Strict cash caps proposal in local government polls

MAYORAL and council candidates would be hit with strict spending caps under a proposal to limit how much money they can splash at local government elections.

Candidates would also face tough penalties if they breached the spending caps scheme, under the recommendations put forward by a parliamentary committee.

The Local Government Association of Queensland has given its support to the spending caps push, saying it wants them introduced before the 2024 council elections.

While the committee has not suggested any specific caps, but it recommended on Tuesday that they be scaled according to the number of electors in each local government area or council division.

It would mean those candidates in areas with more voters would be allowed to spend more on their campaigns under the proposed shake-up.

The Local Government Department had previously proposed a mayoral election spending cap of $100,000 for those council areas with more than 200,000 voters.

The LGAQ had instead suggested that the cap be set at $1 for every enrolled voter within the local government area for mayors – or within the division or ward for councillors. The committee suggested that the expenditure caps should fall somewhere within the ranges proposed by both the department and the LGAQ, but called for further analysis and consultation with stakeholders.

LGAQ chief executive Greg Hallam said the association wanted to work with the state government to develop a “fair and equitable” spending cap regimen.

Mr Hallam said that the spending caps needed to strike the right balance between allowing freedom of political communication and preventing undue influence over the democratic process.