A Charities Crisis Cabinet has been formed with co-Chairs Rev Tim Costello AO and Susan Pascoe AM and 18 other leaders from the not-for-profit sector.
The Cabinet has identified key issues that cut across the sector, such as the likely impact on public and corporate giving. Policy options that have broad consensus within the group are being worked on, with good government engagement. The Cabinet’s overall aim is to enable charities to support their communities through the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those most vulnerable to increased harm. The Cabinet also wants to help ensure as many charities as possible can effectively contribute to building flourishing communities after the crisis.
The Cabinet has written an open letter to the Prime Minister, the Premiers and Chief Ministers calling for action to support charities by:
- locking in all existing government funding until 2021
- allowing charities the flexibility to respond to their communities by not enforcing narrow contract and performance requirements
- ensuring charities can access the same support packages as are being provided to small business
- extending tax deductibility for donations to all charities, and
- increasing the tax offsets for donations for the next six months
To keep updated on the Cabinet’s work, click here
