Senator for Tasmania, Catryna Bilyk, welcomed her appointment today as Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Charity Fundraising in the 21st Century and said she was looking forward to the Committee’s inquiry.
“The Committee will be looking closely at the current regulatory framework for charity fundraising, in particular the costs for charities of trying to comply with seven different regimes when fundraising across Australia,” Senator Bilyk said.
“The Committee will also look at how Federal, State and Territory governments can work together to provide charities with a nationally consistent, contemporary and fit for purpose fundraising regime.
“While anyone can make a submission to the Committee, I would welcome submissions from the Commonwealth, the states and territories, and from any charities that are affected by these laws.”
There has been growing pressure from the not-for-profit sector to reform the regulatory framework for fundraising in Australia, culminating in Justice Connect’s #fixfundraising campaign.
“A nationally consistent framework of course has to be one that protects Australians from scammers and fake charities—a problem which costs each Australian an average of $4 a year—while also reducing the paperwork and reporting duplication for genuine charities,” Senator Bilyk said.
“Reducing duplication was the aim of Labor’s Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission. We need to take a look at whether further reform is needed for the ACNC to fulfil this purpose.
“Our hard-working charity sector needs a regulatory framework that works with them, not against them.”
Terms of Reference:
(a) whether the current framework of fundraising regulation creates unnecessary problems for charities and organisations who rely on donations from Australian supporters;
(b) whether current fundraising laws meet the objectives that guided the decision to regulate donations;
(c) whether current fundraising compliance regimes allow charities to cultivate donor activity and make optimal use of resources donors provide;
(d) the loss in productivity for the thousands of charities who try to meet the requirements of the seven different fundraising regimes;
(e) whether the current frameworks for investigation and enforcement are the best model for the contemporary fundraising environment;
(f) how Federal, State and Territory governments could work together to provide charities with a nationally consistent, contemporary and fit-for-purpose fundraising regime;
(g) the appropriate donor-focused expectations and requirements that should govern fundraising regulation in the 21st century;
(h) how the Australian Consumer Law should apply to not-for-profit fundraising activities;
(i) what are the best mechanisms to regulate third party fundraisers and to ensure the culture of third party fundraisers matches community perceptions of the clients they work with;
(j) could a harmonised, contemporary fundraising regime help in addressing concerns about the potential influence of foreign money on civil society and political debate in Australia;
(k) the cost to the charity and not-for-profit sector, and the communities they serve, of postponing fundraising reform; and
(l) any other related matters.
SENATOR CATRYNA BILYK SENATOR FOR TASMANIA
