PilchConnect - Online resource for NFPs
1 December 2008 at 3:07 pm
PilchConnect is a new online resource for Not for Profit organisations which was launched in Melbourne recently.
PilchConnect will make navigating complex regulatory arrangements much easier, according to the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens.
PilchConnect is a free and low-cost legal service that provides legal information, training, advice and legal referrals for Victorian community organisations.
The PilchConnect website provides a comprehensive suite of information and presents it in an easy to understand way that works through the ‘life-cycle’ of a community organisation.
Senator Stephens congratulated Sue Woodward and the team at the Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH) for their efforts in making PilchConnect a reality.
Following the launch, Senator Stephens participated in a panel discussion with Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes from Queensland University of Technology and Adele Ferguson from The Australian on the regulatory system surrounding Not for Profit organisation in Australia.
Senator Stephens agreed with panel members that the current complexity of the system needs to be addressed and said the government is keenly awaiting the report from the Senate Economics Committee’s inquiry into regulation of the sector.
She says that in the meantime, there are many things the government is doing to reduce red tape and increase transparency.
The Senator is working with the states and territories to harmonise regulation and implementing new arrangements to minimise unnecessary red tape for all Commonwealth grant recipients.
Senator Stephens was also asked about the future of the Rudd Government’s Social Inclusion Agenda in the context of the uncertain financial environment.
She says as things get tougher, the government will focus more and more on the Social Inclusion Agenda and it needs to be even more vigilant that people don’t fall between the cracks.
For more information on PilchConnect go to: www.pilchconnect.org.au
