Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Well, we've had 59 knocked off the register. Clearly, there are charities—and that's the whole purpose of the ACNC, I'd remind you—

Opposition members interjecting—

Did you not vote for the ACNC when you were last in government? The whole purpose of the ACNC is to maintain and ensure integrity in the sector. That will clearly mean that, in egregious circumstances, charities will be knocked off the register. Why is that done? Because it maintains integrity in the entire sector. There are 55,000 charities. It doesn't take many charities—including those in the recent AUSTRAC ACNC report—to do the wrong thing to muddy the names of so many others. So I would suggest to you that the sector actually wants integrity because it engenders more trust and more giving from donors.

I would say to the member for Fenner that this government has a very proud record of doing three things. We protect donors and ensure that we are engendering a spirit of giving through integrity in this sector. We also ensure that we are reducing red tape for charities. One of the most significant aspects of what this government has sought to do is to ensure that charities and not-for-profits can spend less time complying with paperwork, less time complying with government regulations and more time undertaking what it is they are there to do.

Of course, with the foreign donations bill, we have to ensure that to obtain a very important public policy outcome—that is, no interference from foreign political interests—we assist our charities to comply with that. And we absolutely will. The test will be for the member for Fenner to see if he can get his party to a sensible outcome and if he can cease this disgraceful character assassination of the ACNC Commissioner, who is doing a wonderful job, who is already winning plaudits in the charities and not-for-profits sector. I'm very confident that, after his term is completed, the ACNC Commissioner will be remembered for the same high standards as the former ACNC Commissioner is remembered.

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