Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the response of the minister.

There is nothing in that minister's weak, quite pathetic explanation that excuses the government's delay in fixing charity fundraising law or their delay in responding to the Senate inquiry. An explanation from a minister that basically amounts to, 'We'll get to it when we can,' is barely an explanation at all. Senator Seselja and all his colleagues on that side of the chamber should be very embarrassed. It has now been more than 18 months since the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission legislation review was handed to the government. Eighteen months! What do they do on that side of the chamber? Eighteen months and they're still not able to give us a response.

When the ACNC review was released, the minister at the time, Minister Sukkar, was quick off the blocks to announce that the government would be working to harmonise charity law. That was a few weeks before the Liberal leadership spill. Shortly after the spill, Senator Seselja became the assistant minister for charities—the sixth charities minister in six years—and unfortunately he's been missing in action the whole time on fixing charity fundraising law. In an interview in September with Pro Bono News, Senator Seselja said that the government's response to the ACNC review would be released, 'If not later on this year, then certainly early next year.' Well, how early is 'early'? Does the minister's vague response, vague spin, mean the sector could end up waiting almost two years for the ACNC review to see the response? And if the government remains committed to harmonising charity fundraising law, when can we expect them to actually start discussing it with their state and territory counterparts, or introducing legislation?

Are those opposite really waiting for a fourth term before addressing this issue? It has been more than nine months since I tabled the report of the Senate Select Committee on Charity Fundraising in the 21st Century as chair of the committee. The committee unanimously recommended that the Australian government work with states and territories to achieve a national, harmonised fundraising law within two years. This recommendation was not only supported by Labor, Greens and United Australia Party senators, it was supported by the Liberals' Senators Abetz and Stoker.

While government responses to committee reports are frequently late, a six-month-overdue response to a report with only two—two!—recommendations is inexcusable. In fact, it's lazy and it's incompetent. Not only have the government failed to respond to the Senate inquiry report, they have failed to take any meaningful action on this important issue. And it's astounding that this government have even ignored the call for action from their own senators. I note the minister couldn't even be bothered to stay in to listen to the debate about it. That's how much he cares about it.