Mid-February in the Australian Parliament a report was tabled that recommends changes to laws dealing with charitable fundraising.
There are two recommendations.
The first is that Government urgently provide a public response to the recommendations made last year in the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) review panel report. You might remember that report recommended that the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) be amended to clarify its application to charitable and not-for-profit fundraising, and a mandatory code of conduct be developed to sit alongside the ACL.
The second recommendation is for the Australian Government to work with state and territory governments and the not-for-profit sector to develop a consistent national model to regulate not-for-profit and charitable fundraising within the next two years. Change has been recommended for over the past two decades and fundraising laws continue to be a source of frustration for the sector.
To view the Senate Report in full, click here.