215APolicy development funding

215A Policy development funding (1) The Commission must make payments of policy development funding to eligible registered political parties to reimburse costs relating to policy development in accordance with this section. (2) An eligible registered political party is entitled to an annual payment of policy development funding equal to the greater of— (a) the sum of $1.00 for each first preference vote given for a candidate who was endorsed by the registered political party at the previous general election; or (b) $25 000. (3) A registered political party is an eligible registered political party if— (a) the registered political party has been a registered political party for the whole of the calendar year; and (b) the registered officer of the registered political party did not receive a payment under section 212(3) in respect of any election during the calendar year or the previous general election; and (c) the registered political party was not entitled to receive a payment of administrative expenditure funding under section 207G during the calendar year; and (d) the Commission is satisfied that the registered political party operates as a genuine political party; and (e) the registered officer of the registered political party has complied with subsection (4). (4) For the purpose of having an entitlement under subsection (2), the registered officer of the registered political party must, within 20 weeks of the end of the calendar year, provide to the Commission a statement, in the form approved by the Commission, specifying that the registered political party has spent or incurred policy development expenditure in relation to the calendar year— (a) not less than the amount of the entitlement under subsection (2); or (b) less than the amount of the entitlement under subsection (2), being the amount specified in the statement. (5) For the purposes of subsection (4), ***policy development expenditure*** means expenditure as determined from time to time by the Commission but does not include political expenditure or electoral expenditure. (6) The registered officer of the registered political party must ensure that any payment received from the Commission under this section is not— (a) paid into the State campaign account; or (b) used for electoral expenditure. S. 215B inserted by No. 30/2018 s. 56.