Superannuation – 30 Nov 2015

Media Release: Superannuation - 30 Nov 2015

Simple revolution for Australian super needed – Community Council for Australia says innovative French program should be adopted to create billions of dollars for projects that have a social impact – and CCA says it is easy to do.

Community Council for Australia (which represents over 600,000 not-for-profits and 60,000 registered charities) calls for the Government to adopt an extraordinary and highly successful French initiative … which has created billions of dollars for not-for-profits carrying out projects that create social impact.

Tim Costello – Chair of CCA – says the revolutionary French superannuation program allows all employees to choose to have a very small percentage of their super contributions put into projects that have a positive social impact (and a solid financial return).

The French program – which started slowly – has grown by a huge 800% in just 5 years. In 2008 it was putting $700 million into projects that have a positive impact on people’s lives … now the money being generated is an enormous $5.5 billion (2013) and growing.

CEO of Community Council for Australia – David Crosbie – says no government money is needed to change the Australian system. He highlights if just 2% of Australian “MySuper” investments were going into social projects with a positive social impact, a massive $8.5 billion will be generated. He says whether the money is put into jobs, social housing, health or many projects that impact on people’s lives, it’s obvious this inspirational French idea is a great move.

David Crosbie highlights Australians now have $430 billion invested in “MySuper” products (up $75 billion in just the past 12 months). There is over $2 trillion invested in the total superannuation pool – the third highest level of super investments in the world. If 2% of total superannuation was invested in social benefit it would amount to $40 billion.

STORY IN FULL: Australia needs to adopt a revolutionary and groundbreaking superannuation program that has now been operating in France for over a decade and has created extraordinary results … and billions of dollars for projects that have a positive social impact (and a worthwhile financial return).

David Crosbie – who heads up Community Council for Australia (CCA) and the Reverend Tim Costello – who Chairs CCA – say the French 90/10 super program is producing amazing results and is very easy to apply to Australia.

The program was established in 2001 … giving all French people with super the opportunity to have up to 10% of their super invested into organisations having a strong social impact and a solid financial return.

David Crosbie highlights whilst the program started slowly, it suddenly gathered incredible momentum in 2008 once all superannuation products had to provide the option of a solidarity investment, and now the so called ‘Solidarity Fund’ has grown a massive 800% in just 5 years. He points out the super investment in France has not damaged returns and is ultimately a small amount of the overall investment.

Put another way, back in 2008 $700 million of super was being put into projects that help people in some way … now it’s an incredible $5.5 billion (2013) and growing.

David Crosbie said, “This is so easy to apply to Australia. A few small changes would allow Australians to put a small percentage of their super into projects that are making a difference and showing a clear financial return. The fact is we are talking about very small commitments that add up to huge money. ”

Community Council for Australia highlights if just 2% of Australia’s “MySuper” products was invested in projects having a positive social impact (and positive return), then a massive $8.5 billion would be instantly created. David Crosbie says this would be money to make a huge difference to many people’s lives – and none of the funds would be coming from government.

David Crosbie said, “Imagine $8.5 billion going into public housing in Australia? That’s not a pipe dream. By adopting this incredible concept, it could happen. At least 50,000 new places in affordable housing could be created in one year.”

David Crosbie highlights $2 trillion is currently invested in super in Australia and $428 billion is being put into “MySuper” products (the 116 approved super products that exist in Australia). Contributions to all super funds with over 4 members went up in Australia by over $100 billion in just the past 12 months alone.

Community Council for Australia represents charities and not-for-profits across the nation. The sector now employs close to 1 million Australians a year … with a turnover of $100 billion annually. It employs 9% of the entire Australian workforce. Australia has 600,000 not-for-profits and 60,000 registered charities.

Tim Costello – Chair of Community Council for Australia – said, “What an incredible idea. It’s revolutionary and easy to adapt. This would have an enormous impact for not-for-profits and communities across the nation. It would create billions of dollars of new investment into the sector. It’s very simple too, and it is really simply about providing an option that currently does not exist.”

“Our not-for-profit sector would then have increased capacity. More money to invest in innovation. More money to enable economically marginalised people to build equity in property and their communities. More jobs, more money going into education and more money for healthcare.”

