Gold Coast City councillors and their financial backers are under scrutiny by state and federal authorities following allegations of undisclosed Liberal National Party (LNP) funding of candidates in the March local elections.

Key points: Liberal MP Stuart Robert gave two independent candidates funds from his national LNP campaign fund

Liberal MP Stuart Robert gave two independent candidates funds from his national LNP campaign fund At least four other independent councillors had campaign advice from lobbyist and former Tony Abbott staffer Simone Holzapfel

At least four other independent councillors had campaign advice from lobbyist and former Tony Abbott staffer Simone Holzapfel One of Ms Holzapfel's former clients is seeking development approval for 44-storey twin-towers

It comes after revelations federal Liberal MP Stuart Robert channelled tens of thousands of dollars from his national LNP campaign fund, the Fadden Forum, to council candidates who stood as independents.

Mr Robert has confirmed he gave candidates Kristyn Boulton and Felicity Stevenson $30,000 each from the Fadden Forum to run their campaigns.

Both are former staffers in Mr Robert's electorate office.

Queensland law was changed in 2007 following a corruption inquiry into the 2004 Gold Coast elections, creating three categories of candidates: independents, groups and political parties.

All candidates must now declare their status, with heavy fines for failing to disclose which type applies.

There are now calls for a broad inquiry into the conduct of this year's local election on the Gold Coast, which has the second-largest council in Australia after Brisbane, with an annual budget of more than $1 billion.

By law, council candidates are not obliged to disclose details of their financial backing until weeks after the election. The deadline in this case is July 4.

Liberal MP Stuart Robert says he gave candidates $30,000 from his Fadden Forum. ( ABC: 7.30 )

The Queensland Local Government Department has written to Queensland's Electoral Commissioner asking him to probe whether any candidates broke disclosure rules.

Veteran independent councillor Dawn Critchlow — in her ninth four-year term on the Council — is the latest to join a chorus of calls for an investigation.

"I've had people come up to me and said, 'I honestly believed I was voting for an independent person'," she told 7.30.

"[Kristyn Boulton] should say, 'I have been donated some money from the Liberal Party but I believe I'm truly independent'.

"'Totally independent' were the words, totally independent.

"You can't do that sort of thing and get away with it."

Do you know more about this story? Email 7.30syd@your.abc.net.au

Electoral, corruption authorities consider allegations

The Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) said that "in light of the allegations and reports" it would "inquire into the activities" of the Fadden Forum once the disclosure deadline expired.

"If candidates are running as a group, as defined under the LGEA, then they must declare their membership of that group," the ECQ said in a statement to 7.30.

"Candidates cannot work together to promote themselves or fundraise during the election unless they register as a group with the returning officer."

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) told 7.30 it, too, would look into the matter after it was raised in Senate estimates this month.

"The AEC will undertake appropriate inquiries to determine whether there has been a breach of disclosure requirements by any of the parties mentioned," it said.

The Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) confirmed to 7.30 it had received a formal complaint about the conduct of the election and was assessing it to determine if the matter was in its jurisdiction and whether an investigation was warranted.

The CCC has discretion to conduct wide-ranging inquiries and hold public hearings, but rarely does so.

It will only investigate elected officials if it suspects a criminal offence has been committed.

Unlike the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the CCC does not have powers to make findings of corruption against the people it investigates.

Lobbyist worked for a number of 'independent' candidates

It has also emerged that as many as five or more candidates may have used an LNP-linked lobbyist and former public relations adviser to Mayor Tom Tate, Simone Holzapfel, for campaign advice and support, giving rise to questions about their connections.

7.30 has established that Cr Tate, Division 7 Councillor and former mayor Gary Baildon, and Division 12 Councillor Pauline Young all used Ms Holzapfel's services.

All three deny acting as a bloc.

Independent Mayor Tom Tate's campaign was advised by lobbyist and former Tony Abbott staffer Simone Holzapfel. ( ABC: 7.30 )

Planning committee chairman and Division 3 Councillor, Cameron Caldwell, told 7.30 he had received no donation or gift in kind from Ms Holzapfel but declined to comment on whether she had worked on his campaign.

Cr Boulton, who was elected in Division 4, was reported in the Gold Coast Bulletin as having received Ms Holzapfel's help, but she did not respond to 7.30's requests for comment.

Mr Robert's former staffer Felicity Stevenson, who was not elected, and former president of the Young LNP and Division 11 Councillor Hermann Vorster — who had campaigning support from Young LNP volunteers — also did not respond.

7.30 asked Cr Tate if he had been unaware that other candidates had, like him, used the services of Ms Holzapfel's company.

"I think it's a bit rude to talk about other people's campaigns," he said.

"I wouldn't want my campaign to be discussed to other people. It's a private business."

He said the new Gold Coast Council was the most "united" he had worked with.

Forum does not make separate disclosures of its activities

Ms Holzapfel was previously a staffer in former prime minister Tony Abbott's office when he was health minister in the Howard government.

Her clients have included developers ASF, which wants to develop a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast and Sunland, which has plans for a 44-storey twin tower scheme on undeveloped beachfront land at The Spit.

Ms Holzapfel reportedly donated $114,000 to the Fadden Forum in 2013 in multiple small amounts, although this does not appear in publicly available disclosure documents.

7.30 has no evidence that either Ms Holzapfel or the candidates acted improperly.

Ms Holzapfel has been linked to a controversial twin towers development proposal at The Spit.

The Fadden Forum does not make separate disclosures of its activities to electoral authorities as electoral watchdogs consider it to be part of the LNP.

AEC Commissioner Tim Rogers told Senate estimates on May 5 that the AEC did not consider the Fadden Forum an "associated entity" of the LNP, which would require separate disclosure of its activities.

Graeme Orr, an expert in electoral law at the University of Queensland, said he was not aware of the state's electoral law on candidates declaring their group status ever being tested in court.

"Simply sharing the same sources of funding does not constitute a group," he said.

"The sort of things the act looks at is shared resources, co-ordination, and mutual support.

"It could also include sharing the same campaign agent."