2022 was a year of two halves – there was before the Federal Election under the Morrison government and after the Federal Election under the new Albanese government.

CCA was fortunate enough to be able welcome new Assistant Minister for Charities Andrew Leigh to our last Annual General Meeting. At that time, he was yet to have his role confirmed in the new Albanese Ministry – but was still prepared to engage in a frank and open discussion with CCA members as we advocated for the policies we believed would make a positive difference in Australia.

During the first half of 2022 a lot our work was focused on the lead up to the election.

Then Shadow Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh was involved in our pre-election Forum along with Greens Senator Janet Rice.  Infoxchange hosted the forum at the annual Connecting Up Conference in Melbourne.  This forum confirmed the agenda and policies the incoming government and the Greens would pursue to support the charities and not-for-profit sector.

Post the election, the nature of CCA’s engagement with government shifted significantly, not only because we enjoyed a stronger relationship with a more committed and informed Assistant Minister, but also because so many new initiatives, consultations and reviews were initiated by the incoming government.

CCA has developed a robust set of consultation measures that include regular online forums with CEOs, Chief Financial Officers, Chief People Officers, Government Relations and Policy Managers, and Technology and Information Management leaders.  These specialist leadership forums not only assist CCA to know what issues are emerging across the sector, but they also enable those involved in leading charities to share information and talk about solutions.

It was through these forums that CCA learned how much additional work the sector was involved in as the new government began to reset key policies and government structures.  These forums also brought to our attention critical areas where CCA needed to advocate on behalf of the sector.

Data security was one of the issues raised with CCA through our consultation forums.  With the Federal government becoming increasingly concerned about cybersecurity and the safety of private information, the government sought to massively increase penalties for breaches to ensure companies took their data security obligations seriously.  CCA members expressed concern that the proposed new level of fines could mean the end of their organisations.  CCA was able to not only offer a submission, but also advocate directly to allow for variation in the proposed penalties to take account of charities who might inadvertently breach data requirements.  Small and medium charities will now face less severe penalties than were originally proposed, although there is still more advocacy required in this area. 

This advocacy work is one small part of our work.  It is partly enabled by the ongoing relationships CCA maintains with key decision makers whether through our engagement in opportunities like Senate Estimates or policy development discussions with Members of Parliament, Senators and their advisors. 

CCA also plays a role in several key consultative mechanisms within the ATO and Treasury.

The listing of CCA activities covered in the 2022 Annual Report provides some of the highlights of another busy year for CCA.

The next 12 months will be challenging in different ways for CCA.  The new Federal Government is seeking more policy input, but often the capacity to implement and drive real reform is quite limited.  The reality is that charities do not have their own department within government, and there is no clear home for charity policy reform. 

We know there are many issues where the voices of charities have been raised but not heard, and that the current economic environment is increasing inequality and marginalisation of some communities.  CCA will need strong support from its members if it is to take on the new government and push for reforms that will improve the capacity of charities to serve their communities more effectively.

As I regularly note, it is a privilege to work at CCA in what I find to be a rewarding and challenging role.  It is a pleasure to work with Tim Costello, Claire Robbs our Deputy Chair, and a Board that offers real insight and support. I want to acknowledge that Tim and Claire in particular do a great deal of work for CCA, all in a voluntary capacity, and they do so with energy and grace.  

Of course, all of us close to CCA know that it is the wonderful Deborah Smith who actually runs CCA behind the scenes.  Thank you, Deb, for all you do.  This year we also welcome Nick Nguyen to our small staff team.  I am sure you will see the impact of Nick’s work over the coming year.

I want to echo Tim’s note of thanks to Caitriona Fay and Perpetual, Denis Moriarty and Our Community, and Karen Mahlab and Pro Bono Australia, all invaluable partnerships that have leveraged the work of CCA in 2022.  They are also all great people to work with.

CCA is not about the staff, the Board, or any of our individual initiatives, CCA is primarily about our members and the work they do.  Most days I get to talk to our members about the issues that matter to them.  I am constantly reminded of how important our sector is in Australia, especially as I talk to change makers helping build flourishing communities in Australia and internationally. 

To all our members I offer my thanks for your support in 2022.  I look forward to again working alongside you all as we seek to make Australia a better place in 2023 and beyond.