Andrew Leigh

Curtin University has just released the most comprehensive study of the Australian not-for-profit sector ever. The research tells us plenty that is useful about how the sector works. But if Kevin Andrews gets his way in scrapping the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, we'll lose that opportunity again.

MEDIA RELEASE

CHARITIES COMMISSION REVEALS MORE ABOUT NOT-FOR-PROFITS THAN EVER BEFORE

Thanks to the creation of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, we now know that the charity sector generates income of around $100 billion a year and employs over 900,000 Australians.

These findings are detailed in the first comprehensive report on what makes Australian charities tick, released today by Curtin University.

The report was made possible because in 2013 the charities commission began collecting Annual Information Statements from every registered not-for-profit detailing their finances and operations. 

More than 38,000 organisations lodged these statements with the commission, dramatically boosting transparency and accountability across the charity sector.

Before the charities commission was established, there was no central register of Australian not-for-profits, and no reliable way of assessing the true size of the sector as a whole.

But now, Australians are able to find out more information than ever before about the organisations they generously donate to. We also have a much clearer picture of the charity sector’s economic significance and contribution to Australian employment.

All of this important information will be lost if the Abbott Government goes ahead with its plan to abolish the charities commission.

Cutting the commission means cutting off transparency and plunging Australians back into the dark about how our charities work.

Today’s report further highlights the benefits of having a dedicated charity regulator and the utter folly of the government’s plans to scrap it.   

WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER, 2014

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