David Crosbie added, “Imagine the vision of charities and not-for-profits being able to serve communities in a bigger way and strengthen those communities. The Prime Minister and Treasurer have clearly said nothing is off the table. Let’s move now because this is a clear template for a revolution that Australia desperately needs.”

David Crosbie said, “We can unquestionably learn a huge amount from the French when it comes to super. In France individuals and organisations are hooked up around common principles of democratic governance and community involvement.”

“No-one in France foresaw – back in 2001 – that this ‘Solidarity Fund’ concept would grow so huge. In anyone’s language, an 800% increase in just 5 years tells the clear story. It’s a cost effective idea, getting money into projects that need it that show a clear return. Vive la France.”

“The key – as shown in France – is to give employees an option to put some of their super funds into social benefit. Given this option, many employees are happy to invest a small percentage of their super into achieving real benefits for the community. It needs to be an option in every ‘My Super’ fund for this to work.”

Media enquiries to: Ross Woodward on 03 9769 6488

David Crosbie and Tim Costello are available for interviews at different times – on request.

SOME KEY POINTS AT A GLANCE

The French 90/10 rule is a groundbreaking approach to superannuation investment.
The so called ‘Solidarity Fund’ grew slowly when initially launched in 2001.
Employees can choose (it is a choice) to have up to 10% of their super put into projects that have a positive social impact (and are obviously showing a financial return).
The French super program is revolutionary … and has grown at an extraordinary pace in recent years.
In 2008, $700 million was being generated for projects with a social impact … now it’s an amazing $5.5 billion (AUD).
It has grown 800% in five years … and is still growing.
“MySuper” funds are the default funds employers can pay into on behalf of their employees – they are not the total superannuation pool, but represent 116 approved retail superannuation products commonly used by employers for payment of the compulsory super deductions on behalf of employees.
If 2% of the total superannuation pool was invested in social benefit it would amount to $40 billion
Community Council for Australia represents 600,000 not-for-profits and 60,000 registered charities – turning over $100 billion in Australia and employing 9% of our workforce.
CCA CEO David Crosbie says if just 2% of Australia’s My Super investment went into projects that have a social impact (and a solid return) this generates over $8 billion.
None of this money would come from government.
He uses the example of housing pointing out $8 billion would buy 25,000 new affordable homes for 50,000 people who can’t afford accommodation … a great investment of the money (and just 2% of all super).
$428 billion is now invested in ‘My Super’ products in Australia (the 116 approved super products for most employers and employees.
The amount of money going into “MySuper”products has grown by $78 billion in the last 12 months according to David Crosbie.

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Sector reform through charity mergers

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Sector reform through charity mergers - Nov 10 2015

Sector heavyweight David Crosbie urges Australian charities to merge, instead of competing for the same funding, in order to survive.

Hundreds of Australian charities must be dissolved or merged to stop not-for-profits cannibalising each other in the $105 billion a year industry, the sector’s peak body says.

Community Council for Australia (CCA) chief executive David Crosbie says charities are too often clambering for cash to tackle the same problems, creating unnecessary duplication.

Mr Crosbie said on Tuesday there were well in excess of 60,000 registered charities and 600,000 not-for-profits in Australia.

He said the number of new charities surged 10 per cent between 2011 and 2014 and continued to grow but government funding options had diminished and private donations were drying up.

“The more we compete within the sector, the more it highlights division and erodes public trust,” Mr Crosbie said.

“People want to see charities and not-for-profits working for their communities, not just trying to make the most money they can for their own organisations.”

Mr Crosbie was especially critical of federated charities, saying charitable cash was being wasted on duplicated management roles, infrastructure and back office systems.

He said smaller organisations should also consider drawing on the resources of other larger ones to provide back office and other support.

“This is money and effort that would be much better invested providing services at the coalface,” Mr Crosbie said.

The CCA will host a series of forums later this month to investigate folding scores of charities across the country.

CCA chairman Tim Costello, who chairs World Vision, said NGO’s needed to put self-interest aside to help reform the sector, which has an annual turnover of about $105 billion.

