CCA Annual Report 2024 - Community Council For Australia

Building flourishing communities by enhancing the extraordinary work of charities and the not-for-profit sector

2024

ANNUAL REPORT

Rev Tim Costello AO
Chair, Community Council for Australia

Chair Report

As I reflect on 2024, I think it’s important to highlight a growing disquiet about how effectively we can or are driving positive reform for our sector.

In my 2023 Chair’s report I talked about how engagement with the government had generally been very positive, but we remained a little concerned about the gap between the stated intention of government and the delivery of agreed policies and report recommendations.

The gap between policy intentions and delivery seems to have grown in 2024, a view reflected in CCA’s survey of sector leaders conducted by Piazza Research on our behalf in September. The summary of findings stated:

The survey data reveals that Australia’s charity leaders overwhelmingly regard the Australian Government’s achievements in delivering on its 11 key policy promises as insufficient. Across the board, a significant majority of respondents indicated an overall negative response (“no action, minimal action, or some limited progress”) for most of the Government’s commitments. This shows a notable disconnect between the Government’s stated intentions and its tangible outcomes in supporting the charity sector.

The Piazza research also found over 50% of CEOs were concerned about rising costs, increased competition for income streams, difficulty finding the resources needed for climate adaptation and dealing with environmental facts, new demands in the technology area and a general economic downturn impacting income.

I am pleased to say that faced with these challenges, CCA was still able to deliver some important outcomes for the sector including, for example, in the area of workplace relations where the government had put in place legislation that would severely restrict the capacity of charities and not-for-profits (NFPs) to contract staff in line with their program start and end dates or their funding agreements. The exception that was included as a new regulation to the legislation has enabled charities to continue to employ skilled and experienced staff in ways that align to funding agreements.

This work meant taking a different approach and working through the Senate to bring about the solutions the sector developed and put forward.

I think this kind of outcome is a reflection of the effective way CCA engages with the sector through its regular roundtables of leadership groups, in this case the People and Culture leaders (what we used to call HR), is able to identify emerging problems and issues, and then work with the sector and relevant stakeholders to find a way forward.

CCA had similar success in raising the issue of Self Assessed Income Tax Exempt NFPs having to complete a complex process to lodge a new annual return to the Australia Taxation Office. The Senate Inquiry provided a platform for small NFPs to have a say and the Senate Inquiry recommendations, if implemented, would significantly reduce the administrative burden of tens of thousands of small NFPs across Australia.

CCA was a partner with Our Community in releasing the Community Compass in 2024, a report by Rebecca Huntley and her team into how our communities related to and perceived charities and NFPs. This report provided invaluable insights into the different groups in our community and their relationship with our sector.

CCA has also become a key facilitator in the work to ensure an Australian Pacific COP31 is grounded in community input and meaningful engagement. This work which will slowly gain momentum over the coming two years, has been supported by WWF Australia.

The Lord Mayors Charitable Fund provided invaluable support to ensure CCA could continue to run regular roundtable forums with CEOs, leaders in HR / People and Culture, Policy / Government Relations, IT / Technology, CFOs / Finance.

The AMP Foundation has supported CCA in developing a new Australia We Want report to be released in 2025. A special thanks to Nicola for this support.

This year CCA has also invested some of our resources in preparing for the 2025 Federal election including some preliminary work on marginal seats and their attitudes to charities and NFPs.

While talking about CCA’s activities in 2024, we should never overlook the day-to-day work done by the CCA team to keep us all informed and discussing issues of importance to our sector. Daily Diary is a big commitment but continues to have a strong readership and is our primary member and sector leader update service. David Crosbie also writes fortnightly for The Community Advocate – reaching a broader audience via the 60,000 NFPs connected to Our Community and the Institute of Community Directors. And while Twitter and Bluesky are less active for CCA now, LinkedIn is proving more popular across our sector where David’s regular articles are now reaching over 1000 impressions.

Of course we need to again acknowledge David, Deb and Nick who somehow make all this happen on what is a very limited budget. Their output is so impressive for such a small team.

CCA is almost fully funded by members who despite all the pressures on their own organisations, choose to contribute significant financial and other support to CCA. This tangible expression of confidence and belief in our sector is the platform on which CCA stands. This support is appreciated.

