Labor promises reform

Tuesday, 24 August 2010

A re-elected Labor Government has promised to drive a major reform agenda for Australia’s community workers.

The reform plan includes a new Office for the Non-Profit Sector within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to drive and co-ordinate the policy reform agenda.

This is to be supported by a Non-Profit Sector Reform Council made up of representatives from across the sector. The ASU represents more than 100,000 community workers nationwide.

According to the Labour media release a newly elected Gillard Government would immediately commence a scoping study to determine the role and design options for a national “one-stop-shop” regulator for the non-profit sector to remove the complex regulatory arrangements currently in place.  There would also be greater harmonisation and simplification between the federal and state governments, and a reduction in red tape for government funded non-profit organisations by developing a common form contract or ‘master agreement’ and reviewing tendering, contracting and acquittal arrangements between the Federal Government and non-profit organisations.The scoping study will be finalised early in 2011 and will guide the reform program.

The media release said that the Government “appreciates that the non-profit sector also enriches communities through sport and recreation, arts and culture, and by protecting the environment and providing emergency services in times of crisis.”

The non-profit sector contributes $43 billion to Australia’s GDP and counts for approximately eight per cent of employment nationally. The sector is made up of around 600,000 organisations, 59,000 of which are deemed to be "economically significant".