Australian Electoral Commission register reveals election funding payments to political parties from 2020 Groom by-election

The four political parties that competed in the 2020 Groom by-election last year earned back hundreds of thousands in funding from the Australian Electoral Commission.

Now-Groom MP Garth Hamilton and his wife Louise Hamilton cast their vote in the by-election in November 2020. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The four political parties that contested the 2020 Groom by-election have received back more than $235,000 in election funding payments.

The Australian Electoral Commission on Monday finalised funding claims from the November 2020 vote, which was held after former member John McVeigh vacated his seat.

Political parties are entitled to a certain amount of public funding, depending on their performance during an election.

New MP Garth Hamilton’s party the LNP received the most, collecting $145,000 from the by-election.

This was followed by the Australian Labor Party with $66,000, the Liberal Democrats with $12,000 and the Sustainable Australia Party with $10,300.

Mr Hamilton won the conservative seat comfortably, collecting nearly 60 per cent of the first preference vote.

The AEC also revealed the disclosure returns from the by-election, which covered “receipts, electoral expenditure and discretionary benefits” by candidates.

Just one candidate, the Liberal Democrats’ Craig Farquharson, disclosed any returns or expenditure at $5491.

For the full results, head to the AEC’s transparency register.