NFPs want the next govt to fix funding and slash red tape

That’s according to a snap poll of more than 100 sector leaders.

Asked “What do you most want a federal Labor or Coalition government to deliver for the not-for-profit sector?”, viewers of the latest Not-for-profit Agenda webinar, hosted by ICDA, nominated the following demands:

• Sustainable funding for core services, including reforms to funding models (51%)
• Improvements to the way governments work with NFPs that deliver services, better procurement and contracting arrangements, and better collaboration and co-design (50%)
• A reduction in red tape (42%)
• Greater investment in NFP innovations such as social impact, social enterprise and alternative funding, and addressing climate change (41%)
• Better support for volunteers and the NFP workforce through pay increases, training support, and capacity building (37%)
• Increased support for high-need sectors such as mental health, First Nations, justice, housing and homelessness, to counter the effects of cost-of-living pressures (37%)
• Protection of the right of charities and NFPs to advocate (36%)
• Help for organisations to better embrace digital infrastructure, including cybersecurity (33%)
• Reform of the DGR system to increase tax deductions for more organisations (28%)
• Pay for all of this by slashing corporate tax avoidance and reducing defence spending (27%).

The Shadow Charities Minister, Senator Dean Smith, who was at the event, said the results reinforced the sector’s ongoing concerns about red tape.

“The sector requires the greatest possible support to continue its work, not increased red tape, insufficient consultation, or other factors that make what you do harder rather than easier,” he wrote in a comment piece.

“As I travel around Australia, in cities and regional communities, red tape is always flagged as a major concern, and it was raised as a top issue on the episode of the Not-for-profit Agenda that I joined late last year.

“Despite this, the Albanese government has repeatedly ignored or deliberately disadvantaged the interests of the sector since it came to power.”

Speaking on the Not-for-profit Agenda late last year, Senator Smith attacked Labor’s performance on the handling of new “self-review” tax returns for NFPs, and its slow response to a major review into philanthropy.

He promised that a future Coalition government would be more responsive to the needs of the sector than the current Labor government.

But Charities Minister Andrew Leigh, in a separate comment piece, argued it was the past Coalition government that had held the sector back.

“When the Albanese government took office in 2022, the charities sector was facing serious challenges after the Coalition’s nine-year war on charities.

“Charities were being tied in knots by outdated, inconsistent fundraising laws – spending time on compliance that could be spent helping people. They needed a government that saw them as partners, not just service providers. Across society, we saw that charitable donations were up, but fewer people were giving – a worrying trend and a long-term risk to our culture of generosity and equality of opportunity.

“We’ve tackled this by cutting excessive paperwork, aiming to double philanthropy by 2030, and strengthening social capital through community engagement.”

Listen live

Readers can register free to join the next edition of the Not-for-profit Agenda (Thursday, April 3), which will feature special guests predicting the results and impact of the federal election on not-for-profits.