CHARITY RED TAPE

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Acting Leader of the Government about red tape on charity.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: In The Advertiser on Monday 2 May it was reported that the new state government rules will mean more red tape and less money for the needy. The paper reveals that numerous complaints were received from the Cancer Council, the RSPCA, the Heart Foundation, the Guide Dogs Association, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and others. I would like to quote the following complaints reported by major charities in The Advertiser:

state-specific information to be printed on charity materials would mean SA print runs costing more money;

advertising on the internet would be difficult because of wordy warning messages and conditions on every advertisement;

national rules to be brought in within 12 months would make the SA changes out of date;

stockpiles of charity merchandise will have to be thrown out because they are rendered out of date; and

stocks of existing receipts will have to be thrown out because warnings to donors have not been printed on them.

My questions to the minister are:

1. As the minister indicated that the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner will make recommendations to her, including possible amendments to the draft code of practice, can the minister inform the house when the briefing will take place?

2. RSPCA Chief Executive Steve Lawrie said that the draft code should be scrapped and all efforts put towards a national system, which would be in place within a year. Will the minister and the state government support the introduction of a one-stop-shop system to reduce the current burden on charities?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:25): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. I fear there is a fair degree of scaremongering going on out there, but I can reassure stakeholders that consideration is being given to their concerns. I think it was in February 2010 that the improving regulations issues paper was released by the former minister for public consultation. As a result, a draft code of practice was developed and then released for further consultation in November.

The latest round of consultation closed on 14 January (these are all dates I have been advised of) with, I understand, over 30 submissions being received. I have been advised that the Office of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner is currently reviewing those submissions and taking into consideration the concerns and suggestions raised. The Liquor and Gambling Commissioner will make recommendations to me shortly, including any possible suggested amendments to the draft code of practice.

Let's just remember what we are doing here. This is about improving the integrity of the industry. We know that there have recently been a number of cases where fraudulent activities have been identified from charity groups or from people posing as charity groups. This has resulted in ripping people off, so it is most important that, where we possibly can, we tighten up those loopholes to ensure that we have a system that is as sound as possible and that prevents abuse of fundraising activities.

However, obviously we do not want to overburden industry in such a way that makes fundraising activities too difficult to administer. We rely on the work that these groups do, in a very significant way, to contribute to a wide range of services and amenities, so obviously it is in our interest to make sure that we get that balance right.