A Sydney man has today been ordered to pay a penalty of $30,000 for distributing unauthorised pamphlets at the 2025 federal election.
Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope said today's Federal Court decision sends a strong message to the community that it is important for everyone to comply with electoral laws.
"This case was one of the clearest breaches of Australia's electoral authorisation laws the AEC has seen in some time," Mr Pope said.
"Australian voters have a right to know the source of campaign material at a federal election, and today's result reinforces this expectation as a fundamental aspect of electoral law."
Mr Jarrod Davis has agreed that his distribution of approximately 47,000 unauthorised pamphlets in the electorate of Wentworth at the 2025 federal election constituted a breach of section 321D(5) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.
In addition to agreeing to pay a penalty of $30,000, Mr Davis has agreed to pay $15,000 towards the AEC's legal costs in this matter. The Federal Court has now made orders consistent with this agreement.
The AEC's regulatory approach is set out in our Regulatory Framework and Compliance Strategy .
Background on this case
The AEC first received complaints about unauthorised pamphlets on 21 April 2025 - the day immediately before the start of early voting for the 2025 federal election.
After receiving complaints, the AEC worked quickly to investigate the matter. We determined that over 47,000 pamphlets had been distributed in the Wentworth area, and that the pamphlets lacked any form of authorisation statement - a clear breach of the Electoral Act. We also identified that the pamphlets had been created by Mr Jarrod Davis.
On 23 April 2025, the AEC received a written undertaking from Mr Davis that no further copies of the pamphlets, or any other unauthorised electoral matter, would be distributed during the 2025 federal election period.
While the pamphlets expressed strong opposition to the Member for Wentworth, there is no evidence to indicate that Mr Davis is or has been affiliated with any political party or candidate contesting the 2025 federal election in Wentworth.
On 3 October 2025, the AEC launched Federal Court proceedings against Mr Davis.
Further information
- A breach of section 321D of the Electoral Act is a civil matter, rather than a criminal offence. For this reason, the AEC took civil legal action rather than referring the matter to the Australian Federal Police.
- The AEC continues to work with the Parliament as well as campaign entities to ensure that Australia's electoral authorisation laws remain up to date and fit for purpose in an increasingly complex information environment.
- The AEC's recent submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' inquiry into the 2025 federal election is available to read here .