“Rather than playing the victim we need to take charge of our own futures and better collaborate and share,” Reverend Costello said.

“We’re not the charity police and this isn’t about big taking over small. But because we’re so fragmented our strength, voice and impact is being diluted.”

AAP.

Refer external link: https://third-sector.com.au/crosbie-calls-for-sector-reform-through-char…

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Media Release: Too many charities? – 30 Oct 2015

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Media Release: Too many charities? - 30 Oct 2015

The Community Council for Australia is launching a series of Forums seeking to reduce the number of charities in Australia. David Crosbie, CEO of CCA, said today that “it is time to ask sector leaders to put self-interest aside and work together rather than competing against each other in the charities and not-for-profit sector.

Charities and NFPs serving the same communities may need to work harder at collaboration and possible mergers, not because it is in their interests, but because it is in the interests of the communities they serve. Large federated organisations must be able to justify the expense of having eight CEOs, eight finance and HR teams, and eight competing fundraising teams. Bigger is not always better, but smaller organisations may need to consider if they may be able to draw on the resources of a same purpose larger organisations to provide back office and other support.”

Rev Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision and Chair of CCA said “these new CCA Forums are about honouring the trust the community gives to charities. All of us need to ensure we are doing everything possible to provide the best possible services in the best possible way. Most people do not care whether it is one kind of organisational structure or another that does the work. They do care whether their money is being used as effectively as possible to address their issue of concern.”

The CCA lead CEO and Board Leader Forums on Collaboration and Mergers have been developed to enable sector leaders to learn from each other rather than relying on external experts. People who have both failed and succeeded in merging charities will be part of the closed discussions.

Mr Crosbie cited the example of the recent merger between Good Beginnings Australia and Save the Children Australia; “here you have two CEOs and two Boards willing to put aside their own personal and professional interests to ensure they better serve the needs of disadvantaged children in Australia. This kind of merger should not only be commended, but should also be replicated across a significant number of organisations.”

There are 600,000 not-for-profit organisations in Australia and over 55,000 charities employing more than 1 million Australians and turning over more than $105 billion annually.

The Collaboration and Mergers Forums will be held in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth over the coming month and are supported by the Myer Foundation, PwC and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission.

Media Release: Too many charities? – 30 Oct 2015 Read More »

Media Release: ACT government set to undermine all charities – 29 Oct 2015

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Media Release: ACT government set to undermine all charities - 29 Oct 2015

The Community Council for Australia (CCA) has expressed dismay following reports today that the ACT government is intending to develop an ACT specific definition of charities, ignoring all legal and other conventions, and over-riding existing legislation and regulations.

According to David Crosbie, CEO of the Community Council for Australia, ‘the ACT government will alienate the whole charities sector if it proceeds with steps to make up its own definition of charity. We already have a nationally regulated definition of charity, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission, the rulings of the Australian Taxation Office, and well established guidelines that have evolved from High Court decisions. We do not need new ACT specific regulations imposed on all charities. We have enough red tape and compliance costs.’

Mr Crosbie highlighted that the ACT government had been one of the first governments to support the work of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission and agree to harmonize its legislation with the national regulator.

‘This proposal is nonsense. Will ACT charities have to satisfy all the national requirements as well as a set of new ones the ACT government are going to impose? Does the ACT government believe its own separate definition of charity is better than the nationally regulated definition which took years to develop and implement, and was based on recommendations of the Productivity Commission and more than five major national inquiries? Does the ACT government reject the High Court definition of charity? Is the ACT government committed to increasing red tape for all charities by imposing a unique set of new requirements? Does the ACT reject the national register of charities and all the work of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission? Is the ACT government seeking to drive peak bodies out of the ACT by making it more difficult for them to operate here? How absurd!’

Mr Crosbie likened the proposal as a step back into the days prior to Federation; ‘next thing they will be wanting to have an ACT specific rail gauge or tax any business seeking to operate outside the borders of the ACT. The charities sector in the ACT employs thousands of staff and makes a real economic and social contribution to the ACT community. Why strangle it?’

