Andrew Leigh

This morning I issued a media release affirming the value of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission after the release of an ill-informed report into the commission by a conservative think-tank.

ANDREW LEIGH

SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER

SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION

MEMBER FOR FRASER





MEDIA RELEASE

The Abbott Government Should Keep the Australian Charities Commission

Labor rejects the assertions in a Centre for Independent Studies report that the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC) should be scrapped.

The ACNC was created to ensure minimum levels of transparency and accountability in the sector. The Commission is actively working to protect public trust and confidence in Australian charities and not-for-profits.

Feedback from large and respected organisations confirm that the ACNC has been reasonable, responsive and accommodating in its dealings with them.

The CIS report calls for increased transparency at the same time as attacking the very body that is promoting transparency in the not-for-profit sector.

If this is the advice that Minister Kevin Andrews is receiving, is it any wonder that he is hell-bent on scrapping the ACNC despite its almost universal support in the sector and the advice of experts in the field.

Mr Andrews appears ideologically bent on only listening to a narrow band of entities, and repeating mistruths about ‘increased red tape’.

This ignores the fact that the ACNC will facilitate a Charity Passport so charities don’t have to jump unreasonable hoops to access government funds.

The ACNC has a Reporting and Red Tape Reduction Directorate, aimed at freeing charities from double reporting.

Allowed to flourish, Australia’s national and independent regulator will become a must-go-to source of information about which organisations donors can give money to with confidence.

ENDS

Thursday 6 February 2014



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