From amongst the membership, a select group of leaders donates their time and considerable expertise to serving on the CCA Board. As I have said many times previously, the level of knowledge and insight amongst our Board Directors is simply outstanding. I thank all my fellow Directors and especially our very effective Deputy Chair Claire Robbs (CEO of Life Without Barriers).

CCA has been well supported over the past 12 months by our partners and key stakeholders including Our Community, the Lord Mayors Charitable Trust, the AMP Foundation, and WWF.

CCA is a respected national peak body for our sector, and our challenge now is to take it to the next level by increasing its capacity.

As chair, I thank you for all your support in 2024. I hope you will join us in our journey to build an even stronger CCA in 2025

David Crosbie
CEO, Community Council for Australia

CEO Report

Some areas where we know new investment is needed are now becoming critical for our sector.

2024 at CCA was a year of frustration and reward.

CCA fails more than we succeed. Of course we have some successes, but our advocacy for much needed reform of the charities and not-for-profit sector often falls short of delivering real outcomes that impact across our sector.

Our failures highlight the challenge for CCA and a challenge for the sector. If we want significant reform, maybe we need to invest more in achieving that outcome?

At the last AGM we presented a new strategic plan developed with the Board and members. We’re now seeking to deliver on that plan, especially in building our capacity. We have had some additional support in 2024, but we are not yet at the level we would like to be. And the lead up to the 2025 election will draw heavily on our resources.

In some ways, the lack of significant investment in CCA to build a more powerful and effective peak body reflects the broader lack of strategic investment in our sector. CCA will be focusing even more on this capacity building in 2025 once the Federal election is over.

Throughout 2024 CCA has maintained good relationships with key policy makers in government including the Assistant Minister for Charities Dr Andrew Leigh and his Opposition equivalent Senator Dean Smith. We also work with other key policy makers including through my role on the ACNC Advisory Board.

CCA continues to work collaboratively with sector leaders on important initiatives including the emerging COP31 agenda, the issues around the new red tape imposed on every small not-for-profit (NFP) in the country, the workplace reforms that Tim has already highlighted, providing submissions and giving presentations on important issues including the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Philanthropy in Australia, and trying to keep our sector well informed through our regular publications.

The listing of CCA activities covered in the 2024 Annual Report provides some of the highlights of another busy year for CCA.

As Tim has highlighted, the findings of the Piazza research showed us that most of our sector share our frustration at the pace of sector reform. This year we again engaged in a familiar pattern of reviewing what is needed to drive effectiveness and productivity gains, developing recommendations most people agree with, and then waiting patiently for long overdue shifts in policy and practice. What emerges is a fundamental lack of political will to invest in real reform. Some areas where we know new investment is needed are now becoming critical for our sector.

One of the more enjoyable aspects of my role is that I get to work with an outstanding Board – all of whom have extensive experience as CEOs of charities. I want to particularly acknowledge Tim Costello and Claire Robbs both of whom give very generously of their time and expertise, despite both having very full schedules. I always feel I can call on them for advice and support.

I also have the pleasure of working with the remarkable Deborah Smith who is really both the backbone and heart of CCA, and works tirelessly to support our purpose. Nick Nguyen never fails to bring a high level of skill and creativity to our work. Both are wonderful people and always prepared to do whatever is needed.

CCA has been fortunate to have some strong partnerships with Denis Moriarty and the team at Our Community, and with key supporters including the Lord Mayors Charitable Trust, AMP Foundation (thanks Nicola), WWF (thanks to Dermot and his team), Infoxchange and many others who support CCA.

The only reason CCA exists is that our members are prepared to fund, support and engage with us. CCA members provide our purpose and ensure we remain focused on enabling them to better serve their communities. This is what makes CCA.

Thank you to all who have been part of CCA in 2024 – I’m looking forward to an even more productive 2025.

Strategic Plan 2026

CCA’s forward strategic plan, launched with members at the AGM in 2024 sets three clear goals:

The charities sector is valued at least as much as Australia’s small business sector.
The charities sector has the capabilities needed to build a flourishing and inclusive Australia.
Community Council for Australia has the resources to be an effective peak body.

It guides our work and provides a clear articulation of success, and despite some important advocacy and a significant win for our sector in 2024, reminds us of how much remains to do if we are to realise the change we need to see.

