The Australian Council of Social Service today welcomed the Federal Government announcement that Susan Pascoe will be the Interim Commissioner leading the Implementation Taskforce for the Charities Commission, calling it an important next step in the reforms affecting Australia’s Not-For-Profit Sector.

“ACOSS congratulates Ms Pascoe on her appointment. Her extensive background in education reform at the state, national and international level, and her position on national taskforces and overseas delegations, make her extremely well qualified to drive this process,” said Acting CEO, Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine.

“ACOSS has been calling for a national regulator to address inconsistencies and overly onerous regulatory processes across the sector. The establishment of the Commission will provide the framework for other important reforms to ensure a national approach to things like accounting standards and fund raising.

“We also welcome the Federal Government’s release today of the Final report on the scoping study for a national NFP regulator and the exposure draft consultation paper on restating the ‘in Australia’ special conditions for tax exempt entities.

“While these reforms have long been championed by the sector, it is important to ensure that the sector is engaged at every stage of the process. The release of these reports provides further clarity about the Governments intentions and another opportunity for sector organisations to respond. We look forward to continuing to work with the Government and the Commission to see these long-awaited reforms take shape,” Dr Boyd-Caine said.

Media Contact: Fernando de Freitas – 0419 626 155

See more ACOSS papers and work on sector reform: http://acoss.wpengine.com/policy/sector_development/