Workplace Giving Australia Pre-Budget Submission 2023-24

Workplace Giving Australia has called on the Federal Government to use the next budget to invest in workplace giving programs to enable corporations and their staff to support charities through giving at work to build stronger communities while providing business social and economic benefits.

Workplace Giving Australia 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.

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. “Close to 14 million Australians are members of the Australian workforce, with over 65% involved in some form of philanthropic activity. And yet, less than 2% chose to take this action within their capacity as an employee. In an era of declining community engagement, there is a real opportunity to increase their philanthropic impact while simultaneously creating 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 benefits to the employer, employee, charities and the wider community.” *

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 if workplace giving and creating the expectation for employers to provide programs in the workplace.

David Mann said the value of the workplace giving industry to the Australian economy delivers real value to future government investment. “As a sector, we are committed to providing Australian charities with the opportunity 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 urgent world challenges. From a government perspective, this funding also represents the potential for a significant return on investment to all Australian communities.”

To read more about the pre-budget submission Click here

* 65% comes from the CAF Australia 2022 global report; 2% comes from the ATO data provided to us yearly (that figure is from 2021); 70% comes from the Fasttracker survey