I rise today to recognise the enormous contribution that charities and not-for-profit organisations make to our communities. I spent many years of my working life working for charities and the not-for-profit sector, so I have seen firsthand the difference that charities and not-for-profits make in people's lives. I've also experienced firsthand the motivations that drive people who work for charities and not-for-profits, and the ethic of service and giving back that, in turn, drives those organisations. Charities and not-for-profits make an enormous contribution to our society, and on behalf of our community, I thank them enormously for their work.

Charities and not-for-profits are all about what is in the interests of those they serve and the public interest. Charities and not-for-profits make sure that Australians don't fall through the cracks. They safeguard our tradition of fairness, the tradition that makes Australia the best country in the world. Charities and not-for-profits do their best work when they are allowed to speak out. Advocating for the people they support is in the very DNA of our charity and not-for-profit sector. It therefore makes sense that we should ensure that those organisations can contribute openly and freely to public debate when they are advocating for Australia to be a better place. Without their advocacy, we would not have many of the important reforms that go to the essence of what we stand for as a nation.

I worked in the charity and not-for-profit sector during the days of the previous coalition government, and I remember the time when advocacy became a dirty word. Many organisations were highly sensitive to using the word 'advocacy' to describe their work, both publicly and in documents being sent back to government about their work. This, in my mind, was not right. How could we live in a flourishing and functioning democracy if those people committed to supporting society's most vulnerable could not speak up for them? I am proud to say that our government has sent a clear signal that advocacy is supported and welcomed by this government. We've taken a very different approach to the previous government, because we came to government promising to support the community organisations that are working to lift up the most vulnerable Australians and make our communities better places to live.

A homelessness charity should be able to talk about improving housing policy. An environmental charity should be able to talk about protecting the environment. A community legal centre should be able to talk about our most vulnerable citizens and the need for law reform. A disability charity should be able to talk about where Australians are at risk of falling through the cracks. Our government recognises that charities do more than deliver services; they bind our nation together, and they continually motivate, prompt and challenge us to create a better society. Across our nation, millions of Australians benefit from the generosity and dedication of people who give their time, resources and expertise to others. It happens in community halls and neighbourhood centres, sporting clubs, schools, shelters, food banks, cultural organisations, and local charities. It's often volunteers who are the first to respond when a community faces hardship.

Sometimes people don't always have the time to volunteer in our communities as much as they would like to, so instead they make donations to the organisations that they support. That's why I strongly support the government's goal of doubling charitable giving by 2030. Australia is an incredibly generous community and our government also wants to make it easier for Australians to give back. For example, our government has removed the $2 minimum threshold for tax deductible donations, helping to make the gift of small gifts easier, including rounding up giving at the checkout. These small amounts at scale can make a real difference to charities. We've also lifted the minimum amount that giving funds must distribute to charities each year, and this is expected to see an extra $60 million a year flow to charities.

I thank the many charities and not-for-profits in my wonderful electorate of Whitlam and across the country for your fantastic work. It doesn't go unnoticed.