Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before asking that the motion be taken as formal, I wish to inform the chamber that Senator Siewert will also sponsor the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senator Siewert, move:

(1) That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Select Committee on Charity Fundraising in the 21st Century tabled its report on 14 February 2019,

  (ii) the unanimous report of Labor, Liberal, Australian Greens and United Australia Party senators called on the Australian Government to work with state and territory governments to harmonise Australia's charity fundraising law within two years,

  (iii) while government responses to committee reports are due within three months, the government's response to the charity fundraising inquiry has not been forthcoming nine months after the report was tabled,

  (iv) the Morrison Government's failure to progress this important issue was highlighted when charity fundraising law reform was absent from the agenda of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs – key meeting of Commonwealth, state, territory and New Zealand consumer affairs ministers – in Queenstown, New Zealand, on 30 August 2019,

  (v) without fundraising law reform, charities raising funds online are required to register and comply with seven state and territory fundraising regulatory regimes,

  (vi) the charity and not-for-profit sector has been calling for reform of Australia's charity fundraising laws for several years,

  (vii) the Department of the Treasury's 5 year review of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), delivered on 31 May 2018, identified fundraising law as the major reporting burden on charities, and recommended that fundraising law be harmonised across the country, and

  (viii) the failure of the Morrison Government to act on reform to charity fundraising law is costing charities $15 million a year; and

(b) calls on the Morrison Government to:

  (i) deliver its overdue response to the report of the Select Committee on Charity Fundraising in the 21st Century,

  (ii) stand up for Australia's charities, not-for-profits and their donors, whose donations and fundraising efforts are being needlessly eroded by unnecessary regulatory costs, and

  (iii) provide national leadership and – as a matter of urgency – work with the states and territories to harmonise Australia's complex and outdated charity fundraising laws.

(2) That the Senate requires on Monday, 2 December 2019, at 12pm, before government business is called on, the Assistant Minister for Finance, Charities and Electoral Matters to:

(a) table the Government's overdue response to the report of the Select Committee on Charity Fundraising in the 21st Century; and

(b) attend the Senate to provide an explanation, of no more than 20 minutes, of the government's response and for the delay in responding to the committee's report.

(3) At the conclusion of the explanation, any senator may move to take note of the explanation.

(4) Any motion under paragraph (3) may be debated for no longer than 60 minutes, shall have precedence over all business until determined, and senators may speak to the motion for not more than 10 minutes.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting this motion. The committee report recommended the government respond to the ACNC review and work with state and territory governments alongside the charity sector to harmonise fundraising laws. The government is finalising its response to the ACNC review and is currently consulting with the states and territories on fundraising law. The government has consulted widely with the sector throughout the process and is committed to delivering a response in the first half of next year.

Question agreed to.