ACNC must go to free up red tape

Today’s open letter from the Community Council for Australia opposing the Government’s plan to abolish the Australian Charities and Not For Profits Commission (ACNC) has been signed by only 54 individuals who are not representative of the more than 600,000 NFPs that make up the sector.

I have had ongoing consultations with major stakeholders and have heard overwhelming evidence that the ACNC needs to go.

The Coalition Government made an election commitment to abolish the ACNC and that is what we will do.

As the regulator of every Australian taxpayer, the Australian Tax Office is more than capable of overseeing the work of charities – it’s done it before, it can do it again.

The New Zealand Government has abolished its regulator and in the U.K the Charities Commission has been criticised by its National Audit Office as “not regulating charities effectively” and “not delivering value for money”.

The previous Labor government’s Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission increased the red-tape on civil society and made life harder, not easier for the sector.

We believe that the role of government is to support civil society, not to control it or bind it in more red tape.

I will continue to consult with stakeholders about the establishment of a Centre of Excellence to advocate for the sector, be a leader in innovation and provide education, training and development opportunities.