The short answer

31 August 2026 - New authorisation requirements to strengthen transparency of electoral material

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) announced on Monday 31 August 2026 that it had updated its determination for authorising electoral material, and the updated determination is now in effect. The change follows the reinstatement of Part 12 of the Electoral Act 2002 (Vic) and other recent amendments to the Act, and it provides clearer guidance on who must authorise electoral material and how they identify themselves. The entities now required to include authorisation statements are registered political parties, candidates and groups of candidates, elected members, associated entities, third party campaigners and certain donors required to provide disclosure returns. These regulated entities must also now authorise electoral material in their own name — for example the registered name of the party or candidate — so that it is easier to identify who produced it. There is no change to the requirement that electoral material include a geographical address, and under the Act a post office box cannot be used in an authorisation statement. The determination is published as VEC Determination 018-2026 and sits alongside a broader review of VEC determinations covering administrative expenditure, policy development expenditure, audit certificates and voting centre signage. As a transitional measure, electoral material produced before Friday 21 August 2026 can continue to be used without being reprinted or amended to include the responsible entity's name. This is an administrative determination made by the Electoral Commissioner under existing law; it is not a bill, it has not been passed by Parliament, and it operates from the date it was made.

This guide explains the federal position first. State, territory and local elections can use different rules, dates and ballot systems, so the commission named on your election material is the final operational source.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

What the VEC announced

On Monday 31 August 2026 the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) announced that it had updated its determination for authorising electoral material, and that the updated determination is now in effect. The stated purpose of the change is to make it easier for voters to identify who is behind election-related material.

The VEC said the updated determination follows the reinstatement of Part 12 of the Electoral Act 2002 (Vic) and other recent changes to the Act, and that it provides clearer guidance about who must authorise electoral material and how they identify themselves. Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel said authorisation requirements help ensure Victorians know who is responsible for electoral material, and that the updated determination provides clearer guidance for political participants and improves transparency by making it easier for voters to identify the people and organisations behind election-related communications.

The determination is an administrative instrument. Under the Electoral Act the VEC makes determinations that explain how it will interpret or apply the law, and a determination takes effect from the date the Electoral Commissioner makes it. The revised authorisation determination is published among the determinations currently in effect as VEC Determination 018-2026 - Authorisation of electoral material.

Evidence review

Who must authorise electoral material

The revised determination reflects changes to electoral law that now prescribe which entities must include authorisation statements on their electoral material. According to the VEC, that list comprises registered political parties, candidates and groups of candidates, elected members, associated entities, third party campaigners, and certain donors who are required to provide disclosure returns.

The list matters because it defines who carries a legal obligation. Some of these categories have long existed in Victorian law, but the reinstated provisions fix them in the legislation and the VEC's determination then gives the guidance that regulated entities are expected to follow.

The VEC's published guidance sets out three categories of material that require authorisation: paid advertisements containing electoral matter; printed material containing electoral matter, such as a leaflet, flyer, pamphlet, notice or poster; and electoral material produced by or for one of the regulated entities listed above, even if the material is not paid for or printed. That third category is the one that catches unpaid digital and social media content produced by a party, candidate, elected member, associated entity, third party campaigner or disclosing donor.

Evidence review

What has to be on the material

The most visible change is the name requirement. The VEC says these regulated entities must now authorise electoral material in their own name, for example the name of the registered political party or the candidate, making it easier to identify who produced the material. Previously the authorisation statement could carry the name of the person authorising; the determination now requires the entity's own registered or recognised name for the entities listed.

The guidance also explains what a name may look like in ordinary cases. The name must be the full or registered name of the person or organisation that authorised the material, though a person can use the name they are commonly known by if the public can easily identify them, or their first initial and surname.

There is no change to the address requirement. Electoral material must still clearly show a street address, including a full street address and a suburb or town name, and under the Act a post office box cannot be used in an authorisation statement. The VEC also notes that the requirement to include printer details has been removed for electoral material generally, but remains for how-to-vote cards, both registered and unregistered and both printed and electronic.

Evidence review

What counts as electoral material and electoral matter

The determination also clarifies what is considered electoral material and electoral matter, including how the requirements apply to printed, digital and online communications. This is the part of the change with the widest practical reach, because digital and social media content is squarely within scope.

Under the VEC's guidance, electoral matter is any content that is intended, or likely, to influence how someone votes in an election. Content is also electoral matter if it mentions an election, current and former members of Parliament including as government and opposition members, a political party, a candidate, or an issue put to voters at the election. In deciding whether material is intended or likely to affect the way someone votes, the VEC says it may look at when the material is published and what it is about.

Electoral material can take any form, including a leaflet, flyer, pamphlet or notice; a billboard, poster or sign; a print, digital or online advertisement; a social media post or profile; a website; and some electronic communications such as email or SMS. The VEC also lists what is not electoral material: small car stickers, lapel buttons, badges, clothing, fridge magnets, pens, pencils and balloons; letters or cards where the sender's or publisher's name and address appear unless they contain a representation of a ballot paper; opinion polls and research on voting intentions; personal communications; internal communications of a registered political party, candidate or elected member; and material made for academic, artistic, educational or satirical purposes that is not intended or likely to affect voting.