The lesson of success

CCA’s role and value as a peak is to bring collective leadership to policy and advocacy that shifts issues and achieves change that none of us could realise alone. No better example than our work together on workplace reform. Changes that meant charities would no longer be able to match employment contracts to funding had serious implications for managing operations, financial liabilities and organisational sustainability. This was an issue raised and worked through with members to ultimately arrive at a solution co-designed with experts that was prosecuted through the Senate. A good example of how CCA works:

On 3 July, Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Vice-President of the Executive Council) made this statement to the Senate:

The Albanese Government recognises the very significant contribution made to our communities by the charities and not-for-profit sector, including as an employer of tens of thousands of Australian workers.
The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs Better Pay) Act 2022 addresses the misuse of fixed term contracts, while providing exceptions to allow their use where genuinely necessary and appropriate.
The Albanese Government is committed to providing job security for Australian workers; we do not want to see people placed on rolling fixed term contracts when their job could be an ongoing position.
However, we recognise in some circumstances – such as non-ongoing funding – a fixed term contract may be appropriate. A range of exceptions in Secure Jobs Better Pay are intended to address these situations.
We have taken on board feedback raised by employers in the not-for profit sector, including the Community Council of Australia, about the operation of these exceptions.
We are committed to ensuring charities can continue to do the vital work they do for the Australian community.
The Government has advised the Community Council of Australia that we will take steps to address the issues raised by them as a priority.

There remains work to do to see the temporary regulatory exemption put in place for one year in November 2024 embedded in the Fair Work Act (with the relevant legislation currently undergoing a legislative review).

Media:

Win for charities on fixed-term contracting, Community Advocate, 29 October 2024

Sector scores Senate win on fixed contracts, The Community Advocate, 9 July

Workplace legislation: for the community sector, it’s just not working, The Community Advocate, 26 June

Lessons from failure

CCA followed a similar process for advocacy on the implementation of new ATO reporting requirements for Australia’s hundreds of thousands not for profits: working with members, bureaucrats, stakeholder policy structures (such as the ATO Not for Profit Stewardship Group), the Assistant Minister, the Shadow Assistant Minister, and the Senate (including a Senate Inquiry).

Here, process triumphed over policy intent, causing more cost and work for the ATO and the ACNC, and a significant burden (and often distress) in small community groups. All for no significant benefit for the Australia taxpayer and communities. It didn’t have to be this way. A reminder of the way governments too often fail to value our sector, understand our issues and dismiss our concerns.

“The question is, why is the ATO doing it?” Sector vents frustration at ATO tax changes in Senate hearing, Community Advocate, 22 October 2024 coverage of the Senate Inquiry into Not-for-profit Entities – Tax Assessments, including CCA’s evidence.

“Setting a threshold for annual returns makes sense, as does having the ACNC as the responsible agency. Anything else is just going to create a whole lot of work and concern for thousands of small NFPs, while providing no real benefit to government or the community.” NFP self-review changes cost taxpayers $5.4 million, Community Advocate, 4 November 2024 (covering the Report of the Senate Inquiry into Not-for-profit Entities – Tax Assessments).

The Australian Tax Office new reporting requirements for not-for-profits are causing a great deal of pain for the sector… Perhaps the biggest question for the Senate Inquiry to answer is why are the concerns of our sector not taken seriously? How the tax office is wasting the not-for-profit sector’s time, effort, and money, Community Advocate, 15 October 2024.

“A threshold of around $1 million for example might justify all the resources and effort required from the ATO, community groups and others to pursue any possible tax avoidance… the risk of lost revenue from the more than 100,000 very small (under $50,000 turnover) volunteer run NFPs is negligible.” (A proposal that aligns with the independent review of the ACNC in 2018). “No-one wants people to be able to avoid their taxation obligations by claiming to be an income tax exempt NFP, but this measure is creating a lot of extra work and raising concerns for many while providing very limited if any tangible benefit. Senate to probe impact of ATO tax changes on NFPs, Community Advocate, 19 September 2024.

Looking ahead to a Federal Election

2024 was the last opportunity in the current term to hold the Albanese Government to account on the positive reform agenda for our sector it carried into government, and to position our sector’s value and issues ahead of the Federal Election.

