Today the long-anticipated Productivity Commission Final Report on Philanthropy within Australia was tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament. The Report, available here, contains very significant recommendations that will have implications for every charity within Australia should they be implemented by the Commonwealth Government. The following provides a...
Overnight the Productivity Commission released its Draft Report on Philanthropy within Australia. The Report contains some very significant recommendations that will impact upon every charity within Australia if they are maintained within the Commission’s final report due in May next year and if they are...
FCL Principal Mark Fowler published an article in the Canberra Times over the weekend commenting on the Commonwealth Government's Housing Australia Future Fund. In it he expresses the view that the HAFF legislation has not sufficiently addressed the uncertainties that arise in respect of the...
This afternoon the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission released its long awaited Commissioner's Interpretation Statement on Public Benevolent Institutions. Importantly, Natasha Sekulic, the Acting General Counsel clarifies her view that the 'updated PBI CIS does not narrow our interpretation of PBI. Charities that are currently...
The ACNC has announced that Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing, the Hon Michael Sukkar MP, has been confirmed to take responsibility for oversight of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. The Hon Michael Sukkar previously held ministerial oversight...
In a joint press release the Commonwealth Treasurer Josh Frydenburg and Senator the Hon Zed Seselja Assistant Minister for Finance, Charities and Electoral Matters have today announced reforms to the regime regulating fundraising by Australian charities, intended to harmonise fundraising laws by allowing a 'single...
Earlier this week the Hon. Zed Seselja announced the Commonwealth Government’s intention to introduce legislation in 2021 that will see charities deregistered where they engage in trespass, unlawful entry, malicious damage or vandalism or threaten violence, or where they encourage such conduct. This would expand...
Exciting things could be brewing for charitable fundraising reform. In some cases if a charity fundraises online, including on social media, it can quite innocently be caught by a raft of State and Territory laws, determined according to where its potential donors access its appeal. The...
The Australian Tax Office has published information for religious institutions seeking to access the Jobseeker payment here....
Yesterday Assistant Minister for Charities Senator Zed Seselja announced the Government is creating an incentive for philanthropic funds to give more support to charities during the Coronavirus pandemic. The media release outlining the Government’s intention to amend the ministerial guidelines for public and private ancillary...
