Queensland · orientation, not legal advice
Election corflute signs in Queensland: what to check before you order
An election sign answers to two separate authorities, not one: your council decides whether the sign needs a permit and where it can go, and electoral law decides what has to be printed on it, regardless of size. In Queensland the first of those is council by council — there is no single state-wide size exemption to look up the way there is in NSW, which makes checking with your own council the first step rather than the last.
In one paragraph
Queensland has no state-wide exempt-development size list for election signage the way NSW does — each council regulates advertising devices and temporary signs through its own planning scheme or local law, so the size, placement and display-window rules genuinely differ between, say, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Separately, and regardless of size, the Electoral Commission of Queensland requires election material to carry an authorisation statement naming who authorised it. Both requirements apply at once, and neither substitutes for the other.
Rules change every cycle and this page is general orientation only — confirm the current rules with your council and the current wording with the Electoral Commission before you order anything.
Last reviewed September 2026. The next Queensland local government elections are 25 March 2028; state and federal contests can fall earlier, and each carries its own authorisation requirements.
Two rules, two regulators, both apply
Your council says how big, and where. There is no Queensland-wide standard the way NSW has one; each council sets its own advertising-device or temporary-sign rules, often with a specific allowance around election periods. Some publish an election-signage page outright; where one does not, the general temporary-sign rule in that council's local law is the one to check.
Electoral law says what has to be printed on it. This applies to every piece of election material, corflute included, whatever its size and wherever it stands, and is set separately from any council permission — a sign a council has approved can still be non-compliant electoral material if the authorisation line is missing or wrong.
A sign with council approval and no authorisation line is still non-compliant. A sign with a correct authorisation line and no council permission still needs one. Check both, separately, and start with your own council, since Queensland's rules are set locally rather than by a single state list.
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What to confirm before you order
Five things, and who to ask each one
- Whether your council has an election-signage rule at all. Some do; where one does not exist, the general advertising-device or temporary-sign rule applies instead — search "[your council] election signs" and, failing that, "[your council] temporary signs" or "advertising devices."
- The exact authorisation wording. The Electoral Commission of Queensland, or the Australian Electoral Commission for a federal contest, publishes the required form of words, and it differs by the type of candidate or party. Get it from the relevant commission's own page for the election you are contesting.
- Where signs may and may not go. Public land near polling places is typically restricted on polling day itself, and the state and local road authorities regulate anything near a carriageway on safety grounds, independent of both the council permit and the electoral rules above.
- The display and removal window. Where a council allows election signs under a specific rule, that permission is usually tied to a period around the election, with removal required within a set number of days afterward.
- Landowner consent, for anything on private property that is not your own — a supporter's fence or a business frontage. A council permit is not the landowner's permission to install.
What we print, and where the authorisation line goes
Election signs are ordinary corflute — the same 5mm board real estate and construction signage is printed on, in the same sizes. 600 × 900mm is the standard board; the free template has the trim and safe area already marked. The authorisation statement is text in your artwork like any other line, not a separate product or a stamp added afterward — set it at a size that stays legible at the sign's real-world reading distance and keep it inside the safe area so it survives the router cut.
What it costs at campaign volume
The same price list, at the quantity a campaign actually orders
| Signs | Each | Total, delivered |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | $32 | $160 |
| 10 | $24.70 | $247 |
| 15 | $19.60 | $294 |
| 20 | $17 | $340 |
| 25 | $15.40 | $385 |
| 30 | $14.30 | $429 |
Signs are sold in fives up to thirty, and a campaign run above that is quoted. Delivery is included in this price — Australia-wide, with no freight line at the cart and nothing added later. Allow 1 to 2 working days longer outside NSW, QLD and VIC. Your complete delivered price is confirmed before you pay. Printed in 2-4 working days from payment. See the full price list or ask for a quote on a run this size.
Common questions
Do election signs need council approval in Queensland?
There is no single state-wide exemption — it depends on your council. Some allow election signs without a permit under a specific rule for the election period; others require an advertising-device approval or a temporary-sign permit like any other sign. Check your own council's page first, since the rule that applies in Brisbane is not necessarily the one that applies on the Gold Coast or in Logan.
What has to be printed on an election sign in Queensland?
An authorisation statement naming who authorised the material, in the form the Electoral Commission of Queensland requires for a state or local contest, or the Australian Electoral Commission for a federal one. This applies regardless of the sign's size or where it stands, and is separate from any council permission.
What size are election corflute signs?
600 × 900mm is the standard board, the same size used for real estate and site signage, and the one the free template is drawn to. Confirm this fits whatever size rule your council applies before ordering at volume.
How much do election signs cost?
Five 600 × 900mm signs are $160 including GST and delivery, falling to $14.30 each at thirty. Signs are sold in fives up to thirty; a campaign run above that — the usual few hundred — is quoted, with a written price, GST and delivery included. See the full corflute price list.
When are the next Queensland elections?
Local government elections are due 25 March 2028. State and federal elections can fall earlier and each carries its own authorisation requirements, so confirm the wording for the specific contest you are involved in rather than reusing a previous campaign's sign.
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