CCA progressed three substantial pieces of work:

A survey of sector leaders on the state of the sector and the Government’s performance on delivering reform
Preparation for a survey of 20 marginal electorates on community perceptions of charities and community groups ahead of the Election
With the support of the AMP Foundation, began work on the third report of the Australia we want, articulating a clear vision for the kind of society we aspire to, and measuring progress toward and away from the just, fair, safe, equal opportunity, inclusive, creative, authentic, confident, united, kind, generous and compassionate Australia we want.

The CCA State of the Sector Reports: Part 1, Sector Confidence released at the end of 2024 gave a stark picture of the pressure charities are under with increasing costs outstripping income growth across the sector. CCA’s media release highlighted that up to 37% of Australian charities are confronting an uncertain future and some may even have to wind back services as inflation and the cost of living crisis hit the sector hard.

The findings attracted widespread media coverage:

Media Release: 1 in 3 charities face financial crunch: New Poll accompanying the first of the CCA State of the Sector Reports.

Charities perform vital work in society, but if we continue to short-change them, we will all suffer. This is why so many charities are at risk of failing, Canberra Times, carried across ACM media and published in the Community Advocate: Charities need support too

“For years charities have been saying the real costs of providing services to our communities is much higher than the funding being provided. This new research reinforces previous findings that the biggest issue confronting charities is the lack of support to meet rising costs and increasing demand.”

Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch, AAP, 16 December picked up by national and regional media: Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch | Canberra Times and Australian Community Media network; Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch | Yahoo News; Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch | The Corowa Free Press and McPherson Media Group (regional papers); Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch | Perth Now (Seven West Media) ; Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch | Canberra City News and sister publication, Queanbeyan City News; Fears for needy as uncertain charities face cash crunch | MSN

Radio coverage of the report included CCA Chair Tim Costello speaking on ABC Radio news bulletins with Triple M, Fox and The Wire: A RECENT POLL SHOWS 37% OF CHARITIES FACE FINANCIAL UNCERTAINTY | The Wire

CCA Policy Priorities 2024

CCA engages constructively with the Assistant Minister for Charities, the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP; Shadow Assistant Minister Senator Dean Smith, and across the Parliament.

We make submissions, provide media commentary, work with Parliamentary Inquiries and Senate Estimates and meet publicly and privately with Ministers and their advisors, MPs and Senators from across the Parliament.

We also liaise with the bureaucracy and key bodies (such as the ACNC Commissioner, Treasury, the Australian Taxation Office, the Productivity Commission, Fair Work Ombudsman and the Reserve Bank of Australia), promote collective leadership by our sector, and work in partnership with leaders and stakeholders.

The policy priorities we sought to positively influence in 2024 included:

Engagement with Government and the Assistant Minister for Charities on the sector’s issues, priorities and value, including the disparity – compared to small business/business – in the way Government responds and includes the sector in policy priorities and invests in the sector.
Responding to new legislative propositions and their likely impact on charities and community groups, including the mess created by the ATO policy of having every not-for-profit complete an annual return to the ATO, and new electoral reforms that will impact charity disclosure requirements.
Workforce issues (contracting, retention, engagement, training, Fair Work Ombudsman, industrial relations and award complexity).
Cybersecurity and the lack of resources for charities and community groups.
Fundraising reform and the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Philanthropy.
Opposing new and existing burdens of red tape and administration, including making it feasible for charities to establish fundraising initiatives quickly and efficiently.
Improving transparency, changes to ACNC secrecy provisions and other recommendations from the 2018 ACNC legislative review.
Encouraging greater certainty in government contracts by locking in existing payments and extending contracts wherever possible.
Supporting greater flexibility in government funding to charities and not-for-profits to respond to the emerging needs in their communities.
Supporting initiatives to unlock new sources of capital for charities including underwriting medium-term loans schemes and impact investment options that will enable charities to smooth out inconsistent income streams and invest in their future.
Supporting re-engagement of volunteers, including investing in a one stop shop registration process to enable volunteers to be registered and insured more quickly without the red tape of multi-jurisdictional compliance.
Providing transformational capacity building funding to charities in critical areas such as information technology, energy efficiency, collaboration, measurement of impact, research, staff development and other productivity focused areas.
Climate adaptation, resilience and the need to support community-based charities and NFPs.