Media Release: ACT government set to undermine all charities – 29 Oct 2015 Read More »

Public Hearing: Senate Inquiry into Department of Social Services human services tendering – 21 April 2015

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Public Hearing: Senate Inquiry into Department of Social Services human services tendering - 21 April 2015

Community Affairs Reference Committee Public Hearing

CCA CEO David Crosbie gives evidence to the Senate Inquiry into the impact on service quality, efficiency and sustainability of recent Commonwealth community service tendering processes by the Department of Social Services

21 April 2015

[15:25] CHAIR: Welcome and thank you for coming. We have your submissions thank you very much and you have all had information on parliamentary privilege and the protection of witnesses in evidence. I invite whoever wants to to make an opening statement—I know some of you have been sitting there for quite a while—and then we will ask you some questions.

Mr Crosbie: I think we all appreciate the opportunity to present evidence and the fact that senators are giving up so much of their time and energy for what we see is a very important inquiry. I know from Senate estimates and from elsewhere that this process is being followed closely by many of the senators who are participating. I want to say from the perspective of the Community Council for Australia that this is not about cuts—that is, not saying that we support the cuts or that we do not support the cuts. We accept that governments have a responsibility to make decisions and that they need to be held to account for those decisions but for us, because we have such a broad group of members, we are really focusing on the process. In terms of the process, when we circulated our submission among our members to get feedback and to finalise the submission, the feedback we got was that many people who did not participate in the DSS grant application process this time had experienced very similar experiences in mental health, in legal aid services, in community education, in some of the arts areas and in other areas.

I think it goes to the heart of the issue about the relationship between governments and the charities and not-for-profit sector. This process has highlighted what could only be called an incredibly dismissive and almost arrogant approach to the sector. It is almost inconceivable that you would talk about trying to make reform in an area, trying to improve services, trying to achieve the kinds of objectives set out by DSS in their submission without actually engaging with the people who work in those areas, as though you have all the knowledge and you have the capacity to make all the decisions about how all those organisations will operate, their budgets, their services, their programs.

None of us in our sector would presume to have that knowledge even within our own fields, let alone across a broad range of fields. It beggars belief for anyone, the idea of 104 DSS people, not only 37 contractors, as I understand, not only sitting there deciding the breadth of programs but also deciding the governance structures, the decision making structures and then checking them off internally to see whether they were happy with themselves and now talking about doing their own gap analysis to see whether they are happy with what gaps they have left. I really think at some point we need to say that it does not work. That structure will not work, it has not worked in the past and it will not work in the future. If you want to sit in an ivory tower and make decisions about who gets funding and what they do it will not work. At a time when we want to strengthen the sector and we want the sector to invest in itself and use its assets better, the one thing that you do not want to do is to undermine our capacity to plan for our future. That is exactly what this program has done. I never thought that I would hark back to the days of the Howard government’s grant-giving processes, but I find myself doing that.

It is unfortunate that Senator Sinodinos is not here, because I do remember under the Howard government that there was a commitment to involve people from the sector in decisions about where government funding went—in areas like alcohol and drugs, mental health and homelessness. Committees and groups were established that had input into where money was spent. I remember John Herron and Arthur Sinodinos, in his role as chief of staff in the Prime Minister’s office, taking a very proactive view that departments alone could not make decisions about the allocation of funding and using it productively. I will end on this note: I do not believe that we can keep on re-inventing failure. If DSS sees this process as in any way successful, we have a very significant problem. I think we need to rethink the whole notion that departments are responsible for administering grants, because the damage that is being done is far greater than any gain through the proposed reform…

Senator MOORE: They are very good. Mr Crosbie, thank you for your submission and the summary of recommendations. Have you had a chance to talk with the department about your recommendations?

Mr Crosbie: No, we have not. I think three of our 10 recommendations were actually from the Productivity Commission. One of the biggest learnings from the Productivity Commission—Robert Fitzgerald and the Productivity Commission did a great job—pointed out to me by Robert was the massive gap in perception between the way departments view their relationship with the sector and the way the sector views its relationships with departments. If you look in Appendix E of the Productivity Commission report, they surveyed government officials—not just in DSS but across the whole range of government agencies—about how they rate their relationship with the charities and not-for-profit sector. Over 70 per cent rate it positively.

