South West District lower house and Western Victoria upper house candidates threw their support behind a bill introduced to state parliament which sought to limit the amount parties or candidates could spend on elections.

According to the Victorian Electoral Commission, there is a $4320 donation cap to parties or candidates in a four-year period between elections, but no limit on parties' spending on campaigns.

South West independent candidate Carol Altmann said existing laws were "completely out of step" with the state's political system.

"The funding system is skewed toward helping the major parties win seats," she said.

"The two major parties have an enormous advantage on the back of the public purse."

South West independent Michael McCluskey said a cap on election campaign spending was in the "best interests of the community".

"We only have to look at recent media exposure over the last few years of rorting at a state level... to [see] how dismissive some political parties are of their ethical commitments," he said.

"I agree [with] the use of a cap, however I can also see just like the AFL salary cap rorts... it will be very easy for political parties to use other means to circumvent the rules."

IN OTHER NEWS

A Victorian Ombudsman report in 2018 found that the Victorian Labor Party misused up to $400,000 of taxpayer money when parliamentary staff were unlawfully deployed to the party's 2014 campaign team.

Premier Daniel Andrews apologised for the wrongdoing and the party repaid all the money.

Greens Western Victoria candidate Sarah Mansfield said the bill, introduced by Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam, would prevent "people buying their seats in parliament".

"Without there being caps on how much you can spend, whoever's got the deepest pockets, or the biggest donors... has a significant influence on the outcome of an election," she said.

"Hopefully it'll ensure that those campaigns that rely on grassroots funding can have a fair and level playing field."

South West Liberal MP Roma Britnell and Labor candidate Kylie Gaston were contacted for comment.

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