Evidence review

How-to-vote cards and the transitional arrangement

How-to-vote cards sit under separate rules within the same framework. All how-to-vote cards, printed or online and whether registered or unregistered, must include the name and address of the person who authorised the card, the name of the printer or publisher, and the printer's or publisher's business address. Registered cards must also carry the statement 'Registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission.' at the bottom of the card, appearing with the card's authorisation details.

The VEC has also put a practical transitional measure in place. Electoral material produced before Friday 21 August 2026 can continue to be used without being reprinted or amended to include the name of the entity responsible for the electoral material. The VEC nonetheless encourages all entities to include their name in the authorisation statement, because that is what helps voters see who produced the material.

The practical effect of the transition is that stock printed or produced before 21 August 2026 does not have to be thrown away or over-stickered. Anything produced on or after that date is expected to follow the updated requirements.

Evidence review

The wider review of VEC determinations

The revised authorisation determination is part of a broader review of VEC published determinations following the reinstatement of Part 12 of the Act and other recent changes. The VEC says most of the updates ensure alignment with the current legislative framework and provide clearer guidance on the administration of electoral funding, disclosure, auditing and authorisation requirements.

Other determinations published as part of the same review cover claimable and non-claimable administrative expenditure for administrative expenditure funding, the VEC's principles for determining policy development expenditure, the form of audit certificates for annual returns and other financial statements, and clarifications to display signage at voting centres. Each is published on the VEC's determinations page and, like the authorisation determination, takes effect from the date it is made by the Electoral Commissioner.

The review is a consequence of the legislative changes rather than an independent policy initiative. Part 12 of the Electoral Act 2002 was reintroduced by the Electoral Further Amendment Act 2026, which was passed by the Victorian Parliament in June 2026 after the High Court declared the earlier provisions invalid, and the reinstated provisions are retrospective in some respects, applying from the date of the High Court's decision. The VEC has published a separate page explaining the 2026 amendments, which also cover donation caps and disclosure thresholds, a shorter early voting period, the timing of the close of the roll and a shorter candidate nomination period.

Evidence review

What this does and does not change

It is important to be precise about the status of the change. The authorisation requirements are imposed by the Electoral Act 2002 and the determination is the VEC's published interpretation of how they will be applied. The determination is not a bill and has not been passed by either house of Parliament; it is an administrative instrument that operates under the Act and takes effect from the date the Electoral Commissioner makes it.

For voters, the change does not impose any new obligation. Voters who share their political opinions are unaffected: the VEC states plainly that a person can share their political opinions at any time, as part of a healthy democracy, and that authorisation applies to electoral material rather than to personal opinion. For regulated entities — parties, candidates, elected members, associated entities, third party campaigners and disclosing donors — the operational duty is to ensure the material they produce carries the correct name and a street address, and to check the requirements before producing new material.

For the 2026 state election on 28 November, the VEC advises political participants to familiarise themselves with the new rules, and it invites anyone who believes material breaches the Electoral Act to submit a complaint, which the VEC says it will investigate and, where appropriate, report the outcome of. Readers who need to know how the rules apply to their own material should read the determination and the VEC's authorisation guidance themselves, rather than rely on a summary.

Common questions

Before you rely on the answer

What changed on 31 August 2026?

The Victorian Electoral Commission announced an updated determination for authorising electoral material, now in effect. It follows the reinstatement of Part 12 of the Electoral Act 2002 and gives clearer guidance on who must authorise electoral material and how they identify themselves.

Who has to authorise electoral material now?

Registered political parties, candidates and groups of candidates, elected members, associated entities, third party campaigners, and certain donors required to provide disclosure returns. These entities must now authorise material in their own name, such as the registered name of the party or the candidate.

Does electoral material still need a street address?

Yes. There is no change to the requirement that electoral material include a geographical address, typically a street address and a suburb or town. Under the Act, a post office box cannot be used in an authorisation statement.

Can material produced before the change still be used?

Yes. As a practical transitional measure, electoral material produced before Friday 21 August 2026 can continue to be used without being reprinted or amended to include the name of the responsible entity. The VEC encourages entities to include their name anyway.

Is this a new law passed by Parliament?

No. The obligation comes from the Electoral Act 2002, which Parliament amended. The 31 August announcement concerns a VEC determination — an administrative instrument made by the Electoral Commissioner that explains how the VEC will apply the law and takes effect from the date it is made.

Source spine

Primary material used for this guide

Review trigger: Review when the VEC amends or replaces Determination 018-2026 on the authorisation of electoral material, when the VEC publishes further guidance or enforcement material about the authorisation requirements, when the Electoral Act 2002 is amended again so that Part 12 or the authorisation provisions change, or when the VEC updates its authorisation guidance page.

Archive note: This article records the Victorian Electoral Commission's announcement of 31 August 2026 that its determination for authorising electoral material had been updated and was in effect, following the reinstatement of Part 12 of the Electoral Act 2002 (Vic) and other recent amendments, as shown on the VEC website and checked on 12 September 2026. It also records the VEC's published guidance on who must authorise electoral material, the requirement to authorise in the entity's own name, the unchanged street address requirement, the categories of electoral material and electoral matter, the separate how-to-vote card rules, the transitional arrangement for material produced before 21 August 2026, and the publication of the determination as VEC Determination 018-2026 alongside other determinations in the same review. The change is an administrative determination made under existing law, not a bill before Parliament.

Primary links are provided without affiliate or tracking parameters. Confirm that the source still applies to the bill, sitting date, jurisdiction or reporting period before relying on it.