When they asked the charities and not-for-profit sector, only 25 per cent rated it positively. There is a fundamental misunderstanding about what departments see as good practice and what charities and not-for-profits see as good practice or good communication. We have seen time and time again from every department, including Treasury, an assumption, when they are communicating to the charities and not-for-profit sector, that they are doing a good job and they are communicating well, when in fact there is no testing of that. I would push that further by saying that we have no avenue for the charities and not-for-profit sector to lodge complaints. There is no relationship ombudsman; there is no closed feedback loop; there is no way people can work through issues constructively.

There is no avenue for these kinds of concerns to be worked through with departmental officials—not in the public domain but in saying: ‘All these people have all these concerns about this process. You guys are doing this. How can we work to resolve this?’ There is no avenue for that to happen. In the past I have addressed in Prime Minister and Cabinet the social secretaries, the heads of the departments that are responsible for all the social services, and each one can talk positively about their relationship with the sector and the things they are doing to build that, but when I talk to the sector it is almost the opposite perception. There is a feeling that they do not have an avenue to talk to departments and there is no way of resolving issues.

See more on the inquiry and transcript here: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Grants

Public Hearing: Senate Inquiry into Department of Social Services human services tendering – 21 April 2015 Read More »

Senate Hearing into the ACNC (Repeal) Bill – 23 May 2014

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Senate Hearing into the ACNC (Repeal) Bill - 23 May 2014

23 May 2014

Reflections of the Senate Hearing and likely findings of the Inquiry

‘If the behavior of Senator Bushby and advisers from Minister Andrew’s office are any indication, Mr Crosbie’s suggestion that it is time to put aside the politics of the day and try to achieve good policy is very unlikely to be reflected in the findings of this Committee Inquiry.’ See more here…

CCA CEO David Crosbie’s Opening Statement

‘Thank you to the Senate and the Economics Committee for the opportunity to present – in many ways we have all been here before. In this opening statement I just want to make three observations that really go beyond what is in our written submission.’ See more here…

Senate hearing trascript available here.

More information regarding the inquiry is available here.

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Not just cheap talk – seven Federal budget measures that will strengthen all charities

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Not just cheap talk – seven Federal budget measures that will strengthen all charities

‘The not-for-profit sector is too important to the Australian economy to be neglected in the forthcoming Federal budget. Talk about support for the sector is cheap – real investment that strengthens the sector is what is needed’ says Community Council for Australia CEO, David Crosbie.

Speaking at the release of the CCA pre-budget submission, Mr Crosbie pointed out that the charities and not-for-profit sector is critical to the economy and to all Australian communities.

‘Our sector employs one million Australians and turns over around $1 billion per annum. We are often treated as the ‘third sector’ behind government and business, but it is increasingly important for governments to increase their investment in this sector if we are to build a resilient and productive society for all Australians. In tough times we need more, not less capacity in our not-for-profit sector. Cutting charities hurts us all in the long run.’

The CCA submission outlines a seven point $35 million dollar plan to reduce red tape and improve productivity for the sector over the coming three years. Recommendations include:

providing Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status to all registered charities (initial exemption for churches and schools)
establishing a Centre for Excellence in NFP Effectiveness (as recommended by the Productivity Commission) drawing upon expertise from Australia’s best NFP researchers.
establishing a Social Finance Taskforce (as recommended by the Senate Economics References Committee) to identify and promote better access to capital for NFPs.
ensuring an independent process in determining charitable status and in driving government red tape reduction by further supporting and developing the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
increasing Government commitment to and support of philanthropy by re-establishing the Prime Minister’s Community Business partnership; providing support to allow employers to establish ‘opt out’ systems of workplace giving to NFPs based on a 0.5 per cent salary sacrifice; providing an initial grant totaling $1 million to establish infrastructure that supports direct giving through mobile phone billing; and establishing a NFP bank drawing on dead money accounts to support capacity building in NFP organisations
implementing the recommendations of the Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee (CAMAC) into the administration of Charitable Trusts.
supporting the development of a Future Blueprint for the NFP Sector
supporting the development of an independent, closed feedback loop to monitor and evaluate the health of the relationship between government and NFPs.

