Andrew Leigh

LABOR TO ENSURE STRONG FUTURE FOR AUSTRALIA’S CHARITIES

An Albanese Labor Government will ensure a strong future for Australia’s charities by developing a sector-wide blueprint that will boost the sector’s capacity to support and reconnect our communities.

Australia’s charity and non-profit sector is eight per cent of the economy, 10 per cent of the workforce, and mobilises three million volunteers. They’re the first line of support for the most vulnerable in our communities, and have helped millions of Australians rebuild their lives after floods, fires and economic hits.

The future of the charity sector is too important to our economy and our communities to grow and develop without planning or strategic investment. Even a one per cent productivity increase would add $1.4 billion to the resources available to the sector, creating more jobs and providing services to more Australians.

Under our blueprint, an Albanese Labor Government will establish the Not-for-profit Sector Expert Reference Panel to chart out a more productive future for Australian charities.

Working with Treasury, business, philanthropy, volunteering and other key stakeholders, experts from the charity sector will work to produce a Sector Development Plan.

This plan, which will identify priorities for the sector, will be developed through extensive consultation and will include economic modelling of future scenarios. It will also incorporate strategies to capitalise on emerging opportunities, and consider what could influence the sector’s capacity to respond to emerging risks and limitations.

The panel would be supported by an ongoing ‘Building Community – Building Capacity’ Working Group. This group will help implement the Panel’s recommendations, and help steward the charity and community sector in its role as frontline responders in building a reconnected Australia.

A crisis summer, followed by two years of lockdowns and social disruption have shown how valuable it is to build resilient communities with flexible networks for social connections and shared experience.

The social impacts of loneliness and social disconnection are becoming better understood and a higher priority for government. The working group will work to measure the impact of isolation and the efficacy of solutions to social fragmentation.

Drawing on trials, research and consultation, the working group will identify effective ways to amplify the community sector’s role addressing isolation and building community.

The Building Community working group will work to bring new resources to the problem, publicise successful programs and demonstrate the social and economic value of better-connected communities.

Only an Albanese Labor Government will ensure a strong charity sector to support vulnerable Australians and build a more connected and caring country.

ENDS

Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP, Canberra