Eyes turn to federal budget

What do for-purpose organisations want to see in Albo’s first full budget in May?

The Albanese government’s first federal budget last October may have delivered a mixed bag for the for-purpose sector, but many described the “nuts and bolts” affair as a success for community services and funding.

So with another budget set to be handed down in mere months, what matters most to purpose-led organisations? Pro Bono News brings you a wrap-up of the first of the sector’s pre-budget asks, including insights from key industry leaders.

Want to be included in our coverage? Email your pre-budget submission to news@probonoaustralia.com.au, and keep an eye on our website for further updates.

Anglicare Australia

Anglicare Australia is urging the government to raise the rate of JobSeeker, Parenting Payment and Carer Payment to $88 per day, which it argues would pull almost 2.3 million Australians out of poverty including 840,000 children.

The not-for-profit organisation has also made recommendations in key areas including housing and homelessness, disability and mental health and aged care, among others.

“JobSeeker and other Centrelink payments are languishing far below the poverty line. People trying to live on these payments are bearing the brunt of soaring rents, rising living costs, and a safety net that isn’t keeping up,” said executive director Kasy Chambers.

“Since coming to power, the government has been focused on cost-of-living pressures and incomes. The next budget is their chance to help those on the very lowest incomes – people living on JobSeeker.” 

Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)

The national environmental charity is urging the treasury to resource action that reduces the social, economic and environmental risks caused by ecosystem collapse as a result of climate change. ACF has proposed five key priorities for climate action:

1. Fix failing national environmental laws.
2. Spend more protecting and restoring nature.
3. Deliver Australia’s commitments under the new Global Biodiversity Framework.
4. Cut all programs and subsidies promoting funding fossil fuels and reallocate savings to protecting nature and accelerating renewable energy.
5. A clean and safe, not dirty and dangerous, energy future.

The Australian Conservation Foundation argues that doing so will create more jobs, increase economic growth and scale Australia’s capacity for renewable power.

“Nearly half (49.3%) of Australia’s GDP has a moderately to very high direct dependency on nature… Funding the protection and regeneration of nature could be resourced by the phased removal of just one Australian government subsidy promoting the burning of a polluting and climate wrecking fossil fuel,” read ACF’s pre-budget submission.

CPA Australia

Among 44 recommendations across a wide range of issues, including skills and worker shortages, climate change action and tax reform, global accounting and finance body CPA Australia is urging the government to support the management capability of not for profits (NFPs).

This includes funding financial incentives to encourage NFPs to access tailored advice, and increasing the capacity of NFPs to invest in appropriate technology through further financial incentives and training programs.

“In an era of significant cybersecurity risk, NFPs can’t afford to be left behind in digital darkness. NFPs often have stretched resources and there is a shortage of volunteers. The government should help NFPs lift their digital capability, especially in cyber security and data privacy. Financial incentives from government to access targeted technologies would be a big win in the budget,” business and investment policy senior manager Gavan Ord told Pro Bono News.

Community Council for Australia (CCA)

In extensive consultation with CCA members and key stakeholders, the not-for-profit advocacy body has submitted ten practical recommendations to strengthen the contribution and capacity of Australia’s charities, including:

1. Providing Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status to all registered charities with an initial exemption of organisations for childcare, primary and secondary education, and the advancement of religion.
2. Creating more incentives for giving as Australia experiences the largest ever intergenerational wealth transfer over the coming two decades. 
3. Fixing fundraising regulations. 
4. Boosting sector investment and productivity by increasing certainty in government funding, concessions, incentives and regulations. 
5. Developing a Charities Transformation Fund to support cybersecurity and sector capacity development. 
6. Developing a Charities Investment Fund that could provide charities reduced interest loans for impact investment or longer-term line of credit options. 
7. Establishing an Impact Capital Fund to grow social impact investing. 
8. Supporting a one-stop-shop registration process to enable volunteers to be registered and insured more quickly. 
9. Introducing a targeted ‘estate duty’ for people with estates valued at over $10 million.
10. Reviewing the generous tax concessions provided to gaming, catering, entertainment and hospitality income for mutual organisations.

“We are hearing from the Treasurer that values matter, that economic policy is also about the kind of society we aspire to live in, and that an inclusive economy promotes productivity, wellbeing and opportunity. In these words I hear a compelling case for investment in the charities and NFP sector,” CEO David Crosbie told Pro Bono News.

“These are ten good policy choices for our government, for our charities and most importantly, for our communities.”

National Shelter

Peak body National Shelter, which aims to improve housing access, affordability and security for people living on low incomes, has put forward six key priority areas ahead of the next federal budget. This includes:

1. A meaningful increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, as well as permanently increasing JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Abstudy, Special Benefit and Parenting Payments to at least $73 per day. 
2. Housing taxation reform to restore the balance, including reducing the CGT discount for individuals and trust to 25 per cent.
3. Increased investment in social and affordable housing to meet the target of 10 per cent of total housing stock.
4. A well-resourced housing and homelessness sector, including providing additional specialist homelessness funding to the Northern Territory.
5. Investing in First Nations housing, including extending funding of NATSIHA to June 2026.
6. An enhanced coordination role for the Commonwealth, including the development of a national inclusionary zoning policy framework and national agenda for tenancy law reform.

“By almost every measure, Australia is facing a nationwide housing emergency,” read National Shelter’s pre-budget submission.

SNAICC – National Voice for Our Children

Early learning and development, family support and child safety are the key budget focus areas for SNAICC, the national peak First Nations children’s rights organisation.

Specifically, SNAICC is arguing for a minimum entitlement of 30 hours of 95 per cent subsidised access per week to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, which fulfils Close the Gap and Australian Early Development Census outcomes, as well the introduction of an alternative needs-based funding stream for ECEC services.

It is also calling on the government to fully resource the Safe and Supported Framework, which sets out a range of priorities to keep children safe and reduce the over-representation of First Nations children in the child protection system, and to create a new national program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led prevention and early support.