Not just cheap talk – seven Federal budget measures that will strengthen all charities Read More »

Media Release: New charity legislation to be enacted at last – a great outcome!

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Media Release: New charity legislation to be enacted at last - a great outcome!

David Crosbie, CEO of the Community Council for Australia has welcomed the decision by the Australian Senate to support implementation of the new definition of charity; ‘today’s outcome is a victory for common sense that will benefit charities across Australia now and into the future. The charities sector welcomes the support of the Australian Senate.’

The government’s Bill seeking to delay the start date of the new charities legislation has not passed the Senate. The new definition of charity legislated six months ago will now be implemented from 1/1/14.

Mr Crosbie previously described any proposed delay to implementation of the new definition of charity as ‘an unfortunate and unwelcome step backwards that will create uncertainty and mistrust… The charity sector needs clarity in charity legislation and stability for future planning. Any delay to this legislation jeopardizes both of these.’

When the Definition of Charities Bill was passed through parliament earlier this year Rev Tim Costello Chair of CCA and CEO of World Vision said; ‘at last we have a straight forward definition of charity that uses modern language and describes charities as they are now rather than as they were 400 years ago. This is a great step forward in providing certainty to the thousands of charities across Australia.’

On 18th of September 2000, Prime Minister Howard announced the establishment of the Charity Definition Inquiry (CDI) into definitional issues on the basis that; ‘we need to ensure that the legislative and administrative framework in which they operate is appropriate to the modern social and economic environment. Yet the common law definition of a charity, which is based on a legal concept dating back to1601, has resulted in a number of legal definitions and often gives rise to legal disputes.’

This Howard Inquiry found that reliance on case law caused confusion even among well-resourced charities on what was or was not charitable. Since then, statutory definitions have been enacted in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, New Zealand and Ireland.

In Australia there have been numerous consultations and the new legislation has attracted wide support from charity law experts and the charity sector. According to Mr Crosbie, the new Definition of Charities Bill achieves important goals including:
• Enshrining the High Court decision in Aid/Watch to ensure that charities can advocate changes to laws, policies and practices without jeopardising their charitable status, and
• Modernising current law to recognise charitable purposes including protection of human rights, the promotion of reconciliation and tolerance, Indigenous affairs, housing, disaster relief and advocacy.

Neither Mr Crosbie nor Rev Costello were aware of why the government had sought to delay implementation of the charities legislation, especially given the new definition enjoys widespread support.

Media Release: New charity legislation to be enacted at last – a great outcome! Read More »

Church lobby in win over charities watchdog

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Church lobby in win over charities watchdog

Article by ROYCE MILLAR published front page of the Age and other Fairfax outlets September 01, 2013

If Tony Abbott is elected prime minister on Saturday he will abolish the watchdog established by Labor to keep an eye on the billions of dollars received and spent by Australian charities each year. Why?

The answer, in part at least, may be the lobbying power of church conservatives, the Catholic Church in particular, and the office of Sydney Cardinal George Pell, more particularly still.

And their focus has not been the Coalition alone. Labor insiders acknowledge the impact of Cardinal Pell’s office as it reduced the scope of its new national regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission.

Charity leaders, church heads and political insiders have told The Sunday Age about the lobbying campaign over charities regulation by the Sydney archdiocese, notably Cardinal Pell’s business manager and chief political envoy, Danny Casey.

The pressure applied by the Sydney church through the charities debate has raised the question of the access and sway it may enjoy under Australia’s first Catholic Liberal prime minister and his Catholic-strong frontbench that includes Kevin Andrews, Barnaby Joyce, Joe Hockey, Malcolm Turnbull (a convert), Andrew Robb and Christopher Pyne.

Labor senator Ursula Stephens has watched the campaigning over the commission at close quarters, including from her former position as parliamentary secretary for social inclusion, where she had responsibility for reform of charities regulation.

A proud Catholic, she confirms heavy lobbying of both sides of politics, including by the national Catholic Bishops Conference and separately by the clearly more anti-regulation Sydney archdiocese.

