UnitedFuture Secures Better Deal For Charities – Dunne
UnitedFuture leader, Hon Peter Dunne, has welcomed changes to the Policing (Cost Recovery) Amendment Bill heralded this
evening.
The changes announced this evening will exempt registered charities from the cost recovery scheme and have come about
following a collaboration between Hon Peter Dunne and the Government.
“UnitedFuture supports the vital role that volunteer and community organisations play in our society, acknowledging that
these organisations often have the expertise, community knowledge and focus to deliver services in ways that the
Government cannot.
“Ensuring that the charitable sector is free to operate with as few burdens as possible is essential for having an
effective charitable sector,” said Mr Dunne.
“This Bill, as it stood, would have imposed additional burdens on charities for basic services that are crucial to the
operation of the sector, such as police checks on their volunteers.
“It is simply not fair or practicable to require charities to pay for the police checks of their volunteers, the result
would have been to force charities to spend their money on compliance instead of delivering the essential services they
focus on.
“In light of that, and after discussing the issue with several stakeholders in the sector, I raised the issue with the
Minister of Police when this Bill was in the Select Committee in the middle of last year.
“This has been an ongoing conversation between UnitedFuture and the Minister of Police since then.
“I am delighted that through our discussions, the Government has moved to balance the needs of charities with the
interests of securing revenue for the Police Service.
“This Bill is a good Bill that allows the Police to recoup certain costs that they incur, however, it is not appropriate
to place additional burdens on the charitable sector.
“On the basis that I have been assured that registered charities will be exempt from the cost recovery regime,
UnitedFuture will continue to support this Bill.
“This is another example of the positive contribution UnitedFuture has made to ensure that our communities continue to
operate successfully,” said Mr Dunne.
The cost recovery regime’s fees and exemptions are set through regulation and UnitedFuture has been given an undertaking
that the Minister will introduce regulations to exempt registered charities from the cost recovery regime.
Ends.