ACOSS Praise for Departing Senator Mark Arbib
28 February 2012 at 10:06 am
 |
| Former Senator Mark Arbib |
Welfare peak body ACOSS has praised the contribution to the Not for Profit sector of Senator Mark Arbib who resigned in a controversial move after the Federal leadership spill yesterday.
ACOSS chief executive Dr Cassandra Goldie says ACOSS recognises the contribution of Senator Mark Arbib in his Ministerial portfolios of housing and Indigenous employment participation and as Assistant Treasurer responsible for reforms in the Not for Profit sector.
“We welcomed Minister Arbib’s availability and willingness to hear from community organisations and their clients across a range of critical issues facing people on low incomes, from insecure housing and homelessness to unemployment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Dr Goldie said.
“Most recently, Minister Arbib has played a positive personal role in continuing the important work on reforms to the tax treatment and regulation of charities and Not for Profit organisations and has worked closely with the sector to ensure they are implemented fairly and appropriately.
“We wish Senator Arbib the best of luck into the future, and we look forward to working with the next appointment to these portfolios with the same level of willingness to engage and listen to the views of Australia’s community sector,” Dr Goldie said.
Senator Arbib, a Labor faction leader, resigned in a shock move after the leadership spill which saw Prime Minister Julia Gillard recieve a resounding vote of confidence from her Parliamentary colleagues defeating Kevin Rudd 71 to 31 votes.
The NSW Labor Senator told media in Canberra that he wished to help the Australian Labor Party rebuild and spend more time with his family. He said he hoped his decision would help the party heal after the leadership fight.
I have never met Mr Arbib, nor have I had any contact with him. I have had a negative view of him as a politician. I acknowledge that my impression of him has been formed by media reports of his work behind the scenes of the ALP, especially in NSW.
Thank you ACOSS for showing a different aspect of Mr Arbib’s public life. It is difficult to form an impression of the whole person when, generally, we are fed very limited and very tinted (sic) information.