She says she had ”absolutely” no doubt that Cardinal Pell’s representatives had had a big influence on opposition family and human services spokesman Kevin Andrews’ promise in mid-2012 to abolish the commission, well before Labor detailed its final, amended form in Parliament, a position he reiterated last week.

”I’m well aware that Sydney lobbied the opposition very hard on this issue, says Senator Stephens. ”They got to Kevin Andrews early.”

Across the Catholic Church is an array of views about the commission, and widespread concern about additional red tape and duplication in the early days of its operation.

Paul O’Callaghan, the head of Melbourne-based Catholic Social Services, says the major church welfare agencies support a single national regulator, but want it to be of ”lighter touch” in its work.

Another senior church figure contrasts this with the Sydney archdiocese’s breakaway lobbying, describing it as driven by ”fear and suspicion”. ”There are a few in the church, like Danny Casey, that are anti-commission, full stop.”

Over 20 years a string of commissions and committees has called for better regulation of Australia’s $43 billion charitable sector.

In 2010, the Productivity Commission slammed the regulation regime shared by the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the states as too complex, too costly, and too short on transparency.

Labor’s response was the new charities commission, which opened for business in January. It is meant to be a one-stop shop that keeps a register of charities – there are 60,000 large ones and 600,000 not-for-profit groups in all – helps them meet their obligations, and investigates them when they don’t.

Given the Liberals’ ideological commitment to the idea of small government, suspicion about a national regulator is arguably consistent with the Liberal philosophy.

Mr Andrews says Labor’s commission is an unnecessary level of bureaucracy established to hunt down ”mischief” it has never identified.

”We don’t believe that any real mischief was made out to justify a whole new bureaucracy. It is total overkill for what is required for the charities sector,” he says.

Yet charity sector leaders such as World Vision’s Tim Costello insist that, while the new commission has had teething problems, it is settling as an effective and efficient regulator of, and friend to, charities. ”The commission is actually working for us, and it gives the public confidence [in the spending of their donations],” he says.

A survey last month of 1500 not-for-profit groups by online not-for-profit information agency Pro Bono Australia found 80 per cent supported the commission.

And the Victorian and Tasmanian-based Churches of Christ Community Care has begun an online petition to save the commission, warning that the Coalition alternative would be ”an advisory body with no teeth”. That, say critics, appears to be the point.

Church lobby in win over charities watchdog Read More »

C20 Media Release: Constructive contributions to the G20

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C20 Media Release: Constructive contributions to the G20, 1 August 2013

Media release issued 1/8/13 following the first meeting of the C20 steering group

Australian civil society representatives have met for the first time to discuss how best to contribute to high-level policy decisions at next year’s G20 Summit in Brisbane.

“The importance of sustainable economic growth as a means of reducing inequality must be front-of-mind for global economic decision-makers, because inequality not only impacts those most disadvantaged in society, it also stifles global productivity,” World Vision Australia CEO Tim Costello said.

Australia assumes the G20 presidency later this year and a Civil 20 (C20) Steering Committee has been appointed to co-ordinate civil society engagement with G20 leaders.

The 14-member committee – chaired by Mr Costello – will identify key policy positions of non-government sector voices in Australia to feed into the G20 Leaders’ Summit agenda.

The Committee met for the first time on Wednesday to develop a process for engagement between civil society and G20 leaders.

The committee discussed how to constructively contribute to G20 policy to ensure the benefits of economic growth are shared equitably.

“In addition, we need to pay attention to who shares the burden when sacrifices need to be made,” Mr Costello said.

All C20 Steering Committee members agreed on the importance of transparency in the policy development process leading up to the November 2014 G20 Summit.

“The operation of the C20 Steering Committee will be an open, inclusive process,” Mr Costello said.

The meeting confirmed that World Vision Australia CEO Tim Costello and ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie will be Australia’s C20 delegates to the G20 Leaders’ meeting next month in Moscow.

“The C20 has an important role in including community voices in the G20 process, because it is those communities who are ultimately affected by G20 decisions,” Mr Costello said.

Media contact: Kris Gough – 0481 005 468 / kris.gough@worldvision.com.au

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