Up-date
30th July, 2025
Open Letter to the Assistant Minister of Charities and the Albanese Government sent on 21 July 2025
It’s time to protect charities' voices.
Dear Prime Minister, Treasurer, Minister Plibersek and Assistant Minister Leigh
We write to urge your government to deliver on your promise and prioritise long-overdue reforms to protect the essential and vibrant democratic voices of the charity sector within the first year of the 48th parliament.
We are calling for the passage of reforms that will recognise our advocacy benefits the public, prohibit government officers from restricting the voices of charities when they are on government funding, and require the merit-based and transparent appointment of the Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). These reforms are simple to implement and budget-neutral and were also endorsed by the government-commissioned Not-For-Profit Sector Development Blueprint. Importantly, they would deliver meaningful protection for the democratic role of charities, ensuring we can continue to speak up on critical societal challenges without fear of political interference.
In the past, our advocacy role has been vulnerable to attacks by governments, threatening charities’ essential role in helping to create a healthy democracy in Australia. Without the proposed protections, our participation in public debates remains at the mercy of the politics of the day.
The charity sector plays a vital role in the Australian economy and democracy, contributing approximately 8% to the GDP, employing 1.3 million Australians, and engaging around 3.4 million volunteers. We have been subject to multiple reviews in the past, with only 21 out of 160 recommendations from these reviews fully implemented. The sector patiently engaged with two further review processes during the previous term of your government – it’s time for action. The government’s own Blueprint Expert Reference Group’s submission report expressed dismay that most reported issues and their solutions had been long known and had lacked action by successive governments.
The Labor Government is in a commanding position to ensure its already stated commitment to not-for-profits and charities becomes a reality early on in its new term of government. After much patience, perseverance and constructive engagement with the government, we call on you to fulfil your promise to our sector and our democracy to protect charities' voices.
Sincerely,
Members and Supporters of the Stronger Charities Alliance
(including ARRCC)
Work for a Fair Democracy #OurDemocracy
The Human Rights Law Centre, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Democracy Network are building a broad coalition for a better democracy, where our elected representatives put Australians’ interests first, not those of their wealthy donors and mates. ARRCC has joined this coalition.
ARRCC has joined because there seems no other reasonable explanation for the fact that our current federal government refuses to legislate sensible policies to keep us – and life on this precious planet – safe from climate change. It is not convinced by increasingly verified scientific warnings, clear ethical guidance, the availability of ever-cheaper clean technologies, not even shifts in popular opinion. What has become clear is that a major block to legislated national climate action is that the major political parties are captured by corporate interests.
We’re calling on the Albanese Government to pass legislation to fix political donations, election spending, and lobbying. Join us in demanding the Albanese government end cash for access by:
- Banning big political donations and ending donation secrecy
- Stopping ministers moving into industry jobs
- Limiting electoral spending by parties and corporations
- Making lobbying transparent
Background to the campaign
Much has been written now on the influence of corporate donors and the “revolving door” between politics and corporate power brokers. Examples are Big Coal: Australia’s Dirtiest Habit, by Guy Pearse, David McKnight and Bob Burton, and Games of Mates: How Favours Bleed the Nation, by Cameron K. Murray and Paul Frijters. Instances of unethical behaviour are frequently exposed by journalists.
The ABC’s two-part factual series released in October 2021, Big Deal, communicates the basic issues to everyday Australians in an effective and entertaining way; and is readily available on iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/big-deal
This issue affects other matters of social justice too. Whether community organisations are working to combat climate change, to stand up for workers’ rights, to minimise gambling harm or to keep our gun control laws strong, we are facing the same problem: powerful and harmful industries are resisting regulation for the common good.
Weak laws allow powerful industries and lobby groups to exploit democratic processes for their own financial gain. Even when exposed, there are rarely consequences for morally corrupt behaviour.
Australia lags far behind other jurisdictions when it comes to regulating political donations, election spending, lobbying and the spread of disinformation in elections.
The proposal for a legislated Federal Integrity Commission has been part of the response, which the current government has delayed and attempted to weaken by proposing its own legislation - a toothless, opaque version of the original.
After a long period of research and consultation across civil society, from grassroots organisations to academic experts, the Fair Democracy Network has created this Framework for a Fair Democracy. The Framework can be endorsed by individuals as well as organisations. Of course, ARRCC has of endorsed it: https://www.ourdemocracy.com.au/the-framework/
Framework outline
1. Stamp out corruption
Create a strong federal integrity commission
Introduce an enforceable code of conduct for politicians
Strengthen the institutions that keep the federal government in check
Introduce a merit-based process for appointing government advisors
2. End cash for access
Make lobbying transparent
Stop ministers moving into industry jobs
Ban corrupting political donations
Shine a light on secret donations
3. Level the playing field in election debates
Stop corporations from spending millions on campaigning against regulation
Limit political party spending on election ads
Introduce standards of honesty in election campaigns
ARRCC Is very grateful to our colleagues in ACF, the Human Rights Law Centre and the Australian Democracy Network for taking the lead in this important work.
Up-date 16 February, 2022 #OurDemocracy
The Australian Democracy Network launched a report Confronting State Capture: how corporations have eroded our democracy, and what we can do about it.
It breaks down six modes of influence used in state capture, and explores two case studies in detail. It sets out four recommendations on how to confront state capture. It explains what's stopping progress on the biggest issues of our time.
You can download the full report at our website, as well as a 2 page summary: https://australiandemocracy.org.au/statecapture
If you'd like to view the joint briefing with Human Rights Law Centre, you can find watch a recording here.
