Campaign fundraising policy

Our approach to campaign donations

We know this is a tough time to ask people for money. Many households are feeling the pressure of the cost of living, and nobody should feel obliged to donate to a political campaign. 

But campaigns cost money. Signs, printing, advertising, events and staff all cost money, and independent candidates do not have the fundraising machinery and resources of a major political party behind them.

We want to show that politics can be done differently. That means building a campaign powered by people who believe in what we are trying to do, rather than relying on large corporate donors. 

We couldn’t run this campaign without the generosity of our donors, and we extend enormous gratitude to everyone who can donate, at whatever amount. As a local, independent campaign we are steadfast in remaining accountable to the communities we seek to serve. That means that no donor, no matter how significant their contribution, is able to influence policy positions or direct Jess or the campaign in any way.

We will not take money from anyone seeking to influence us

Every significant donation to our campaign is vetted.* We will not accept a donation where we believe:

• the donor’s interests or activities are inconsistent with our campaign’s values;

• accepting the donation could create an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest;

• the donor could reasonably be seen as seeking influence over Jess or the campaign;

• accepting the donation could compromise, or appear to compromise, Jess’s independence.

That means, for example, we will not accept donations from data centre companies or interests while we are campaigning for stronger regulation, transparency and community protections in relation to data centre development. We will not accept donations from fossil fuel companies because climate action is a core pillar of our campaign. We will not accept donations where there are known links to harmful industries such as tobacco, gambling and weapons manufacturing. 

*We define ‘significant donation’ as any donation above the Victorian Electoral Commission’s disclosure threshold of $1,290. 

Transparency 

We are committed to full transparency and will comply with Victoria’s political donation and disclosure laws and maintain appropriate records of campaign contributions.

If you can afford to contribute below, thank you.

If you cannot, there are plenty of other ways to be part of this campaign.

Your time, your ideas, a sign in your front yard or a conversation with a neighbour can be just as valuable. 

Find out more about volunteering for the campaign here.