CCA Submissions

Secure Jobs, Better Pay Legislative Review
Hansard – Evidence to the Senate Inquiry – Not for profit Entities – Tax Assessments
Submission to: The Economics Reference Committee Senate Standing Committee on Economics Inquiry – Not-for-profit Entities – Tax Assessments
Submission to Treasury – Scams Prevention Framework Exposure draft legislation
CCA Federal Pre-Budget Submission 2024-25
Consultation with Treasury re winddown of cheques and the impact on charities
Supporting Partner, Koda Capital report, Rising Tide: How Non-Profit Philanthropic Investors Approach Responsible Investing

Peer Leadership

Some of the best support for sector leaders, is to connect with each other. Our leadership networks are informal and informative; collegial and collaborative; safe and insightful… and invaluable for informing our national policy and advocacy. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to meetings during 2024:

CCA CEO Forums

CCA CFO Network

CCA Senior Policy and Government Relations Managers’ Network

CCA People and Culture Leaders’ Network

CCA Digital Leaders’ Network

Community Compass

Charities and community groups should look carefully at this report’s findings. It may mean that as a sector we need to place more emphasis on spelling out the way we contribute to the economy, productivity and the wellbeing of Australians, rather than promoting values like fairness and equality that may not resonate with everyone in our communities.

CCA Media Release: Indifference – a threat to community organisations

Assumptions have the power to delude, deceive and undermine our work. Which is why CCA was delighted to accept Our Community’s offer to partner in the commissioning and launch of one of the most important pieces of research undertaken to support our sector: The Community Compass. This one should be sitting on every charity and community group leader’s desk, a lens through which to test every new initiative to engage community as supporters and contributors to our work for cause and community. Thank you to Denis Moriarty and the team at Our Community for enabling foundational work, and Dr Rebecca Huntley and the team at 89 degrees East for insightful research.

Joint Media Release (Our Community, 89 Degrees East, CCA) : Study reveals six Aussie types when it comes to thinking about community

We know the social connection that charities and community groups build at the heart of our communities is a critical contributor to building resilient communities, and we know our communities are facing climate change fuelled rolling natural disasters of fire, flood, drought and heat. Yet in Australia, most charities and community groups – aside from environmental charities and some ahead of the sector in embracing climate leadership – play no role in addressing the biggest challenge that will increasingly impact our work and our communities.

CCA believes we can and should change that.

Australia’s bid to co-host COP31 with the Pacific in 2026 is a potential watershed moment for Australia to turn its response to climate change at home and abroad from one of laggard to leadership. Which is why CCA has worked with WWF Australia to bring together leaders from across sectors to advance a vision and work to put community at the centre of COP31.

COP31 Collaboration Group meeting with the Hon Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy and the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Charities, Parliament House, Canberra, November 2024

Media commentary, thought leadership and a Daily Diary

In the course of a year, CCA publishes well over 200 editions of Daily Diary – lighting up the inbox of CCA member CEOs and senior staff with an informal and fairly frank two-minute read intended to help keep you up to date on national context, CCA work and other news of interest to charity leaders – with an occasional smile.

In addition to media commentary, CCA CEO David Crosbie writes fortnightly for The Community Advocate, raising sector issues and promoting thought leadership within and about our sector.

Time to set some minimum funding standards? 3 December: If we want to change the way we are funded, we may have to change the way we deal with funders rather than waiting for them to change. Imagine if our sector could agree to minimum standards in funding contracts and boycott any non-compliant funding rounds. We could never get 100% of organisations on board, but maybe it’s worth exploring?

The tale is in the telling, Community Advocate, 20 November: Sharing stories of positive change is the key to demonstrating the value of connecting rather than dividing our communities.

Community connection key to resilience in the face of natural disaster, Community Advocate, 6 November 2024: It’s time government recognised the important role the not-for-profit sector can play in strengthening community resilience when disaster strikes.

Why defeating scammers is not a task for individuals, Community Advocate, 2 October 2024: David writes: Not only would I like to see the UK model of automatic reimbursement copied in Australia, but I think it should be extended to all charities and NFPs. If any charity or community organisations is scammed, the bank or relevant finance institution should automatically have to reimburse the money lost. Collective action against excessive greed and unethical behaviour by vested interests has never been more important.

A legacy to be proud of – thanks, Bill Shorten, Community Advocate, 17 September 2024 (article): Love him or loathe him, departing NDIS minister Bill Shorten has been a solid supporter of the sector, says Community Council for Australia CEO David Crosbie.

