With cyber security breaches and scam activity increasing on almost every measure, Australians expect all organisations to keep their personal information and data safe. Charities and not-for profits (NFPs) are no exception, often held to a higher standard, including as custodians of the most sensitive data of some of most vulnerable and at-risk people around Australia.

The government has recently committed to invest $3.8 billion to back small businesses, with ‘for profit’ smaller organisations now eligible to benefit from $25 million worth of free or low-cost digital support across the 5 capability areas offered by Round 3 of the Digital Solutions program1.

Meanwhile our sector’s charities – employing more people than the manufacturing, construction and retail sector, making up 11 per cent of Australia’s workforce, and co-ordinating 1.6 million workers and 3.9 million volunteers2 – are often digitally ill-equipped, exposed and unprotected, and risk falling further behind the digital divide due to the lack of critical public investment in areas like cyber security, effective use of data and adoption of AI.

The government must not wait to take the immediate and similar action it has taken to support small business to prioritise the urgent digital needs and safety concerns being faced by charities and not-for-profits.

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1 https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/anne-aly-2025/media-releases/small-businesses-embrace-digital-support
2 https://www.communitydirectors.com.au/articles/acnc-report-set-to-show-slight-growth-in-charity-numbers-and-revenue-despite-difficult-operating-environment