funding, the registered officer must apply by 20 May. The application includes 2 documents:

  • Statement of expenditure. This shows the costs your party has spent on policy development in the last calendar year.
  • Audit certificate. A registered company auditor must audit your statement and provide an audit certificate. The certificate must be in the form specified by us. We will not accept any other format.

Note: we are updating the funding statement and audit certificate. Please contact us at disclosures@vec.vic.gov.au if you have any questions.

We cannot accept late applications. If you do not provide a statement of expenditure and audit certificate within this timeframe, you will not receive policy development funding.  

When is payment made?

We will pay you within 30 days after we receive your completed statement of expenditure and audit certificate.

You must not deposit policy development money into your state campaign accounts.

Penalties

The penalty for giving false or misleading information in these documents is up to 300 penalty units or 2 years prison time.