Last week the Federal Government announced it was implementing a $2000 cap on work-related self-education expenses.

 

The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) is gravely concerned about the significant impact this policy will have on the Australian nonprofit sector.

 

Why is this a problem?

 

In the first instance, this policy will severely impact financial viability of nonprofit organisations who provide work related educational programs for a fee. This is just the first of a number of serious flow on effects that will impact all Australians. This policy will: 

• Adversely impact the sustainability of Australia’s not-for-profit sector
• Increase calls from affected not-profits for financial support from government\
• Lead to a decline in overall skill levels of Australian employees
• Adversely affect the young and those just starting in careers
• Adversely affect the competitiveness of Australian workers in the global marketplace

For the above reasons we find the decision to introduce the cap to be retrograde step and we are asking the Federal government to reconsider the implementation of this policy for the sake of the nonprofit sector, young and vulnerable workers, and the Australian economy. See our media release for more detail on each of these concerns.

 

What action is AuSAE taking?

• We have sent a letter to the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer outlining our concerns and requesting a meeting to discuss this further.
• We have issued a media release to Australian media to educate them about this issue.

What you can do?

 

If your organisation is going to be adversely impacted by this policy we encourage you to take action by:

 

1. Contacting your local Federal MP or Senator to express your concern and ask that this policy be urgently rescinded.
2. Email president@ausae.org.au to tell us how this decision will affect your organisation.
3. Forward this email to your colleagues so they are aware of what is happening and encourage them to take action.

AuSAE is working hard to have this issue resolved favourably and will keep you up to date with any developments.

 

REgards,

Tony Steven
President

 

E    president@ausae.org.au T @AuSAENews W www.ausae.org.au
P   +61 (0) 3 6223 2047  F +61 (0) 7 3319 6385  M +61 (0) 409 219 368
A   PO Box 1400, Coorparoo DC QLD 4151 Australia

A modernised statutory definition of charity will provide greater clarity and certainty for charities, the public and regulators in determining whether an entity is charitable. It is therefore central to improving understanding of, and access to, charitable tax concessions.

The Government is seeking your views on a proposed statutory definition, with exposure draft legislation and associated material being released and available on the Treasury website. The public consultation period closes on 3 May 2013 to enable time for the legislation to receive Royal Assent by 1 July 2013.Read more...

Third Sector  The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission has released a guide that gives an overview of the not-for-profit reform agenda and the regulatory environment of the sector since the establishment of the ACNC. The guide, titled Not-for-profit Reform and the Australian Government, includes:

•Details of ‘who’s who’ in the not-for-profit (NFP) reform agenda

•Description of the different parts of the NFP reform agenda and their current status

•Key statistics about charities and NFPs in Australia

•Overview of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and its relationship with other regulators

•Overview of some of the significant reviews that have informed the NFP reform agenda.

The ACNC intends to update the guide periodically and has included links to further information where possible.Read more...

Third Sector Magazine  The Federal Government has appointed new members to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Advisory Board. New members include:

•Fiona McLeay (Deputy Chair), Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Clearing House

•Gina Anderson, Philanthropy Fellow with the Centre for Social Impact and experienced not-for-profit (NFP) director

•Paul O’Callaghan, Executive Director of Catholic Social Services Australia and former Executive Director of the Australian Council for International Development

•Myles McGregor Lowndes OAM, Director of the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non-profit Studies at the Queensland University of Technology....Read more.

Third Sector  Chartered Secretaries Australia is offering up to 20 scholarships to not-for-profit organisations to complete its Certificate in Governance for Not-for-Profits. The scholarships are valued at $2,994 each and will be offered to board members and senior professionals of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. Read more...

Thanks to New Zealand’s Meeting Newz for their round up of Wellington’s “Membership Is Dead?” networking lunch. It was great to have such a great turnout from the association community and we appreciate the support from the media. Read more...

From the Social Inclusion Unit. The Government has released the draft Code of Best Practice for Engagement with the not-for-profit sector (Engagement Code) for public consultation. Interested parties are invited to comment on the Engagement Code. This Engagement Code will be a practical reference tool for Commonwealth public servants and will strengthen engagement practices between the Government and NFP organisations. The Minister for Social Inclusion, the Hon Mark Butler MP, released the Engagement Code for consultation on 18 March 2013 to mark the third anniversary of the National Compact: working together. A copy of the draft Engagement Code and Media Release can be found at www.notforprofit.gov.au. Submissions on the draft Engagement Code can be received until 29 April 2013.

Well here we are in March already and half way through the first round of lunches featuring our new Executive Officer speaking on her latest paper, Membership is Dead? The numbers at these functions have been extraordinary! There are still four lunches to go in New Zealand and Australia and most of them are fully booked out.

The new Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission is asking the sector for feedback on requirements for annual financial reports under their new framework. This will eventually affect all NFP’s. The  Act 2012 (ACNC Act) implements a new reporting framework for entities registered with the ACNC and reporting requirements under the Act are proportional to the size of registered entities, based on a revenue threshold. There are three tiers for small, medium and large registered entities. These are noted below (Please email us if you would like to view the DRAFT – EXPLANATORY MATERIAL). Do you believe that revenue is the best way to do this? Please let us know.

• A small registered entity is an entity with annual revenue of less than $250,000.
• A medium registered entity is an entity with annual revenue of $250,000 or more and less than $1 million.
• A large registered entity is an entity with annual revenue of $1 million or more.

One of the biggest frustrations for Australian and New Zealand association executives is the lack of Australasian specific benchmarking information. AuSAE is delighted to be partnering with Survey Matters to deliver the "Associations Matter: 2013 State of the Sector Study" that will finally provide this long sought data. We encourage everyone to take part in this ground-breaking survey into professional associations in Australia and New Zealand. Click here for more information.