Justice Connect welcomes win for charities as Federal, State and Territory Governments jointly commit to #FixFundraising
16 Dec 2021
Justice Connect welcomes Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar’s announcement this week that they will be establishing a national fundraising framework working group to #FixFundraising.
Chief Adviser at Justice Connect’s Not-for-profit Law program Sue Woodward AM said, “We’re pleased to see all governments working together at the highest level to implement a simpler, single national scheme for the regulation of charitable fundraising.”
Under existing laws, any charity that raises money online in Australia must look at getting a fundraising licence in every state. In the era of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and compounding crises, charities have pivoted online to fundraise for the support they give to increasingly more communities with diminishing resources.
“Out-of-date and complicated fundraising laws that vary significantly across the states disproportionately put a burden on smaller charities, many of which entirely rely on volunteers.”
“This milestone decision by the Council of Federal Financial Relations (CFFR), under the Federal Government’s leadership, means charities across Australia can look forward to spending less of their precious resources working out what to do if they simply want to add a donate button to their website.”
“Instead, they can focus on delivering their vital services to the community.”
Justice Connect has been leading the #FixFundraising coalition for over 5 years culminating in the development of 14 Australian Fundraising Principles to help inform the national framework. The AFPs are a draft proposal, discussed and tested with charities and experts.
“We look forward to using our expertise to support the working group of officials to implement the best solution; one that preserves transparency and donor protections while allowing innovation and modern fundraising by charities and other not-for-profit organisations.”
Background
This announcement is a welcome follow-up to the 20 December 2020 announcement made by the Federal Treasurer as phase 1 of the reforms called for as part of the #FixFundraising campaign, where reporting and registration requirements were centralising through the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
A major independent survey in May 2021 revealed that up to 88% of charities and not-for-profit organisations still face unnecessary red tape when raising funds for their vital services.
Read more about the Australian Fundraising Principles developed by the #FixFundraising Coalition in collaboration with the Charities Crisis Cabinet.
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT:
Emily Malone, Justice Connect
emily.malone@justiceconnect.org.au
+61 3 9021 0149
About Justice Connect:
Justice Connect is a legal services organisation and charity that designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.
Justice Connect’s Not-for-profit Law (NFP Law) is a national, specialised legal program. It provides free and low-cost legal assistance to not-for-profit community organisations across Australia, runs a certified social enterprise and advocates for better laws and regulation on behalf of the Australian community sector.