Understanding our people, understanding our future, Community Advocate, 3 September 2024: If charities are to achieve their full potential, Australia must invest significant additional resources into better training, supporting, paying and understanding the sector’s current and future employees.

Beyond the rhetoric: Let’s rate this government on its performance, Community Advocate, 21 August 2024: If we want politics to be more than the art of messaging, we need to play our role in holding governments to account, writes says Community Council for Australia CEO David Crosbie.

The decline in great journalism is bad news for not-for-profits, The Community Advocate, 6 August: The threat posed to democracy through the demise of public interest journalism is one of the reasons CCA and others believe we should be doing more to support charities like the Public Interest Journalism Initiative.

Global outage prompts sector alert, The Community Advocate, 30 July: includes commentary from CCA: “the federal Labor government had taken to the last election a promise to support the not-for-profit sector in bridging the technological divide, but that the sector was still waiting for that support.”

Workplace legislation: for the community sector, it’s just not working, The Community Advocate, 26 June: Gaining some acknowledgement of our specific requirements through changes to workplace laws would be a step in the right direction, but perhaps we need to think bigger about the kind of input charities and community organisations could and should have into government policy making. Because what is happening now is not working.

Icebergs ahead: The charity sector is becoming unsustainable, The Community Advocate, 12 June: The sobering statistics outlined in the latest Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Australian Charities Report highlight a sector under stress.

What makes a great charity? (Tanarra Social Purpose led campaign), 12 June: CCA contribution.

Time for your election campaign?, The Community Advocate, 29 May: The upcoming federal election is an opportunity for charities and community organisations to help set the agenda for the incoming government.

Checkmate would be a premature move in the life of cheques, The Community Advocate, 22 May: Discontinuing cheques is a big problem for charities and community groups – because it’s a problem for our donors and our volunteers.

Sector left empty handed after plea for government cyber security aid, The Community Advocate, 20 May, with commentary from Tim: “This lack of funding leaves donors’ financial data, and highly sensitive information about millions of vulnerable Australians, exposed.”

It’s time for a new Budget performance – root and branch, The Community Advocate, 15 May: There must be a better way to develop and frame Federal budgets. If the fundamentals don’t shift significantly in the next few years, we will continue to entrench inequality and the destabilisation that brings. Perhaps even more importantly, we will lock in permanent and irreversible damage to our world, ensuring we can never achieve the kind of Australia we would want our children to live in.

Watch for empty words in consultation, How to win political friends and influence powerful people, Advocacy Edition, Community Directors Intelligence, 9 May, David says, one of the real arts of politics is to make people feel heard and acknowledged but without making actual commitments that may cost time or money or require change. It is clearly time we stopped accepting acknowledgement as an end in itself. Proper consultation should be a forerunner to investment and partnership in meaningful change, not another report that sits on a dusty shelf with more recommendations to add to the 160 from major inquiries over the last 30 years – of which only 21 have actually been implemented.

Violence against women – it’s us, not them, The Community Advocate, 1 May, David writes, the epidemic of violence against women will not end unless we all recognise that it is us, not them, who can and will make a difference.

Not-for-profit Agenda, News webcast, Community Directors, 24 April, David provides some pre-Budget commentary. See also: Show me the money: NFPs brace for budget belt-tightening, Community Directors

Climate change: doing nothing is not an option, The Community Advocate, 9 April, In Australia, most charities and community groups – aside from environmental charities – play no role in addressing the biggest challenge that will increasingly impact our work and our communities. We can and should change that.

Great expectations, The Community Advocate, 27 March, The weight of expectation to be all things to all people falls heavily on those in the not-for-profit and charity sector. In charities and NFPs there will always be a gap between perfection and reality, between all the competing expectations and what can realistically be delivered. We can’t let that gap define us when so much good is being achieved every day.

When acknowledgement alone isn’t enough, The Community Advocate, 13 March, Consultation is meaningless if governments don’t take the views of not-for-profits, charities and community groups into account when making decisions. Enough of the ‘you are doing great work, we appreciate you and your views’. It is clearly time the charities and not-for-profit sectors stopped accepting acknowledgement as an end in itself.

Rev Tim Costello AO,
Chair CCA