Summary of the Notice of Violation

Name of individual, corporation or entity	Martin Pickup
Date of violation	43rd federal general election
Section of the Act	368(3)
Baseline amount	$500
Aggravating factor	N/A
Mitigating factor	-1
AMP total amount	$300
Issued by	Deputy Commissioner

Key facts of violation

As the official agent for Archie MacKinnon, an independent candidate in the electoral district of Sydney–Victoria during the 43rd federal general election, Martin Pickup was the only person authorized to accept contributions to the campaign. The financial records of the campaign, as well as statements from several contributors and from Martin Pickup to OCCE investigators, establish that several cash contributions were accepted by Martin Pickup on behalf of the campaign. Among them, eight individuals contributed cash in an amount in excess of $20 (prohibited by section 371 of the Act), and one such contribution was in excess of the $1,600 limit that a contributor may contribute to a candidate (set by paragraph 367(1)(c) of the Act).

There are therefore reasonable grounds to believe that Martin Pickup accepted contributions that exceeded limits set out in the Act, in violation of subsection 368(3).

The final AMP amount is $300, as it includes one mitigating factor. A mitigating factor relating to the person’s ability to pay the penalty was applied.