Workplace Giving Australia Keenly Awaits The Release Of The Federal Budget on Tuesday, 9 May 2023
Against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, higher interest rates and cost-of-living pressures, Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down his second Budget on 9 May 2023. While households and businesses nationwide feel the current economic challenges, there are significant opportunities to strengthen workplace giving and assist charities and not-for-profits at this time, as outlined in the Workplace Giving Australia pre-budget submission lodged with the Federal Government earlier this year.
Workplace Giving Australia, as part of the ongoing One Million Donors campaign, has used its pre-budget submission to outline improvements to corporate giving, including amending the Fair Work Act to make workplace giving clearer, removing administrative barriers for charities, and an awareness campaign to promote to all Australians the importance of workplace giving.
The submission details a range of investments and measures, including:
- Championing opt-out workplace-giving provisions through an addition to the Fair Work Act to remove a perceived barrier to employers implementing workplace giving
- Expanding the existing ACNC database to provide a one-stop information source of Australian charities, thereby reducing the cost to charities and enabling simplification of philanthropic giving
- An Australian-wide campaign to promote awareness to all Australian employees of the benefits of workplace giving and creating the expectation for employers to provide programs in the workplace.
Workplace Giving Australia CEO David Mann said that engaging Australian workers to give through their place of work increases philanthropic giving, makes giving part of everyday life and supports communities within the workplace. “13.8 million Australians are members of the Australian workforce. Over 65% are involved in some form of charitable activity. Disturbingly less than 2% choose to bring this passion to their place of work. In an era of declining community engagement, there is a real opportunity to not only increase their philanthropic impact but to simultaneously create communities within our places of work. With over 70% of employees reporting that they want to work for an organisation that supports charities, there are obvious benefits to employers who are genuinely wanting to create great places to work, enabling and promoting workplace giving benefits the workers, the business, charities and the wider community.”
David Mann said the value of the workplace giving industry to the Australian economy delivered real value to future government investment. “As a sector, we are committed to allowing Australian charities to partner with many of the largest corporations and their workforces in Australia, allowing not-for-profit organisations to tap into a source of crucial donations, fundraising, volunteering and other corporate support. In short, workplace giving contributes to the ultimate well-being of charities and our local and international communities.”
David goes on to say that the pre-budget submission identified many opportunities that could make a difference to charities and the Australian community. “Increasing the uptake of workplace giving will expand donations and support to charities and build stronger communities while providing broader business and economic benefits. Ongoing investment in workplace giving will allow charities to adapt to real-world causes. From a government perspective, this funding also represents the potential for a significant return on investment to all Australian communities.”