Register of Electoral Gifts

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Part 5A of the Local Government (Elections) Regulations 1997, requires that candidates disclose information about any electoral gift received, made or promised during the disclosure period, which have a total value of $300 or more.

Definition of 'gift'

The definition of gift is broad and includes the transfer/giving of any property or financial benefit from one person to another. This includes:

money;
non-monetary items of value;
in kind support or discounts (if the support or the discount is worth more than $300);
contributions to travel;
the provision of free services or discounted services for no or inadequate payment; and
a firm promise or agreement to give a gift at some future time.

The following are gifts are excluded, and do not need to be declared:

gifts by will;
gifts by relatives;
items that do not relate to the your electoral campaign; and
volunteer labour.

Where you only receive one gift from the same person, that gift only needs to be declared if its value is $300 or more. Where you receive multiple gifts from the same person, those gifts must be declared if their total value is $300 or more.

Timeframe for declaration

You must declare all gifts and donations given or promised from 18 April 2025.

The timeframe for declaring gifts depends on whether you received the gift prior to nominating as a candidate or after:

For gifts received prior – it must be declared within 3 days of nominating as a candidate.
For gifts received after – it must be declared within 3 days of receipt

When the disclosure period ends depends on whether or not you are elected onto Council:

If you are not elected, the disclosure period ends on the 18 October 2025 (inclusive)
If you are elected, the disclosure period ends on the day on which you made your declaration of office (inclusive)

Gifts you must not accept

You cannot accept gifts from a person unless you know the name and address of the donor.

If you receive such a gift, you must disclose it and deliver it to the CEO of the City of Cockburn for disposal.

How to declare a gift

To declare a gift, complete the Local Government (Elections) Regulations 1997 - Form LG 9A Disclosure of Gifts (linked below) and email it to [email protected].

You must provide all the information required by the form for it to be a valid disclosure.